Happy New Year!
In this months newsletter we will be discussing the current market trends, home buying tips, a neighborhood spotlight, this month's restaurant spotlight and a cool event for this month!
I hope everyone had an amazing holiday and a Happy New Year! I know personally the transition from fall to winter can be tough, and coming back from the holidays can feel like a drag. And I hope you can find time to do the small things that fill your cup!
Market Update
Lets talk market projections for 2026. What is to come?
What does this mean?
If you paused your plans to move because of high rates or prices, it may finally be time to take a second
look at your numbers. Affordability is improving in 39 of the top 50 markets, according to First American. And that’s the 7th straight month where buying a home has started to get a little bit easier One of the clearest signs of this shift is in monthly payments. The latest data from Redfin shows mortgage payments on a median-priced home are now $416 lower than they were just a few months back
What’s Behind the Shift?
Two key factors are working in your favor right now. First is that mortgage rates have eased down a bit from their high earlier in 2025. Secondly, house price growth is slowing in our market significantly. As Andy Walden, Head of Mortgage and Housing Market Research at Intercontinental Exchange, says: “The recent pullback in rates has created a tailwind for both homebuyers and existing borrowers. We’re seeing affordability at a 2.5-year high . . .” The inventory of housing has seen a 17% increase comapred to a year ago. If you’re a buyer it is a great time to get out their!
Home Buying Tips
New Homes? Yes Please!
New Construction has been booming with more brand-new homes right now than there has been in years. And as a buyer this can help you in two instrumental ways. It gives you more options to choose from, and it motivates builders to sell their inventory before they build more. That’s exactly why so many homebuilders are offering serious incentives like price cuts, mortgage rate buydowns, and help with closing costs. Data from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) shows 65% of builders offered special perks to buyers. That’s the highest percentage we’ve seen in 5 years.
Top 2 Buyer Mistakes
1- Putting off Pre-Approval- part of the homebuying process, a lender will look at your finances to figure out what they’re willing to loan you for your mortgage. This gives you a good idea of what you can borrow. I call this your buying power.
2- Buying More House Than You Can Afford- with today’s rates and home prices, its even more essential to avoid stretching your budget too far. Expenses like home insurance and taxes are on the rise. Bankrate offers this advice “Focus on what monthly payment you can afford rather than fixating on the maximum loan amount you qualify for. Just because you can qualify for a $300,000 loan doesn’t mean you can comfortably handle the monthly payments that come with it along with your other financial obligations.”
Restaurant Spotlight
Mount Pleasant Area
Pizza: Iggys Pizza
Recommendations: SO FRESH and SO GREEN Salad with a Meat Lovers Pizza. YUMM
Address: 1220 Ben Sawyer Blvd Suite H, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
Seafood: Grace & Grit
Recommendations: Fish Dip with Blackened Golden Tilefish and a Honeysuckle Martini
Address: 320 Wingo Way #100, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
Brunch: Bodega
Recommendations: The Cow OR The Gropfather with Lattes Favorite Cookie
Address: 414 W Coleman Blvd, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
Coffee: Brown Fox Coffee
Recommendations: Vanilla Bean Latte OR Milk n Cookies Latte
Address: 307 Simmons St, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
Happy Hour: The Perch
Recommendations: Carolina Caviar with the Shrimp Boil (ONLY SERVED DURING HAPPY HOUR)
Address: 644 Coleman Blvd, Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
January Highlight
Restaurant Week
1/8-1/18
167 Raw Oyster Bar - 3 Courses for $45
167 Sushi Bar - 3 Courses for $45
82 Queen - 2 Courses for $25 | 3 Courses for $55
Amen St. Fish & Raw Bar - 3 Courses for $50
Bar167 - 3 Courses for $45
Basil Thai - 3 Courses for $30
Bohemian Bull - 3 Courses for $30 or $40
Bourbon N’ Bubbles - 3 Courses for $55
Brasserie La Banque - 3 Courses for $55
Callies Hot Little Biscuit - All day offering for $14
Catina 76 - 3 Courses for $18
Church and Union - $50 per person
Crave Kitchen & Cocktails
Delaney Oyster House - 2 Courses for $35 | 3 Courses for $55
Edmund’s Original - 3 Courses for $45
Élevé - 3 Courses for $45
Eli’s Table - 4 Courses for $55
Fam’s Brewing Co. - Dinner for 2 only $30
Felix Cocktails et Cuisine - 2 Courses for $30 | 3 Courses for $50
Five Loaves Cafe - 3 Courses for $40
FortyEight Wine Bar & Kitchen - 3 Courses for $48
Grace & Grit - 3 Courses for $40
Halls Chophouse - 3 Courses for $70
High Cotton - 3 Courses for $68
Husk
Hyman’s Seafood - 6 Course + Wine for $30
Indaco - $55 per person
Kaminsky’s Dessert Cafe - Dessert Offerings
Lasso Gaucho Brazilian Steakhouse - Full experience for $51.96
Mesu - $45 per person
Minero - 3 Courses for $30
O-Ku - 4 Courses for $55
Oak Steakhouse - 3 Courses for $60
Park & Grove - 3 Courses for $45
Pearlz - 3 Courses for $55
Pink Cactus - 3 Courses for $35
Ritual - 4 Courses for $35
Ruby Sunshine - $18 per person
Rudy Royale - 3 Courses for $40 per guest
Shokudo - 4 Courses for $50
Taco Boy - $30 per person
TBonz Grill & Grill - 3 Courses for $45
Tempest - $50 per person
The Harlow - 3 Courses for $35
The James - 2 Courses for $25 | 3 Courses for $45
The Kingstide - 3 Courses for $55
The Matador - 2 Courses for $25 | 3 Courses for $40
The Mill Street Tavern
The Ordinary - $50 per person
The Peacock - 3 Courses for $50
The Swamp Fox - Lunch: 2 for $22 or 3 for $33
Dinner: 2 for $30 or 3 for $40
Two Bit Club - $45 per person
Well Hung Vineyard - 3 Courses for $55
Yokoso Japanese Steakhouse - 3 Courses for $35
Zachary’s Daiquiris - $17 a person
Neighborhood Spotlight
Starting off with the place I have planted my own roots for the past 25 years.
Old Village
In May 1791, after visiting Snee Farm, President George Washington boarded a vessel at Shem Creek to travel over to Charleston, giving Old Village a direct brush with early presidential history
Shem Creek has been a working waterway for centuries—supporting mills, rice processing, and commercial shrimping, crabbing, and oystering—and was the site of defensive works in both colonial conflicts and the American Revolution
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Old Village was a summer escape for wealthy Charlestonians who came for cooler harbor breezes; many original cottages from that era still stand, now restored as primary homes.
Some of the earliest platted streets—King, Queen, and Pitt—come from an 18th‑century village plan; Pitt Street was named for British Prime Minister William Pitt, and parts of that early “common” area evolved into today’s McCants, Boundary/Simmons, and Pitt streets.
My recommendations when visiting:
Pitt Street Commercial Strip
Pitt Street Pharmacy
Alhambra
