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 beforeandafter 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I got a postcard a few days ago from an area real estate company with the words “The Power of Presence” printed across a map showing their various office locations through the tri-county area. Can you guess where there wasn’t an office? That’s right, the closest office to McClellanville is over 30 minutes away. W.P. Baldwin & Associates is proud to be the only real estate company with an office in the heart of McClellanville’s historic district at 829 Pinckney Street. Real estate is much more than just physical presence though. W.P. Baldwin & Associates is a part of McClellanville, from the local event that we sponsor to the time we spend making the community a better place to work, live, and play. I know it sounds corny, but we care about the people that live here because they’re not just our customers, they’re our neighbors.
The Data
Personally, I don’t think presence is something that should be bragged about, but it is important information for consumers to know when choosing a real estate company. The following charts were recently compiled from data collected from the Charleston Trident Multiple Listing Services (CTARMLS). MLS always qualifies their data by saying that it is “deemed reliable but not guaranteed”, so I will too. The data presented includes both homes and land sold in McClellanville except those sold privately by owner. In MLS, “McClellanville” is a user-defined term and often includes properties falling a few miles outside of the town limits, such as Tibwin. The data represents both the buyer agent and listing agent data from each real estate transaction and is broken down by real estate office.
Our Piece of the Pie
You can see from the charts that W.P. Baldwin & Associates has participated in far more real estate transactions in McClellanville than any other real estate company. Over the past three years we have gained a greater and greater market share. Although we are still leading in 2008, the data only includes properties sold from January 1st to May 24th and which is really too few sales to accurately draw a conclusion at this point. W.P. Baldwin & Associates recognizes that if not for the valued support of the community, we would never have achieved these goals and humbly thank you. We remain committed to the area and will continue to serve the current community as well as those wanting to join it.
David Vs. Goliath
One drive through town and you can see for yourself and W.P. Baldwin has more land and homes for sale than any other company. You might think that this kind of market share would only be possible from a large national chain or a huge team of agents, but W.P. Baldwin & Associates remains a small company with a handful of local agents invested in the future of McClellanville. Our size allows us to customize our services with each individual the same way my grandfather did almost 50 years ago when he founded this company. You can count on personal and professional treatment when you come in our office or call us on the phone and not to be treated like a number or a “lead”. The national chains like to brag about about exposure and selling power but W.P. Baldwin & Associates has a proven marketing strategy and chooses to let the numbers speak for themselves.
Fewer Days on Market
I think the most powerful information that I found while compiling this data was when I looked at all the property sold in McClellanville from 1/1/05 to 5/24/08. W.P. Baldwin & Associates listed 62 properties which sold after an average of 101 days on the market. All other real estate companies combined listed 81 properties which sold after an average of 152 days on the market. W.P. Baldwin & Associates listed 43% of the property sold in McClellanville since 2005 and sold them in 1/3 less of the time of the competition. I would say that those are numbers you can “take to the bank”, but when you list with W.P. Baldwin & Associates, your house will sell faster and you will go to bank a lot less often to make those mortgage payments.
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.
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.
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.
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Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
I got a postcard a few days ago from an area real estate company with the words “The Power of Presence” printed across a map showing their various office locations through the tri-county area. Can you guess where there wasn’t an office? That’s right, the closest office to McClellanville is over 30 minutes away. W.P. Baldwin & Associates is proud to be the only real estate company with an office in the heart of McClellanville’s historic district at 829 Pinckney Street. Real estate is much more than just physical presence though. W.P. Baldwin & Associates is a part of McClellanville, from the local event that we sponsor to the time we spend making the community a better place to work, live, and play. I know it sounds corny, but we care about the people that live here because they’re not just our customers, they’re our neighbors.
Personally, I don’t think presence is something that should be bragged about, but it is important information for consumers to know when choosing a real estate company. The following charts were recently compiled from data collected from the Charleston Trident Multiple Listing Services (CTARMLS). MLS always qualifies their data by saying that it is “deemed reliable but not guaranteed”, so I will too. The data presented includes both homes and land sold in McClellanville except those sold privately by owner. In MLS, “McClellanville” is a user-defined term and often includes properties falling a few miles outside of the town limits, such as Tibwin. The data represents both the buyer agent and listing agent data from each real estate transaction and is broken down by real estate office.
You can see from the charts that W.P. Baldwin & Associates has participated in far more real estate transactions in McClellanville than any other real estate company. Over the past three years we have gained a greater and greater market share. Although we are still leading in 2008, the data only includes properties sold from January 1st to May 24th and which is really too few sales to accurately draw a conclusion at this point. W.P. Baldwin & Associates recognizes that if not for the valued support of the community, we would never have achieved these goals and humbly thank you. We remain committed to the area and will continue to serve the current community as well as those wanting to join it.
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