Blog Posts - Charleston SC Real Estate & Homes for Sale

Did you know that “sitting toilets” are not common outside of Western countries? The rest of the world prefers “squat toilets” style. Can you believe that the average person visits the toilet about 2,500 times per year and spends about three years of their life on the toilet? Now that is a lot of use!

Most residential toilets are designed with water in the tank and the bowl. When the lever is pressed, the flapper opens and gravity pushes the water from the tank into the bowl. The waste water washes down the waste pipe and is replenished by fresh water that enters into the tank through a refill tube. 

There are usually three toilets in the homes that I inspect. I follow a routine when ch...

Bobby Shealy,  of AgentOwned Realty's West Ashley office, has a home for sale in Hollywood, SC that has a story to tell that is so much more than what the information on the MLS can convey. Yes, it is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home, that is 2100 square feet built in 2001 on 1.37 acres of land. Yes, the community golf course runs along the back of the property and the home has a salt water pool with a hot tub in the back yard. But the home is much more than that. It is a family home, where the children practiced their golf swings, and their drawing skills, where they had parties after school and family gatherings. Where everyone could get away from it all and still be close to town.

The childre...

As the real estate market heats up, some Property Owners consider trying to sell their homes themselves, "For Sale By Owner".

The big question is why? 

To make more money - but will they?  No.

Buyers looking to purchase "For Sale By Owner" homes are looking to SAVE money by not using a Real Estate agent.

They expect the real estate commission to be discounted from the price of the home.

Many times, sellers, not really knowing the market, under price their home. Additionally, because they are not in the real estate business, they may be charged more for all sorts of itmes- newspaper ads, a lawn maintenance company to spruce up the yard, a carpet cleaner to get the carpets fresh, a con...

Pam Paxton in the AgentOwned Realty's West Ashley office has a new listing. 1208 Marvin Avenue Charleston SC 29407 is an Old Towne Acres home for sale, West Ashley, Charleston SC. It is a 3 bedroom 2 bath home with 1400 square feet, listed at $162,500. This one story home has a huge palm tree in the front and a grove of trees in the back. 

The sellers of 1208 Marvin Avenue, Charleston SC 29407, West Ashley, Charleston SC, said of their home:

We purchased this  house due to location and the fact we loved the looks of the house.  It has been a very happy home for my sister and myself.  We have made many friends in this area, and reallly hate to leave but North Carolina is so beautiful a...

Get grants to improve your home's energy efficiency.

There is a large push nationally to make homes more energy efficient instead of building additional power plants to handle the growing demand for energy. There are some interesting new programs being offered to assist home owners in retrofitting their home. In South Carolina, 

SCE&G is providing grants to home owners that improve their energy efficiency by 20% or more. These grants (or rebates as some call them) can total up to $2500. If you are in Charleston County, Charleston Wise, a government funded company, is handing out grants up to $1500. neither of these programs require the money to be repaid. You will also qualify for a $...

What are the best "secret" ways to save money when buying real estate? Here are the top three that most real estate people won't or don't tell you:

1. SC Safe Home Discounts

When you buy or own a home in South Carolina, it may be eligible for a Safe Home Discount on home owner's insurance. Put in place by a little know SC Law, the 2007 Ominibus Insurance Act, these discounts reward people that own homes that meet certain safety standards and require most insurance companies to pass those savings on to you. How do you know if your home is eligible? You need to get a Wind Mitigation inspection (available for $150 from B Sure Inspections) and then turn in the inspection form to your insura...

Is any day of the week better than another to put your home on the market?

Friday

A new study, as reported by Inman news, says that there is. If you list you home and put it in your local MLS on Friday, your home statistically should be shown more than homes put on the market on any other day. Why would that be?

It may have something to do with people preparing to look at homes over the weekend. If they get a list of available homes, they may look at the ones most currently listed and try to go to them first. There is a since of urgency trying to get to the good deals before others can get there. The same holds for people automatically alerted to new listings that meet their criteria t...

The AgentOwned Realty Company

 by Boyd Loadholt, President AgentOwned Realty

A Brief Description of the Business Model 04-01-09.doc

1        The Program was created by Boyd and Liz Loadholt and the first office opened in 1992 in Charleston, SC,

2        The business model is similar to that of a professional practice,

3        Other ideas for the business model came from various places including New Zealand and a west coast real estate company,

4        All of the dividend stock of the Company is owned by the Sales Associates identified as Agent-Owners,

5        Agent-Owners approve whether to admit any new Sales Associate to the Company,

6        The Company has only two compe...

Not your traditional real estate company

In fact, AgentOwned does not even fall in the same category.  Why?

From our launch in 1992,  we have always seen things differently. Company founders, Liz & Boyd Loadholt,  knew there was a better way to approach the industry after running traditional companies for years.

AgentOwned is different

• 100% of the real estate division is owned by the sales associates or "Agent-Owners"
• The Agent-Owners employ the AgentOwned Service Company to manage their firm for them
• The real estate division is run on a cost basis and with the Service Company being responsible for any losses
• No more is collected from real estate commissions than what is necessar...

SC Safe Homes Program Means Insurance Discounts and Rebates to You

Want to Save up to 25% on Your HomeOwner’s Insurance? 

Who wouldn’t? There is an Insurance law that requires insurance companies to give discounts to homes that meet its criteria. It also requires the insurance company to reimburse you for what you have overpaid from the time the act was instated until now.

Rebate Check to You! If you have had the same insurance policy from 2008 until now, your insurance company has to write you a refund check for the amount you overpaid. The SC Omnibus Act of 2007 outlines put the new law into effect. More on the program here.

To get your discount and rebate you need to get your...

The latest version of the AgentOwned Realty Information Booklet is out!

To view it online, Click Here.
To get a downloadable PDF sent to your email, go to our information page here.

Is this a good time to purchase home?  See what most Americans think by clicking here

You probably will not be surprised, but the surveys are interesting.

This post was originally posted on  Mama Liz Blog.

Have you heard of the SC Safe Home Act?  Well, I feel like I have been hiding in a closet somewhere, because I had not heard of it until last week.

If your home meets certain criteria, you are eligible for up to 25% reduction on your homeowners insurance. I should mention here that not all insurance companies give discounts for this.  Allstate Wally Burbage & Assoc. does .

Also, in some cases, if your home does not meet the criteria, the state of SC will give, yes that is give, you a grant to bring the home up to the standard criteria for a SC Safe Home.

Kirk Bingenheimer is a certified SC Safe Home Inspector in the area and can fil...

This article originally posted at AutoInsuranceMtPleasant.com

No matter the time of year, renters should always ask themselves this simple question: If your apartment suffers severe damage due to a storm, burns down, or is burglarized, would you have money to replace your personal belongings?

Most renters don’t realize their landlord’s insurance covers only the building structure and not tenants’ possessions. Well, for about the price of a large pizza per month, you can protect all of your valuables. Renters insurance is available to protect personal belongings from fire, theft, vandalism, and damage from faulty plumbing.

Renters insurance also can cover more than personal belongings. ...