South Carolina

things to do around Lexington South Carolina July 10- July 16, 2009
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Through, Wednesday, July 15-Sunday, July 19. Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Just in case you don't know the story...Once upon a Town...there was an enchanted castle filled with dancing spoons, a talking teapot and a troubled Beast. Along came a beauty named Belle who desired more out of her provincial town than an ordinary existence. How Belle handles the advances of the pompous Gaston, learns to love the castle's enchanted objects and, unbeknownst to her, works to tame the Beast, is wrapped in melodious tunes and unbelievable spectacle. Visit Town Theatre for more information.

Friday, July 10-Thursday, July 16. High School Musical 2: The Phenomenon Continues! The summer is going to be hot inside Workshop Theatre as it is transformed into the Lava Springs Country Club for Disney's High School Musical 2. High School Musical 2 is a fun and fresh new stage version of the record-breaking Disney Channel original movie. School's out, and Troy, Gabriella and the rest of the East High Wildcats are spending the summer working at the local country club, which is owned by Ryan and Sharpay's family. With the club's annual talent show right around the corner, things begin to really heat up when Troy agrees to sing with Sharpay. Will Troy and Gabriella realize that they're meant to be together, or is it too late for them to sing one last song together? Complete with electrifying dance numbers and popular songs from the top-selling CD, Disney's High School Musical 2 features numerous talented teen and adult performers from throughout the Midlands. July 10-11, 14-19 and 21-25, 2009. Visit Workshop Theatre for more information.

Friday, July 10. The Columbia Guitar Orchestra. Enjoy classical guitar music from around the world by this group of Columbia based guitarists. The program will feature soloists and a full guitar orchestra. Founded in 2005, The Columbia Guitar Orchestra offers classical guitarists of varying ages and abilities the opportunity to perform in a collaborative setting. Under the direction of USC graduate student Steve Sloan, the Guitar Orchestra strives to provide members and audiences alike a fun, entertaining and educational experience. Visit the Columbia Museum of Art for more information.

Friday, July 10. Escape to the Lowcountry with the Friends of RCPL. Come celebrate the release of Dorothea Benton Frank's new novel, Return to Sullivan's Island, at 6:30 p.m. this Friday. Enjoy a fun-filled evening featuring a book discussion and signing, barbeque, beach music and dancing, and a beach themed auction. Tickets, which are only $25 for Friends' members and $30 for nonmembers, can be purchased online at www.myRCPL.com/friends or by calling 929-3475. Frank is a nationally recognized fundraiser for education and the arts, as well as an advocate of literacy programs and women's issues. The Friends is a volunteer organization that works actively to increase awareness and raise funds to support the Richland County Public Library. Call 929-3475 for more details on membership or this special event or visit the Richland County Public Library.

Saturday, July 11. Thunder Tower Summer Concert Series! Come enjoy live music and lots of fun! The concert goes from 11am-4pm with free hamburgers and hot dogs being served from noon until they are gone! Visit Thunder Tower-Harley Davidson for more information.

Saturday, July 11. Summer Road Show. Want to know more about that chair purchased from an antique store or more about great grandmother's silver? Inspired by PBS "Antiques Roadshow," the program will offer informal (verbal) appraisals of a variety of objects. Museum curators and local experts will be on hand not only to discuss items, but also to provide tips on caring for the objects. Visit the SC State Museum for more information.

Saturday, July 11. Oklahoma Smith and the Pyramid of Food. Need a way to get your kids excited about eating well and staying healthy? Come see EdVenture's newest endeavor, an interactive theatrical production, "Oklahoma Smith and the Pyramid of Food". This live theater program will keep your kids laughing AND learning! Come see us perform every Saturday at 11am & 3pm. Visit EdVenture for more information.

Saturday, July 11. Jammin' in July. This Midlands mid-summer musical tradition offers everything from Rock and Country to Reggae and Blues under the Carolina Moon! Lawn chairs, blankets, coolers (no glass), and kids are always welcome. No pets, please. Food concessions & free parking are available. Visit Historic Camden for more information.

Tuesday, July 14. Family Feast Night with the Blowfish! Come support the Columbia Blowfish as they take on the Fayetteville Swampdogs this Tuesday. Bring the whole family because hot dogs, 12 oz. Pepsi Cola products, and ice cream sandwiches will be available for $1 from 6 - 8 pm with the purchase of a regular priced ticket. Visit the Columbia Blowfish for more information.

Thursday, July 16. Blue Iguanas Performing Live! Head out to Hudson's Smokehouse for some delicious BBQ and live music. This Thursday, The Blue Iguanas will be pumping their blue grass tunes all around. Visit Hudson's Smokehouse for more information.

Summer 2009. Date Nights! Are you going on a date and don't have the slightest clue as to what you're going to do? Check out our 5 Great Dates that we have put together for just that reason!

brought to you by www.lauraslexingtonhomes.com and © 2009 Gardener Publications • Gardener Guides

I think it is safe to say that the $8000 first time homebuyer tax credit has made an impact nationwide on home sales. I know I have seen it here in the Charleston SC real estate market.

So, once it expires December 1 later this year, then what? There have been discussions on if the government will extend the credit into 2010. There are suggestions to expand the credit to all homebuyers, not just first timers. And possibly increasing the credit.

There are many arguments for each of these options--but they all boil down to further helping the real estate market recovery and increasing home sales. Just what kind of impact might these have?

Weichert.com recently did a survey of 500 guests to the website. While this is by no means a true, scientific research, it does show that any of these possibilities could have a tremendous impact on the real estate market for 2010.

By expanding the current tax credit to $15,000, the number of highly motivated first time buyers would increase by 40%.

Of current homeowners, 4 out of 5 said they would be somewhat to highly motivated to buy another home if they were to receive the $8000 tax credit. If the credit was expanded to $15,000, existing homeowners motivated to buy would increase to 94%.

While just a small slice, this survey seems to reflect what many people feel, and are starting to voice. Recent bills were submitted in Congress seeking to expand and increase the tax credit. When Congress was passing the original tax credit bill for first time buyers, the original amount was $15,000. This will be an interesting development to watch over the next few months.

Thinking of selling or buying Charleston SC real estate? Be sure to visit my website, your resource for information about selling or buying Charleston homes.

Jeff McIlhenny is a licensed Realtor and Broker with Weichert Realtors Palmetto Coast in Mt Pleasant SC and serves the entire Charleston SC real estate market. He can be reached at 843-452-2953 or jeffm@weichertpc.com.

Here is a breakdown of sales in the Charleston SC real estate market through the end of June. The stats are from the Charleston Trident Area Realtors Association (CTAR) Multiple Listing Service, and the ones I am focusing on are total number of solds, average sale price, median sale price, average days on the market (DOM), inventory numbers (active listings) each month, and absorption rate.

One quick note--absorption rate is calculated by dividing the currently active listings by the sold listings. This figure shows how many months it would take to sell out of inventory at that month's rate of sale.

Month Solds Avg Price Median Price DOM Current Inventory Absorption Rate

Jan 411 $268,401 $179,181 112 10,329 25.13

Feb 424 $255,927 $185,995 110 10,498 24.75

March 600 $258,382 $185,463 125 10,688 17.81

April 555 $274,594 $184,000 121 10,710 19.29

May 687 $267,693 $192,900 119 10,818 15.74

June 710 $271,016 $195,000 118 10,871 15.31

Average: 3387 (total) $266,002 $187,090 118 10,652 19.67

The Charleston SC real estate market wasn't as greatly impacted by all of the real estate turmoil the last few years as many markets were across the nation. However, our market has seen declines. Charleston is better poised to make a recovery sooner than most markets. These numbers do seem to show things may be slowly getting better.

Forbes released a report in January, the "Top 25 Markets" in the US. They examined major metro areas to see which markets were best poised to make a recovery. They didn't rank the markets from 1-25, but they did list Charleston among the 25. They predicted prices would fall in Charleston an additional 1% over 2009 before finally hitting bottom.

So, the million dollar question, Have we hit the bottom?

The numbers so far in 2009 look promising, with sales increasing, average prices increasing, and absorption rate decreasing.

There are a few factors at work here. First, sales traditionally increase in the Spring and Summer. Plus, the $8000 first time buyer tax credit has brought out many home buyers that otherwise wouldn't have bought a house.

On the positive side, with the tax credit expiring at the end of November, more first time buyers should be entering the market. If we have hit bottom remains to be seen, but the more people sense that the bottom is here, the more motivation we will see--buyers may sit on the fence in a down market, waiting for the "bottom", fearful of overpaying. However, once it appears that bottom has hit, then traditionally there will be an influx of buyers fearful of missing the opportunity and buying on the uptick.

Could the tax credit be extended, maybe even expanded? Could they increase the credit amount? Could they make it eligible for buyers other than just first time buyers? Any of these would help the recovery, and get more buyers off the fence, as well as bring buyers into the market that otherwise would not be looking to buy (such as move up buyers).

Another positive factor for Charleston is the fact that it is a strong market well poised for a recovery. The Charleston SC real estate market still looks to have good potential for the future, based on several factors: destination location (coastal), strong economy, and cheaper that many markets--especially in the Northeast, the largest feeder market for Charleston.

It would be wise to remain cautious regarding the Charleston SC real estate market. Keep in mind, there are still short sales and foreclosures lurking out there. I haven't checked the numbers, but based on recent surfing on the MLS, it would appear that short sales and foreclosure sales have dipped in the last few months. But I believe this to be misleading.

There was the foreclosure moratorium imposed by the federal government, and the SC State Supreme Court also enacted one a couple months back--this was done to allow more time for home owners with Fannie or Freddie backed loans to seek loan modifications. So this has held up many would be foreclosures.

Also, half of loan modifications wind up in foreclosure. Not all home owners that received the reprieve will be eligible for a modification. Of those that do, many will still wind up in foreclosure down the road. So I think it is a safe bet we will still see at least another wave of foreclosures. Getting through all of the short sale and foreclosure inventory will help things and take us from recovery to prosperity faster--but that is a whole different subject to blog about.

Bottom line, depending on your objectives and time frame, there are great deals out there on the Charleston SC real estate market for buyers, especially first time buyers. It will be a long time before we see the fast appreciation days we saw a few years ago (and we probably won't see it like that again, ever), however, that doesn't mean investing in Charleston SC real estate isn't a good idea in the current market conditions--it looks to be a sound investment, but not a get rich quick idea.

Stay tuned, I will have future posts regarding stats of specific towns within the Charleston SC real estate market.

Looking to sell or buy in the Charleston SC real estate market? Visit my website for helpful information for buyers and sellers of Charleston homes.

Jeff McIlhenny is a licensed Realtor and Broker with Weichert Realtors Palmetto Coast in Mt Pleasant SC and serves the entire Charleston SC real estate market. He can be reached at 843-452-2953 or jeffm@weichertpc.com.

Anderson School District One Board of Trustees unanimously approved a $27,444,292 building package for Powdersville High School during a special called meeting Thursday. The last time District One built a high school was in 1972 when Palmetto and Wren High were built.

I just wonder how much it cost to build 2 high schools in 1972 compared to one high school today? And an article in the Independent I read talked about how the bids came in lower than expected for this project due to the slow economy. And since the economy is hurting in South Carolina, this is a great time to see not just jobs, but jobs that are devoted to improving the local educational system!

I might be a big guy, but that means I have a big heart. I love animals, kids and have a deep respect for those that have a few more years experience than me. Sometime when a person gets older it gets harder to do some of the every day tasks such as cooking. My very own grandmother had this problem and Meals on Wheels was able to help her by dropping off nutritious meals several days a week. My grandmother was one of the toughest people I ever met, but she even needed a helping hand in her later years. Its not just me that thinks Meals on Wheels is a great program, my uncle and aunt deliver for them several days a week.

In an effort to raise money, the Pickens County Meals on Wheels is holding two events in the coming months, a golf tournament set for Friday, Aug. 21 at the Pickens Country Club, and the second annual Food Fight Bowl, that will take place in September.

The golf tournament is being sponsored by the Pickens Ladies Golf Association. Registration will start at 11 a.m., lunch will be served at noon, and the shotgun start will be at 1 p.m.

The cost to play is $100, which includes green fees, lunch, refreshments and prizes. Deadline to register is Friday, Aug. 14.

Organizers are also looking for hole sponsors, corporate sponsorships, door prizes, and team sign-ups.

Meals on Wheels currently has more than 75 seniors waiting to benefit from the program. To make a donation or for more information, please call 878-7650.