Want the most up-to-date search results?

If you are looking for a home or just want to get a feel for a certain area...I can send you all of the info of what is new on the market and what price changes have occurred on a daily basis. Just email the area you want to get info on along with a price range and I will set up my system to email you each day all of the new activity. There is no obligation for this service. This is a great way to get a feel for the market or just to check out what is for sale in your neighborhood.

If you are interested, please email your name, email address and the area & price range you are interested in to rsandin@prucar.com.

18th Annual Sea & Sand Festival, Sat. 4/19 from 10am-5pm, Folly Beach

Make sure you check out the Sea and Sand Festival this Saturday at Folly Beach. There will be two bandstands with music running from 10am-5pm. One will be by the Park and one will be at the end of Center Street. There will be booths for food, artists & craftsmen along with pony rides, a jump castle and a climbing wall. I hope to see you there.

I-526 Expansion

As most of you are aware of there is a big debate on how to handle the traffic issues on James Island and Johns Island especially with the proposed expansion of I-526. Here are a few websites that give both sides of the story along with the current proposal and other ideas to handle our traffic situation.

www.scdot.org/i526

www.newwaytowork.com

www.no526.com

New Testimonial

"This past year I moved to Charleston in need of buying a house very quickly and the difficult part was I had never been to Charleston. Fortunately, was put in contact with Randall Sandin and Matt Poole and they were immensely helpful. It was the first time I had ever attempted to buy a house and I had no idea what I was doing. They guided me through the entire process and answered the millions of questions I had. They spent so much time helping me and managed to get all the paperwork processed extremely fast. I have no idea how they did everything, but they did and it was amazing." - Elizabeth

How do Real Estate Tax Sales Work?

This is a great question that I have gotten from a few clients recently. Below is an excellent article from Inman news that gives a general overview of real estate tax sales and how they work. Inman news is a real estate website with updated articles and info on a daily basis, they offer a free email update and you can get it by signing up at http://www.inman.com/.

http://www.inman.com/buyers-sellers/columnists/ilyceglink/get-a-bargain-buy-real-estate-tax-sale

New listing in Jamestowne Village

Welcome to 1407 Swamp Fox Lane in Jamestowne Village.

$249,000, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 1348 square feet.

Lets talk Curb Appeal! Pulling into the driveway you will be greeted by the large front porch and colorful landscaping. Just minutes from Downtown and Folly Beach the location of Jamestowne Village can't be beat. When walking into this home you will immediatly notice how well this home has been cared for from its floors to the exterior landscaping. The large back yard is perfect for outdoor gatherings and the inviting front porch will be a great place to have your morning cup of coffee. If you would like to view the property, please give me a call at 209-9667.

Mortgage Update

Everyday the mortgage industry seems to change and I will do my best to keep you up-to-speed. Starting April 1, 2008, 100% loans are pretty much a thing of the past. The reason behind this is that the mortgage insurance companies are no longer will to take the risk of insuring a home without some sort of downpayment...typically 3%. There are a few random programs out there that may allow you to bypass there but they are rare, one is a 100% loan from Bank of America but is only available to doctors. The general public is pretty much out on 100% loans that include mortgage insurance. There are a couple options:

• If you have excellent credit, you could get an 80/20 loan where the 20% downpayment is in the form of a second mortgage, the rate on the second mortgage will be higher but how much higher will depend on your credit score
• There is a non-profit down payment assistance program that is available. The program has the seller paying 3% of the home's sale price towards the down payment of the home along with paying a $499 funding fee to the non-profit program. This program usually runs with an FHA loan that has lower credit requirements for the borrower and allows up to 6% in concessions from the seller.

If I can be of any assistance or you would like more info on the above programs, please give me a call at 209-9667.