Bryan Crabtree

Courtesy of Rismedia and The Lowcountry Real Estate Show on 1250am, WTMA Saturdays at 8am.

Highlights of “What Every Home Seller Should Demand of Their Real Estate Agent” include:

• Demand a marketing agent not just a real estate agent-someone who is dedicated not just to selling your home, but for selling it for more.

• Expect your agent to be an expert negotiator. Negotiations take preparation, strategic thinking and persistence, requiring the agent to devote time throughout the selling process.

• Find an agent who is a property promoter, not a personal promoter. It’s great for an agent to claim a top ranking but meaningless unless that agent is promoting your property and not his own prestige.

• Ask for proof. Your agent will have record of her sales and should be asked to point to those that exceed market average.

• Insist on an agent with capable information technology skills, including online and database understanding. Real estate sales move at the speed of light and you should expect your agent to handle complex Internet searches and manipulate secure databases.

• Favor agents who are leaders in their communities and who have a record of giving back. Agents who invest in where they live will use their skills in your favor as they will remain in that community long after you’ve moved away.

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Depending on who you talk to, this is either the brink of "The Greatest Depression" or nothing more than a hiccup in the market (and everything in between). One thing for sure, it's a financial disaster, and a lot of people have lost our jobs.

The preverbial buffet we have been eating from for years is now out of food and we're a bit hungry - no, not starving.

From my vantage point, I can see a very dim light at the end of the tunnel, meaning we'll probably see a true bottom in the next 9-12 months, likely at year end.

Here's a positive spin on the situation from one analyst: http://www.cnbc.com/id/29163654

Remember, for Charleston, SC Real Estate, Mount Pleasant Real Estate, Mt. Pleasant SC Foreclosures and Charleston Foreclosures, it's all on Housedog.com.

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I am looking to buy either "foreclosed" or "abandoned homes in South Carolina areas which are listed for no more than $2,000 to $5,000. I want to RESTORE these types of homes for people who have LOST their homes due to the economy. I thought South Carolina had one of the highest "Foreclosures" listed in the U.S. I may have been wrong.

What I find is that the news gives a completely wrong account of the situation. SC has one of the highest unemployment rates (number four) right now, but our properties have never been that low (in recent 15 year history). The lowest price you can find in our area is about $45,000 - $50,000 and up. Our area, although prices have fallen tends to retain values well. It's also a great investor/rental market. Most of the "stories" you are reading about those homes are shacks on lots which have been stripped of anything of value (copper, HVAC, appliances, fixtures, etc.) and require as much to repair (if not more) than they would be worth. Your best bet in any market is to be shopping in the $70,000-$120,000 (or the lowest of the entry range - which the previous is in our market), where you can get a nice home, fix it, rent it and retain for a 5 year plus hold. "Flipping" is very dangerous in the present market situation. Let me know if I can help you further.

The Tri-County real estate numbers are now available from MLS for January. There were 378 homes sold and closed in the Charleston Tri-County Real Estate market in January for a total volume of $198,787,670. One year ago, in January, there were 698 homes closed for a total volume of $384,911,000. This represents a 46% drop in transactions year over year.

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