At yesterday’s Mt Pleasant Rotary Club meeting I overheard my lunch neighbor tell someone he and his business are feeling better about the economy.   He has noticed a slow but steady increase in shoppers, shopping not related to tourist season in the Low Country.

This is very very new territory for our government.  This is a very very problematic period in our history.  There is no supplied set-up documentation for him to follow.   He has clearly surrounded himself with brillant minds, clearly weighed his options and clearly moved us in what appears to be an intelligent direction with calm and confidence.

And it is that calm and confidence which I believe has resulted in increasing numbers of shoppers coming into my lunch neighbor’s store.

Bloomberg News says consumer confidence in the U.S. jumped by the most since 2005 this month as stocks rallied, mortgage rates dropped and Americans anticipated more jobs would become available.

“There certainly is starting to be a shift here, where the data is either less bad or even starting to improve,” Michael Darda, chief economist at MKM Partners LP in New York, said in an interview with Bloomberg Television. While “we certainly haven’t turned the corner yet” the economy “could bottom out between June and October of this year and then start” growing.

The gain in confidence raises the odds that recent gains in consumer spending, which accounts for 70 percent of the economy, will be sustained.
Gooden + Faircloth’s real estate business has in the past month also seen a welcome uptick and movement toward the light.  Like our president, let us remain calm and confident that better days are ahead for Mt Pleasant and America.

Looking for a truly special Mt Pleasant neighborhood, older more established, diverse, lush and lovely?

For several decades, Wakendaw Lakes has been one of Mt Pleasant’s most desirable neighborhoods.

Gooden + Faircloth has just completed an informative summary of real estate sales activity in the Wakendaw Lakes neighborhoods, as well as a wonderful new video tour. You can access both on the Wakendaw Lakes neighborhood page by clicking the link below.

Wakendaw offers gorgeous, huge trees, several beautiful lakes, lots of surprising little gifts from nature, young and old strolling tranquil streets and a sense of true neighborliness.

Wakendaw Lakes is actually a series of four separate developments: Wakendaw Lakes, Wakendaw Manor, Wakendaw-on-the-Creek, and Wakendaw East.

The area has a rich history having been part of the Woodlawn Plantation, a 300+ acre working farm of pecans trees, acres of fields and over 9,500 head of livestock, mostly hogs.

During 2008, a total of 9 home sales ( excluding For Sale By Owners ) occurred in the combined neighborhoods of Wakendaw. There were no homes sold in the Wakendaw-on-the-Creek neighborhood.

The average sale price in Wakendaw Lakes was $ 501,557. In Wakendaw Place, 2 homes were sold, at an average sale price of $241,700.

Click here to acces the Wakendaw Lakes Real Estate Sales Report or to enjoy the new Wakendaw Lakes neighborhood video tour.

If you’re currently renting in Mount Pleasant or Greater Charleston but feel this may be the right time to consider purchasing a home, you’re not alone.   Half of all home buyers in February of this year purchased a home for the first time.

There are several compelling reasons those who have never owned are choosing to buy.

Gooden + Faircloth’s 2 minute video summarizes why so many first-timers have decided now is the right time.   Give me a call to find out more.

Rebecca Gooden
843-822-0131

A Lender, Lawyer and Leader answer a frequently asked question.

Are we seeing glimpses of a recovering local real estate market?  Is it a seasonal difference?

Gooden + Faircloth asked three Mt Pleasant real estate industry authorities the same question our team is asked virtually everyday, “How’s the local real estate market?”

Read the rest of this entry

The mortgage market is an industry with rules, regulations and requirements changing on a minute-by-minute basis.

Three important changes of interest have just occurred.

Read the rest of this entry

How did home sales in one of the area’s popular neighborhoods fare over the past year?

I have just released an updated version of a key neighborhood real estate report.

Ivy Hall is in one of the fastest growing areas of South Carolina, the Highway 17 North corridor in Mt Pleasant, just outside Charleston.

Find out more about real estate in this popular neighborhood by clicking the image to the left.

Take a tour of Ivy Hall. Click the play button to begin.

Hobcaw Creek Plantation is the ideal neighborhood for those seeking the ‘ ideal ‘ neighborhood: family oriented, safe, manicured and lush mature vegetation.

The majority of homes in this very desirable neighborhood are large and upscale. Most of the homes in Hobcaw Creek were built during the 1990s.

At the back of Hobcaw Creek, you’ll find the largest homes, many with private docks. Hobcaw Creek Plantation is adjacent to some of Mt Pleasant’s premier shopping and dining options. At any moment, there are only a few homes for sale in Hobcaw. It’s that desired.

Homes in the neighborhood average between 3,000 and 4,500 square feet with prices generally starting in the $450,000 range. The neighborhood’s clubhouse features tennis courts, a children’s playground and a swimming pool. Residents also have access to a community dock and boat landing.

I admit it, Hidden Lakes is one of my favorite neighborhoods in Mt Pleasant / Greater Charleston. Virtually every home in the entire neighborhood peacefully rests on a canal or lake. The homes are generally traditional, very well built, diverse and well – maintained.

Click on the image above and enjoy our new Hidden Lakes video tour. You’ll see what we mean…..

2008-2009 Seaside Farms Real Estate Sales Report

Seaside Farms is one of coastal South Carolina’s most popular neighborhoods.  Nestled up to the intracoastal and marsh expanse separating mainland Mount Pleasant,SC and Isle Of Palms on the barrier islands, Seaside Farms is actually several beautiful neighborhoods.   Enjoy a closer look at Seaside Farms in the video tour below.

Gooden+Faircloth has compiled 2008 real estate sales data into the new Seaside Farms Real Estate Report 2008/2009.

The highest priced home sold over the past 12 months was in the Cathedral Oaks neighborhood.  1712 Canyon sold for $ 1,175,000 or $ 285 per square foot.

Over the past 12 months, homes averaged remaining on the market from a low of 127 days in Magnolia Woods to a high of 207 days in Windward / Marais.

Click here to learn more.