The Club at Legend Oaks

Lowcountry living at it’s best, The Club at Legend Oaks Plantation in Summerville, SC delivers. A wonderful community coupled with an award-winning golf course ensures a sound investment while affording some of the best living in Summerville. This gated section at Legend Oaks provides security and picturesque living among the mature 250 year old oak-lined streets that many Summerville residents are used to.

New homes here begin in the upper $300’s and begin in the 2,500 square foot range. The homes offer fantastic views of the 18 hole golf course designed by Pete Dye associate, Scott Poole. This master-planned community sits on land that was formerly a rice plantation, earning its name from the ancient oaks draped with Spanish moss that dot the fairways. Golf packages are available to homeowners, and the golf here is said to be some of the best in all of Summerville. Golf Magazine calls this course, “a near perfect test for the average bogey shooter”.

When looking for Summerville real estate, or a part of your own tranquil residence, we are sure you will be delighted to explore living at The Club at Legend Oaks Plantation.

Photo Credit: KB Home

KB Home is hosting the “Fall Festival” from 12-3pm at the Gardens at Tanner Plantation community. This national builder will combine outdoor food and fun with home tours and a picnic on November 14th in this Berkeley County neighborhood.

Activities will include kids’ arts and crafts, a bounce house, giveaways, and a lunch catered by Atlantic Bread Company. A local radio station will also be broadcasting live.

Home buyers will be able to browse through new model homes from The Open Series, which is KB Home’s new affordable, flexible, energy-efficient homes. Known for open interiors and plenty of natural light, The Open Series homes are built to Energy Star standards, with homes being 45% more energy-efficient than homes built just 10 years ago.

The Gardens at Tanner Plantation is a quiet, conveniently located village in a natural setting, according to KB Homes. One and two-story homes are priced between $158,000 and $224,000, and range between 1,200 and 3,300 square feet. They come with 3 to 6 bedrooms, 2-4 baths, and two-car garages.

Carolina One Real Estate is pleased to announce the addition of Epcon Communities to their client portfolio. Epcon Communities, ranked #1 as America’s Builder of Lifestyle Rich Attached Homes, has been building single-story residential attached and detached home communities for over 20 years and was ranked the second largest for-sale condo builder in the United States by Builder Magazine in 2007.

Locally, Epcon is building its one-of-a-kind courtyard homes in Marrington Villas at Cobblestone which is located off Hwy 176 in Summerville, SC. These single-story, fee simple, maintenance-free courtyard homes range from 1100 sq ft to over 1800 sq ft (with up to 2562 sq ft of private space) and feature open, flowing designs with expansive 2.5 car garages. On-site amenities include walking trails, a private clubhouse, pool, billiards, and a fitness center. Pricing for these homes range from the mid $100’s to the $200’s.

The new Ducal Model is now open and the sales office and hours are Monday – Saturday 10 – 6 and Sunday 12 – 6.

About Carolina One New Homes
Carolina One New Homes, based in Charleston, SC, is the leader in marketing and sales for new home communities in the Metro Charleston area. A division of Carolina One Real Estate, the local real estate leader, Carolina One New Homes was founded in 1994 and currently represents over 25 new homes communities. For any questions regarding Carolina One New Homes, please contact Mike Ciucci at (843) 452-0686.

Restrictive covenants are conditional limitations that are set upon the property by the county, city, developer, and even the landowner. Although they must abide by federal regulations and Fair Housing guidelines, sometimes you will find that your 1800 square foot dream home will not be allowed in a 2000 square foot minimum neighborhood.

It is also extremely important to understand where your property corners are ‘set’ and where your property lines are located. A survey will give you a good illustration of where your boundaries begin and end. You will find identification marks, or a “witness”, on each corner of your property, marking these boundaries. Make sure that the survey references your legal description on the deed.

Keep in mind that there are usually building setbacks from the boundary lines. This is also important for you and your builder so that you are aware of the actual building space on a lot. Sometimes you will find that a property with 2 acres may have only 1 acre of buildable space. Another thing to keep in mind is how much of the property is “high ground”. In low-lying areas like a property for sale in Charleston SC for example, a seller may be offering 3 acres for sale but only 1 acre might be above sea level, meaning that only 1 of the 3 acres in buildable. If you are purchasing land with the intention of subdividing, make sure you are aware of this.

Whether you are looking for land for sale in Columbia SC, or in Charleston or Greenville- make sure your real estate agent fully understands their land contracts, and has experience with them. It’s always a good rule of thumb for you to get educated on the process as well.

The Prism Award

The 21st annual Prism awards were held on September 25th, sponsored by the Charleston Trident Home Builders Association. Local Charleston home builders and their peers received awards for top in design, advertising, construction, remodeling, and sales.

According to the Charleston Trident Home Builders Association, honors went to area home builders who exceed standards in product quality, marketing, customer service and new home sales. The winners were:

Website design for a Builder – Lennar

Direct Mail Program or Piece – Manorhouse Builders of SC

Newspaper Ad – Lennar

Television Commercial – Lennar

Advertising Campaign – Lennar

Sales & Information Center – John Wieland Homes & Neighborhoods

Retail Showroom – John Wieland Homes & Neighborhoods

Remodeling Projects – ($150,000-$300,000) – Citadel Enterprises; ($500,000 and over) – Thomas Evans Custom Building & Remodeling

Community Entrance – John Wieland Homes & Neighborhoods

Single Family Affordable Housing – Structures Building Company

Green Building Company – Structures Building Company

Single Family Homes ($150,000 to $200,000) – Harbor Homes; ($200,000 to $300,000) -Manorhouse Builders of SC; ($300,000 to $400,000) – Sintra Homes; ($500,000 to $700,000) – Sintra Homes; ($700,000 to $1 million) – Sintra Homes; ($1-$1.5 million) – Artistic Design & Construction; ($1.5-2 million) – The Whitney Projects Inc.; ($2-$3 million) – Structures Building Co.; ($3-$4 million) – Priester’s Custom Contracting LLC

Customer Service (Local Volume Home Builders) — John Wieland Homes & Neighborhoods; (Custom Home Builders) — Structures Building Co; (Remodelers) — Citadel Enterprises; (Multi Market Home Builders) — Harbor Homes

Centex Homes has ranked first once again in the Charleston area for buyer satisfaction with their new-home builder. According to J.D. Power and Associates, the national new home builder scores very well with Charlestonians, holding the first place spot for four years in a row.

Centex was top in customer satisfaction and new-home quality in a study that focused on national new home builders around the country. The tough new home market that has been very competitive lately has sparked home builders to concentrate more on overall improvements in customer satisfaction. Customer satisfaction as a whole has increased in the Charleston area from 2008.

Centex Homes in Charleston performs “particularly well” according to J.D. Power for their builder’s warranty-customer service staff, location, and recreational facilities provided by the builder. Rounding out the top three after Centex were Ryland Homes and Beazer Homes.

J.D. Power’s findings also note that the median reported home size in Charleston decreased from 2,200 square feet in 2008, to 2,007 square feet in 2009. This follows the trend in demand for smaller-sized homes that are more affordable for the consumers.

Contact Mike Ciucci if you have any questions about the numerous Centex communities in Charleston, SC.

There could be trouble looming for the area as far as future foreclosures and the unemployment rate for Anderson County has hit a staggering 13.2% during the month of June. Not only are the unemployment numbers high, but many of the people who still have employment are working more hours and for lower wages.

The sales in the area were phenomenal for years. In the years 2005 through 2007 home sold at staggering rates, mainly because retirees were looking for vacation homes in comfortable climates.
In 2007 after the housing market took a dive, home sales dropped drastically. Many of the people who purchased the home as a vacation spot came from areas in Florida. Florida’s housing market was hit just as hard and many who might have been looking to sell their homes were now stuck with properties not being able to sell without losing money on the home. So many potential buyers ended up stuck in the homes they were looking to sell.

Still, Anderson is not as bad as other parts of South Carolina where unemployment rates are much higher. A large part of that has to do with the fact that the location of Anderson is between the cities of Atlanta and Charlotte.
If home sales do start to increase in Anderson, it will be a slow process. The change is not going to happen swiftly and will most likely see a small slow increase, however many experts expect the housing market to show significant gains by the second half of 2011.

Cobblestone Park

If you have ever wanted to live in a resort style community on a golf course look no further than Cobblestone Park in Blythewood, SC. This exclusive subdivision has taken a hit in the current market but offers a well-manicured subdivision with a quality 27-hole golf course at recession prices. Luxurious homes with high-end appliances and upgrades are being sold way below their original $200 per SF target just years ago. Many of these moderate sized well-built homes can offer a steal to potential homebuyers.

If new construction is your interest, then look no further. This Ginn development was designed with lifestyle in mind. Complete with private tennis courts, swimming pools, basketball courts, an indoor gym and their main feature, a 27-hole golf course. There were hundreds of lots that were sold in a one-day auction style “launch” to speculators and flippers, but the $200,000 price tag on the high density lots would soon find their way to falling prices that can be found in the sluggish 2009 real estate market today. The speculators that passed this up a few years ago should now reconsider and purchase the same property with some being offered 90% less than the original cost. Comparable neighborhoods with similar amenities are consistently selling in the Blythewood Real Estate market.

Blythewood is just a few miles north of the City of Columbia, SC on I-77 towards Charlotte, NC and offers comfortable suburban living. Cobblestone Park is the only true high-density neighborhood in the area, and is flanked by I-77 on the west and Syrup Mill road on the east. It is about a 15-minute drive to Fort Jackson, 20 minutes into the heart of Columbia, and about 1 hour to downtown Charlotte, NC.

For bulk lot sales or individual lot information contact Hunt and Associates for your research request at 803-788-4250.

Carolina Park

Carolina Park now welcomes Ryland Homes to their family of carefully selected home builders. Ryland joins with other builders such as Max Crosby Construction and Cline homes, all with plans to build high-quality single family homes at Carolina Park. Carolina One Real Estate in Charleston, SC is to handle all real estate sales for the development.

Carolina Park is one of Mount Pleasant’s new master-planned communities located off of Hwy 17, just north of Hwy 41. It is about 20 minutes away from Downtown Charleston, and a 15 minute drive to the beach. The Ryland homes at Carolina Park begin around the $350’s, and the square footage sizes range from 1,867 to 2,996 square feet. The company purchased eight lots within the Egrets Landing West neighborhood and plans to begin construction on two spec homes in the coming weeks. The spec homes will be Ryland’s Hampton and Cooper models, both of which feature four bedrooms, three baths, a unique floor plan, and two-car garages. As always, buyers will have many options available to customize these homes.

Ryland Homes is no stranger to the Lowcountry. The company has been building premier homes around the Charleston area for many years, including communities like Park West, Bolton Landing, and Taylor Plantation. For more information, contact Carolina One Real Estate.

Photo Credit: CTAR MLS

The Ponds, a master planned community on the edge of Summerville, SC, has announced that Harbor Homes will join The Ponds Builder team.  Harbor Homes is a Mungo company, which is based out of Columbia, SC.  The Mungo family has been operating since 1954, and has enjoyed a successful track record in building new homes, and has ranked among the nations largest home builders.

Greenwood Communities and Resorts is said to have tracked changing consumer home buying patterns and preferences over the past two years, and as a result- have come up with new and fresh product lines of homes.  This proactive response to consumer demand is exemplified by Greenwood’s addition of Harbor Homes to its builder team at The Ponds.

At The Ponds, Harbor Homes is offering seven house plans, with each plan having two elevation options.  Square footages for these homes range between 2,546 sq. ft. to 3,418 sq. ft.  Prices begin at $277K, and go up to $340K.

The Ponds is located in Summerville, SC, just outside of Charleston, SC.  It is a 1,950 acre master-planned community set between the town of Summerville, and the Ashley River Historic District.  Some of the best schools are found in the area, and its distance to downtown and the beaches make it a popular destination for a lot of homebuyers.  For more information about the ponds, visit http://www.discovertheponds.com/ or contact us at Carolina One Real Estate.