Who Wouldn't Love Charleston?

Thinking about moving to the Charleston area?
Are you Curious to know more about where you live? 

Charleston (as a metro area) contains a population of 575,488; making up just about 14% of the state’s total population. Seemingly growing younger every few years the current median age is 33 and females outrank the males with 51.8% of the population. Property and Violent crime percentage falls slightly higher than the state average at 5.8% and 6.2%, respectfully, but remains much lower than the national rates.

Charleston is a well educated area with a higher percentage than the state with adults having 4-year college degrees and graduate degrees. Gratefully, our employment rates have grown 4.6% in our area compared to an average of 2.9% overall in the state. And who says Florida is the sunshine state?!  Our average low temperature is a mild 37.9F and our average high is 90.7F; not to mention we have an average of 211 days of sunshine annually. 

The average cost of homes is $130,300, with an average age of 19 years and an appreciation rate of 8.3%. Most residents in the area do own their homes while about 21% are currently renting. Charleston is an amazing place whether you want great shopping, cultural inspiration, historic sights, delicious food, beautiful beaches or just a comfortable place to call home.

Once you've decided to make the move to Charleston where do you look? As small as Charleston may seem on the large scale it’s divided into many areas that all have their own distinct characteristics. Which is my favorite? Daniel Island, of course.  Centrally located between downtown and the North Charleston areas, Daniel Island is a home grown community five miles long and three miles wide including 23 miles of waterfront landscape. Compiled of six residential areas, shops, restaurants and businesses make the Island a place you can live, work and play. 

Currently condos and single family homes range from $175,000-3M with the price of land ranging from $230,000-5.7M. According to trulia.com, inventory of homes averages a little over 150 and homes are staying on the market around 200 days. Compared to this time last year prices have increased a slight amount and the number of sales has slightly decreased. However, the trends have steadied over the last few months with little to no change. 

Daniel Island has one of the lowest crime rates in the state at 4.2% property crime and .77% violent crime.  Also, the schools on the island are some of the best in Charleston.  The island is becoming one of the most desired places to live in the area for new residents as well as locals. If you've been in the area a while, but are looking for a new place to call home check out Daniel Island, you may be surprised at all it has to offer.

Continually growing, but giving you that close-knit community feel, Daniel Island is my first choice in the Charleston area. Want to know more? Interested in homes for sale? Feel free to contact me for any questions! 

*Statistics provided by MLS.com

Building Your Own Home on Daniel Island

You're at a crossroads in life, you've lived in the house you're currently in for more than 5 years now and it seems like everywhere you turn in your home, that once spacious living area is slowy closing in on you. When you first purchased it, you couldn't imagine what to do with all those extra cabinets in the utility room or the furnished room above the garage. Now life has changed and as your family expands - whether through the addition of children or the addition of family members coming to live with you like your parents or siblings - it's time to start thinking about your next step. 

But say that you've always wanted a certain look, and no matter where you look for homes, each home has something wrong with it. You can't seem to shake it, you just can't find a place that fits your family's needs or your specific tastes. In this situation, this is the time to think of building a home of your own. 

You already know that owning a home is a wise investment, and with all the new options for homes that can make them environmentally-conscience, energy-efficient and family-friendly, building a home may be the right way to go for you. Another great reason, you are in the driver's seat. If you want a bathroom with 2 showers instead of a garden tub, that can happen before the concrete is laid. If you want a wrap-around porch with extra room for your wheelchair-bound mother, that can happen too. 
You can put your own mark to this special home. 

If you're looking on Daniel Island, South Carolina, and still haven't found the "right" home for you, then look at this property. 

Located at 112 Island Park Drive in the prestigious Daniel Island Park, this homesite sits right across the street from lovely Cattle Trough Park which is filled with blooming gardens. This property is surrounded by exquisite estates and is the ideal place to build your dream home. This property includes Daniel Island Club social membership privileges. An invitational golf membership may also be purchased. This homesite has a build requirement. Want to see this beautiful space for yourself, email me today at brenda.cook@danielisland.com or call Toll-Free 800-958-5635 or Local (843) 971-7100 to see if this lot is what you've been looking for. 

I did mention it was across from a park right...now that's a perfect neighbor! 

~Brenda 


Details: 

112 ISLAND PARK DRIVE
Daniel Island Park
13,307 sq. ft.
$175,000
www.danielisland.com 

School's Back In on Daniel Island

Moms and Dads may be experiencing a bit of relief today now that the kids are back in school. I know, as a parent, you love spending every moment with the kids over the summer but it also can be hard to entertain them all the time. Thank goodness on Daniel Island, there's a plethora of parks, pools, walking trails and more. 

Now as a grandma, I love spending time with the grandkids but I can always remember  the stress of getting the kids back into the groove of school. 


Here are some tips as you kick off the new school year: 

Make sure they get a good night’s sleep 

Set a regular bed time for each night and stick to it  

Avoid giving kids anything with caffeine less than six hours before bedtime

Eat a healthy breakfast 

Make sure your child is up to date on vaccinations, physicals and eye exams 

Meet & assess the new teacher, let them know about any concerns you may have 

Set a routine so kids know when it's homework time, dinner time, etc.

 Go over your child’s transportation plan and discuss things your child can do to stay safe on the way to and from school

Finally, enjoy it! Before you know it, they'll be heading off to college. 

Thanks for reading, 

Brenda 

Back To School for Berkeley County

Soon, the children will be headed back to school on Daniel Island on Monday, August 20. The summer has flown by! Each year, I like to adopt a fourth grade class at Daniel Island School. It invigorates me to sit with the kids and see how much they learn over the school year. I read to them, help the teacher when she needs me and donate supplies to help out. I'm looking forward to seeing a whole new group of kids.

Thinking of moving to Daniel Island? Here's some fast facts about the Berkeley County School District from their website:

Berkeley County, one of the largest in the state, is a unique 

setting covering over 1,229 square miles. It is the fastest 

growing county in the state, in terms of population, and is 

located just north of Charleston, South Carolina. Berkeley 

County, part of South Carolina’s Lowcountry, is home to the 

Francis Marion National Forest and surrounds Lake Moultrie. 

Berkeley County was recently named as a part of the South 

Carolina National Heritage Corridor,  spanning rural 

communities with rich history as well as metropolitan towns. 

The county includes the incorporated areas of Hanahan and 

Goose Creek, which are directly outside the city limits of 

North Charleston. Daniel Island is a large island located three 

miles north of the Charleston harbor between the Cooper and 

Wando Rivers. Moncks Corner is  further to the north, near 

Lake Moultrie, and serves the county seat. North of Moncks 

Corner, a predominantly rural area, the smaller towns of St. 

Stephen, Jamestown, and Bonneau are located.

The county boasts a dynamic history, beginning with English and French Huguenot 

planters who settled the area in the late 1600’s. It is rich in Revolutionary and Civil War 

history and contains churches that date from the early 1700’s. The treasures of the 

county include Mepkin Abbey, Cypress Gardens, the Palmetto Trail, and the “Berkeley Blueways,” featuring 20 canoe and kayak trails.

The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the 2009 population of Berkeley County to be over 

173,000 with a 21.7% increase from July 2000. 

Of this group, approximately 69% are white; 27% are African-American; and 4% are Hispanic. Eighty percent of persons age 25 or older are high school graduates (2000) and 14% have a bachelor’s degree or higher (2000). The median household income is $49,414 (2008).

Berkeley County Child Nutrition Services is a member of the SC Purchasing Alliance.  The alliance was formed in 1995.  The SC Department of Education Office of School Food Service and Nutrition came together with a common goal to streamline the purchasing process by collectively working together to obtain high quality products, greater competition, and more competitive pricing.  The Alliance is comprised of 78 members consisting of 74 school districts and 4 school programs.  This represents 88% of all school districts in the state.  The collective buying power is over 90 million dollars. All National School Breakfast/Lunch Programs must meet the USDA Federal Guidelines.  They meet the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, which recommend that no more than 30% of an individual's calories from fat, and less than 10% from saturated fat.  School lunch must provide one-third of the Recommended Dietary Allowances of protein, Vitamin A and C, iron and calcium.  School breakfast must meet one-fourth of the RDA.


Four Meal Components are offered daily at breakfast (minimum of three must be taken):
          1 oz. Meat/Meat Alternate
          1 serving Bread
          ½ cup Juice or Fruit
          8 oz. Milk


Five Meal Components are offered daily at lunch (minimum of three must be taken):
          2 oz. Meat/Meat Alternate
          ½ cup Vegetable
                ½ cup Fruit
                1 serving Bread
                8 oz. Milk


Chef salads, vegetarian plates, and fresh fruit are offered daily.


Child Nutrition professionals are committed to providing safe and nutritious meals to all students.
Parents/guardians are encouraged to visit their child's cafeteria and join them for breakfast/lunch.  Please talk to the Child Nutrition Manager about the nutritional profile of foods that are provided.

Thanks for reading and let me know if you're going to be at the Daniel Island School, I'd love to introduce myself!
Brenda J. Cook