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Friday Five // January 12, 2018

Now that the last dregs of the ice and snow are melted, let’s get out and enjoy all that the Lowcountry has to offer this weekend! It’s a three-day weekend for many, and there is much fun and celebration to be had. Take your pick from several events: run a marathon (or a 5K if that’s more your speed), learn about the latest trends in home remodeling and decor, and celebrate Dr. King’s accomplishments and leadership, all in one weekend.

Charleston Restaurant Week is here once again. This event, a big favorite with locals, lasts until January 21st and is the perfect time to make reservations at those popular restaurants you’ve been meaning to try out. During this time frame, popular Lowcountry eateries run specials (e.g. 3 courses for $40 at higher end restaurants or 3 courses for $20 at more moderate places). Get out and try something new!

Lace up your running shoes, because the 8th Annual Charleston Marathon takes place this Saturday morning. The main event, the actual marathon, begins at 8am on Fishburne Street near Joe Riley Stadium and ends near North Charleston High School. If you’re not a full marathoner, don’t worry. There are other events for all runners, including the Half Marathon, the Shrimp & Grits 5K, the Youth Marathon, and a Post-Race Celebration on the big stage near North Charleston High School.

If you’re taking on a building or remodeling project, make plans to attend the Build, Remodel, & Landscape Expo. This free event takes place on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at the Exchange Park Fairgrounds in Ladson. The show promises to connect attendees with the area’s leading remodelers, builders, and design professionals. Enjoy various displays and exhibits and speak with experts for insider advice and tips, and learn about the latest design trends, product offerings, maintenance tips, and more.

This weekend marks the first Second Sunday on King Street event of 2018! From 1pm until 5pm, King Street will be closed to vehicle traffic to allow locals and visitors to shop, dine, and stroll. Bring the family, bring the dog, and enjoy some of the finest shopping and restaurants Charleston has to offer. This weekend, Sinbad-Sadie Second Chance Rescue will have a few of its adoptable dogs available for a meet and greet at 348 King St.

The YWCA will host several events to honor and remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. over the next few days, including the MLK Parade on Monday, January 15th. The parade starts at Burke High School and marches to Marion Square at 10am. Also included in the 2018 MLK Celebration is a Youth Speak-Out Poetry Slam on Saturday, January 13th at the Charleston County Public Library on Calhoun St. The poetry slam is hosted by South Carolina’s first poet laureate, Marcus Amaker.

Do You Really Need a Real Estate Agent When Buying New Construction?

Building a brand new home has become more common in the past few decades than it was or previous generations. A wide variety of budget-friendly builders have cropped up in suburbs and cities alike, making new construction more attainable for more families. Most new construction neighborhoods have representatives on site that will walk you through model homes and explain the process to you. Builders also usually have their own customized contracts and paperwork. Purchasing new construction may seem pretty cut and dry when you look at the fact that there are existing price tags on each model and upgrade. This leads many home shoppers to ask, "Do I really need to hire a real estate agent if I’m buying new construction?" All bias aside, the short answer is yes. You absolutely need an agent on your side, no matter what you’re buying. Here’s why.

The builder’s agent works for the builder.

Yep. That super friendly agent who shows you around the model home and tells you all about upgrades and options works for the builder and the builder only. They’re working with their client’s best interest in mind, which boils down to making a sale for the highest and best price. Having an agent on your side means you have someone to look out for you when jargon and numbers start getting tossed around. Some buyers believe that going in without an agent might save them money. That’s not true, and in fact, it leads us to our next point.

You’ll have a professional negotiator on your side.

The majority of new construction buyers think that the price sticker on a model is the final word. Real estate agents know that everything is negotiable. Negotiating the price of a brand a new home is somewhat different from negotiating with a traditional seller, but your agent is a pro. He or she will know how to get creative, and if you’re lucky, maybe they’ll even get a few upgrades or perks thrown in at no extra cost. If you want to save money, hire an agent.

Your agent knows you have options.

Lots of builder representatives will try to get you to use their in-house lender to secure your mortgage by telling you that it will make the whole transaction easier. That might be true, but it also means you might not be getting the best mortgage for you. A good agent will have connections with numerous mortgage lenders and will know who specializes in what and who has the best options for their client’s needs. Whether you’re looking for a conventional loan, a VA loan, or have some special circumstance, you need to shop around to find the perfect lender for you.

An agent knows what to look for in the contract.

Everyone knows contracts are full of legal jargon and industry terms that can get pretty confusing. Many unrepresented buyers skate right over the unfamiliar language and trust that the seller is honest. Initial here. Sign here. Moving right along… A house is likely to be the largest purchase you’ll make in your life. Do you really want to just sign a legal document and then cross your fingers and hope it turns out well? No. Your real estate agent knows exactly what to look for in a contract. They know what language should be present and what terms raise a red flag. They know whether something’s an industry standard or out of the ordinary. They also know exactly what to ask for when it comes to seller concessions like closing costs and home warranties. Did the builder claim that they’ll throw in upgraded countertops if you pay for the cabinet upgrade? An agent will make sure any promises like that are in writing.

Whether you’re buying a fifty-year-old home or building a brand new, custom dream house, you’ll want a licensed agent in your corner. That agent knows the ins and outs of home buying and selling because they do it every single day. They’ll have your best interests in mind throughout the transaction. Make sure you’re represented before you even begin to look at model homes. Going to a builder or developer without hiring an agent first means you’re working without a safety net.

10 Home Features That Help Listings Sell Faster

Time to renovate, update, or upgrade your home? It’s important to take into consideration which projects will net the greatest profit when it’s time to sell. Some upgrades and renos can garner better returns than others, but did you know some can also help your home sell faster? Here are a few projects that have been been found to help reduce the number of days a home stays on the market*.

Smart Home Features

As we’ve discussed before, features like smart locks, thermostats, and refrigerators make life just a little bit easier for homeowners. Being able to open doors with a numeric code or even a fingerprint; check the contents of the fridge while at the grocery store; and adjust the thermostat from literally anywhere rank high among desirable features for our increasingly tech-forward population.

Walk-In Closets

Closet space sometimes comes at a premium, and walk-in closets are just as in demand now as they were ten years ago. With all the open-plan living that’s so popular right now, it’s important to have a good amount of concealed storage space. Besides being able to hold more, walk-in closets are easier to organize than their smaller counterparts.

Granite Countertops

Buyers want modern kitchens, and granite countertops are among one of the most popular modern kitchen features. Buyers actually rank laminate counters as one of their top “unwanted” items during their home search. A note: flowing granite patterns look more streamlined and are more popular than busier speckled patterns.

Open Kitchens

Open floor plans continue to be popular in home design. Homeowners who entertain love the fact that an open kitchen means not having to be isolated while prepping dinner and drinks for their guests.

Dining Rooms and Eat-In Kitchens

In a society that leans heavily on technology and has become less interactive with the people around us, the family dinner table has become even more important than it was in the past. Parents want to connect with their children and have valuable conversation time during dinner. For example, a formal dining room allows for family dinner without distractions, while an eat-in kitchen lets families enjoy quick meals together or provides a place for the kids to do homework while parents make dinner.

Hardwood Floors

The desire for hardwood floors spans generations. Whether your prospective buyers are millennials or baby boomers, it seems that hardwood floors are a huge plus. Sure, hardwood floors look pretty, but they’re also easier to clean and hold fewer allergens than carpet. Combine beautiful hardwoods with an open floor plan, and you’re golden.

Laundry Rooms

While it’s not difficult to hide the washer and dryer in a closet or smaller utility room, it’s certainly not as convenient as having a separate indoor laundry room. In fact, a survey conducted by the National Association of Home Builders reported that 92% of homebuyers are looking for a home with a laundry room.

Patios and Porches

We’re lucky enough to live in a part of the country where spending time outdoors is possible during all four seasons. This makes patios and porches extremely desirable in the Lowcountry. After all, what goes together better than southern culture, sweet tea, and front porches?

Energy Star Appliances

Not only can Energy Star appliances help you save money on your utility bills, but they can also garner tax credits for some homeowners. Look for the Energy Star label when it’s time to upgrade your appliances.

Fireplaces

Charleston winters might be pretty mild overall, but fireplaces come in handy when we do get cold snaps. They also make a home seem cozier and more inviting. Whether it’s a wood-burning, gas, or electric one, who doesn’t love the ambience a fireplace provides?

*according to research done by Realtor.com

5 Gadgets That Make Home Life Easier

Who would’ve guessed a mere twenty to thirty years ago that in the very near future, we would be controlling many aspects of life via a small, lightweight device that can fit in our pockets? In 2018, our phones aren’t just phones. They’re calendars, alarm clocks, health trackers, travel managers, remote controls, and even personal trainers. And with the addition of devices like Google Home and Amazon Echo, it has never been easier to control your home life than it is now. For example, say you’re sick and don’t feel like leaving the couch or bed, but you’re also freezing cold. Just say something like, “Hey, Google. Raise the thermostat to seventy-three degrees,” and voila! If you’re not convinced yet, let’s take a look at a few more gadgets that are guaranteed to make home life easier.

Smart Plugs

Smart plugs can save you time, worry, and money. Forgot to turn off the iron? No need to turn around and go back home to check. Simply open an app. Smart plugs can turn any of your regular electronic products into smart products. Not only will this ease any anxiety you might have over whether or not you remembered to turn off the coffee pot, it will also allow you to monitor energy consumption and save money on your electric bill each month.

Smart Light Bulbs

Smart light bulbs add to the list of simple products to make your life easier. These bulbs give you the ability to turn lights on and off via an app or a smart speaker along with a variety of other features. Brightness, color temperature, and color can be changed from an app as well. Smart bulbs have other options for creating scenes and setting schedules and can be set to automatically adjust based on the time of day, alarms, and even your location. You’ll never have to come home to a dark house again!

App-Controlled Smoke Detector for the Kitchen

If you’re like some of us, you probably spend a good amount of cooking time perched on the kitchen counter, waving a towel at the smoke detector. With an app-controlled smoke detector, you’ll never have to take that treacherous climb again. If the smoke in the kitchen is enough to set off the alarm, you can quickly silence the smoke alarm from your smartphone. Bonus: No more stalking through the house to find out which one that annoying chirping sound is coming from. The app will also let you know when it’s time to replace a smoke detector’s batteries.

App-Controlled Garage Door Opener

How many times have you left for work and had the sudden thought that you forgot to close the garage door? Or perhaps you’re all tucked into bed and ready to drift off and suddenly have the nagging feeling that you’ve forgotten something. Now, instead of turning around or having to leave the comfort of your bed, you can simply check an app to make sure the garage is closed. If it’s not, simply tap your phone and roll back over to sleep soundly (or continue your drive to work) without worry.

Smart Monitoring Device

If the products above aren’t enough to ease your homeowner anxiety, try a smart monitoring device. These devices provide a central place for alerts about intrusions, smoke, fire, leaks, carbon monoxide, and other unexpected events. Once any alerts or alarms are triggered, you will receive an instant notification so that you can respond quickly.

What other smart devices or apps for the home do you use? We’d love to hear about your favorites!