Sullivan Island and Isle of Palms Real Etate Blog

There are so many fun family events going on in the Charleston area for the fourth. Here are just a few fun things that you and your family can do.

Come to Daniel Island and join friends and neighbors for the annual Fourth of July parade! Dress up your bikes, strollers and wagons in patriotic shades of red, white and blue, with streamers, flags and more. (843) 971-9200

The City of North Charleston is hosting a fantastic FREE July 4th celebration at beautiful Riverfront Park on Friday, July 4, 2008 from 3:00PM-10:00PM. Concerts and fun children’s activities take place throughout the afternoon and evening, concluding with a grand fireworks display over the Cooper River.

At Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant the 4th of July Blast kicks off at the Yorktown Aircraft Carrier and the pyrotechnics for this year’s fireworks display will be launched from the deck of the aircraft carrier YORKTOWN. Admission is Free for landside entertainment, Kidz Zone and fireworks.

Fireworks display at Folly Beach from the Ocean at dark. Enjoy playing on the beach before the fireworks, or fish off the Edwin S. Taylor Fishing Pier at Folly Beach. Restaurants, Restrooms available.

The AAA Five Diamond Award-winning Wentworth Mansion® and onsite restaurant Circa 1886 will host the second annual Fourth of July celebration on the lawn of the Wentworth Mansion on Wednesday, July 4th at 7:30 p.m. Festivities will begin with a buffet of Southern delicacies from Executive Chef Marc Collins, including braised Berkshire pulled pork sandwiches with mango rum barbeque sauce; Carolina peel n’eat shrimp; and grilled chipotle strawberry glazed Carolina quail. A solo jazz guitarist will provide entertainment during the dinner, after which guests will head to the historic mansion’s cupola for champagne and breathtaking views of the city’s popular fireworks displays that light the harbor and waterways.

The cost is $65 per person and includes a glass of champagne with the fireworks show, but excludes tax, gratuity and additional beverages. For reservations or more information, please call Circa 1886 at (843) 853-7828, or visit www.circa1886.com .

Celebrate this Fourth of July with views of the Charleston Harbor, delicious food, and live music on the Riverside Terrace. Give your grill a break and enjoy a barbecue dinner from Jim ‘N Nicks featuring pulled pork, baked chicken, potato salad, and more, dessert by Cupcake, cold refreshments by Pepsi, live entertainment by Lee Edwards Entertainment, and spectacular fireworks overlooking the Charleston Harbor courtesy of Patriots Point. Limited seating is available and guests are encouraged to reserve a space early. Tickets include beer, refreshments and food. Fri., July 4, 7:30-10 p.m. $55/adults, $25/children, (843) 577-FISH

The Isle of Palms fireworks will be shot over Front Beach starting at approximately 9:15. Get there early and be patient when leaving. No alcohol or littering are allowed on the beach.

Come to Daniel Island and join friends and neighbors for the annual Fourth of July parade! Dress up your bikes, strollers and wagons in patriotic shades of red, white and blue, with streamers, flags and more. (843) 971-9200

The City of North Charleston is hosting a fantastic FREE July 4th celebration at beautiful Riverfront Park on Friday, July 4, 2008 from 3:00PM-10:00PM. Concerts and fun children’s activities take place throughout the afternoon and evening, concluding with a grand fireworks display over the Cooper River.

At Patriots Point in Mount Pleasant the 4th of July Blast kicks off at the Yorktown Aircraft Carrier and the pyrotechnics for this year’s fireworks display will be launched from the deck of the aircraft carrier YORKTOWN. Admission is Free for landside entertainment, Kidz Zone and fireworks.

Fireworks display at Folly Beach from the Ocean at dark. Enjoy playing on the beach before the fireworks, or fish off the Edwin S. Taylor Fishing Pier at Folly Beach. Restaurants, Restrooms available.

The AAA Five Diamond Award-winning Wentworth Mansion® and onsite restaurant Circa 1886 will host the second annual Fourth of July celebration on the lawn of the Wentworth Mansion on Wednesday, July 4th at 7:30 p.m. Festivities will begin with a buffet of Southern delicacies from Executive Chef Marc Collins, including braised Berkshire pulled pork sandwiches with mango rum barbeque sauce; Carolina peel n’eat shrimp; and grilled chipotle strawberry glazed Carolina quail. A solo jazz guitarist will provide entertainment during the dinner, after which guests will head to the historic mansion’s cupola for champagne and breathtaking views of the city’s popular fireworks displays that light the harbor and waterways.

The cost is $65 per person and includes a glass of champagne with the fireworks show, but excludes tax, gratuity and additional beverages. For reservations or more information, please call Circa 1886 at (843) 853-7828, or visit www.circa1886.com .

Celebrate this Fourth of July with views of the Charleston Harbor, delicious food, and live music on the Riverside Terrace. Give your grill a break and enjoy a barbecue dinner from Jim ‘N Nicks featuring pulled pork, baked chicken, potato salad, and more, dessert by Cupcake, cold refreshments by Pepsi, live entertainment by Lee Edwards Entertainment, and spectacular fireworks overlooking the Charleston Harbor courtesy of Patriots Point. Limited seating is available and guests are encouraged to reserve a space early. Tickets include beer, refreshments and food. Fri., July 4, 7:30-10 p.m. $55/adults, $25/children, (843) 577-FISH

The Isle of Palms fireworks will be shot over Front Beach starting at approximately 9:15. Get there early and be patient when leaving. No alcohol or littering are allowed on the beach.

The U.S. Coast Guard has sold the Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse to the National Park Service according to an article in the Post and Courier.

The Park plans to use its new ownership of the lighthouse to help aid in its preservation. Built in the early 1960s, the lighthouse was the last of its kind to be constructed by the United States Government.

Although there are many requests for visitors to enter and view the interior of the structure, the Park Service has no plans to open it to the public. They do however, according to Tyrone Walker of the P&C, to figure out a way to eventually allow public access without endangering their preservation efforts.

Although there is an elevator, most visitors and other persons have to use the 25 foot ladder to climb to the top.

Tyrone Walker of the Post and Courier offers interesting lighthouse facts below.

“When it was built, the passenger elevator in the Charleston Light was the first of its kind for a lighthouse.
When it opened in 1962, the Charleston Light was notable for several features:

– A unique triangular shape with a point toward the ocean, a design meant to withstand winds of up to 125 mph.

– A first-of-its-kind (for lighthouses) functioning electronic elevator with a 1,000-pound capacity.

– A red color that was so unpopular that public outcry forced a change to its current black-top, white-base paint scheme.

– A distinct light signature: A 0.2-second flash, a 4.8-second eclipse, another 0.2-second flash and a 24.8-second eclipse.

– A light that was the second brightest in the Western hemisphere, surpassed only by the light in Rouen, France. (The light’s brightness bothered island residents so much, its original 28-million candle-power light — which could be seen more than 70 miles out to sea — was replaced. The current 1.5-million candle-power light can be seen about 26 miles out to sea on clear nights).

1895: A U.S. Life-Saving Station and a Coast Guard Boat House are established on Sullivan’s Island.

1938: The Coast Guard adds a four-bay garage for power boats and a 45-foot-tall signal tower.

1960: Decades of beach erosion on Morris Island leaves its lighthouse stranded in the sea, making its continued operation and maintenance more difficult. The federal government decides to build a new one, and the Coast Guard chooses a site on Sullivan’s Island because of its presence there.

1962: The Charleston Light, also known as the Sullivan’s Island Lighthouse, is lit on June 15. It would prove to be the last major lighthouse built by the federal government. The Morris Island Lighthouse goes dark.

1972: By this year, the Coast Guard realized the new light was much brighter than necessary and reduced its candle power by almost 95 percent. Metal panels are installed on the rear to minimize light directed inland.

1975: The Coast Guard automates the light and no longer has an employee living there.

1986: Congress passes a law authorizing the National Park Service to buy land in Charleston next to Dockside Condominiums for a tour boat facility. The law also includes a land swap in which the Coast Guard gets the Park Service’s old tour boat site near Broad Street, while the Park Service receives most of the Coast Guard’s lifesaving station property — except for the lighthouse.

1989: The lighthouse, designed to bend up to 4.3 inches in strong winds, is damaged by Hurricane Hugo but eventually is repaired.

2008: While still lit by the Coast Guard, the lighthouse is transferred to the National Park Service, which plans to study its condition and ideas for providing limited public access.”

The town of Sullivan’s Island is in the process of dealing with the noise on its 3 1/2 block commercial district. Residents of the town are looking for a more quiet and subdued Island. However, because the island is so close to the beach it is a very popular place for visitors. Issues like safety, traffic and noise are some of the things being addressed by the town as they plan to finalize a contract with the Seamon Whiteside and Associates group. The Group will study the small commercial district to try and figure out how to make both visitors to the island happy while also placating the concerns of the island’s residents.

As quoted in an article of the Charleston Business Daily Journal, Town Administrator Andy Benke stated that “We welcome visitors and we’re just trying to find that balance between visitors to the beach and residents.” According to the article written by Molly Parker, the town’s request for a study includes the need for advice on “parking and its impact on the residential community, the safety of pedestrians, streetscape and sidewalk design, signage standards and noise.”

The City of Isle of Palms has been certified for the 2007-2008 by Blue Wave. The certification is was given to Isle of Palms for the sixth year in a row. The honor is given to beaches based on cleanliness, safety and public access. Isle of Palms is the only beach in South Carolina to be certified.

The certification is given by Clean Beaches Council out of Washington, DC. For more information visit http://www.cleanbeaches.org

The 31st Annual Cooper River Bridge Run is almost here. It starts at 8 a.m. Saturday, April 5th on Coleman Boulevard in Mount Pleasant. The 10K run and walk will finish on King Street in Charleston near Marion Square. The registration fee is $30 and if you have not registered and want to participate you can do so at the Bridge Run Headquarters on 360 Concord Street and then pick up your packets at the Gaillard Auditorium either Thursday or Friday before the race. You can also register online at www.active.com until 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, April 1st.

According to assistant race director Tami Varn said 31,320 people have signed up for the event thus far. That’s more than last year’s count of 30,600.

Also included in the event is the Kids Run held this Friday. Race day registration will be noon to 3 p.m., warm-up with T-Bone 3-4 p.m., and running events 4-5 p.m. Registration fee is $8 in advance and $10 on the day of the event.

There are shuttles that start leaving Gaillard Auditorium at 5am and they will run until 6:45 a.m. Saturday. Those using the shuttles will be dropperd off at near Sea Island Shopping Center in Mount Pleasant. Return buses also leave from Gaillard 10 a.m.-1 p.m.

The Cooper River Bridge Run is one of the most popular races in the Southeast and is frequently featured in Runner’s World and Running Times magazines. This year also look out for the new mascots of the Bridge Run, K the Rabbit and Ten the Turtle. Its gonna be a great run this year!
Here’s to perfect weather!

There are over 10,000 homes on the market in the Charleston Area and most of them stay on the market for an average of four months. But the buyers are starting to come out of the woodwork. According to many Real estate agents from all over the Lowcountry open houses are full and things are really starting to pick up. Plus its Spring, the busiest season for the real estate business.

According to Kyle Stock of the Post and Courier, “the Charleston Metro Area Chamber of Commerce expects almost 13,000 homes to change hands this year, a 6 percent increase from 2007. ” One reason is better mortgage rates, demand from out-of-town buyers and a fairly decent local economy.

The Charleston area’s real estate market is doing wonderfully in comparison to other regions in the nation

The segments of the market that are doing particulary well are the higher-end homes and empty lots. Almost 60 properties on Kiawah Island sold for more than $2.5 million last year. Many of the buyers are purchasing second homes in the area.

Another good sign that the Lowcountry’s real estate market is doing better is due to the fact that sellers are starting to turn down low offers.
Jan Turner , a Prudential Carolina Real Estate broker who has sold homes near Park Circle for eight years told the Post and Courier, “The sellers are willing to discount, but they are not willing to give their houses away,’ .

However, dont be misled. The bargains are still there.

According to the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors, Charleston area home sales are picking up.

In February, home sales increased almost 10%. 636 homes were sold in February up from 579 in January. There were 1,144 under contract last month, showing an increase in the number of homes under contract as compared with 1,006 homes under contract in January. That’s an increase of almost 14%.

Spring is usually a busy season for real estate transactions. However, year-over-year numbers have fallen despite the month-to-month increases. For example in Februaryof last year home sales totaled 881, a difference of almost 28% from this February.

On March 10 the Mulitple Listing Service for the TriCounty area had a total of 10,672 homes available for purchase. This included single family homes and condominiums.

Charleston County saw the most homes sold in February, although many of these homes also spent more days on the market. Of the 311 homes sold in Charleston County last month with a median sales price was $240,000. The average amount of days on the market was 139. In Berkeley County, 187 homes sold last month at a median price of $170,000 and at an average of 111 days on the market. And last month in Dorchestor County there were 126 homes sold at a median price of $176,934 and at an average of 121 days on the market.

An article by Blanche Evans posted on Realtor.org gives helpful insight to those seeking to buy a home and are not sure if now is a good time. The article reads:

It’s high time we told buyers (and sellers, for that matter) the truth
about whether a home is a good investment.

Despite what Wall Street wants you to believe, owning a home isn’t the
same kind of investment as stocks or bonds. What you get is a USE asset
that depreciates over time while it grows in market value. All you have
to do is keep the home in good repair to maximize your investment.

Here are five reasons why you get more for your money with a house than
the stock market:

1. Leverage. With stocks, you put in all your money for a little piece
of a company. With a house, you put in a little money to get the entire
house.

2. Tax benefits. Uncle Sam knows that owning a home is a pain in the
neck; that’s why you get tax incentives. These are basically government
bribes to get you to buy.

Think about it, with what other investment can you put in 5 percent of
the cost of the asset, reap all the appreciation, and pay no capital
gains? That’s right: live in your home for at least two years, and you
don’t have to pay capital gains tax on up to $250,000 in appreciation
if
you’re single and a combined $500,000 if you’re a married couple.

And that’s not all - consider the benefits of fixed-rate mortgages,
property tax write-offs, interest rate deductions, and depreciation. Is
this a great country or what?

3. Control. When you buy stocks, you’re paying some CEO 500 times the
average worker’s salary for company performance that most other workers
would lose their job over. With a home, you have control - what you
buy,
how much you pay, and where you live. You can improve the value with
repairs and updates. Try comparing that to getting heard at the next
shareholders’ meeting!

4. Lifestyle. Do you want to look at a concrete jungle or your children
playing in your own back yard? With a home, you’re purchasing a vantage
point for yourself and your family. The neighborhood you want to be in,
and the size and style of a home that fits your needs.

5. Value. Unlike some stocks, your house will seldom become worthless.
Barring a catastrophe, your home will retain a major portion of its
value, even in the worst of times. So don’t freak out about slight
fluctuations in the value of your home in any given year. You’ll make
it
up. Housing has lost value only one year out of the last 35. It’s more
normal to beat inflation by 1 percent to 2 percent.

Take Stock in This
So let’s add a little perspective here. You lost a greater percentage
on
the stock market this past year than if you owned a house. You lost
more
on your SUV. And you sure lost more on your iPhone.

And keep this in mind: When it rains, which would you rather have over
your head - a roof or a stock certificate?

For more information visit http://www.realtor.org/rmomag.nsf/pages/BlancheEvans200802?

The 26th Annual Southeastern Wildlife Exposition (SEWE) will be held all over downtown Charleston this weekend. It is the largest wildlife art and nature event in the nation. The events will be held at the Gaillard Auditorium, Charleston Place, the Riviera Theater on King Street, the Mills House Hotel, the Charleston Marriott, the Charleston Museum, the South Carolina Aquarium, the Visitors Center on Meeting Street, Brittlebank Park, Marion Square and many other venues throughout the city. SEWE attracts 35,000+ attendees to beautiful Charleston, SC, to enjoy world-class original art, diverse exhibits, interesting presentations and lectures, not to mention Southern hospitality and lots of fun! Some of the events and other attractions from the Expo include dockdogs where people can bring their dogs in to participate. Jack Hanna, world renown animal specialist will be in attendance and there are all types of animal artists displaying their artwork throughout the city. Other fun things include the International Center for Birds of Prey, Retriever Demonstrations and Children’s Square. There is something for everyone and tickets are $15 per day or $35 for a three day pass. For more information visit www.sewe.com.

A $3 million land near has been approved on more than 700 acres near McClellanville known as Two Pines. The land would be purchased by the Park and Recreation Commission’s fourth purchase using funds from the 1/2 cent sales tax. The current owner, the Nature Conservancy purchased the 813 acres for $4.5 million in 2005 and now the county may get 300 acres for only $3 million.

If purchased by the Parks and Recreation Commission it would be turned into a county park. All that is needed is the approval of Charleston County. However, even if they do get approval it would be many years before the land is developed into a park.

Other purchases made by the PRC include a 420-acre Harmony Hall tract in Meggett, 1,568 acres of the Long Savannah property in West Ashley and uninhabited northern tip of Morris Island, known as Cummings Point.

For more information go to www.charleston.net