FAQ's

South Carolina is an Attorney State. All of our Real Estate Forms are created by Real Estate Attorneys for the South Carolina Association of Realtors of which I am a member. Real Estate agents cannot practice law by creating a form or language in a form. That must be done by an attorney.

We do not have a 3 day Attorney Review as they do in the northeast. An attorney does not need to review, but every client is welcome to choose to have a contract reviewed by your attorney.

Yes, we do have due Diligence period in South Carolina contracts to purchase, which allows 10-15 calendar days to perform any and all inspections, zoning, flood insurance costs, etc. There can be a cost to ask the seller to take their home off of the market for those 10-15 days. It can be negotiated. I is usually between $500 and $2000. A check is made payable to the seller and may not credited at the closing.  

We do not have a close of Escrow, as they do in some states in the West.

We have a Closing that the buyer chooses a Real Estate attorney to close for them, The Seller may choose their attorney to attend as well, but not required.

At every real estate closing, the buyer's attorney must search the property's title and provide a clear title to you along with lenders title insurance for the mortgage amount. Additionally, it is recommended to have owner's title insurance to cover your investment, down payment, and any appreciation. Should there ever be a question about clear title the insurance kicks in and you are provided with an attorney, paid for by the Title company to represent you. This does not occur often but is highly recommended. When I represent a buyer or seller I ask where they received their Title Insurance from and provide that information to the buyers closing attorney so they can cut the cost of the owner’s title insurance, as a Re-write.

A Termite Bond is highly recommended in the southern states. A termite company will have already treated and bonded (insured) the property for a re-treat and or re-treat and repair. Each year the termite company will inspect your home, inside and outside for any termite activity. They charge a fee for the termite bond each year, which goes towards a Re-treatment every 10 years. You will not be charged for that re-treatment with or without termites. It is absolutely important to pay that annual fee to re-bond the property. The approximate cost is between $300 and $500 dollars. You will receive a diagram of your home and photos of where moisture may be coming into the house and attracting termites. Many times, gutters and downspouts are recommended to keep the water from pooling around the foundation. Many of the termite companies are now going to bait stations, instead of treating the soil with chemicals. Trelona Bait station is the name of one of them.

The FEMA Flood maps are readily available thru FEMA.gov and are now up to date, for our area. If the property is located in a flood zone X it is not known or predicted to flood, so flood insurance is not required by the Mortgage company. You may always purchase flood insurance regardless of your flood vulnerability thru any Insurance agent in SC. Depending on the elevation of the home and location of the nearest stream, creek or river, there is an elevation certificate prepared by a civil engineer and filed with the insurance company and the city offices where the home resides. We can ask the Seller to provide the name and insurance policy number to transfer it to the buyer. The costs vary by the flood zone. Check with an insurance agent that provides homeowners insurance and provides a copy of the sellers Elevation certificate. I will help you get that information for you.

We do not have basements in the Lowcountry because the water table is so high. Some of our homes are elevated anywhere from 5’ to 12’ off of the ground. Pierings are typically used for 8’ above ground. Some of our homes have crawl spaces which can be anywhere from 1’ to 5’ high under the house. Many homes with out gutters and downspouts can begin to experience dampness under the home without any air circulation and can cause the plywood flooring, floor joists under the hardwoods, tile or Laminate to deteriorate. We have several crawl spaces in the Lowcountry.

Crawl space Companies that will evaluate the moisture and recommend anything from installing temporary fans and heaters to dry out the crawl space after severe rains and no gutters to move the water away from the foundation. The approximate cost to encapsulate a 2500 sq. foot on the 1^st floor is $8,000 to $10,000. A large dehumidifier is installed, and every vent or opening is sealed up to keep the crawlspace dry and cool in the summer and the same temperature as the 1^st floor in the winter. There are many solutions a professional can recommend.

There are also homes that have a concrete slab poured on the ground and the house built on that. Again, if no gutters or downspouts are on the house, they are highly recommended to minimize pooling water from getting under the sill plate of the exterior walls and damaging the hardwood flooring or rotting the exterior wall framing. Termite companies will also recommend all vegetation be cut back 12” from the home so moisture does not build up. A home inspection will determine what is best to keep the home safe from water intrusion. 

A raised concrete slab is often used in new construction where there is no flooding or in an X flood zone. The builder will excavate the site and lay concrete block around the perimeter of the house and some interior supports with CBlock. They will let the concrete cure and then fill the 2 feet of the foundation with sand compacted well. Then rebar is laid, plumbing, electrical runs, gas lines under the concrete flooring. 4” + of concrete is poured for the flooring and exterior walls later built on top of the concrete floors. Anytime a concrete floor is used under the tile, carpet or hardwood, it can be harder for knees and ankles to handle. The home may be cooler in the winter as it is resting on the ground.  A non-concrete floor or wood subfloor has some flexibility and does not bother the knees.

Homes that are located in a flood zone will be elevated to 1foot above the high level per their flood elevation certificate. These homes will have the ability to park cars under the home and use the garage area for storage and boat storage at time. Many homes built today will have an “elevator shaft” or a residential elevator installed in the home. The cost to add an elevator after construction is complete will approximately $25,000 to $40,000. Many times, it is less expensive than to sell and move to an different home. The shaft is approximately 4’x4’. Positioned from the ground floor to the top floor inside the home.

Many of the condo’s “apartment style” do not use a concrete floor between floors and thus noise can transfer up and down. The higher-end Condo’s, like the Tides in Mount Pleasant, have concrete floors and noise rarely transfers.

Townhouse fire wall between units. Condos or townhouses built after 2000 will be required by city ordinance to have a dead air space between the common walls with sound barrier insulation installed inside of each unit common wall. This common wall will also separate the units in the attic area as well. This protects the owner, should a fire occur in an adjoining unit will have a fire rating to hold the fire within the unit and not spread thru the attic to other units or the entire building. Please check with the fire codes within a municipality you desire to live in. Many condos or townhouses do not permit a grill to be placed on an outside balcony for fear of fire. They will allow a grill on the first-floor patio or generally have community grills in a parklike atmosphere. Please check with the HOA management company if you want to have a grill on the property. 

It generally does not get cold enough to have a wood or gas fire in a living room fireplace. Many people have moved to a fireplace outside or on a porch. This will not overheat the interior of the house to an uncomfortable temperature until the fire is distinguished. The electric fireplaces are now being used inside as a picturesque wall of flame and do not have to be vented inside. Some communities have Natural Gas and others do not. Propane Tanks are leased from a Propane company and refilled as needed either to heat the entire house or used just for cooking and a fireplace.

Yes, I can help with you with New Construction.

• I have represented many buyers/clients when buying a new home/condo. I must be with you when meeting with the builder or their representative for the first time. I will stay engaged with the building process with you.
• There are new homes being built as spec or market homes by various national builders. Some are 6 weeks from occupancy and other are longer. 6-9 months.
• I go to each meeting the builder has at foundation, excavating, drywall,
  mechanicals, roof, selections, and final walkthrough. I speak up when I have a concern about construction.
• If building a custom home, we find the land/lot and meet with a few builders to interview and then meet with an architect or planner/draft person. I continue to stay involved with the process, when the builder has a meeting at various stages of construction.
• I will have you sign a buyer agency agreement prior to working with you. This will cover and explain how I am paid.