Once you agree to a deal with the seller of your prospective home, one of the biggest hurdles that still remains is the home inspection. Although a home inspection isn't mandatory to purchase a home, it is recommended by all realtors as it can be a way for prospective homebuyers to identify potential problems before they purchase a home. It can also help with negotiations. Potentially, if there is an issue with the home that requires fixing before moving in, a home inspection can provide the evidence necessary to negotiate with the seller to make repairs. However, in order to ensure you have the right information, you'll need a quality home inspection. Here are several mistakes to avoid:

Go with Your Home Inspector to Inspect the Home

One of the worst mistakes you can make is not going to the home inspection. While it's not mandatory and it might be tempting to skip with all of the other things you need to do, viewing the home with your home inspector can provide the insight necessary to make decisions on your home. Although your home inspector will provide you with an in-depth report and pictures, attending the home inspection can provide invaluable information.

Don't Have a Friend or Family Do Your Home Inspection

Another issue that frequently comes up with home inspections is the issue of amateur inspection. Do you have a friend or family member that is a handy man? They can help you when a problem arises but don't use them for your home inspection unless they are licensed and have the proper training. Although you might want to use a friend or family member to save some money, you could lose much more in the long run if he or she misses anything serious.

Don't Skimp on Services

The typical home inspection doesn't include things like termite inspection or radon inspection. When compared to the actual home inspection, these services are pretty miniscule, so it might be worth it to pay for these services as well. In the grand scheme of things, what's a hundred dollar more when compared to any long-term issues that you might not be aware of when choosing to not get these services.

Carolina One Real Estate is dedicated to providing prospective homeowners with the information needed to make informed buying decisions. We can provide a Charleston real estate guide to help you know what to do to secure a home, how to make the process as easy as possible, and what you should look for in a home inspector. Visit www.carolinaonerealestate.com today to check out listings in the Charleston area. 

We may move for work, we may move for family, but some people move just because they want a change of scenery. The annual migration study conducted by United Van Lines showed that a lot of people moved to the Carolinas in 2013.  With cities like Charleston and Raleigh, and unique areas like Johns Island, SC and Ashville, NC, it can be easy to see why people can’t wait to get to the Carolinas. Sometimes, it takes more than a general good feeling to move to a new area. Before you set your sights on a new place, make sure you know the answers to these important questions.

How much do I really know about where I want to move?

Maybe you want to move since you vacationed in the Carolinas and loved it. Or maybe you’ve read about the state being the hottest place to move. It can be really easy to fall in love with an area when you’re on a vacation or reading about it online, but actually living there can be much different from what you expect. Do you know about laws in the area that you’re planning on moving into? Do you know what your commute will look like?  How much do you know about the local school district? If all you can say about a state is that it’s beautiful or that there is a lot to do, you should start to re-think your decision to move.

How will this affect my bank account?

When we’re talking about your financial situation, we aren’t talking about financing the move. The cost of living can be dramatically different from town to town, and local and state taxes may be different from what you’re used to. A lot of people end up relocating to the south because the area is usually less expensive than most northern states and cities. Moving to a new state area doesn’t automatically mean that you’ll end up living somewhere cheaper, if anything many people overestimate the amount they’ll save and end up with much less extra money that they’d originally hoped. 

Am I ready to devote time to this move?

Moving from town to town in the same general area can be stressful and can require a lot of planning, so you can imagine how long moving to a different state can take. You won’t be able to take a single day off of work and get everything done in one weekend. Think of this move as a process that will have to unfold overtime. You may have to hire professional movers to handle the majority of the work so that you can focus on cleaning, unpacking, and setting everything up in your new place.

It's never too early to get started looking for things to do in the holidays. Now that summer is over and we can officially celebrate pumpkin lattes and the return of cardigans, we can now get ready for the best time of the year: the holiday season. If you're a fan of the holidays and you're looking for a place that fosters the wonderment and joyousness of the time, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better place than Charleston, South Carolina. Here are some jolly good reasons you might want to look into real estate in Charleston, SC.

Turkey Day Run and Gobble Wobble: You know you're going to eat a lot on the big day, so why not get a little exercise with friends beforehand? Located each year at Marion Square, the Turkey Day Run and Gobble Wobble is ran by over 6,000 runners on Thanksgiving to give them the opportunity to burn some calories before they gorge themselves on stuffing and gravy a few hours later. It's also a great time spent with friends, and there are a variety of activities for non-runners, including face painting, live music and a beer tent.

Buy Local Month: The heart of Charleston, South Carolina is our small businesses. Therefore, to support and celebrate them, Low Country created Buy Local Month, a month-long series of events and promotions designed to encourage people to shop and eat locally. Some of the events include the King Street Holiday ShopMob and the Buy Local Bash. You can start your shopping on November 15^th and it runs all of the way until December 15^th, so you'll have ample time to get your Christmas shopping done.

Holiday Festival of Lights: If you live or are planning to move to the Charleston area, you cannot go through the Christmas season without visiting the Holiday Festival of Lights at least once. Located in James Island County Park, there are over two million lights lit around the three mile drive through the park. If you're not in the mood to drive, you can climb aboard the train that goes around the park for a small fee. In addition to the lights, there are gingerbread homes, marshmallow roasts, photos with Santa and more. The Holiday Festival of Lights runs from November 8^th to the end of the year.

Getting excited about the holidays yet? This is just a small sample of the events that make Charleston, SC a great place to live, especially during the holidays.