A McClellanville Year in Review: Saying Goodbye to 2007

January 1st, 2008 Uncategorized Jason No Comments

2008 came quietly at the Bates house.  Noah, my son, was visiting with his grandparents and Josie and I were in bed well before midnight.  I was actually asleep when the ball dropped, a nice change from my old policing days when I seemed to always being working on New Years Eve (probably the worst night of the year to work) and arresting drunks and drunken drivers until daybreak.

Looking back on the year it has been full of many great events for me.  I became a father and have learned more about myself through that process than I ever thought possible.  We built our first new home in McClellanville and are still unpacking boxes after almost 6 months being here (a newborn tends to slow things down).  I started this blog (website) and continue to learn more and more about web design, writing, marketing, and the people and places of McClellanville.  I repaired and began managing a vacation rental property that has so far been successful.

It was a slow year for real estate in McClellanville with only 11 homes and 20 lots sold.  This compared to the record 2005 and 2006 years where 18 homes sold each year and 32 and 34 lots sold respectively.  The national news is saying that the “experts” predict a slow real estate market until 2009.  I think if they were really experts, they wouldn’t be making blanket statements about something as localized as real estate and that the media is warping the general population’s attitude toward buying (but that’s another story).  Prices had risen quite high in the years prior and we have witnessed a moderate correction in those prices this year.  I don’t feel that we will experience any more reduction in price and that buyers that have been waiting for things to stabilize will soon recognize the deals that can be found in McClellanville when compared to other coastal areas.

In the new year, I plan to continue to cover many of the local McClellanville events, but I’d also like to go into detail about some of the things you hear about around town (breaking down the gossip and reporting the truth) and read about in the town newsletter.  I am going to do more background articles about some of the local attractions and finish my neighborhood spotlight series.  I’m also going to roll out a new interactive map and put together some great new contest to reward my loyal readers out there.

All in all it was a great year and with any luck 2008 will be ever better.

PS – Don’t forget to pick up a new 2008 boat landing launch sticker at the town hall.