An article titled: "Homebuilders: Now is the time to buy" was published in the Charleston Business 
Journal on 10/24/08. Homebuilders across the state are getting together to send out the message that the SC housing market is strong. It made a good point that most of the serious housing problems are contained in many areas like California and Florida, etc. Doug Woodward, professor of economics at the Moore School of Business at the University of South Carolina further adds that "South Carolina has less toxic subprime mortgages than most states. Actually, South Carolina has few fundamental problems with mortgages."
The article further stated that "South Carolina is considered to be the fifth-best housing market in the country because of fewer subprime mortgages, fewer foreclosures and home price appreciation."
This is wonderful news about South Carolina's housing market! While financing guidelines have tighten up, the money is still out there. Banks are still lending but on different terms. State housing money is still available which allows buyers to obtain up to $5000 downpayment assistance from SC. Couple this with amazing prices, low rates and the new $7500 tax credit ~ What are you waiting for?
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Michele Reneau - Military Relocation Specialist with Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, SC.
Contact Michele Reneau, Realtor®, North Charleston, SC Real Estate Relocation Expert, CRS, GRI, ABR, Carolina One Real Estate. Licensed Realtor® in South Carolina at 843-572-0518 to list your property for sale or to purchase of real estate in Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville, North Charleston, Hanahan, Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas in Charleston County, Berkeley County or Dorchester County, South Carolina. The Charleston Relocation Expert specializes in military relocation, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. I can also be contacted by email at mreneau@carolinaone.com. To view all Charleston Metro area Homes for Sale Click Here and then click on Search for Homes. With over 25 years of Lowcountry Living, I know the Charleston Metro area. I will help you get your home sold and/or help you buy your Charleston home or land.
Last week, the Today Show, shared winners of Condé Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Awards. You guessed it, Charleston, S.C. made the Top 3 list of Cities in the US! Charleston, SC beat New York City out of the number 2 spot for best U.S. city to visit. San Francisco remained number 1 and New York City fell to number 3. Additionally, The Sanctuary at Kiawah Island, SC, about 20 minutes South of Charleston, was ranked #3 of Top Resorts on the Mainland U.S. Pretty impressive for little ol' Charleston. Charleston, SC is beautiful, historic, charming, hospitable and full of great restaurants, beaches, golf courses, shopping and more! Come and visit and you'll fall in love and want to relocate!
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Michele Reneau - Military Relocation Specialist with Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, SC.
Contact Michele Reneau, Realtor®, North Charleston, SC Relocation Expert, CRS, GRI, ABR. Licensed Realtor® in South Carolina at 843-572-0518 to list your property for sale or to purchase real estate in Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville, North Charleston, Hanahan, Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas in Charleston County, Berkeley County or Dorchester County, South Carolina. The Charleston Relocation Expert specializes in military relocation, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. I can also be contacted by email at mreneau@carolinaone.com. To view all Charleston Metro area Homes for Sale Click Here and then click on Search for Homes. With over 25 years of Lowcountry Living, I know the Charleston Metro area. I will help you get your home sold and/or help you buy your Charleston home or land.
Every business, whether real estate or not, goes through seasons. Quite frankly, we experienced quite a long spring break and summer vacation during the hype of soaring prices and easy to get loans in the Charleston SC real estate market and most other places. However with all of the 
changes, oversupply of inventory, tightening mortgage guidelines, lower consumer confidence just to name a few, we can say with certainty that WINTER is here. The real estate party is over, and the hangover has set in. During the party, there was quite a bit of 
overconsumption, overpurchasing and debt building. During this winter season in our market and some businesses, it's time to get back to the basics. Reevaluate your business and start developing a plan for where you'll plant the next seeds so they will grow and ripen come spring and summer. First, the basics means establishing or renewing your core values for personal and business life. It's time to determine what we need versus what we want, what is important and necessary like family, friends and helping others. That being said, it's time to dig ourselves out of the hole of debt, start saving money and get control over spending and consumption habits. Dave Ramsey gives great advise about this! Rebalance in all these areas are necessary and readjustment is needed in order for the market to balance. The economy is tied to consumerism but we have start living below our means so that emergency bailouts aren't necessary. In that case, we need to have the emergency fund in place.
There are many crisises we have all gone through. My parent's first house in Charleston was financed at 14% interest rate, then a few years later, they refinanced at 9%. Things could be worse than our current 6% rates. In Charleston, we've faced Hurricane Hugo in 1989 and the Naval Base closure in 1993. It seemed like the sky was falling, but we made it through. The economy of Charleston bounced back in no time and stronger and look at us now. We are one of the Top 10 BEST places to live in the US! As a nation, how could we forget 9/11? We have been through worse and we will get through it. It's time to turn back to your faith, your determination to succeed and your ingenuity. We are tough and will not be defeated....not as agents, businesses, not as Charlestonians, and not as Americans! Just remember that nothing last forever. We are going through a cycle. And Spring always follows the winter in all things!
Despite the declining market, the Charleston Relocation Experts Team is still experiencing sunshine despite the storm. The market is tough out there but we are staying ahead of the market, on top of market trends and stats and still getting properties sold. It's not easy, but together we will weather the storms of the market.
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Michele Reneau - Military Relocation Specialist in Charleston, SC.
Rated number #1 featured Summerville, SC Realtor on Activerain.com. As Featured on HGTV's House Hunters. Publisher/Author for Charleston Real Estate Update including featured monthly statistics on Charleston Real Estate Market. Contact Michele Reneau, Realtor®, CRS, GRI, ABR, Carolina One Real Estate. Licensed Realtor® in South Carolina at 843-572-0518 to list your property for sale or to purchase a property in Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville, North Charleston, Hanahan, Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas in Charleston County, Berkeley County or Dorchester County, South Carolina. The Charleston Relocation Expert specializes in military relocation, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home. I can also be contacted by email at mreneau@carolinaone.com. To view all Charleston Metro area Homes for Sale, visit www.CharlestonRelocationExperts.com and then click on Search for Homes. With over 25 years of Lowcountry Living, I know the Charleston Metro area.
Do you have trouble keeping up with all your social networks? Iit's hard to keep track of them and update 
each one....facebook, twitter, blogger, linked in, plaxo...JUST TO NAME A FEW. It can be a full time job in and of itself. Well, check out http://ping.fm. It's a free service to make all your social networks easy to update. You log in to ping.fm and make your update and it will ping it to all your other social networks for you. Check it out! You'll start pinging more often! You can follow me around Charleston at www.twitter.com/chasREexpert.
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Michele Reneau - Military Relocation Specialist with Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, SC.
Contact Michele Reneau, Realtor®, North Charleston, SC Relocation Expert, CRS, GRI, ABR. Licensed Realtor® in South Carolina at 843-572-0518 to list your property for sale or to purchase real estate in Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville, North Charleston, Hanahan, Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas in Charleston County, Berkeley County or Dorchester County, South Carolina. The Charleston Relocation Expert specializes in military relocation, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. I can also be contacted by email at mreneau@carolinaone.com. To view all Charleston Metro area Homes for Sale Click Here and then click on Search for Homes. With over 25 years of Lowcountry Living, I know the Charleston Metro area.
Check out How's Your Real Estate Hangover blog if you forgot what the party was like and why you have a hangover.
You finally decide to face the music and wake up to face the ugly real estate hangover. You have a splitting headache, dry mouth, and would really just prefer to stay in bed. You drink gallons of water and take several aspirin and the headache is not going away. You want to scream, but you're afraid your head will split in half, so silently you scream, When is this hangover going to end?! It's hard on everyone that came to the party. The banks lent too much money. Buyers bought too much house or got ARM financing that is about to reset. Those now sellers that bought at the peak feel like they are underwater and can't compete with the increasing inventory and builders trying to unload product. 
There really isn't an easy answer. Hangovers last longer for some people as we all know. Everyone is different just like every market is different. But as one of our company leaders noted, a look closer at the many different factors, will reveal that we can say it's not over. Some think that we are just around the corner, but a reality check says otherwise. Now, please note that I am not a pessimist. In fact, I'm probably guiltier of being too optimistic, but in times like these, it's time to be a realist. I hope that the end is closer, but it's time to prepare for the worst. It could be more like 12-18 months before we see a turn around. First, the brunt of bank foreclosures may not have come to fruition yet. It's a long legal process and it may be another 6-9 months before the mass inventory of foreclosures is really seen. This will put more inventory on the market at discount prices. Second, there will be many more ARM resets in the months ahead for those buyers that bought at the peak of 2005 that could further lead to more inventory on the market as homeowners decide to get out of the loan by selling. Third, a phenomenon we have never seen before is happening. The walk away mentality. Homeowners in fight or flight mode are walking away from their home and loan obligations without remorse. I don't think we can pinpoint a time in history where this phenomenon occurred so much.
Let's face it. The hangover is due to a HUGE IMBALANCE in our market today and in the past few years as building got out of control. The imbalance is due not only in home values and home inventory, but also in lending practices and guidelines. The pendulum has swung from one end and now to the other. We need a healthy balance in order to return to equilibrium. I think this is in the works. As an agent, I do not create the market, but my job is to help buyers and seller respond to it. With proper pricing (which may below the last sale and eat into part of your equity), excellent condition (meaning we may have to make some improvements) and the greatest marketing exposure possible (I'll handle this part for you), we can see the closing table. The Charleston Relocation Expert has served over 150 families since 2004. So far in 2008, I have assisted 35 families achieve their real estate goals. Allow me to be of service to you.
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Contact Michele Reneau, Realtor®, CRS, GRI, ABR, Carolina One Real Estate. Licensed Realtor® in South Carolina at 843-572-0518 to list your property for sale or to purchase a property in Charleston, Goose Creek, Summerville, North Charleston, Hanahan, Mount Pleasant and the surrounding areas in Charleston County, Berkeley County or Dorchester County, South Carolina. The Charleston Relocation Expert specializes in military relocation, first time homebuyers and creating marketing exposure to sell your home. I can also be contacted by email at mreneau@carolinaone.com. To view all Charleston Metro area Homes for Sale Click Here and then click on Search for Homes. With over 25 years of Lowcountry Living, I know the Charleston Metro area. I will help you get your home sold and/or help you buy your Charleston home or land.
P.S. If you are listing your home and need a quick sale in Charleston or surrounding area, make sure you hire an agent with the knowledge of the market and stats and the experience to get the job done. I'll provide you with "Questions you should ask ANY agent before hiring" and share my my 100+ point marketing system. Call me at 843-572-0518 to find out more selling your home in the Charleston SC Real Estate market. You can also view my newsletter by clicking here with the latest market stats updated on the 5th of each month.
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Charleston SC Top Relocation Team of Realtors serving military familes at Charleston AFB, Naval Weapons Station (NNPTC) & Coast Guard. Call or email to get started on your American Dream!
Michele is a CSP Elite instructor who focuses on helping sellers and realtors understand the importance of home staging in today's market. Michele teaches "Protecting Your Clients Equity through Home Staging." Realtors can earn their CSP Elite designation and learn how to sell listings faster and for more money through the use of this marketing tool. Call or email to schedule your office's class to increase the bottom line for both you and the seller.
Experience counts! In this tough market, you'll want to work with an agent that has experience. In the last 4 years, Michele Reneau and the CRE Team has helped over over 190 families achieve their American Dream. You want this kind of experience working for YOU!!! The CRE team does not view themselves as a salespersons, but as Real Estate Advisors. "Our job as a seller's agent is to help find a marketing solution to get your home sold by bringing you the most buyers. As a buyer's agent, our job is find a home that suit your needs." Even though it is a buyer's market, this may not always be easy to do. Michele Reneau is a Certified Residential Specialist. She ranks in the TOP 4% of the nation's top real estate agents and in the top 1% of her local market based on her experience. Her extensive knowledge of the field is your advantage. All CRE team members are Accredited Buyer's Representatives. We work with buyers to identify needs and can help you avoid the pitfalls of buying and even with new construction. Our knowledge and experience is coupled with a savvy investor's nose. Michele and Laura are have been part of military families and proudly supports the local service men and women and their families. Visit www.CharlestonRelocationExperts.com to start searching for your home.
The CRE team specialize in residential real estate in the Greater Charleston area, military relocations, and corporate relocations. This includes Charleston County, Dorchester County, and Berkeley County. We work with buyers and sellers to help them achieve their homeownership goals. The CRE Team specializes in working with military buyers and sellers transferring in and out of the Charleston Air Force Base, Charleston Naval Weapons Station and Coast Guard base.
"We love to work with first time home buyers, move up buyers, retirement homes and investors." Michele Reneau bought her first home at the age of 24. She remembers the highs and lows of being a first time homebuyer and loves making this dream come true for others. In less than 10 years, since her first home, Michele now owns 5 investment properties including single family homes and a multi family dwelling. She has a knack for seeing value in older homes or homes that need a little TLC. Since Michele has lived in the area for over 25 years, she knows the area very well. Buyers unfamiliar with the area simply share what is most imporant (interstate access, shopping, things to do) and she can put you in the right direction.
The Charleston Relocation Experts TEAM not only specializes in helping buyers, but Michele also has a unique marketing plan that helps sellers. Michele's average list to sale ratio is 98.7% with an average days on market of 70 days. Sellers that take the CRE Team's suggestions to prepare their property and price it right have enormous success even in the changing market. Call Michele to get started on your real estate dream.
CRE Team's Accomplishments
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Michele,
I want to personally thank you for your stellar professionalism and never ending work ethic. From the first moment that we sat down at our dining room table to discuss the sale of our home, Bill and I knew that we were in the BEST hands with you. If our home was to sell in this tough market, we were confident that you would be the one that could make that happen. We were very eager to get the house sold and move on to our next chapter. We had an agent prior to hiring you and the differences are astounding to say the least. Unlike our first agent, you did everything imaginable to prepare for our meeting and the sale, you were armed with amazing facts, figures and statistics. We had everything possible that we would need to make educated decisions and come up with strategic plans that would make our home stand out to all the potential buyers and realtors. You were always there with updates, advice, feedback, ideas and the list could go on and on. We slept very well at night knowing that everything that could be done was being done. We truly think of you as a "God-send". We will be forever grateful. Our future is so BRIGHT and you have played a HUGE role in that. I wished everyone would be as blessed as us in finding you.
Best to you always,
Shara and Bill Pisowicz
Indigo on the Ashley
July 2008
Michele was the best real estate agent ever! I would recommend her to anyone I know. Thank you Michele for all of your hard work and dedication. It's very obvious that you love your work!!
Laura, US Coast Guard, Goose Creek, SC
Michele did a terrific job! She sold our property in what I'm sure is record time for that rural area and she did it all via phone/fax. I will strongly recommend her to any of my friends and family in the Charleston area.
Art, Ohio
Thank you Michelle for the work you did so very well to sell my parent's home in Summerville, SC. We couldn't have found anyone better for this job!!
You handled everything so excellently and did such a great job taking care of things locally with my parents while working with me out of state.
We are so happy that the home was sold in such a relatively short time for this market and at a price and terms that was a win-win for everyone.
You stayed on top of everything for us and gave THE BEST customer service. Your knowledge, experience, organization and flare for getting everything
to come together made this effortless and painless for us....just what we needed!! Thanks!
Ellen T
Apex, NC
June 2008
Michele was God sent. We had been looking for a house for so long and had dealth with so many agencies and no one would help us and within a month's time, Michele had found my family a home and we love it!
Chris & Monica, Hanahan, SC
We would like to say Thank You for all of your help with our homebuying process. You made things simple and not as stressful as we believe it could have been. You were a great help! Once again, Thank you very much.
Kim and Richard, Ladson, SC
"Michele Reneau made my first home buying experience much smoother than I expected. I couldn't believe how helpful she was."
Jimmy, US Navy, Charleston
Michele Reneau was outstanding! When I came to Charleston, I interviewed several agents and I instantly knew that Michele was knowledgeable, professional, and detailed. This was important because I knew I was going to be out of state in military training for 8 weeks. From the time we found the perfect house, Michele took care of all the issues that came up while I was out of the state in training, including handling the home inspection and repairs that were necessary. She made it easy and stress free. She really works for you and I will definitely use her again.
Justin, US Coast Guard, Goose Creek
"Michele Reneau is excellent! She did a great job of keeping us informed, and providing leads for additional properties. She's top-notch and I'll continue to seek her advice and representation on real estate transactions."
Charles, Real Estate Investor, Charlotte, NC
"We couldn't have asked for a better agent than Michele Reneau. She was great! She kept us updated with email messages and phone calls and was patient in helping us find the perfect home. Closing was a breeze!"
Nancy and Tom, Goose Creek
We have to admit that we didn't have a great experience with our first real estate agent. This was going to be our first home and we really needed someone to be patient with us and explain all the details. Michele Reneau was wonderful. From the beginning, she explained everything in detail and we always knew what to expect. She really cared about what we wanted and needed and gave great, trustworthy service. We couldn't have done it without her and are so grateful to have met her.
Nathan & Liz , North Charleston, SC
We were given Michele Reneau's name by a friend that raved about her. We knew we were interested in buying a new construction home. We thought, what's the big deal and why do we need an agent to buy a brand new home. Well, this was out first home purchase and our friend recommended we have a buyer's agent. We visited several new home neighborhoods and when we finally settled on one, we had no idea what we were in for. We had decided on buying new construction not knowing all of the unnecessary hassles that can come with it. Michele informed us every step on the way on what to expect. She explained the importance of an inspection even on new homes. She was right! While the builder corrected the items, we might now have found out about them until it was too late. We are so thankful we had her on OUR team!
Kevin and Grace, Summerville, SC
When my wife and I put our house up for sale, never would we have imagined it to be stress free. Michele Reneau and her staff were the best we ever dealt with (this being our 3rd move.) She was more professional and personable than any other realtor we ever met. Anything we needed she provided. Moving can be a lot of stress, and in our case, two children under the age of 3 and a puppy isn't expected to be the pleasant experience that it was. When you can rely on a person as much as we relied on her it makes selling (and I assume buying) a pleasure. My wife and I moved to Charlotte and if we could have used her to purchase our home there we would have. If you need a realtor, and you want the best, someone you don't have to second guess, call Michele Reneau.
Barry & Clarisse, Goose Creek, SC
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