As real estate agents who specialize in helping home buyers relocate to Charleston, we get lots of questions regarding Charleston's job market and overall economy. Over the past two years, Charleston has invested more than $1 billion to generate more businesses and also expand existing ones. We've included info below on the biggest industries and employers in Charleston.
Because Mt. Pleasant is known for its master planned, new construction communities, it can be difficult for home buyers to find older and historic homes in this Charleston suburb. Buyers looking for historic homes tend to love Old Village - not because it's one of only a few historic neighborhoods in Mt. Pleasant, but because it has a charm and location that are hard to find elsewhere in Charleston. Old Village is possibly the oldest community in Mt. Pleasant, with homes dating back to the early 1800s. While the rest of Mt. Pleasant has been developed on a large scale both commercially and residentially, Old Village has managed to preserve its heritage and charm over the years.
One of the most sought after neighborhoods in Charleston, I'on is known for its Charleston styled homes, its exclusive amenities, and its close proximity to downtown Charleston and the beaches. As you drive through this neighborhood, you'll feel like you're in historic downtown Charleston. I'on homes have all of the details that make Charleston architecture so unique - not just the double front porches and designs that so many Mt. Pleasant neighborhoods try to imitate, but also the impressive brick work, wrought iron fences, immaculately landscaped courtyards, heavy columns, metal roofed dormers, and European styled piazzas.
In the past few years, we've seen a wave of interest among home buyers regarding job opportunities and overall economic conditions in Charleston, SC. Buyers often know that they want to relocate to Charleston, but they want to make sure that the city has good job opportunities and room for economic growth in the future - especially if they're moving from one of the more economically depressed areas of the country. Many buyers know that Charleston is ranked as a top place to retire and to visit. It's been named everything from the "Friendliest City" to the "Best Shopping District." Travel magazines like Conde Naste and home magazines like Southern Living consistently rank Charleston for its charm and beauty.
In the $500K plus price range, you'll find a great selection of new homes to choose from offered by some of Charleston's best residential builders. 1). Hamlin Plantation ($400K to $800K): Almost all of these homes were built by John Wieland, one of the best (and most popular) residential builders in Charleston. Right now, The Sound is the only marsh front subsection here, so you won't find as many waterfront options to choose from. However, Hamlin Plantation is consistently a favorite among home buyers because of the traditional home designs and the overall feel of the neighborhood.
Linnen Place ($200-300K): Development in this neighborhood began in 2010, making it one of the newest subdivisions in Mt. Pleasant. Although these homes have vinyl siding exteriors, the builders have done a great job of mixing in brick fronts, multiple rooflines with shingle-style siding, and heavy columns on the fronts. In other words, you won't find the plain, vinyl boxes that were built in the early 2000's here. Linnen Place has done a great job of incorporating good architectural details and variety that, I think, are going to become a trend we see in new construction homes in the next 5-10 years as buyers demand more personalized homes from builders. Linnen Place is located off Hamlin Road in Mt. Pleasant.
As the largest residential neighborhood in Charleston, Park West usually has the largest selection of homes at any given time. Based on feedback from plenty of buyers, here are the most common pros and cons that we've heard over the years regarding this community.
Many local Realtors are now predicting that the year 2010 will see the rise and the fall of short sales in the Charleston, SC market since so many buyers have given up on this type of sale that really was too good to be true. If you're considering the short sale route, be aware of a few things before you embark on what may be a long journey.
Charleston's real estate market has seen more changes in the past ten years than in the fifty years before that. From incredible affordability in the early 2000's, to tripled and quadrupled prices around 2005, to the current drop in prices (some people have compared today's prices to those in 2003 and 2004), the local real estate trends have changed drastically along with the prices.
Because Folly is the most popular beach in Charleston for vacationers, many home buyers choose this area for buying real estate as an investment or a second home. If you know that you'll only be staying in the home a portion of the year, why not place the home on a rental program to offset some of the costs of upkeep, insurance, and taxes?
Summerville tends to be one of home buyers' top choices of areas to live in the greater Charleston area. This small town is located further inland, which means that land is more affordable. Downtown Charleston is about a 40 minute drive, and the closest beach is less than an hour away.
Mount Pleasant, South Carolina is one of the most popular suburbs of Charleston with master planned communities. If you're looking for neighborhoods with great amenities, Mt. Pleasant should be one of the first areas to consider because most of its subdivisions have at least a pool.
James Island, SC can be a tricky housing market to navigate if you're looking for good neighborhood amenities. Because most of the island is already developed, land comes at a premium here - which means fewer neighborhood amenities for home buyers. In this article, I've included James Island neighborhoods with golf amenities, a swimming pool, and tennis!
During the first quarter of 2010 (January through the end of March), 322 homes sold in Summerville, SC. The average days on market (DOM) was 86, and the median sales price for these was $150,000. Get more statistics on the Summerville real estate market in this article.
We've started to see the real estate market pick up here in Charleston, SC over the past 3 or 4 months. Almost 700 of the 9,300 or so homes listed on the MLS closed in the month of March alone. In this article, I've included statistics for the Mt. Pleasant, SC real estate market for the first quarter of 2010.
Most of Mt. Pleasant's real estate inventory is made up of newer homes that have been built since 1995. So, it can be difficult to find an older home in an established neighborhood. I have included below some of the most popular neighborhoods in Mt. Pleasant with older houses. Most of the homes in these neighborhoods were built before the year 2000 (although you will find an occasional newer home in these communities). I have put these in order of average list price, from the highest to the lowest.
Mt. Pleasant, SC has a larger selection of new homes compared to older homes. In fact, the overwhelming majority of homes in this area were built in the past 15 years. And, comparing Mt. Pleasant to other Charleston areas, Mount Pleasant has more newer homes than just about any other area (with the exception of Summerville). So, if you are looking for a newer home in the Charleston area, Mt. Pleasant will be one of the best places to start your home search.
Looking for a townhouse in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina? This area has so many good options for home buyers to choose from right now. And, with all of the assessments going on with some of the condo communities right now, town homes are looking better and better as long term investment options for home buyers. I have included some of the most popular neighborhoods in this article along with some information about each community.
Right now, there are over 10,000 properties listed in the Charleston MLS! If you are one of the many buyers looking to narrow down your MLS home search results, here are some tips to adjust your search.
Earlier this year Forbes named Charleston, South Carolina the ninth strongest real estate market in the United States. When these findings came out, we (as Charleston Realtors) were pleased that Charleston was given such a good outlook. However, we also wondered how Charleston would fare in the coming months. Only now that we are halfway though the year, we are able to see that Charleston's real estate market the past six months has held its own quite well compared to other cities around the country.
