Beaufort Real Estate Blog

Summer is in full swing in Beaufort - the annual Beaufort Water Festival was just held - actually it is now stretched out over about 6 weeks - all very successful and the big weekend ( think in-field at a Nascar race- but on the river ) was as entertaining as ever. Sort of an event for everyone - tennis, golf, fishing, croquet, talent, sailing, swimming, kayaking and many more. The Water Festival is a huge draw for Beaufort and it would not happen without many tireless volunteers , so thanks very much to everyone who worked to make it a success.

One item of note is the location of a new downtown day dock. There are two possibilities - one proposal is to extend the existing day dock, which also serves as the dingy dock for the mooring field and as a dock for the downtown boat landing.

The second idea is to leave the current dock in-place and add a new 200 foot linear dock off the waterfront park. The new dock is supposed to make downtown shopping, dining and the park more accessible to boaters so this plan makes the most sense to me both as a boater and a downtown business owner. I encourage those with an opinion to pass it along to the Waterway Commission ( which I am a member ), we will make our recommendation to City Council in the coming weeks.

The real estate market is sluggish, with the $300k - $900k houses having the toughest time. The high end has some activity ( north of $1,000,000 in our market ) with unique properties garnering the most interest.

Other happenings include a push in the City of Beaufort to make the river setbacks and buffers the same as in the county. This is important to keep an eye on - the current proposal is highly restrictive and enforcement is unrealistic. I imagine changes will be made long before final reading.

Other news: There appears to be no change on the status of the Port of Port Royal - still for sale. Scott & Gwen Myers are working hard on Olives, downtown’s new gourmet grocery located on port Republic Street - they are looking for a fall opening - and so is the rest of the town.

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The giant snowman is here. No other symbol better signifies the arrival of the holiday season in Beaufort than the inflation of a three story high snowman, surrounded by Christmas trees. The giant snowman is easily found on Lady’s Island, just across the bridge from downtown, but hurry because once the trees are gone - they unceremoniously deflate the frosty fellow and pack him away until next year.

The snowman’s water views are similar to what the residents of Hamilton Village will enjoy - this new condominium development overlooks factory Creek and the waterway. Forty units are planned and the first of three buildings is moving along very well. This is a product that the market has been asking for - Beaufort has very few luxury condominiums located in or close to downtown - the location here will allow residents to walk, bike, boat or drive into town in minutes. Pre-sales have gone well and the next building will no doubt be coming out of the ground in the near future.

In other real estate news about town, the City is working with the Housing Authority on the possible relocation of residents of the Marsh Pointe affordable housing complex to make way for a new theater and conference center. The waterfront four-acre parcel is adjacent to Beaufort Town Center and is prime and ideal for this type of redevelopment.

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Another Chamber of Commerce weekend - the weather was ideal and ther were many ways to spend it outdoors. On Saturday I paddled in the annual Paddlefest Kayak race at the Sands in Port Royal where local kayak machine Pete Green took the crown. At the same time Port Royal hosted a 5K road race and for those who prefer to drive, the Concour’s de Elegance car show was held in Bluffton. To round out the activities, architecture buffs who were quick enough to score a ticket where able to tour the grounds and many of the buildings at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Auldbrass Plantation in Yemassee. Auldbrass’ owner generously opens up the property every couple of years to benefit the Beaufort County Open Land Trust.

On to local real estate and related topics - The Red Carpet Inn in downtown Beaufort has been purchased and is being redone and converted to a “Condotel” - the location is good, so we will keep an eye on it.

Other goings on include a story in the Beaufort Gazette about a redevelopment/ infill project on Bladen Street in downtown -The city block sized site was a construction yard for many years and is now proposed to be a high density neo traditional neighborhood - this is a great location about a block from the bay - lets hope this one moves ahead soon - good for Beaufort and good product.

On Lady’s Island, developer Dennis Green is moving ahead with Celadon, planned by Andres Duany and Elizabeth Plater-Zyberk. They are offering a very nice club setting with the nicest workout room north of the Broad. ( when someone uses the phrase “north of the broad” or “south of the broad” they are refering to how things are depending on which side of the Broad River you are talking about. If someone uses the phrase “South of Broad” in Charleston - they are referring to Broad Street - I am not trying to confuse anyone.  The Broad River serves as a natural barrier between the very different cultures of Beaufort, Buffton and Hilton Head -more on this later - I digress )  In addition they have a pool, spa treatment rooms, tennis, a bocci court? ( sounds kind of SOB to me ), etc. They hope to have the club open at the end of the year. Currently they have a few spec home and a wide selcton of lots available - Carriage homes start in the mid $300’s, courtyard style condos in the mid $500,000 range.

Thanks for reading - next time I hope to have news on condo boatslips and the lastest on the Port project.

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Welcome to my first blog post for Locale—mostly about real estate in Beaufort and the lowcountry. Fall is here and the summer heat is gone, the weather has pretty much been perfect—highs in the mid to upper 70s and lows in the low 60s—you get the idea. We have had a few weeks with strong north winds and Hunting Island State park has suffered some serious erosion—but it sort of looks like Fripp Island (next beach down) picked up some sand. That beats a sand migration to Georgia.

Commercial real estate is getting more active in and around Beaufort. Rumors of a Target coming to town and the progression of Beaufort Town Center have a number of national tenant representatives looking at opportunities. So far, in addition to a attorneys and wealth management folks, Town Center is getting a Pizza Inn, a micro-brewery and an outdoor outfitter. A Moe’s Mexican restaurant, a real estate firm and a Rita’s are already in place. Note to all - with addition of two more Mexican eateries—including San Jose on Lady’s Island (which is very good) there are now about five–excluding Taco Bell–we are good. Please, no more.

Downtown, the several commercial properties are either under contact or have recently sold and closed, including one of the most impressive antebellum mansions on Bay Street known as the Anchorage. Asking price was $1,400,000 – closed at $1,365,000; and a retail storefront (723 Bay) with 2555 sqft is under contract – asking price is $557,600.

Thanks for reading my first post. Please look again soon. Next time I will start to tackle the residential market.

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