THE NEXT CHAPTER

by DANA W. TODD / photography by HOLGER OBENAUS

Long & foster real estate has a 55-year history on the East Coast of connecting homebuyers and sellers from 200 locations, including 17 coastal offices in eight states and Washington, D.C. Its newest offices—in Summerville and West Ashley—bring an allinclusive real estate experience to the Lowcountry market.

“With its healthy economy, vibrant culture and mild weather, Charleston always makes the list of the top places to live, own a second home or retire, so it was a natural opportunity for Long & Foster to grow in this thriving real estate market,” says Lonnie Plaster, senior vice president and regional manager for South Carolina at Long & Foster Real Estate. “People get excited about the opportunity to live in a destination city.”

Southern Coast Real Estate, welcoming 50 additional agents into the Long & Foster fold. “We are growing organically, relying on Long & Foster’s reputation to attract both agents and consumers,” says Plaster. “Even though we were not previously in South Carolina, many people already knew our name. It was a natural opportunity for our company to come here since we already have offices as far south as Raleigh and the coastal town of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.”

While the firm connects buyers and sellers at all price points of residential real estate, it does have a luxury component as a member of Forbes Global Properties, a luxury real estate program. “Although we do not focus exclusively on high-end real estate, the luxury market just seems to happen for us,” Plaster says. As a founding member of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World and its luxury division, Luxury Portfolio International, the company has plenty of luxury industry expertise to help homebuyers find the perfect property for their lifestyle and needs. “Charleston offers a wide range of luxury properties—from historic mansions along Rainbow Row to stunning beach homes on Isle of Palms and Sullivan’s Island, with spectacular pools and views of the Atlantic Ocean. The area’s high-end properties are some of the most sought-after in the country,” Plaster says.

Long & Foster uses its presence in other coastal cities where it operates to connect high-end buyers up and down the East Coast. “Our agents know the markets where they do business, so their clients always appreciate being referred to a fellow Long & Foster agent. In the short time we’ve been in Charleston, we’ve already received many referrals from Long & Foster agents in our northern states, as well as from other firms in our global networks,” Plaster says.

Many of us have lost count of the number of times Charleston has been named the nation’s number one city to visit. With more and more of these visitors wanting to become Lowcountry residents, Long & Foster is ready to serve homebuyers and sellers with a full menu of real estate services. *

Long & Foster is known for its roster of services that help homebuyers and sellers navigate the beginning stages of the process all the way through to home inspections, mortgages, settlement and insurance procurement. Its all-encompassing services remove the complications and stress from buyers and sellers so they can enjoy the experience of their new real estate adventure. This integrated sales process is a competitive differentiator for Long & Foster in the busy real estate marketplace and is attractive to people who want an easier process for buying, selling, renting or investing in residential real estate. As a member of Berkshire Hathaway’s affiliate HomeServices of America network, Long & Foster offers even more connections for buyers and sellers to global real estate agents.

Long & Foster enters the Lowcountry market with about 60 real estate agents to serve its clients. Once it announced its expansion into Charleston, 10 local agents contacted the company to begin working within its established real estate sales framework. At the same time, the company acquired

Dana W. Todd is a professional writer specializing in interior design, real estate, luxury homebuilding, landscape design, architecture and art.

» LONG & FOSTER REAL ESTATE

112 W. DOTY AVE., SUITE C SUMMERVILLE, SC 29483 843.502.7971

LONGANDFOSTER.COM

1525 ASHLEY RIVER ROAD, SUITE A CHARLESTON, SC 29407 854.444.3232