It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years since Hurricane Hugo muddied McClellanville’s timeline. The town has made anamazing comeback and it’s finally to the point that you don’t hear that four-letter word in everyday communication now.  I certainly couldn’t say that 10 years ago.  Time was still measured in terms of “before Hugo” and “after Hugo”, but that past is becoming more and more distant.  This anniversary will come and go and my phone will cease to ring from reporters who read my first article about Hugo looking for an interview, maybe a before and after article or  a “Where are They Now” piece to catch America up on what the little Village that could has been up to.  They want me to point them in the direction of the best scoop, the biggest tear-jerker, or most triumphant return from despair.  Well the truth is that’s the whole Village, that’s McClellanville. Read the rest at MyMcClellanville.net

Pepper Plantation is an equestrian-themed private community in Awendaw, SC near the Wando River. The community offers horse-friendly amenities such as a 1/4 mile race track, 4 stall barn, lunging ring, and 6 miles of riding trails winding through over 150 acres of community property. There is also a lodge and a newly built lakeside clubhouse, that features nearly 7,000 square feet of covered entertaining area perfect for oyster roasts, weddings, and other special events.

Near the Clubhouse, there is a dock stretching out across one of the many lakes in Pepper Plantation with a large gazebo. A nearby dock offers a great place for fishing in the recently stocked pond or enjoy a paddle around the lake in a kayak. There is also a gazebo overlooking the Wando River tucked away on a riding trail. Paradise Island Public Boat Landing, less than a mile away, offers quick and easy water access and great marsh views.

Pepper Plantation offers 31 building lots ranging from 1.5 to 5 acres in size. Pepper Plantation has Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions and Architectural Review Board Guidelines in place to to maintain the community standards.

Directions to Pepper Plantation: From Mount Pleasant Town Center - 7 miles north on US-17, Left on Chandler Road and go 0.4 miles, entrance is on the left. Pepper Plantation is just a few miles from the new Wando High School.

Visit AwendawLiving.com or Contact Daniel Bates for more information or to schedule a tour.

Homes for Sale on Pepper Plantation - Land for Sale on Pepper Plantation - Search All MLS

Paradise Island is a 340 acre private waterfront community in Awendaw, SC on the Wando River, where most properties enjoy deep water access and great fishing. The property is also bounded by the Francis Marion National Forest, which provides protection against further development in the surrounding area.

Two Paradises?

There is one rather confusing thing about Paradise Island. There are basically two separate communities on the island. The eastern tip of the island is known as “Old Paradise Island” or simply “Paradise Island” and was developed in the early 1980’s. The western side of the island was developed in early 2000’s and is known as “Big Paradise Island”. You’ll see on MLS that real estate agents list them all as “Paradise Island”, but it is important to know which a home or lot for sale in a part of because each has different covenants, HOA fees, and amenities.

Old Paradise Island

The eastern tip of Paradise Island has a dirt road and mostly one story ranch homes that date back to the early 1980’s and 1990’s. They look out over the picturesque Wando River and most have deep-water docks.

Big Paradise Island

The western side of Paradise Island was developed as a planned unit development and is often called “Big Paradise Island”. Many beautiful luxury homes have been built and many lots offering great waterfront views are still available. Unlike most of Awendaw, Paradise Island has public sewage and water courtesy of Mount Pleasant Waterworks. Big Paradise Island has the same great Wando River views as Old Paradise Island.

Big Paradise Island is governed by Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions.

Directions to Paradise Island: From Mount Pleasant Town Center - 10 miles north on US-17, Left on Guerins Bridge Road and go 1.6 miles, Left on Woodville Road and go 1.1 miles, Right on Paradise Island Road and go 1.6 miles. It’s quite a peaceful drive through the country (horse pastures and marshy expanses) which takes about 20 minutes.

Visit AwendawLiving.com or Contact Daniel Bates for more information or to schedule a tour.

Homes for Sale on Paradise Island - Land for Sale on Paradise Island - Search All MLS

I see a lot of comments on AR about not being able to "keep up with it all".  The fact that you're spending your time on AR and commenting to the point that you have hundreds of thousands of points (or wish to have that many) shows that you have some misplaced energy.  Luckily there are a few AR bloggers that are kind enough to educate the unlearned, but why not try to educate yourself.  So here are my steps to gaining your real estate career/blogging  independance:

1) Step back from AR a little.  If you're using AR as your main source of real estate education, blogging, friendship, and advertising than you should open your eyes a little more.  AR is an amzing tool, but just as you wouldn't try to beat a nail into a board with a screwdriver or tighten a bolt with a hammer, you have to use the tool correctly to get the proper results.

2) Get an "outside" blog.  You need a blog that shows your professionalism and commitment to this business as well as one that gives off a personal side of yourself and helps people get to know you.  Note: this is not permission to blog about the death of your pet or any other such nonsense, I said professionalism.

3) Open a feedreader account. Google is probably the most common, I use Yahoo, and there are several others.  They all do the same thing, it's just an interface and personal preference choice.

4) Subscribe to other blogs.   Subscribe to your competition and any other agents who you find interesting and on top of their game.  There are also hundreds of blogs about blogging and real estate that you try out. 

In the beggining take it slow.  Spend a few minutes each day reading the latest posts that catch your eye.  Start with a just a few websites and spread from there.  If you stumble on a new site with a good post, subscribe and see if they write more, if it turns out that it was a fluke and you haven't seen anything interesting or educational from them in a few weeks, take them off your list. 

Here are my personal favorite blogs to get you started:

Problogger - Focused on ad based web profit, but still has some extremely useful information for all bloggers

Agentgenius - for agents, by agents - good information and well written articles on the latest RE technology

Real Estate Tomato - Lots of good guest posts as well as simple explanations of complex ideas

SEOptimize - SEO tips for bloggers to show up higher in the search results

Copyblogger - Better writing = better articles = more clients

This is not a complete list, but I've started you out with a taste of what's out there in several different arenas of blogging.  These 5 sites have never dissappointed me and will also lead you to many other good sites.  I guess I should warn you that there are no points for commenting on their sites, but you may find a personal reward for adding your two cents and continuing a good online conversation.

Tip: Don't limit your learning to simply the content of the article, but also it's layout, title, pictures, links, etc. 

PS - Didn't mean to get on such an Anti-AR rant, I really enjoy this site, but think that a lot of agents are limiting themselves by focusing solely on it.  I guess we'll see if the AR Gods approve and feature the article, but I'd like to think that they want you to be the best agent you can be even if that includes leaving their servers for a few brief moments to experience the rest of the web and share it with their other users.

Awendaw, SC is located just north of the Charleston Area and offers true peace and tranquility. It is protected by the Francis Marion National Forest to the west and Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge to the east. These areas make  Awendaw rich in natural amenities such as; great fishing, boating, kayaking, hunting, nature watching, biking, hiking, and horseback riding.

Most of Awendaw operates on well and septic systems, although public water and sewage may be soon introduced to various areas. Large tracts of undeveloped land (50+ acres) spot the countryside and individual building lots are considerably larger than those in most urban areas.  It rapidly growing area but still remains a hodgepodge where you may find a gated neighborhood next to a large undeveloped tract of land next to waterfront community next to a farm.  Awendaw is a great escape from city life and a place where you can home to and relax and unwind.

Awendaw's unique characteristics make it very important for people looking to buy or sell a home or land in Awendaw to have an experienced local real estate agent.  My name is Daniel Bates and I’m a local real estate agent and outdoor enthusiast.  I specialize in Awendaw and McClellanville because these are places that I like to call home.  When you're ready to enjoy South Carolina's last protected rural coast, give me a call at 843-513-2461 and I will be happy to help you find the right home for you.

Visit AwendawLiving.com for more information about Awendaw, SC.

 

Lowest Priced McClellanville Waterfront Lot

26 Mouzons Bluff – 1 Acre - $225,000

This beautiful waterfront lot is part of the Mouzon’s Bluff Community in McClellanville. This peaceful neighborhood in a quiet rural setting is just minutes from McClellanville’s historic district, shops, restaurants and boat landing. The lot has over 100 feet of frontage on Otter Creek which flows into Jeremy Creek near the Intracoastal Waterway. Otter Creek is a tidal creek that is about 50 feet wide at this property and accessible by boat on half tide and higher.

This lot will also enjoy use of the future community dock on the Intracoastal Waterway just a few hundred yards away as well as a natural creekside park. Views across the bluff to the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge may be possible from upper floors of your home. The lot is nicely wooded with many mature oaks and palmettos and has a 1/3 acre green space on one side. Please feel free to walk the property or call Daniel at (843) 513-2461 for a tour of the area or more information. DHEC septic Permit in hand.

Related Articles:
McClellanville Neighborhood Spotlight: Mouzon’s Bluff
Lots for Sale in Mouzon’s Bluff
A Paddle Down Otter Creek - Local Kayaking

On May 10th, 2008 the Deerhead Oak was dedicated as South Carolina’s 2007 Heritage Tree of the Year. The McClellanville Tree Committee sponsored the event held in the shady branches of the town’s landmark live oak at the corner of Oak Street and Pinckney Street. A plaque commemorating Deerhead Oak as the Heritage Tree for 2007 was unveiled as well as a second plaque honoring the Beckman family (the owners of the land on which Deerhead Oak rests) for their gracious contribution to McClellanville’s greenspace and the town’s history. 

Click Here for more information about McClellanville's Deerhead Oak.

A recent Post & Courier article about Charleston County Parks and Recreation plans to purchase a large track of land Two Pines Road came to a big surprise to myself and everyone I’ve talked to the past few days, so I’ve done a little more research to fill people in on the facts.  Two Pines is a small community of a dozen or so homeowners along the Intracoastal Waterway just south of McClellanville and north of Tibwin. The proposed 812 acre tract begins at Highway 17 and continues on both sides of Two Pines Road until it reaches the waterfront residences.  Click Here to read the rest of this article. 

I can now confirm my earlier post about the filming of the new Kevin Costner movie, The New Daughter, here in McClellanville. Film crews are already in the area and filming is slated to begin February 18th. I have been working with the films housing manager to help them find suitable McClellanville Rentals for all the cast and crew.

The New Daughter is a horror/thriller movie, in which Kevin Costner plays a single father who’s daughter starts acting strangely after moving to a new house in the country that happens to have burial mounds on the property. Ivano Baquero, who starred as the young girl in Pan’s Labrinth, will be playing the role of the daughter. Costner has starred in (and often directed and produced as well) more hollywood blockbusters than you can shake a stick at including Field of Dreams, Dances with Wolves, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Waterworld, Wyatt Earp, Tin Cup, 3000 Miles to Graceland, and The Guardian to name a few.

Some of you may be aware that I was the Deputy Town Marshal for McClellanville. I was deputized shortly after moving back here after being a police officer in Rock Hill for 4 years, because I was the most experiences person for the job. After over a year of faithful service I decided that I didn’t have the time to devote to the job that it required and asked the Town to find a replacement. This week I handed over this position to Barron Duke, who many of you may already know as the man who picks up the trash.

Larry McClellan remains McClellanville’s Town Marshal, the Deputy position falls under him and performs the duty of enforcing the parking around town and launching (with a launch permit) at the boating landing. There is also the occasional wild animal call or barking dog problem. Compared to my previous law enforcement duties the job was pretty simple.

What is a Town Marshal?

This is not the same as the U.S. Marshal (like the Tommy Lee Jones movie) that are in charge of escorting and capturing federal prisoners. The Town Marshal position isn’t very common, because most larger towns have their own police department and unincorporated areas and smaller towns fall under the a particular counties Sheriff’s Office, as does McClellanville. However, McClellanville is at the edge of Charleston County and in all my years growing up here I probably saw 3 Sheriff’s Deputies on routine patrol. You’ll see them quite regularly now, but I think the town has held onto the Marshal position in an effort to relieve the Sheriff’s Office of some of the more mundane work and as a service to the town members. People don’t like the image given off by a police car in their front yard when they have a little problem with a neighbors barking dog and also don’t feel comfortable discussing their problems with a stranger. The Town Marshal often acts as a more comfortable (no badge, no uniform, no cruiser) and usually familiar, third-party, mediator when problems occur between neighbors.

I personally think the position is a little confusing, because the general public doesn’t know the difference between a violation of a town ordinance and state law. I think some guidance from the town is necessary to clear up this ambiguity, but I will tell you that if you are in doubt than you should call the Sheriff’s Office or dial 911 if it is an emergency. The Town Marshal does not go around locking people up. He usually doesn’t investigate drug cases, assaults, or stolen property… luckily we don’t have too much of this stuff to worry about anyway. The Marshals position is strictly limited to the enforcement of town ordinances. These things include such incidences as vicious animals, nuisances (including barking dogs), parking violations, etc.

On a personal note, I’ve met several of the Charleston County Sheriffs Deputies that patrol these parts and trained with several of the ones that work in other parts of the county and find them to be professional, courteous, and caring about the needs of the area. If you should ever need their services, don’t hesitate to call (the non-emergency line is 843–202–1700) and ask for a Deputy to come speak with you.