Charter One Realty Blog

What Does the Future Hold for Home Prices?

If you’re looking to buy or sell a house, chances are you’ve heard talk about today’s rising home prices. And while this increase in home values is great news for sellers, you may be wondering what the future holds. Will prices continue to rise with time, or should you expect them to fall?

To answer that question, let’s first understand a few terms you may be hearing right now.

• Appreciation is an increase in the value of an asset.
• Depreciation is a decrease in the value of an asset.
• Deceleration is when something happens at a slower pace.

It’s important to note home prices have increased, or appreciated, for 114 straight months. To find out if that trend may continue, look to the experts. Pulsenomics surveyed over 100…

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Gas Fireplace vs. Wood Fireplace: How To Choose

When debating whether to choose a gas fireplace vs. a wood fireplace, there are many factors to consider. Whether you’re building a brand new home, or updating a fireplace you already have, each option has it's pros and cons, so you want to make the right decision for your lifestyle.

First, think about your existing fireplace setup. If you have a current fireplace, what is the setup, and can it be easily converted? Depending on which type you prefer, you may need to hire contractors to build or convert it to the type you want. The cost will play a major factor in a fireplace renovation regardless of type, but note that a gas installation is typically higher than a wood-burning fireplace insert because you must run gas lines.  

If you’re…

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6th Consecutive Win! Charter One Realty Receives Readers’ Choice Award for Best Real Estate Company.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, SC, October 2021 – Charter One Realty has received the Readers’ Choice Award for Best Real Estate Company from the readers of three local publications -  the Bluffton Today, Island Packet, and Hilton Head Monthly.  For over a decade, all three publications have counted on the community to identify the “best of the best” in Hilton Head and Bluffton and celebrate local businesses delivering outstanding customer experiences. These awards recognize the top local companies in the Coastal Lowcountry, from restaurants and shops to mortgage lenders and real estate companies. At separate times during the year, each publication holds a nomination and voting round where winners are selected based on the company holding the highest number of…

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2021 Lowcountry Halloween Events

It’s the spookiest time of year and we don’t know about you, but Halloween is one of our favorite holidays of the year in the Lowcountry. The turning of the season aligns perfectly with trick-or-treating and all of the other fun events we enjoy in the cooling temperatures.

If you are equally excited about 2021 Lowcountry Halloween events, keep reading! We rounded up some ultra-fun events for you to enjoy this season.

Whether you like to indulge in a full-blown monster bash, hours of horrifying haunted houses, or friendly “boos” for the kids, the Lowcountry has a Halloween celebration just for you. 

Lowcountry Halloween Events For Kids and Families

Spooky Halloween Party in Beaufort

Perfect for families with young kids, the Spooky…

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Sellers: Your House Could Be an Oasis for Buyers Seeking More Options

Sellers have a great opportunity this season as buyer demand still heavily outweighs the current supply of homes for sale. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), today’s housing inventory sits at only a 2.6-month supply. To put that into perspective, a neutral market typically features a 6-month supply. That places today’s market firmly in the sellers’ market category.

That same NAR data also shows today’s inventory of single-family homes is trailing behind the level we saw last year (see graph below):

Because of the ongoing supply challenges, buyers can feel like they’re wandering across a vast, empty desert when searching for their next home. That means your house could provide an oasis for buyers thirsty for…

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What Do Past Years Tell Us About Today’s Real Estate Market?

As you follow the news, you’re likely seeing headlines discussing what’s going on in today’s housing market. Chances are high that some of the more recent storylines you’ve come across mention terms like cooling or slowing when talking about where the market is headed.

But what do these terms mean? The housing market today is anything but normal, and it’s still an incredibly strong sellers’ market, especially when compared to the few years leading up to the pandemic. With that in mind, what can previous years tell us about today’s real estate market and if it’s truly slowing?

We’re Still Seeing an Above Average Number of Sales

You may see headlines about a drop in home sales. But are those headlines telling the full story? The most…

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Experts Agree: Homeownership Provides a Path to Long-Term Wealth

A recent survey from LendingTree.com found there are multiple reasons why Americans would choose to purchase a home instead of renting. Some of the most popular non-financial reasons given include:

• The flexibility to make the space your own
• The pride homeownership offers
• The sense of stability

In the same survey, 41% of respondents say they’d rather own a home than rent because of the unique way homeownership builds wealth over time.

And experts agree – the home you own is an important tool for building your net worth. Here’s what many of those experts have to say about building long-term financial stability through homeownership.

According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR):

“Homeowners who purchased a…

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What Do Supply and Demand Tell Us About Today’s Housing Market?

There’s a well-known economic theory – the law of supply and demand – that explains what’s happening with prices in the current real estate market. Put simply, when demand for an item is high, prices rise. When the supply of the item increases, prices fall. Of course, when demand is very high and supply is very low, prices can rise significantly.

Understanding the impact both supply and demand have can provide the answers to a few popular questions about today’s housing market:

• Why are prices rising?
• Where are prices headed?
• What does this mean for homebuyers?

Why Are Prices Rising?

According to the latest Home Price Insights report from CoreLogic, home prices have risen 18.1% since this time last year. But what’s…

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4 Tips To Prep for Your Home Sale This Fall

Even in a hot sellers’ market like today’s in which homes are selling so quickly, it’s still important to make a good first impression on potential buyers. Taking the time up front to prep your house appropriately can bring in the greatest return on your investment.

Here are four simple tips to make sure you maximize the sale of your house this fall.

1. Price It Right

One of the first things buyers will notice is the price of your house. That’s why it’s important to price it right. Your goal in pricing your house is to draw attention from competing buyers and let bidding wars push the final sales price up. Pricing your house too high to begin with could put you at a disadvantage by discouraging buyers from making an offer.

Your…

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Lowcountry Real Estate Market Report - September 2021

Nationwide, existing home sales were down slightly in August, falling 2% after two consecutive months of increases, according to the National Association of REALTORS®. The decline in existing home sales coincides with rising sales prices, which have continued to soar into fall, with the median sales price of existing homes up 14.9% compared to last year. Declining affordability has had a significant impact on homebuyers, many of whom have been priced out of the market and are choosing to wait for sales prices to ease before resuming their home search.

Hilton Head & Mainland Real Estate Market Update - September 2021

For the 12- month period spanning October 2020 through September 2021, pending sales in the Hilton Head region were up 19.0 percent…

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