When Your Listing Doesn’t Sell in Charleston



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Today’s real estate tip involves a specific question: "What do I do if my home is on the market but isn’t yet sold?" Three factors determine how well a home will sell: exposure, condition, and price.

Exposure primarily involves the real estate company that is hired. We spend a lot of money to successfully market your home on all the top websites. We gather a large pool of buyers that we have control over to make sure your listing is seen. Additionally, we play nice with other local real estate companies, so their buyers also are aware of your listing. We try to set up the best chance for your home to sell.


Sometimes, the condition of the home is not excellent. We suggest walking through your home objectively as though you were a buyer. Would you like what you see? For example, when you walk into the kitchen, are there things on the countertops to distract you from the home? Are the bathrooms clean and shiny? Does it smell good? Build integrity with your prospective buyers by ensuring your home is neat. Be cautious not to lose a buyer based on condition.

The price of a property can be driven up by location and condition. However, if the condition is not excellent, the price needs to be adjusted based on the condition. Drop the price incrementally over time until it re-enters the hot sheet, where it’s sent back out to the public, buyers, and sites.

If the buyers did not express interest in the home, it’s most likely about the price, exposure, or condition. It’s important to address these issues. As your real estate consultant, we can sit down together, and help you understand all these items clearly. We look forward to hearing from you soon!

Questions to Ask Yourself when Balancing a Home Buying Budget



Buying a Charleston home? Get a full home search
Selling your Charleston home ? Get a free home value report 

Today’s topic involves financial planning when buying a home. We suggest breaking down a budget to avoid difficulties in the future. Firstly, ask yourself the following four questions to help determine your personal budget.
  • How much can you afford to spend on a home?
  • How much is a comfortable monthly payment?
  • How much would a bank be willing to lend you on a monthly basis?
  • How does that amount of the bank translate into a listing price?

Next, we have suggestions for you to keep in mind when determining your budget. Here is our advice:
  1. Take your overall income and remove your expenses. Identify monthly expenses and add them all up. You’ll want to include anything that might show up in your credit report such as a car payment, student loans, or credit card debt. Subtract those expenses from your total income.
  2. Banks lend approximately forty percent of available income. Leftover income goes towards a housing payment.
  3. For every seven to eight dollars spent monthly, you have a thousand dollars towards your home. For example, if you want to buy $100,000 home, you’d want a $700 or $800 monthly payment ideally.
If you have any questions about the buying process, or if you need real estate assistance of any kind, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. We would love to hear from you!