Archive for May, 2008
26 Mouzons Bluff – Lowest Priced McClellanville Waterfront Lot
May 31st, 2008 Buyers Comments
Lowest Priced McClellanville Waterfront Lot
26 Mouzons Bluff – 1 Acre – $175,000
This beautiful waterfront lot is part of the Mouzons Bluff Community in McClellanville. This peaceful neighborhood in a quiet rural setting is just minutes from McClellanvilles historic district, shops, restaurants and boat landing. The lot has over 100 feet of frontage on Otter Creek which flows into Jeremy Creek near the Intracoastal Waterway. Otter Creek is a tidal creek that is about 50 feet wide at this property and accessible by boat on half tide and higher.
This lot will also enjoy use of the future community dock on the Intracoastal Waterway just a few hundred yards away as well as a natural creekside park. Views across the bluff to the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge may be possible from upper floors of your home. The lot is nicely wooded with many mature oaks and palmettos and has a 1/3 acre green space on one side. Please feel free to walk the property or call Daniel at (843) 606-0622 for a tour of the area or more information. DHEC septic Permit in hand.
Related Articles:
McClellanville Neighborhood Spotlight: Mouzons Bluff
Lots for Sale in Mouzons Bluff
A Paddle Down Otter Creek – Local Kayaking
W.P. Baldwin & Associates Lead in McClellanville Real Estate Sales
May 31st, 2008 Buyers, Sellers Comments
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 wasnt an office? Thats 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 McClellanvilles 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 theyre not just our customers, theyre our neighbors.
The Data
Personally, I dont 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 1st to May 24th 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 their ability to sell 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.
The Deerhead Oak: SC Heritage Tree 2007
May 11th, 2008 McClellanville Events Comments
You cant drive through McClellanville without noticing the landmark Deerhead Oak on a cleared lot at the corner of Pinckney Street and Oak Street. The tree is easily the most photographed attraction in town and everyone growing up in McClellanville has climbed up into its cradling arms at least once. The town is blessed with hundreds of ancient live oaks, their limbs draped with Spanish moss, but the Deerhead Oak holds a special place in everyones hearts.
The Deerhead Oak is both larger in circumference, 30.6 feet, and height, 67 feet, than the famed Angel Oak on Johns Island, SC estimated by some to be more than 1500 years old and thought to be the oldest living thing east of the Mississippi River. Of course, it is hard to estimate the age of these ancient trees, which predate the discovery of America by the Europeans, because boring samples are not reliable due to a tendency for the live oaks heart wood to rot.
It takes some creativity to see the deer head, with its knobby eyes and nose and long antler branches, but no matter if you cant. The value in the tree comes not from its likeness to an animal, but from its beauty and history.
One thing is for sure, the Deerhead Oak was well established when it first saw the founding fathers of what would become the village. McClellanvilles very first store was built in the shade of the tree by William P. Beckman. But even before the European settlers, the Deerhead Oak was probably climbed by the local Seewee Indians for hundreds of years.
The oak tree has long been known as a symbol of strength and triumph, so what better image to use to represent the community of McClellanville. The village has a tight-knit community which pulls together in good times and in bad. Like the mighty oak, McClellanvilles family tree has large long limbs that intertwine with each other. Our roots grow deep in the rich coastal soil and our history reaches back to the founding of this country.
On May 10th, 2008 the Deerhead Oak was dedicated as South Carolinas 2007 Heritage Tree of the Year. The McClellanville Tree Committee sponsored the event held in the shady branches of the towns 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 McClellanvilles greenspace and the towns history.
Ed Farnworth, of the Tree Committee, made introductions and then Bud Hill, director of the Village Museum, spoke about the history of the tree. Danny Burbage, the Vice President of the SC Urban and Community Forestry Council, officially bestowed the honor to the Deerhead Oak. Mrs. Anne Beckman Rumer spoke about her familys history and said that the land surrounding the Deerhead Oak would remain a public greenspace for the enjoyment of the town that she loves so dearly. Jimmy McClellan read the following excerpt from his poem The Voice of the Deer Head Tree:
A giant oak stands in the town,
Its known as the Deer Head Tree.
Surely the oldest living thing
Within our community.
For centuries rooted in place,
Watching the seasons pass.
No telling just how old it is,
Or how long yet it may last.
I sometimes wonder if this old tree
Had senses and wit ad tongue,
What stories it might tell us,
Of events since it was young.
~By James O. McClellan
Related Article: Deerhead Oak Rooted Deeply in Community