Zillow’s Zestimate: Even the CEO Doesn’t Rely on Them

One issue we encounter on a daily basis revolves around Zillow’s Zestimate and other online home valuation tools. These mega real estate search tools and online “Value Your Home” calls to action have become household names and are influencing buyers and sellers into believing these prices are legitimate real estate appraisals.

Unfortunately, that’s just not the case.

According to Zillow, a Zestimate is calculated via a computerized algorithm based on millions of public and user submitted data points and “Our data sources may be incomplete or incorrect; we have not physically inspected a specific home. Remember...

An Eclectic Mix of Kid’s Birthday Ideas in Charleston, SC

Summertime seems to be when birthday parties abound. While waterparks, jump castles, pool parties, and beach days are loved by many, one central question we’re asked revolves around fun, adventurous, and exciting kids birthday ideas in Charleston which stray away from the norm.

Mostly everyone in the Tri-county area knows of the standard parties mentioned above or places like Chuck-E-Cheese, Monkey Joe’s, or Skyzone, but there are so many kids party options in Charleston which many people don’t even know about!

Today we’ve put together an eclectic list of kids birthday party ideas in Charleston which will help your kids make ...

It’s no secret that Charleston, South Carolina seems to be one of the most desirable place to be these days. With so many beautiful locations it can be difficult to decide what part of the city is right for you and your family when looking for your next home.

Located just across the Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge from beautiful downtown Charleston is suburban Mount Pleasant. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina is a town surrounded by stunning saltwater marshes with meandering creeks breaching its coastal shores, making for the epitome of waterfront living. With a great deal more local conveniences than its smaller downtown neighbor, back yards and outstanding schools, Mount Pleasant is a haven fo...

Top Charleston Farmer's Markets and CSAs

Charleston is rich in many ways; history, culture, excellent restaurants, world-class accommodations. Charleston is also rich in agriculture and there is no shortage of avenues by which you can take advantage of this. From local farm stores, farmers markets or even a buy-in approach of CSA membership, if it’s fresh produce you want, Charleston will provide. Below is a list of the top five CSAs and Farmers Markets in the Charleston area.

Before we get to the list, however, its possible that some readers may not know what a CSA is and we need to make that right. Allow me to introduce you to the wonderful world of Community Supported Agriculture or ...

Mount Pleasant, South Carolina is a breathtaking town with meandering creeks, marsh views and hidden neighborhood gems. Waterways in Mt. Pleasant lead to the Charleston Harbor and out to the Atlantic Ocean, providing the bounties of the sea. Whether its fresh red drum on the grill at home or a bushel of oysters tossed in the steamer and scattered on the table for shucking, locals enjoy fresh seafood and the rituals that surround it.

Mount Pleasant has many creek beds and tidal marshes that are ideal for catching Blue Crabs. Blue crabs may be harvested with little restrictions (http://www.dnr.sc.gov/regs/crabregs.html). For the weeke...

The Charleston real estate market is increasingly on the rise and more and more sellers are tempted to cash in as quickly as they can. Don’t be fooled! Even though Charleston is the best city in the world and different buyers are looking for different things, rest assured that breaking one or more of these simple rules will keep your home from selling in one of the hottest markets in the United States:

1. Overpricing Your Property: This is by far the #1 mistake sellers make when homes are initially put on the market. Sellers try to “test the market” to see if any bites come in at a higher sales price when, in reality, they’re setting themselves up for failure. Overpriced homes sit on t...

CCSD School Choice

Charleston County School District is comprised of 80+ schools which teach over 45,000 children from K3-12th grade. All neighborhoods in Charleston county have specific school attendance zones, in fact school zones can easily make or break a real estate deal, but did you know CCSD offers your family an opportunity to send your kids to a variety of magnet, partial magnet, charter, and montessori schools FOR FREE?

All Charleston county student residents are eligible for CCSD school choice which provides parents the opportunity to apply to schools which may better align with their child’s specific learning style.

For example, let’s say you’ve found the perfect home to ...

When buying a home in Charleston, known for hot and humid summers, a lot of buyers are concerned with their utility costs.  The recent heat wave in Charleston has only reminded us even more of how important energy efficiency is in a Charleston home.

There are a lot of steps you can take to keep your bills low:

1. Keep you A/C tuned up: It's worth having a service agreement for a contractor to clean and inspect your HVAC system once or twice a year.  Things like dirty coils, low refrigerant levels and air leaks in duct lines can all add up to higher electric bills.  If you need assistance, call one of our trusted local partners, like Fogel Services.

2. Upgrade your water heater: Tankles...

The Highway 41 corridor is one of the most popular places for Mount Pleasant home buyers.  Neighborhoods like Park West, Dunes West, Rivertowne and Planters Pointe attract buyers with their manicured lawns and great amenities.  The downside to popularity is the inevitable traffics that follows.  Frustrated residents are finally getting local lawmakers to listen and plans are being made to widen the 5 mile stretch from highway 17 to the Wando River.

At first glance, widening 5 miles of flat, straight roadway doesn't seem all that hard, but the current price tag is now approaching $100 million.  The reasons for this include a lot of wetlands that need to be permitted and filled, the need t...

Wow, the Charleston real estate market has been on quite a ride lately.  For the past 3 years, demand has been consistently going up and inventory has been going down.  This has resulted in a lot of competition for homes, and in turn a lot of multiple offers.  Multiple offer situations tend to be exciting for sellers and frustrating for buyers, but also stressful for both.  In a fast-moving market like this, it's more important than ever to have an experienced Charleston Realtor on your side.  Here are a few ways that multiple offers are usually handled by sellers:

1. Accept one offer - Sometimes several offers come in and one is acceptable to the seller, so they sign it and it's done.  ...

7 acres of a beachfront Kiawah property was sold this week for $22milion, going down in Charleston real estate history for one of the area's most expensive homesites. The property was under a agricultural tax assessment for years due to the amount of timber on the property. Taxes were reported to be a measly $12.75!  With the current sale and plans to develop the land the new owners will be reassessed based on the value and include some back taxes based on that assessment.

To read more of the details on the story and the calculation of the future taxes CLICK HERE.

Can you imagine such a small tax bill? Your tax bill can be lower than expected sometimes, let us explain:

If you are a leg...

A new listing for Gatehouse Realty this week.

236 Sweet Alyssum Dr
Ladson, SC

MLS# 1419007 - residential

Welcome home to your upgraded home on a great lot in Summer Park, located in the desirable Dorchester II school district. Situated on a nice lot overlooking the pond, this home has great curb appeal and is full of upgrades not found in most homes in this neighborhood. The kitchen features staggered cabinets with crown moulding, glass doors and under cabinet lighting, along with hardwood flooring and stainless steel appliances. The master bedroom has crown moulding and a nice master bath with a walk-in closet and separate tub and shower. The home has 4 nice ceiling fans and an ...

Looking for a great fun tonight in Mt Pleasant, SC? The Charleston County Parks and Recreation is hosting a Thursday Night Boogie at the Mt Pleasant Pier tonight from 6pm-10pm. Think great oldies, beach music, food, drinks, and snacks. Tickets are $10 and advance purchase is recommended. CLICK HERE to order your tickets and for more information!

What better way to celebrate this weeks 9 year anniversary of the Arthur Ravenel Jr, Bridge then dancing under the bridge with views of the sunset and stars!

Hurricane season is now upon us, and it never ever hurts to be prepared!

We have several real estate clients moving to the Charleston area from other states that have lots of questions. We love to share our experience and tips on any aspect of Lowcounty Living.

Over the next few weeks we will be doing a quick series on Hurricanes - How to....

Below is a great list we brainstormed on about documents to gather when a hurricane is threatening.

Documents to gather, have copies of, and protect in a waterproof container:

• health insurance cards
• drivers license/passports
• birth/marriage/death certificates
• homeowners insurance policy and agent contact number /renters insurance policy
• lif...

Rex Coyne, Gatehouse partner, sold his personal residence this week in Park West. Gatehouse Realty used our expertise to do the following for a quick sale at top dollar:

• Interior paint
• Home staging / de-cluttering / organizing
• Simple landscape secrets
• Quick granite installation
• Professional photography
• Listing the home during a peak time in the week (one of our Real Estate secrets)
• Managing showings well
• Optimal advertising
• Extensive research on comparable homes and price history

Rex or Chris can do the same for your home. Call us for all the Gatehouse real estate secrets 843-284-8834

Are you a numbers person? Some are and some aren't. Real Estate is based and compounded on a lot of numbers. Price, averages, days on market. Some times it is hard to tell what they all mean to a potential buyer or someone interested in listing their property to sell.

Here are a few of Gatehouse Realty's numbers and call us anytime for more details and how it can help you in your next real estate transaction.

Our team has represented over 372 sales in the tri-county area in the past 13 years.

Average days on the market for the listings we have represented is 34.5 days.

Average listing sold for close to 98% of list price.

Call us today to see how our experience can work for you!

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Picnics, cook outs, a day at the beach or pool - however you plan to spend the 4th of July this year you do not want to miss the amazing firework displays available all over the Lowcountry. From the beaches to The Joe pick one and sit back and enjoy.

To view a great list of all the events hop on over to The City Paper HERE.

No 4th of July would be complete at our home without an apple crisp. I like the crunch of the crisp instead of a pie and serve it with ice cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon. For the recipe for a perfect apple crisp CLICK HERE.

Happy 4th to all of you!!!!

The Post and Courier recently published the latest information on the new Highway 41 bridge over the Wando River in Mt Pleasant, SC. The new bridge is proposed to be a high 55 feet. The bridge would allow traffic to flow freely in addition to more boat traffic. The current bridge is opened by hand crank only - can you imagine?

In all my years in Mt Pleasant I have yet to see this bridge being opened, but I think it would be a sight to see. I have to admit I have been stuck on the opposite side of the bridge than the boat ramp where we launched our boat due to a high moon tide. The top of our boat would have scraped the bottom of the bridge. It wasn't that bad waiting for the tide to lowe...

The Gatehouse Team is excited to start blogging! We will be posting and sharing information on Charleston, SC Real Estate, our adventures in flipping homes, life in Charleston and the Lowcountry, as well as sharing information on our listings, mortgages, design, staging, landscaping, renovations, golf, recreation, and so much more.

We welcome you to ask questions and share your thoughts!