Daniel Bates - Rural Real Estate Expert - McClellanville and Awendaw, SC

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

The Power of Presence?

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 1^st to May 24^th 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.

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