WHAT'S HAPPENING TO THE MORTGAGE MARKETS? (Sept. 18, 2008) On the positive side, Freddie Mac reported that 30-year fixed rate mortgages fell this week for the 5th consecutive week. According to the Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA), lenders saw a 58 % surge in mortgage applications since August
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09/19/2008
Although it has been heralded as a piece of "life-saving" legislation for the housing market, The Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 that will kick in on October 1st contains some important provisions that will affect our industry adversely: It eliminates DAP (downpayment assistance progra
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09/16/2008
NATURAL DISASTERS Every now and then nature reminds us that we are small and cannot control everything about our planet. We used to live in San Francisco, CA, where everyone is very aware of earthquake and forest fires. Although here in Charleston we are also located on top of a fault line, no o
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09/04/2008
This is amazing! The FEDs require full disclosure and fiduciary responsibility for any money-related transaction with clients EXCEPT in the case of mortgage brokers. They are not required to disclose UPFRONT how much they are making on the YIELD SPREAD PREMIUM, a payment made to the loan originat
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07/26/2008
HOW DO YOU DEFINE QUALITY SERVICE? For every business (especially for those of us in professional services) client satisfaction guarantees future success. Happy clients bring more clients, and a great reputation in the marketplace (especially in a small market like Charleston’s) is a very desir
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07/19/2008
In the last two years, the housing market in the Charleston area has changed from being a “seller’s market” where sellers had the upper hand and buyers had to dance to their tune, to a “buyer’s market” where roles are reversed and buyers now have the advantage. The housing market is affected both
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07/16/2008
INSURANCE AND ITS ROLE IN HOME OWNERSHIP Buying insurance makes gives you mixed feelings – one hopes to never have to use it, but will be very glad when you have to! Insurance policies protect the user against different kinds of risk inherent to home ownership. Here are some types of insurance an
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07/16/2008
HOW DO YOU DEFINE QUALITY SERVICE? For every business (especially for those of us in professional services) client satisfaction guarantees future success. Happy clients bring more clients, and a great reputation in the marketplace (especially in a small market like Charleston's) is a very desirab
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06/23/2008
While analyzing different (residential single family) sub-markets, vis-a-vis the whole Charleston Metro market, it appears that the Daniel Island and Mt Pleasant markets act as "trend precursors" to the rest of the market area: They boomed earlier and faster, they slowed down before the rest of t
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09/28/2007
SummaryMt Pleasant continues to be a "Buyer's Market" and in my opinion will remain so for at least the next 12-18 months, barring any unusual market shifts. Homes priced strategically and marketed effectively are still selling, but buyers have many options to choose from and improved opportunity
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07/26/2007
