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Has the housing market in Summerville been affected like the rest of the nation? We plan on moving down within 6 months and are considering renting for a while to familiarize ourselves with the area. We are late 50's and schools are not an issue. Ultimately we are looking for a $250K home in a subdivision with a community pool that has some trees. Any advice would be welcome. Thanks
Yes, the housing market has been affected here. But, I don't think it has been a hit quite as hard as most markets though. It is a buyers market and there are some great buys to be found here.
Renting is a good idea, and I would recommend finding a short lease that way when you found the home of your dreams you have one less thing to worry about.
Also, though you are in your 50's and schools are not an issue I think you should make them your issue in respect to resale values. There are builders in some parts of Charleston county that have many customers walk right out the door when they find out what the school district is. Even if you don't plan on selling anytime soon, this will make it easier to move your home should the necessity arise.
There are also plenty of properties that fit your criteria. To narrow things down a bit are you looking for an older neighborhood or a newer one? What kind of square footage are you thinking about? Do you want a really large yard or a smaller one with less maintenance and tighter community feel? Would you be interested in a 55+ community? How close to downtown Charleston and the ocean do you want to be? Will there be any daily commuting?
We are eventually looking for a house with 3-4 bedrooms, 2.5-3 baths, open floorplan with master on the first floor. A large yard isn't necessary but not one on top of the neighbors - perhaps .20 acre with a few trees. We don't have to have brand new but prefer something not more than a few years old. Proximity to grocery and drug stores is important and a community pool is a must. Daily commuting isn't an issue but a 45 minute (or less) drive to the beach would be nice.
However - to rent in the short term - a smaller house would suffice (1600 sq. ft) as long as it has a garage for storage. We will be coming down for a few days in early April from central NY to check things out and get a better feel for the area and figure out where we would like to rent. Looking forward to the Flowertown Festival and nice weather.
I think that's going to be tough. Here's why, with generalizations.
Don't want to see what the neighbor is grilling? You need at least .25 acres.
Want it newer but with trees? That's probably going to be over $250K if you are less than 45 minutes to the beach.
New built McKewn development might do; 2400sf 4/3.5 $230K, but they may be too close and just outside of 45 minutes.
I'd consider older & established neighborhoods as well.
jim
hi i just wanted to jump in with a question of my own. i've been reading post on this forum for a few months. this site played a big part in my husband and i deciding on summerville to relocate to. we are born and raised here is freezing and way too expensive ma!! we were deciding between nc and sc. and picked summerville. we will be visting soon and plan to move in the summer. we want to rent first so we can look for just the right neighborhood to settle in. can anyone direct me to nice apartments in ds 2 school district and maybe some to stay away from. thanks
With regards to the Summerville housing market. In researching single family home sales in the town of Summerville, "mls" statistics indicate that in 2006 there were 1155 home sales in the $200,000 to $300,000 price range. This compares to 912 in 2007. The inventory of homes on the market in this price range stood at 408 as of 12/16/2006 and at 385 during the same day in 2007. A decrease in homes sold but also a decrease in homes on the market. I would suspect that this decrease in inventory may be the result of some of the homes taken off the sales market and rented out. It is also interesting to note that there were only 34 home sales in this price range in January of 2008 as opposed to 70 the year before. The above statistics confirms that the market remains soft even in Summerville, at least in the lower end price range. However, I personally have seen a marked increase in real estate interest from out of town buyers the past 2-3 weeks as well as showings. It would be interesting to get feedback from other Realtors on this forum to see if they have also experienced a similar increase in inquiries and showing on listings. If so, maybe there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
I would agree with USCJoe. THe market is starting to turn and things are heating up with the Spring. Showings have steadily risen on all my listings since the beginning of the year.
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