Here in the low country of South Carolina, and especially in the Charleston area, one of the most popular home styles is the low country home.  The design is perfect for the heat and humidity of our area.  These homes are often built on piers for protection from flooding, and also to take advantage of the coastal breezes.  This home style features many windows and doors that can be opened to enjoy those cool breezes.  Another feature of this home is the wide large porches.  Before air conditioning this design was perfect to survive the heat and humidity.

The large windows let in lots of light and give this home design a connection with the outdoors.  The wide porches reflect the image of Southern Hospitality, providing a perfect place to sit, chat with neighbors and share a glass of lemonade or sweet ice tea.

The low country home began humbly as a one-room cottage, first in the tidewater area of Maryland and Virginia.  Because the style was so perfect for coastal regions it became popular all up and down the coast.  No longer a humble one-room home, it is now as large and elegant as any style.

Check out my real estate page, ShelleyHouseHunters.com to find this and many other style homes for sale in the area. 

South Carolina State Flower

image from hiltonpond.org 

The state flower for South Carolina is the Yellow Jessamine, also known as the Carolina Jasmine or trumpet vine.  This beautiful yellow flower blooms in early spring and has a strong fragrance.  When I smell this flower blooming, I know spring is coming.  The vine grows up trees, along power lines, over mailboxes, and if there is nothing to grow on, it seems to bush up and grow on itself. 

The Yellow Jessamine is found in all parts of the state, and that may be one reason it was chosen as the state flower.  Native Americans used a Jasmine extract to reduce cramping, deaden pain and to purify blood.  They warned though that swallowing even a single flower can cause death by paralysis.  This cheerful spring flower is highly poisonous, so be careful!

The alkaloids that cause all this trouble are also found in the nectar of the flower, and yet many bees and butterflies visit these flowers every day.  They pollinate the plant and drink the nectar without trouble.  This is a perfect example of a wild plant that is safe for at least some wildlife but is not safe for humans.  Just because a bee can drink the nectar doesn’t mean we should!

Birds and flowers of South Carolina, by Shelley Hopkins

Image borrowed from Bird of Prey site

One of the most pleasant surprises I had in moving to South Carolina was seeing bald eagles.  In my mind I associated these birds of prey with Alaska and Montana, but SC has a healthy Bald Eagle population.  I have a favorite path along the river and when I stop on the crab dock I can see an Eagles nest.  It is high in a pine tree, overlooking the water and the woods.  I have watched an eagle soaring over the water to then land in the tree.  To see a bald eagle in the sky is one of life’s great moments.

            Bald Eagles eat fish that they pull from the marshes and rivers as well as fish stolen from ospreys.   They also eat the dead fish and other carrion that can be found around these waters.  Eagles mate for life and use the same nest each year if they can.  In South Carolina they lay eggs generally in December and January, and in the summer months they migrate north.  Many banded eagles from South Carolina seem to spend their summers in the Chesapeake Bay area.

            The ACE basin area has the largest population of eagles in the state, but they are found all over.  I have seen them soaring over suburban neighborhoods and in the marshes behind a friend’s home in Moncks Corner.

            One way to identify the Bald Eagle, besides the white head of mature birds, is in the way they fly.  Balds are large soaring birds, and they glide and soar in more of a flat profile than the “V” profile of the turkey vultures.

            Stay tuned for information on other birds and flowers you can find here in the low country!

Parks in North Charleston

Wescott Park

Local parks come in many sizes and flavors, and are designed for the different interests of all the local residents.  Wescott Park on Dorchester Road in North Charleston was designed primarily as a baseball/softball park.  The three main fields are smaller versions of famous ballparks.  The Atlanta Braves field has a backdrop of the Atlanta skyline, the Boston field includes a miniature “Green Monster” wall in left field, and the third field is based on San Francisco Giants Park.

The park was also designed to aid in training of young ball players and includes a Ripkin Training Facility.  The Ripkin training circle was designed for drills and improving of fundamental skills.  Training areas also include batting cages and pitching mounds.      

   

Nature Walk Views

 The park also has a small playground with a baseball mitt slide and a tire swing, giving the other children something to do during games or practice.  The park includes one small path through wetlands.  It is not a long walk but it is at least a pretty and peaceful area.

 One popular attraction is the dog park, a fenced in grassy spot where dogs can run off leash and interact with each other.  Dog owners also have a chance to visit and relax under the shade.

Even though the Wescott Park is small and focused mainly on baseball it is a pretty park and fairly popular for those that live in North Charleston.

            

What is most important in Real Estate listings?

Pictures are important!

The view is an important part of a home

When you are searching for a home, what do you want to see?  Of course price and neighborhood information are important, details like number of bedrooms and bathrooms are usually high on the list.  Many people search for homes on the internet, and can easily set the search parameters to limit homes to the preferred price range, size of home and location.  The most important item that seems to set home listings apart is photographs.  Good photographs are important.  A listing can't have enough photos, images that let the searcher know what the inside of the home looks like, the yard and also the neighborhood.  It never hurts to have pictures of the views from the windows.  The searcher wants to really get a feel for the home before scheduling time to visit the home.  If the agent takes a few shaky shots from her cell phone house hunters won't be impressed.  Listings that don't show the inside of the home worry people, they wonder what could be wrong with that property.

Show the bathrooms, but be sure they are clean like this one

 Show how the house flows, such as this picture that includes kitchen dining room and living room

Show the size of the rooms, and how light enters from windows and doors

Home size, is bigger better?

The average size home has grown from the 1950’s to now, with an increase from 983 square feet in 1950 to 1660 square feet in 1970 to 2500 square feet in 2010.  The average size family has shrunk, from 3.01 family members in 1973 to 2.5 people in 2010.  Our expectations of the proper size home have grown as well.  Most people I talk to feel like their kids each need their own bedroom, and no one can imagine living in a home with only one bathroom. 

For a year my husband lived in a camper, and for a short time three of us plus one large dog shared that 280 square foot space.  It was actually very cozy.  Our teenager could be reading in her loft area, my husband might be watching television in the living area, and I could enjoy my book while resting in the bed.   At the same time I could see and chat with each family member.  We had only a few outfits per person, but we found places to stack our books.  We spent more time away from home or outside, but we did enjoy cozy evenings together with music or television.  Cleaning was easy, but we had to carry our laundry to the laundry mat.  We only bought groceries for a day or two at a time, and we mostly ate outside.  I loved that part of the camper living.  This life was the hardest on the dog because we were in a campground that required dogs to be leashed at all times.  We walked often, but she was always on the leash.  Inside the camper her movements were restricted due to space.  I remember visiting family and the dog racing up and down the hallways of the ranch house, enjoying the freedom to move. 

After a summer in the camper we rented a two-bedroom apartment.  We felt like we had won a space lottery.  Both bedrooms had bathrooms, and walk in closets. The apartment was about 900 square feet.  We did not know what to do with all that space, but our dog did.  Again, she spent a few days just running around, from one bedroom to the next.  The apartment more than doubled our living space, we had a full size refrigerator, and large kitchen.  We could eat inside, then hang out in separate bedrooms.  In some ways that was better, especially for our teenage daughter.

In the camper we had one weekend with our entire family, husband and wife, three kids and one son in law all sleeping in the tiny space.  It was extremely cozy.  We ate out, we toured the local areas and we sat outside often at our picnic table.  We all had space to sleep, aided with the couch and a set of chairs that turned into beds.  For a vacation it was fine.  The secret is to always put away everything, and to wake up at the same time, turning all beds back into living space.  Each person would have to do his or her part to keep the small space clean and uncluttered. 

We are now in a 2500 square foot home, so I guess we have covered all the trends in our lifetime.  We have space for all our junk, and our items we believe to be necessary.  We can entertain company easily; we have a nice kitchen and even a separate room for dining.  One Christmas we had 11 people sleeping in our home, and only a few of them had to sleep on the floor.  I feel like we are fairly adaptable, making both smaller and larger living spaces work.  We have lived in a 3 bedroom, one bathroom apartment, as well as a large older 4-bedroom home with no master bathroom. 

Like many people I don’t like the trend of the giant homes on tiny lots.  I wonder if people would prefer larger homes to quality built smaller spaces.  When everyone seems to live in these large homes that include playrooms, man caves, sunrooms, master bedrooms the size of small apartments and numerous walk in closets, it is hard to imagine being happy in anything less.  Our parents generally lived in 1500 square foot ranch homes, many without air conditioning, sometimes with only one bathroom.  Many of us grew up sharing bedrooms with our siblings, and I imagine most of us played outside more, rode bikes more, and spent more time in the company of other people than this generation does.  It seems what is valued most right now is personal space and privacy.  The question is, what have we gained, and what have we lost?

How do you see this trend?  What do you prefer for living space?