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Expect More From your Buyers' Agent

Market knowledge. Preparedness. Accessibility. Tech-savvy. Patience to help you get to know the market at your own pace, and the expertise to guide you through the offer, negotiation, and transaction process. You should expect more from your Buyers' Agent, and Leize is ready to exceed your expectations.

Why Choose Leize

We would wholeheartedly recommend Leize [as] a buyers agent. She is knowledgable, personable, organized, unflappable, and genuinely delightful to work with. As a true Charlestonian, Leize's knowledge of the Charleston area is encyclopedic, and her passion is infectious. We couldn't be happier."


Past client testimonial

Opening Doors and Closing Deals

In this changing landscape of residential real estate, never has it been more critical to have Buyer representation. As you navigate what stands to be one of the most significant financial transactions of your lifetime, you deserve to have a knowledgeable, experienced real estate professional as your guide and advocate.

Why Hire Leize As Your Buyers' Agent

Charleston Newcomers

Charleston Newcomers

Charleston Newcomers

Are you new to Charleston or thinking about making the move? Welcome! You are in great company. With a passion for my city, its history, architecture, and landscape, I love introducing newcomers to the Charleston area. Getting to know you, you needs, and your tastes, I will help you identify which areas and neighborhoods are right for you. You'll feel like a local in no time. 

Seasoned Buyers

Charleston Newcomers

Charleston Newcomers

Whether you have lived here for five years or for fifty, you know the area, your wants, and your needs, and you are ready to look for your new home. I will help streamline your search, keep you aware of new & coming-soon listings, provide up-to-the-moment market data, and help you navigate the transaction efficiently from contract to close.

First-Time Buyers

Charleston Newcomers

First-Time Buyers

You've started your search online, and maybe you've even played around with a mortgage calculator. Now what?  From arranging showings to navigating the offer to connecting with inspectors, insurance agents, and mortgage professionals, I am here to familiarize you with every step and get you to the closing table with confidence. 

First-Time Buyers: Start here.

Industry Experience

Leize has been in the residential real estate business for a decade, representing the buying and selling of $100 million in Charleston area property in these last 10 years. Leize has navigated buyers' markets, sellers' markets, neutral markets, Covid markets--you name it! Whatever the current market climate, Leize is ready to assist you with your buying needs.  

Local Knowledge

Leize is a Charleston native, with family roots in the area going back centuries. Leize has lived in historic downtown Charleston, West Ashley, and Mount Pleasant and currently resides in Charleston's upper peninsula. From personal experience to family lore, Leize knows Charleston and loves to pass along insider knowledge about her home so it becomes your home, too. 

Personalized Guidance

Leize approaches her Buyer clients with patience, curiosity, and empathy: The goal is to get to know you, your wants, and your needs in order to help guide your home buying process. 

Communication & Accessibility

Leize is easy to reach and flexible to meet your communication needs both during the home search process AND after we have gone under contract. Leize wants her buyers to feel informed at every step of the process. 

Exclusive Access When Possible

Leize maintains positive and collaborative relationships with other top agents in town, which often results in early knowledge about coming soon and off-market properties. As a Buyer client, Leize will pass this information along to you and arrange for early access whenever possible. 

Negotiating Contracts & Repairs

You've found a house you want. Now what? Leize will expertly guide you through elements that make up an offer, helping you be strategic with your proposed terms and advocating for your position in order to guide negotiations towards successful contract execution. 

Navigating Multiple Offers

In a hot market, multiple offer situations happen. Leize has experiencing managing multiple offer situation0s on both the buying and selling side and can help guide Buyers facing a competitive bidding pool. While Leize can't guarantee a "win" in every multiple offer situation, she can guarantee the informed and experienced advice to put together your strongest possible offer. 

Managing the Transaction

We're under contract! Now what? Leize has got you! Within hours of inking your deal, Leize will provide you with a detailed set of next steps and important dates, so you will be prepared at every step from contract to closing. From scheduling inspections, negotiating repairs, soliciting insurance quotes, coordinating with attorneys, and sending you reminders, Leize will serve as your personal guide throughout the process. 

Inspection & Repair Negotiations

Inspections and repair negotiations are often the most challenging part of the real estate buying process, especially when it comes to old houses, humid climates, and sellers not willing to make concessions. Not only will Leize assist you in identifying and scheduling recommended inspections, Leize will help you make sense of the inspection report, solicit estimates for work that may be needed, and put together a reasonable repair or credit request that protects your interests while also keeping the deal moving forward. 

Connecting with Other Professionals

Mortgage lenders. Insurance brokers. Closing attorneys. Inspections. Repair estimators. Contractors. Appraisers. Moving and storage companies. Service providers (plumbers, HVAC techs, pool maintenance, pest control). I'll help you make contact with anyone you may need to facilitate your home purchase. 

Being a Resource for All Things Charleston

Wondering where to grab a quick lunch?  The best park for kids under 5? What streets to avoid if heavy rains are predicted? I'm happy to share my recommendations and resources to help you get settled here in Charleston. 

More Resources for Buyers

Click Here NAR Settlement News and Updates

Click Here NAR Settlement News and Updates

Click Here NAR Settlement News and Updates

Click Here NAR Settlement News and Updates

Click Here NAR Settlement News and Updates

Click Here NAR Settlement News and Updates

Frequently Asked Questions

Please reach me at leize@williammeans.com if you cannot find an answer to your question.

Leize sounds like "please" with no "p." Gaillard is pronounced "Gill-yard." Curious about the quirky pronunciations of other Charleston names? Check out my guide here.


No. Just like there are sellers who choose to "For Sale Buy Owner," you, as a buyer, can represent yourself. Highly experienced buyers who buy/sell frequently often feel fully at ease entering into this process without representation. 


However, most buyers only buy and sell a handful of times in their lives, often in vastly different markets and/or different geographic locations. Thus, many (most?) buyers see and desire the value and expertise they can only get from having their own representation. 


Sure, Buyers' Agents can help you scheduling showings and gather information on a listing, but that is just the very tip of the iceberg when it comes to the service provided by a dedicated Buyers' Agent. Here's a sampling of what a Buyer agent does to get you from home browser to home owner: 

  • Helping buyers' evaluate a home beyond surface level, with special attention to condition, location, resale potential, and more 
  • Providing general information and resources to help buyers understand taxes, insurance, HOAs, zoning, misc. ordinances, etc to better inform them of the costs, potentials and pitfalls of various properties
  • Researching, digesting, and analyzing comparable sales in preparation for making an offer
  • Offering guidance when it comes to offer price as well as more nuanced elements of the offer (due diligence periods, earnest money deposits, termination fees, CL100 terms, post-close occupancy agreements, and more)
  • If necessary, advising buyers who may be competing in a multiple offer situation 
  • Acting as buyers' representative during negotiations to ensure buyers' interests are protected and acceptable terms are reached 
  • Ensuring all contract documentation is signed and filed properly
  • Providing detailed timelines of next steps and to-do's so buyers know what to do next
  • Scheduling and supervising inspections, reviewing and digesting inspection reports, and offering guidance in the preparation of repair and/or credit requests. Negotiating repairs and credits and staying on top of deadlines to make sure repairs are done to any agreed upon deadlines. 
  • Acting as a point of contact for lender, attorney, appraiser, insurance providers, and others
  • Ensuring that all parties remain on-task and on-track for a timely closing
  • Being an on-going resource for new homeowners after closing is complete


Historically, Buyer Agents have  most typically been paid out of the Sellers' proceeds at Closing. To be more specific, with the proceeds of the sale, the Seller would pay their Listing Agent's company, then the Listing Agent's company would pay the Buyer Agent's company, and the individual Buyer Agent would be paid a portion of this by their company.


However, with the NAR Settlement in spring 2024, this model is currently in flux, and there could be some changes associated with Buyer Agent compensation coming later in 2024 (as early as July 2024). Visit this page for the latest on these developments, and feel free to email  to discuss specifics on hiring Leize as your Buyers' agent. 


Throughout my lifetime, I have lived or owned property in the following Charleston-area neighborhoods, so these and comparable/nearby neighborhoods are what I know best: South of Broad, French Quarter, Avondale, Old Mount Pleasant, and Wagener Terrace. 

While I work with Buyers all over the Charleston/tri-county area, the majority of my Buyer clients are focused on the following areas: Downtown Charleston (both upper and lower peninsula/historic downtown), West Ashley, James Island, Mount Pleasant (south and north), and North Charleston inside 526. 


Any and all! I work with clients at all price points. When it comes to working with clients, a good fit between agent and client has less to do with price points and everything  to do with trust and aligned goals.



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