Randall Sandin, 843-209-9667 ~ Search for Charleston SC Real Estate~

As everyone looks to cut corners financially, do not forget about the great resource we have here in Charleston County - our public library system. Here are a few great reasons to go to the library.

Why pay $4 for a movie rental when you can pick one up for free and keep it for a week at the library?

Why buy a new book when you can get it at the library for free?

There is free computer access at all locations.

There are great programs for children and adults - why spend $40 going to the movies when you can enjoy great stuff at the library for free.

Pick up books on tape and enjoy listening in your car.

You can read the paper there or browse just about any magazine you can think of.

Here is a list of our local Charleston County Libraries:

Main - 68 Calhoun

Cooper River - 3503 Rivers Ave.

John Dart - 1067 King St.

Dorchester - 6325 Dorchester Road

Edisto - 1589 Hwy 174

Folly Beach - 55 Center St.

James Island - 1248 Camp Road

Johns Island - 3531 Maybank Hwy.

McClellanville - 222 Baker St.

Mt. Pleasant - 113 Mathis Ferry Rd.

Otranto Road - 2261 Otranto Rd.

Edgar Allan Poe - 1921 I'On Ave.

St. Andrews - 1735 N. Woodmere Dr.

St. Paul's - 5131 Town Council Dr.

Village - 430 Whilden St.

West Ashley - 45 Windemere Blvd.

Search for Charleston, SC and Folly Beach, SC Real Estate at http://www.charlestonpierpartners.com or call Randall Sandin at 843-209-9667

With mortgage rates at record lows, many people are looking to refinance. Here are 7 things you need to know in today's market.

1. Percentage Point break - a good rule of thumb is that the rate needs to be a full percentage point less than your current rate.
2. Half rejected - with so many people looking to refinance and the tight credit market, do not expect to be automatically approved even if you do have a lot of equity in your home.
3. FICO scores - 720 used to be the Gold Standard, now they are looking for 740 and above to get the best rate. Lower FICO scores equal a higher interest rate.
4. Equity & Documentation - equity is key and you must be able to document the equity and will also have to document your income and assets.
5. Fee Paying Options - fees range widely depending on each lender and look out for lenders adding in buy down points to get you that super rate. If it takes more than two years to pay back the closing cost amount with the monthly savings, it may not be worth it.
6. Shop around - things are changing daily so if one lenders says no there may be another that says yes.
7. Be patient - with the wave of refinancing there is a back log of loans so it may take some time to get the loan approved and closed.

Here are two lender contacts that I recommend to my clients. Feel free to mention my name if you give them a call.

Joel Greer - Carolina One Mortgage 843-414-2489, joel.greer@gbmail.com

Ted Honney - First Federal 843-708-0250, thonney@firstfederal.com

Search Charleston, SC and Folly Beach, SC Real Estate at http://www.charlestonpierpartners.com or log on to get our FREE Relocation package or FREE foreclosures updates

Call Randall Sandin at 843-209-9667 for more info about the Charleston area

Having been in the business for almost two years, it seems as if my job covers everything from helping clients move boxes to bringing bad news and everything in between.

But in today's world of every bit of information being on the internet, I started wondering what my real job is for my clients. It is very simple once you think about it - my job is to diagnose and analyze the information and give the results to my client. With the zillows and trulias of the world, all the facts and figures of real estate are one touch away from all our clients. Where we as agents set ourselves apart is being able to take that same information and turn it into valuable data that can help a client make the best decision for their situation.

We are all looking on WebMD if we have a cough or feel bad to find our what our symptoms mean but we still go to a doctor. We need to make sure the general public understands that even though they can get their hands on the info, they need the help of a qualified agent to really know what the information means to them. Did they know that the one house that sold was a mess on the inside, did they know that it was a relocation and house had to be sold, did they know that all the furnishings were included in the sales price...the list goes on and on of what can influence those numbers and in the end influence their final decision.

Don't be a book of facts to your clients, analyze the facts and be a source of knowledge. This will keep them as clients and bring more clients to your business.

Search Charleston, SC and Folly Beach, SC real estate at http://www.charlestonpierpartners.com

For more info on Charleston, SC Real Estate call Randall Sandin at 843-209-9667

I hit the 20,000 point mark last and did not even realize it was a big deal until I saw some other posts about people hitting certain marks. My goal is to keep posting, commenting and most importantly - learning from all the great people here on AR. This has been a great site to meet new people and expand my knowledge base especially since I have been in the business for a short period of time - coming up on two years. I feel the knowledge I am getting here is better than I get in classes - people sharing real issues over just reading it in a book.

At a 2500 point per week pace, I will hit the 100,000 point mark just 31 short weeks. I am sure it will be here before I know it! Thanks to everyone who I have met so far.

Search Charleston SC and Folly Beach SC real estate at http://www.charlestonpierpartners.com

Below is a general look at all the local areas in South Carolina. Please remember this is a broad view point and real estate is very localized so the numbers may not be truly accurate for your individual home. The key point I see here is that across the board, sales were down but the average price of the homes was just down a little. This shows that overall South Carolina has held up well so far during this economic period.

Charleston Trident

Sales: down 31.2%, 7933 sold

Median Price: down 4% to $202,000

Average Days on Market: up 26.6%, 118 days

Greater Columbia

Sales: down 20.6%, 8446 sold

Median Price: down 1.7% to $143,000

Average Days on Market: up 14.7%, 98 days

Greater Greenville

Sales: down 19.6%, 7529 sold

Median Price: up 2.5% to $152,000

Average Days on Market: up 6.7%, 94 days

Coastal - Myrtle Beach

Sales: down 28.1%, 5616 sold

Median Price: down 11.7% to $177,000

Average Days on Market: down 11%, 195 days

Piedmont - Rock Hill

Sales: down 27.4%, 2837 sold

Median Price: down 2.5% to $157,000

Average Days on Market: up 12.2%, 136 days

Statewide Numbers

Sales: down 24%, 46,914 sold

Median Price: down 3.5% to $154,000

Average Days on Market: up 5%, 145 days

If you would like numbers on your specific area or neighborhood please give me a call at 843-209-9667 or email me at rsandin@carolinaone.com

-Source: SC Realtors