Questions Charleston buyers and sellers actually ask first.

In Charleston, no. The seller side typically pays the buyer-side commission at closing — it’s spelled out in the listing agreement. The 2024 NAR settlement changed how that compensation gets disclosed (we now sign a buyer-broker agreement up front that names the fee), but it didn’t change the reality that the seller’s side normally pays it. We walk through how the fee is being offered on each home before you write the offer.

In the Charleston market, 1%–2% of the purchase price is standard for resale; 5%–10% is common for new construction with a builder. Earnest money is held by the closing attorney or builder’s escrow and credited to you at closing. It’s only at risk if you breach the contract — the inspection, financing, and appraisal contingencies all protect it during the option period.

Charleston’s historic ‘single’ is a specific architectural form — narrow, one-room-wide, with a side piazza that runs the length of the house. Condos are a common form of ownership for townhouses, mid-rises, and beach properties; you own the unit and pay HOA dues for the building. True co-ops are rare in the Lowcountry (you mainly see them in NYC) — almost every shared-ownership building you’ll tour here is a condo, with its own HOA package.

If the home sits in the BAR overlay (most of downtown — South of Broad, Ansonborough, Harleston Village, French Quarter), any exterior change — paint color, windows, roof, fence, a new HVAC condenser on a piazza wall — needs BAR review and approval before you can do the work. We coordinate the application, drawings, and the hearing scheduling as part of the purchase representation so you know what’s approvable before you close.

South Carolina is an attorney-closing state, so a closing attorney (not a title company) runs the process. For a typical financed resale, plan on 30–45 days from accepted offer to keys. Cash closings can run as short as 14 days. New construction works on the builder’s schedule, which we manage actively so financing doesn’t expire mid-build.

Title insurance covers you (or your lender) if someone surfaces a claim against the title after closing — an unrecorded heir, a missed lien, a survey error, a forged deed in the chain. Lender’s policy is required if you’re financing; owner’s policy is optional but a one-time premium ($800–$1,800 on a typical Charleston purchase) that covers you for as long as you own the home. We recommend the owner’s policy on every purchase — the math is in your favor.

Every property we represent ships with the current FIRM panel, flood-zone letter, and an elevation certificate where one’s available. We tell you what flood insurance is going to cost — and what your lender will require — before you write the offer, not at closing. Some downtown blocks and most of the barrier islands sit in AE or VE zones; the wrong assumption there can move a deal’s annual cost by $4–$8K.

A few principles we use in every multi-offer scenario: lead with a strong earnest deposit, keep contingency timelines tight but realistic, escalate cleanly with a documented escalation clause (no open-ended ‘best and final’ blanks), and write a one-paragraph cover note that names a real reason you want the home. We won’t talk you into waiving the inspection — there are smarter ways to win the deal without giving up the one protection that actually matters.