September is a month most everyone in the Lowcountry has been waiting for...the official start to oyster season! You may have heard 'only eat oysters in a month with the letter R'.  You're sure to hear of oyster festivals happening all over from now until April.   Many people have their own oyster p

Fall is here and soon the holiday season is upon us. While that brings with it a lot of joy and excitement – it also brings with the most dreaded season for landlords to fill their units. Simply put – people don’t like to move between Thanksgiving and the New Year so renting property can be both dif

 MOJA  FESTIVAL  Charleston SC   Sept. 29 - Oct 10, 2016  The year 2016 marks Charleston’s 33rd annual MOJA Arts Festival: A Celebration of African-American and Caribbean Arts. Selected as one of the Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 Events for many years, the MOJA Arts Festival has an exciting lin

Whether you're visiting Charleston or if you're lucky enough to live here, there is always something to do!  You will have to mark your calendar for the events you'd like to attend.  There are some weekends with so much going on unfortunately, you simply 'can't do it all'.   There are Festivals: Moj

In general there are two types of ownership in a townhome community....Fee Simple and Condominium.Fee Simple almost always means that you are responsible to pay for the exterior maintenance of your townhome. Although you will pay a monthly fee, it generally only includes coverage of the common areas

Do you know anything about the real estate market where you live?  Many people whether they rent or own a home don't really know what's going on in the real estate market.  Unless a neighbor happens to sell a home you really don't know the true value of the surrounding properties.  If you're renting

What is a Termite Bond?  A termite bond is a contract between a home owner and a termite control company. The bond allows the homeowner to pay what is essentially a retainer fee to a pest control company. The bond outlines the frequency and type of treatment to be provided, and may include re-treatm

Mom and the Hurricane  Well, it could not have been better timing, or so I thought ! I had invited my mom to visit me here in Charleston.  October is the perfect month when the weather is no longer hot and humid but still warm and definitely warmer than in Germany at this time of the year.  And then

                        Charleston's Top 5 Museums Charleston, SC, is one of America's most historic cities, with a rich cultural, natural and military heritage. There's no better spot to experience Charleston's past than in its many museums: The Charleston Museum The Charleston Museum was founded i

If you're thinking of buying a home in Charleston or anywhere else for that matter, you should have a home inspection.  A home inspector is paid by you and works for you.  The inspector should inspect the house from the roof down to the foundation and everything in between.  He has an obligation to

PLANTS AND THE BEACH Aside from the striking natural beauty that plants provide, they are crucial parts of beach ecosystems. Plants are among the first forms of life to inhabit beaches and dunes. Once plants have taken root, sands begin to stabilize, slowly at first, then faster as more plants take

Owning your own home is an accomplishment. After all, in order to do so you have to have a decent credit score, a few thousand dollars in savings and a desire to maintain the home. If you own your home, have been there long enough to have 'built equity' and are ready to 'move up' to a larger home, c

           4 Tips for Buying a Home If You're Disabled Don't let a disability stop you from being a home owner ! Yes, it takes patience and the prospect of buying a home may seem daunting. You as the buyer may need a house in a certain location and/or with specific modifications, and that can be cos

They call it Passive Income.  Whether you own a home yet or not, you can own a rental, investment property and let the tenant pay your mortgage! Many people are now buying inexpensive homes or condos for the sole purpose of renting them out.  For some people and properties it's all about the tenant'

                                           Too Scared !!?? Buying a new home can be exciting but also scary ! Viewing homes, deciding, inspection, repairs, due diligence, insurance, a mountain of paperwork, etc. Working with a competent lender and hiring a professional real estate agent can take awa

                                       WATERMARK        WATERMARK  is a 157-lot single-family neighborhood in the heart of Mount Pleasant.  WATERMARK has some amazing amenities including pools, nature trails, playground, small parks and picnic benches and sidewalks and tree-lined medians. There are

                                         Darrell Creek, Mount Pleasant SC      The residential neighborhood "Darrell Creek" is located between the Wando River and Darrell Creek in Mount Pleasant, SC. This neighborhood is conveniently close to Roper St Francis Hospital, Mount Pleasant Regional Airpor

Dancing dinosaurs in the sky       Clouds .....ahh  ! …let me tell you about one of my most favorite things to do here :  There is no better spot in time than lying on the sand at Sullivan Island or Isle of Palms and look up in the sky and dream…. dream up shapes and symbols and people and creatures

                   Boiled Peanuts ? really ?  REALLY !! Well, traveling to the South, one will find definitely some foods which will appear weird or strange such as a variety of BBQ, corn, grits, chowder and stews and of course "boiled peanuts" . There are traditional boiled peanuts, Cajun boiled pe

We love to move !    When I came first to the United States, I learned that people like to move to a new house every few years and prefer just a 12 months lease on a property. That was very foreign to me.  In Germany, where is was born, we basically stay in our home "forever" and nobody would sign j