Goose Creek, SC

Appreciation is defined as the increase in value of an asset. Housing appreciation varies depending on your location. For most people, their largest investment is their home and they expect it to increase in value over time. Historically this is the case. As you can see from the graph below, housing in Goose Creek has been tremendous over the last 18 years. Recently the appreciation rate has slowed to a standstill. Goose Creek benefits from being a suburb of Charleston SC, one of the most desirable locations to live in America.

This means that these numbers will most likely turn back to the green in the foreseeable future. Until then homeowners should consider hanging on to their home until the market turns around (and it will) or if you must sell you will need to adjust you expectations. Utilize a Comparable Market Analysis (CMA) to understand what the market is saying about your home value.

For a free CMA, contact Michael Johnson at 843-817-5299 or visit my website at www.providingthelight.com

(Graph source: Nieghborhood Scout)

Goose Creek, SC Appreciation Rates (city-wide)

Since 1990	171.56%	9.40%	8	7
Last 10 Years	113.06%	11.30%	9	8
Last 5 Years	45.48%	9.09%	8	7
Last 2 Years	3.78%	1.89%	1	4
Last 12 Months	-0.21%	-0.21%	1	4
Latest Quarter	-0.19%	-0.76%	2	6
			* 10 is highest

I bought an IPhone about two weeks ago and overall I have loved it. I converted from a Razor and so it has been a big step for me. I love having the Internet and email at my finger tips. And, the functionality of the phone is great as well. Below is a list of the good and not so good things about the IPhone that may help you when making a decision to buy:

Good

• Touch Screen - I love this feature tremendously. The phone is very intuitive in this manner.
• Safari browser - this Internet browser from Apple is superb. The graphics are excellent. The tilt screen feature also allows for different viewing angles of the internet.
  
• Wi-Fi- the new Iphones come equipped with the ability to connect to Wi-Fi if it is not a secure network. Wi-Fi gives you a great amount of speed to browse the net. In addition the phone can also connect to 3G (slightly slower than Wi-Fi) and as a last resort there is the Edge network, which is mind numbingly slow but is better than nothing.
• Tons of Free Apps - Once you have established an ITunes account, you are able to download both free and for sale applications to your phone. As an example, I went to church last Sunday but forgot my Bible. I picked up a Wi-Fi connection and downloaded a free Bible application to my phone. The app allowed me to look up any book and scripture in the Bible with ease.
  
• Acts as an IPod - no need to carry your phone or an IPod/MP3 player. The IPhone plays your music and comes with a set of head phones.
  
• GPS - The IPhone comes with a built in GPS system. It can locate where you are and also give you directions to where you need to go. The downside is that this will only work if you have an internet connection. So if you are out if the middle of nowhere you might have problems with the GPS.

Not So Good

• Battery Life - because there are so many things you can do with the phone, the battery can drain rather quickly compared to most other phones. But, you can adjust the settings so that the phone goes into sleep mode every 1 minute which will increase you battery life. Also, when the time comes to replace the battery, you will have to send it in to Apple to have it replaced.
• Camera - I used the camera at a party my daughter went to and it is sub-par at best. Any sort of movement of whatever or whoever is being photographed causes a blur in the picture.
• Touch Screen Keypad - this takes some getting use to. When I first starting using the phone my fingers would miss type most of the words. The keys are a little small but I have since gotten use to it. But, I still have to be very conscious when typing so as not to have a typo.

Week-end 10 Ways to Play is a service that the Charleston Regional Business Journal provides each week for its online publication. I thought it might be a great source of what's happening for those of you either entertaining out of town guests this weekend, or just looking for something to do over the long weekend.

• Family Sand Sculpting at Kiawah Island (don't you just love living in the South?)
• Turkey Day Run and Gobble Wobble 5K
• Village Playhouse - "You'll Shoot Your Eye Out"
• An Afternoon at the Opera

Click Here to see all activities and more information on the events.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

This article came out today in the SCBIZ daily email. It is full of positive news for the South Carolina Real Estate Market. Charleston, Berkeley and Dorchester real estate markets are definitely showing positive appreciation compared to the rest of the country, however appears to lag behind compared to other areas of the state. Charleston County continues to have one of the largest number of homes in foreclosure in the state.

South Carolina ranks sixth in the rate of appreciation for single-family homes over the past year, according to third-quarter statistics released Tuesday by the U.S. Federal Housing Finance Agency.

Nationally, home values dropped 4% from the third quarter of 2007 to the third quarter of 2008, the report said. During that time in South Carolina, values rose 2.42%.

The nation's 4% four-quarter decline was the largest four-quarter drop in the history of the index, which started in 1975.

The quarterly report from the Federal Housing Finance Agency is based on sales and refinancing data for existing single-family homes. Transactions included in the data are conforming, conventional mortgages purchased or securitized by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.

The report ranks states and metro areas only by yearly changes, but it also lists value changes for the third quarter of 2008. Those quarterly numbers are negative for most states and metro areas.

During the third quarter, home values dropped 0.45% in South Carolina, compared with a 2.68% drop nationally.

Among metro areas ranked by appreciation from third quarter 2007 to third quarter 2008, the Augusta-Richmond County MSA, which covers parts of South Carolina and Georgia, was No. 2 in the nation. The area, which saw values increase 5.48% over the year, fell behind only the Austin-Round Rock MSA in Texas.

The Charleston-North Charleston-Summerville MSA came in at No. 65, with 1.37% appreciation over the last year. The area's values fell 0.30% during the third quarter of 2008.

The Columbia MSA is listed at No. 24, with 2.92% appreciation during the year. For the quarter, home values dropped 0.05%.

The Greenville-Mauldin-Easley MSA was No. 9 in home appreciation during the past year, at 4.55%. For the quarter, the Upstate MSA saw home values drop 0.61%.

Also in the Upstate, Spartanburg was No. 11, with a 4.12% appreciation rate over the year and a 2.2% increase in the third quarter. Anderson was No. 39, with 2.28% appreciation over the year and a drop of 1.86% over the most recent quarter.

"The impact of foreclosures and tightening credit conditions weighed heavily on house prices in the third quarter," FHFA Director James B. Lockhart said.

The U.S. Department of State has recently come out with new passport requirements that will take effect on June 1, 2009. It is known as the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative (WHTI). Currently a US citizens traveling by air from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda must present a U.S. passport when entering the U.S. and any U.S. citizen traveling back from these areas via land or sea ports-of-entry is only required to have a government issued photo id (drivers license) and a proof of citizenship (birth certificate) at a minimum.

This air travel rule will remain, but the new rules (effective 6/1/2009) state that a U.S. citizen traveling over land or via sea ports-of-entry from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda "must present a valid U.S. passport book, U.S. passport card, or other travel document approved by the Department of Homeland Security." This new rule will not depend upon age! Every U.S. citizen from day 1 on this earth will need to have the documents in order to re-enter the U.S.

The new Passport Card can be used for entering the U.S. from Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Bermuda at land border crossings or sea ports-of-entry. The card is wallet sized and is less expensive than the Passport Book. Note: The Passport Card cannot be used for international air travel.

The State Department has said they are doing this to "standardize secure travel documents which was passed into law in 2004. It will also help U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers to more quickly and reliably ID and process travelers.

For more information contact the state department at 1-877-487-2778 or visit their website at www.travel.state.gov