When you list your home for sale, a seller’s mindset has to make the difficult transition from it being your personal retreat to a canvas on which someone else can envision their lives living out. You want potential homebuyers to be able to truly envision themselves as the ones living in the home, which can be difficult if your family’s personality is still evident. Before going on market, a skilled agent will recommend decluttering and depersonalizing, but you may also want a little professional help from our team to guide you through showing your home in its most marketable light.

When done correctly, staging can not only set the right emotional tone for buyers about the home, but can also help highlight the most attractive features of the home. Staging can potentially make you money, too: 77% of listing agents said a well-staged environment increases the dollar value buyers are willing to offer, according to the National Association of Realtors Profile of Home Staging. Staging can also shorten the length of time your home is on the market, with agents reporting that their staged homes were going under contract faster than those without.

A professional staging expert like Premier One will be available to you to walk through your home with you and provide their advice for the home. The plan will include advice on de-cluttering, storing items, reorganizing furniture placement, and possibly changing out paint colors in different rooms, if that is something you would consider. Our team can also give tips for improving curb appeal and provide access to contractors and vendors for any repairs, updates or upgrades you might want to implement to drive your sales price up. The most common rooms where real value can be added through staging are the living room, kitchen, owner’s bedroom, and dining room. Our team is fully equipped to let you know where you can spend a dollar to make two and conversely where spending money might not best serve your bottom line.

Depending on what your home needs, and whether you want to do the work yourself or hire it done, a staging company could handle bringing in supplementary furniture and décor items, manage painting or other contractors coming to your home, and have a more hands on role in getting your home ready to go on the market. Either way, Premier One will ensure you have all the information and resources to make the most educated decisions about what is best for your home sale.

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We polled home buyers and found out the most important things they wanted to know from their Real Estate agent to help them when buying a home in Charleston and looking for homes for sale in Charleston.

• • • Have you found that perfect home only to find out that is under contract or already sold?  Many popular online services gather data from various sources that many times are poorly maintained. Internet shoppers find out after wasting time and energy getting emotionally charged towards a home for sale in Charleston SC only to find out that the home is already sold.  Our online search at GoPremierOne.com has the most up-to-date MLS listing data (updated daily). Not only is this information more reliable than the “big box” national sources we can set up a Premier Listing manager account and have your targeted parameters sent to you daily so you  “never miss that perfect home that has just come on the market.
    • Do your homework before making an offer. Better than that, let one of our experienced agents do it for you! Opening offers and what to pay often have nothing to do with asking price. We can help you understand the sales trends of similar homes in the neighborhood. Look at prices on similar homes in the last three months. Do homes in this area sale for near asking or have many been reduced off the asking price 5%, 10% or even more?  Have there been recent forecloses in the area? What are the local inventories? For more information see our post on: National Trends and The Charleston Real Estate Market here.
    • Let your Premier One Agent negotiate and do the discovery with the seller agent.  Often, even though the Sellers agent is supposed to be working for the seller, our agents will glean important information in the “pre-offer” conversations. Unpublished information such as need to sell, job factors, even the lack of marital bliss might help tailor our offer to buy. Agent to agent conversations can be helpful so as a buyer let your Premier One agent work some magic.
    • Get pre-approved before you  make the offer/s if at all possible. Your Premier One agent can recommend a reliable source early in the process and this will save you time plus place you in a better position when it does come time to make an offer.  Sellers and the sellers agent will consider the offer stronger if you are pre-approved.  Given competing offers a faster close time and your certainty of financing will out weigh even a slightly higher offer for the same home for sale. Don’t confuse pre-approval with pre-qualifying. Pre-qualifying doesn’t mean you can get the loan but that if your information provided is correct you “might”.  Pre-approvals are based on your actual verified financial conditions and usually carry a commitment based on that up to a certain amount.  Pre-approvals tell the seller “they can buy and buy now!”
    • Watch out for those pesky points vs rates! When choosing a mortgage, you usually must pay upfront fees called points or you may be offered the the option of paying additional points for a lower interest rate.  If you plan to stay in your Charleston Home for a very long,  say three to five years or more,  it may be a better deal to pay extra up front in points because the lower interest rate can save you money in the long run. But, many times this is not the case in a particular buyers situation. Your Premier One agent can help guide you to a Mortgage banker that can understand your complete situation and help advise you toward the best solution for home financing. But, just keep aware of those up-front fees and if you have questions ask your agent or attorney.
    • Schools are important – even if you don’t have school age children. Our retired population is growing here in Charleston, but remember: When it comes time to sell, you’ll don’t want to discover that strong school districts are a top priority for many home buyers and now you cannot sell your home for the best value.
    • Hire a home inspector. Most lenders will require it along with the anyway. You should hire a home inspector experienced in doing home surveys in the area where you are buying. A home inspector’s job is be diligent and to point out problems and potential problems that you may not be able to see as an untrained home shopper. These repairs could be costly down the road and if discovered don’t always mean you don’t purchase the home but allow you the opportunity to have your Premier One agent re-negotiate the repairs and or price reduction as needed. 
    • Stay within your budget!  Owning a beautiful home can be a great investment and the local area is an exciting place to live. But don’t get caught up emotionally. Stick to your budget when making your decision to buy Charleston Real Estate.  A good rule of thumb is you can buy home where the price is about two-and-one-half times your annual salary.  A Premier One agent can help guide you  and recommend lenders willing to help you gain a better understanding of how your income, debts, and expenses affect what you can afford.  But once you determine your target, be patient and stick to it!

Shopping for Homes For Sale in Charleston SC? Don’t forget we have the most up-to-date search!

Do you have an interest in learning more about the Charleston Real Estate market? Check out this publication from HUD:  https://www.huduser.org/portal/publications/pdf//Charleston_Comp.pdf

…or, Take a little break and discover a little more about Charleson, SC:

The post Our Clients Tell Us What to Look for When Shopping for Homes For Sale in Charleston SC appeared first on Premier One.

The zone designations shown on the “FIRMs” are defined below.

Zone A
Zone A is the flood insurance rate zone used for 1-percent-annual-chance (base flood) floodplains that are determined for the Flood Insurance Study (FIS) by approximate methods of analysis. Because detailed hydraulic analyses are not performed for such areas, no Base Flood Elevations (BFEs) or depths are shown in this zone. Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply.

Zone AE and A1-A30
Zones AE and A1-A30 are the flood insurance rate zones used for the 1-percent-annual-chance floodplains that are determined for the FIS by detailed methods of analysis. In most instances, BFEs derived from the detailed hydraulic analyses are shown at selected intervals in this zone. Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply. AE zones are areas of inundation by the 1-percent-annual-chance flood, including areas with the 2-percent wave runup, elevation less than 3.0 feet above the ground, and areas with wave heights less than 3.0 feet. These areas are subdivided into elevation zones with BFEs assigned. The AE zone will generally extend inland to the limit of the 1-percent-annual-chance Stillwater Flood Level (SWEL).

Zone AH
Zone AH is the flood insurance rate zone used for areas of 1-percent-annual-chance shallow flooding with a constant water-surface elevation (usually areas of ponding) where average depths are between 1 and 3 feet. BFEs derived from detailed hydraulic analyses are shown at selected intervals within this zone. Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply.

Zone AO
AO zones are areas of sheet-flow shallow flooding where the potential runup is less than 3.0 feet above an overtopped barrier crest (ΔR<3.0 feet). The sheet flow in these areas will either flow into another flooding source (AE zone), result in ponding (AH zone), or deteriorate because of ground friction and energy losses and merge into the X zone. AO areas are designated with 1-, 2-, or 3-foot depths of flooding.

Zone AR
Zone AR is the flood insurance rate zone used for areas protected by flood-control structures, such as levees, that are being restored. FEMA will consider using the Zone AR designation if the flood protection system has been deemed restorable by a Federal agency in consultation with a local project sponsor; a minimum level of flood protection is still provided to the community by the system; and restoration of the flood protection system is scheduled to begin within a designated time period and in accordance with a progress plan negotiated between the community and FEMA. Mandatory purchase requirements for flood insurance apply in Zone AR, but the rate will not exceed that of an unnumbered Zone A, if the structure is built in compliance with Zone AR floodplain management regulations.

For floodplain management in Zone AR areas, the property owner is not required to elevate existing structures when making improvements. However, new structures must be elevated (or floodproofed for nonresidential structures) so that the lowest floor, including the basement, is at least 3 feet above the highest adjacent existing grade, if the BFE does not exceed 5 feet at the proposed development site. For infill sites, rehabilitation of existing structures, or redevelopment of previously developed areas, there is a 3-foot elevation requirement regardless of the depth of the BFE at the project site.

The Zone AR designation will be removed and the restored flood-control system will be shown as providing protection from the base flood on the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) map when the restoration project is complete and all the necessary data have been submitted to FEMA.

Zone A99
Zone A99 is the flood insurance rate zone used for areas within the 1-percent-annual-chance floodplain that will be protected by a Federal flood-protection system, where construction has reached specified statutory milestones. No BFEs or depths are shown in this zone. Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply.

Zone D
The Zone D designation is used for areas where there are possible but undetermined flood hazards. In areas designated as Zone D, no analysis of flood hazards has been conducted. Flood insurance is optional and available, and the flood insurance rates for properties in Zone D are commensurate with the uncertainty of the flood risk.

Zone V and V1 – 30
Zone V and V1 – 30 designation is for coastal areas with a 1-percent or greater chance of flooding and an additional velocity hazard associated with storm waves (wave action). Because detailed hydraulic analyses are not performed for such areas, no BFEs or depths are shown in this zone. Mandatory flood insurance purchase requirements apply.

Zone VE
VE zones are coastal high hazard areas where wave action and/or high-velocity water can cause structural damage during the base flood. They are subdivided into elevation zones with BFEs assigned. VE zones are identified using one or more of the following criteria for the base flood conditions:

1. The wave runup zone occurs where the (eroded) ground profile is 3.0 feet or more below the 2-percent wave runup elevation
2. The wave overtopping splash zone is the area landward of the crest of an overtopped barrier, in cases where the potential 2-percent wave runup exceeds the barrier crest elevation by 3.0 feet or more(ΔR>3.0 feet). (See Subsection D.2.8.2.)
3. The breaking wave height zone occurs where 3-foot or greater wave heights could occur (this is the area where the wave crest profile is 2.1 feet or more above the total stillwater level).
4. The primary frontal dune zone, as defined in 44 CFR Section 59.1 of the NFIP regulations.

For the Pacific Coast only:

1. The high-velocity flow zone is landward of the overtopping splash zone (or area on a sloping beach or other shore type), where the product of depth of flow times the flood velocity squared (hv²) is greater than or equal to 200 ft³/sec².

Zone B and X (shaded)
Zones B and X (shaded) are areas of 0.2-percent-annual-chance floodplain, areas of 1-percent-annual-chance (base flood) sheet flow flooding with average depths of less than 1 foot, areas of base flood stream flooding with a contributing drainage area of less than 1 square mile, or areas protected from the base flood by levees. No BFEs or depths are shown in this zone, and insurance purchase is not required

Zones C and X (unshaded)
Zones C and X (unshaded) are flood insurance rate zones used for areas outside the 0.2-percent-annual-chance floodplain. No BFEs or depths are shown in this zone, and insurance purchase is not required.

(This information is taken from FEMA publications and is intended as a limited explanation of Flood Zones Rules – Please seek qualified advice from your engineer, surveyor or attorney before making a decision to purchase property in a flood zone.)

Need more help?  Feel free to contact us or give us a call. Our agents have experience and the contacts to make sure you know what you are buying.

View in FEMA Multimedia Library

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