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Dear Friends,
How is it already March?! This first quarter of 2016 has flown by, and despite a busy real estate market, I managed to slip away to the west coast for a quick visit with my husband's family.
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Enjoying a short trip to the west coast to visit family.
Point Reyes National Seashore & San Francisco, February 2016.
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Meanwhile, in the last few weeks, I have received a few new referrals from friends, acquaintances, and past clients. To those who made those referrals (you know who you are), another sincere thank you.
While real estate business can come from any number of sources, direct referrals are some of the most appreciated of all sources of new business. THANK YOU for keeping me top-of-mind and for continuing to pass my name along to your friends, family, and acquaintances.
Sincerely,
Leize Gaillard
William Means Real Estate
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2015 REALTORs of Distinction:
CTAR Honors 14 Agents from William Means Real Estate
The Charleston Trident Association of Realtors recently announced the 2015 REALTORs of Distinction, an honor that goes to the top 10% sales producing Charleston-area REALTORs who apply for the award. As a "Rookie" (defined by CTAR as an agent within their first 2 years in the business), I am very proud to be included among this elite group of more seasoned professionals.
I want to say a special thank you to all of my 2015 clients who helped me reach this achievement. I am excited to keep the momentum rolling in 2016 and beyond.
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Listing this spring?
Make William Means your choice.
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The Spring Market: Why List Now?
Are you thinking about selling your home in the next 6-8 months? Now may be the time to get the listing process rolling.
In recent years, the spring/early summer (March-June) has been a particularly strong time for sellers.
In 2015, downtown residential sales in the four months of March - June accounted for 42% of the total sales for the entire year, and the average price per square foot for sales during that time was approximately $20 higher than PSF prices for the rest of the year.
Take a look:
DOWNTOWN CHARLESTON RESIDENTIAL SALES 2015*
| Number of Sales | Avg Price Per SqFt | | Jan-Feb 2015 (2 mos) | 75 | $337
| | Mar-Jun 2015 (4 mos) | 254 | $354 | | July-Dec 2015 (6 mos) | 277 | $333 |
*Data accessed via CTAR MLS on 2/27/16. Information is deemed to be reliable, but is not guaranteed.
So, why is the spring such a great time to sell? It's a time of year when gardens are in bloom, the weather is pleasant for showings, the area is full of visitors (many of whom are coming off of cold winters in other parts of the country), and parents are thinking about where they want to be for the next school year. With the dog days of summer right around the corner, selling now also means moving out before the heat hits. Its a win-win for both buyers and sellers looking to settle down and enjoy their summer, fall, and 2016 holidays.
Thinking about listing your home this year? Click below to learn more about my approach to listings or to request a free home valuation report.
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JUST FOR BUYERS
How should you approach the spring market?
While spring often makes for a sellers' market, there are still opportunities to be had if you are prepared, market-knowledgable, and prepared to move quickly when the right home comes on the market. If you are thinking about buying this spring/summer, let's talk about how to best-position yourself in a competitive market.
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Meet One of Downtown Charleston's Newest Businesses:
Calhoun Street Cleaners
For those of you who have been following my newsletter for the last few months, you know that I made my wedding gown by hand last year. As you can imagine, I was very particular when it came time to find a drycleaner to be responsible for cleaning/preserving my dress. Happily, I stumbled upon Yeamans Hall Drycleaner in Hanahan, and couldn't be happier with the expertise and customer service provided by co-owners and operators, Jeanne and Brian Meden. When I found out that they would be opening a new location downtown, I jumped at the chance to profile them for my newsletter.
Whether you are a long time resident interested in giving a new service provider a chance or you are new to town and still identifying your go-to local businesses, take this chance to learn a little more about Calhoun Street Cleaners, the downtown branch of Yeamans Hall Drycleaner opening on March 16, 2016 at 60 Calhoun Street (click for map).
Q & A with Jeanne Meden, co-owner/operator of Calhoun Street Cleaners
Leize: What sets Yeaman's Hall Drycleaner, and now Calhoun Street Cleaners, apart from other drycleaners?
Jeanne: Brian has an undergraduate degree in Microbiology, and he has been an active owner/operator in the drycleaning business for over 25 years. We are both members of Drycleaning and Laundry Institute (DLI) and the Association of Wedding Gown Specialists (AWGS), a professional organization that requires annual renewal and training in order to keep current. The cool thing about fabric is that the trends change as to what kind is popular. With that, the treatment and chemistry changes. You have to keep yourself up to date with these changes to ensure we can keep our quality high.
Additionally, we have multiple checks and balances with their employees in identifying stains. It starts with the counter attendants identifying the stains. The dry cleaner inspects each garment for the stains and treats accordingly to the care label and the nature of the stain. It's amazing how synthetic fabrics, like polyester have to be treated differently than natural fabrics, like silk or cotton. If the dry cleaner misses a stain, the presser should catch it and bring it back to be re-treated. If the presser misses the stain, the assembler (who is the final eye) will ideally catch it. The goal being that the customer does not get a stained item returned. Stains do not always come out, and if we cannot get the stain out after three treatments and without damaging the fabric, we will call the customer to inform them.
The fact that Brian does much of the cleaning and oversees the plant operation is huge in that he is able to manage the high level of quality our customers expect.
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Jeanne and Brian Meden at a national training for wedding dress cleaning specialists in February 2016.
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L: What are your and your husband's roles in the day-to-day operations of your business?
J: Brian opens the plant each morning (at 6am) and insists on being present for the majority of the production. He steps in wherever is needed but he really thrives on being at the front counter, interacting with his customers and getting to know them. Brian makes sure that he hand cleans each wedding gown. Brian has worked for years with many wedding gown boutiques in the area and has gained a reputation for his attention to detail and handling each gown with care.
I joined the operation in 2014. Prior to that, we had a commercial linen business that was pretty successful. I ran that and did the sales/marketing until it burned down in October 2013. Luckily for us, we had the dry cleaner as a separate entity in a separate location. I started by doing the bookkeeping and shadowing employees. When I felt like I had a solid grasp of the role each played in production, I decided I should re-focus on specialty services--specifically wedding gown cleaning and preservation and boutique cleaning. Currently, I focus on the marketing and growing the business.
L: In addition to wedding dress and general services, you offer "boutique cleaning" for high-end garments. Tell me a little about these services.
J: I love nice clothes! Being able to provide a service that is so specific and so specialized is fantastic. Our training in treating and cleaning the wedding gowns goes along with the boutique cleaning. The St. Johns, Burberry, Max Mara high end garments have very specific care labels. You cannot just throw these high end garments in to the dry cleaning machine and expect they will come out fine. You have to hand clean them, just as we hand clean wedding gowns.
L: What lead you to open the Calhoun Street location?
J: While we offer free pick-up and delivery at businesses and residences, we have found that people look for a cleaner who is on their daily path. We have been doing pickup and delivery for Yeamans Hall Club--both residents and employees, Daniel Island Club--both residents and employees, as well as many businesses downtown. It just seemed like a good move.
This Calhoun Street location is awesome! It's big, beautiful, across from the Gaillard, near a Starbucks, and you don't even have to get out of your car! We have trained our counter staff to come out to the cars and grab the cleaning and let you go, if that is of interest. We also have a 24 hour drop box, for those people who cannot come during our normal hours of operation. Brian was intent on getting a corner location, knowing that people go to a cleaner based on both quality and convenience/ease of access.
One goal with this location is to expand on our wedding gown cleaning and preservation and be more convenient to the destination brides, boutiques, hotels, and businessmen and women.
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| | Some of the staff at Yeamans Hall Drycleaner, hard at work. |
L: What do you have planned for your grand opening?
J: We are planning to open March 16th. I am working with Mitchell Crosby, a friend, to do a grand opening ceremony with champagne and light hours dourves for friends and current customers. We are also sending out mailers to all residents within a 3 mile radius for a $15 off first order coupon. I will be working on monthly specials as well.
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 $15 off your first order of $20 or more |
Print this coupon or show it to the staff at Calhoun Street Cleaners for $15 off your first order of $20 or more. Valid only at Calhoun Street Cleaners, opening March 16, 2016 at 60 Calhoun Street.
Limit one coupon per customer. Offer Expires April 16, 2016.
Authorized by J. Meden, Calhoun Street Cleaners. Courtesy of Leize Gaillard, William Means Real Estate.
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Leize Gaillard
William Means Real Estate
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