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Keith Strawn

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Beaufort loves its military

11-15-08
Keith Strawn

What in the world was life like before Wi-Fi became ubiquitous? Here I am, manning Lowcountry's real estate booth at Beaufort's Military Appreciation Day, and I can flip open my Mac and pickup Wi-Fi.
Who woulda thunk it 5 years ago?
We've got a band jamming in the parking lot, and a clown entertaining inside.
The event, of course, coincides with the 233rd birthday of the U.S. Marine Corps. The Marines are a huge part of the fabric of Beaufort. They are just huge in this community. Beaufort would not be the same without them.
The last week and a half has really been a neat spectacle, as the Corps celebrates its founding, back in 1755. Last week, I saw Marines and their spouses, dressed to the nines, going into restaurants on Bay Street, before heading over to the ball.
In addition to the iconic Recruit Depot at Parris Island, Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station and the Beaufort Naval Hospital also make their home in the Lowcountry.
What was life like without Wi-Fi? What would Beaufort, SC and the Lowcountry be without the Navy and Marines.
Beaufort would not be the same without them.

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Buyers......... Due the do!!!

11-12-08
Keith Strawn

I met with two buyers today. They were separate parties looking at different properties. One of the fun things about real estate is the opportunity to work with a variety of people. Trust me when I tell you It is never dull.
Buyer A is considering an investment property in the Beaufort Historic District, while Buyer B is thinking about a non-historic home, which he and his family would live in. Buyer A would be a cash transaction, while Buyer B would involve financing.
Although these folks are going in totally different directions, they have something in common. I would strongly encourage each party to"do the due."
The "due" is due diligence, and it needs to be done prior to settlement.
Proper due diligence could involve making sure a boat dock can be constructed on that beautiful, tidal creek property you've got your eye on.
Maybe you would like to purchase a piece of property, and then develop it. Doing the due will help establish whether a property is eligible for subdivision, and whether you can achieve the desired density of homes that would make your project a success.
Let's look at today's buyers.
Buyer A was looking at a property in the Beaufort Historic District. Some of the due diligence involved here might involve determining whether their desired improvements will be allowable by the City of Beaufort Historical Review Board. The HRB is charged with overseeing the architectural integrity and preservation of the downtown Beaufort area.
Just a couple of weeks ago, some clients of mine wrote an offer which was contingent on the HRB approving a specific re-design plan for the home. We met with the city, and I attended two HRB meetings on behalf of my out-of-town clients. My clients did the due.
Buyer B wondered out loud today if he could build a privacy fence behind his prospective house. Our due diligence might be to ensure there are no neighborhood covenants which would prevent a fence from being constructed.
Likewise, a boundary survey could reveal whether any property line problems exist, which might prevent the construction of a fence.
Our South Carolina real estate contract allows buyers opportunity to conduct reasonable due diligence. I strongly encourage you to utilize the opportunity to conduct your due diligence.
Don't take anything for granted. Do the due.

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Living in the Shoe Box

11-12-08
Keith Strawn

Sometimes, its tough to keep a sense of humor in tough economic times. The news hasn't been good lately.

Let me give you a reason to feel better about your particular situation, as dire as it may seem. Think about these numbers:

1700 (4).... 2700 (5)...... 2300 (5)...... 4000 (7)........4000 (7)......... 900 (8)

It's not a logic test. You're not being asked to figure out the next set of numbers in the sequence.

The emboldened, italicized numbers are the square footage of each house my family has lived in since moving to Beaufort, SC in 1996. The numbers in parenthesis are the number of people in our household at the time of each move. For example, there were two parents and two kids (four family members in all, for you non-math majors) in 1996, when we moved into a 1700-square-foot home, our first in Beaufort.

The number of parents hasn't changed. The number of kids, though, has tripled. And, in the last few months, our living space has shriveled up like a grape. While our family size has exploded, our home size has imploded.

So, take another look at that sequence of numbers. That's right, we are living in a 900-square-foot house with six kids and two adults. That's about 112 square feet of living space per person. Not a heckuva lot of elbow room.

Here's the Reader's Digest version: We had a contract on a house, moved in on an interim basis, and then the contract didn't pan out. Fortunately, we owned this little rental home around the corner from the house we had contracted to buy, which had coincidentally been recently vacated by our tenant.

So, here we are, all 900-square-feet of us. Daddy, mommy, Bryan, Rebecca, Kitty, Panyue, Grace, and Hayden. Oldest to youngest.

The house is so small that I can sit in the living room and hear my wife typing at the computer, "back" in the bedroom.

Our house is so small, you can stand in the front yard, and broad jump your way through the house and out the back door with two decent jumps.

A friend of mine likes to ask me how things are "in the shoebox." Believe it or not, things are not bad at all.

All six of our kids, ages 14 months to 13 years, are healthy. My wife and I are healthy. Although you wouldn't know it from the square footage of our house, I've had a pretty darn good year selling real estate. We are blessed.

As we head towards Thanksgiving, let's take a moment and be thankful for the true gifts in our lives.

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Beaufort SC's Road to the Atlantic

11-10-08
Keith Strawn

Sunset, from U.S. Highway 21 on the way from Beaufort, SC to the Atlantic OceanThere are no doubt some spectacular stretches of highway across America.Anyone who has ever traveled on U.S. Highway 21, which will take you from downtown Beaufort to Fripp Island, might agree that this 20-mile stretch is one of the truly fantastic and interesting drives on the East Coast.
On this stretch of road you will pass a fish company, complete with a fleet of shrimp boats which seem to float at roadside.
You will pass through Frogmore on St. Helena Island, where some of the first slaves freed during the Civil War were educated, at nearby, historic Penn Center.
You will pass a shrimp "shack," which you do not want to miss if you can help it.
You will pass through Hunting Island State Park, the most visited in South Carolina's park system.
And, the scenery along the way, is spectacular.
My wife, Jennifer, and I had occasion to make the trip along this stretch of Highway 21 Saturday evening, as we ventured out to Fripp Island for the 70th birthday party of a friend.
It was the first time in over a year that Jennifer and I had a chance to enjoy this ride together. And what a ride it was.
A week ago, while still on Daylight Savings Time, the ride would have been made in broad daylight, and been much less dramatic. But with the return to Standard Time Nov. 2, we were able to enjoy the ride at twilight.
Jennifer and I think the best part of the trip is the last leg, from the eastern edge of St. Helena Island out to Fripp.
As Jennifer and I exited St. Helena Island and the marshes and rivers of the Lowcountry opened up before us, we could look across St. Helena Sound to our left and see the twinkling of lights from the beach-front homes of Edisto Island, so close by water, but almost 80 miles away by land.
Over the Harbor River we went, and onto Harbor Island. Off to the right, we could see tiny headlights through the trees of Hunting Island, as opposing traffic headed towards Beaufort.
With Harbor Island now behind us, we entered the deep forests of Hunting Island. As Highway 21 enters Hunting Island, the road veers hard to the right, so that we were traveling due south for the final few miles of the trip.
At this point, with St. Helena Island now to our right, the westward sky assumed a rich, affecting gold color, creating a perfect exclamation to the trip.
Minutes later, we emerged from the deep foliage of Hunting Island, and were at the gates of Fripp Island.
This drive at this time of day is so gorgeous that I would recommend it to any Lowcountry visitor, whether they had business on Fripp Island or not.
Fripp Island is a gated island, but even without a pass onto the island, an early evening drive from Beaufort to Fripp and then back to Beaufort is an excellent investment of time. This is a chance to glimpse the Lowcountry of Pat Conroy's boyhood, which he details in The Prince of Tides, Beach Music and The Great Santini.
If you don't have any dinner plans, you may want to grab a bite at Johnson Creek Tavern, which overlooks Johnson Creek and Hunting Island. It is one of the best-situated restaurants in Beaufort.
U.S. Highway 21 originally ended at Yemassee, SC, just a short drive up the road from Beaufort. In 1935, the road was extended to it's present southern terminus at Fripp Island, the last stop before the Atlantic Ocean.

Tags: beaufort, fripp, hunting, island, sc

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