Bradford Chase (Summerville, Orangeburg, Central: real estate market, rental, homeowners association)

[RelocatingMother]

My husband and I are moving to the Summerville area. My husband is in Iraq and I live several hours away, so we are doing much of our research on homes online. After searching dozens of homes we are drawn to a house in Bradford Chase. Before driving to Summerville to start looking I wanted to know any info. on this subdivision.

What elementary schools is this neighborhood zoned for?

Who was the home builder?

Is anyone having problems with their home in the neighborhood?

Any other helpful information would be great!

[beachme]

It looks like Rex Thompson Homes was one of the builders. Might be others, not sure.
Currently the schools are Knightsville, Dubose and Summerville HS.
I would check with DD2 to make sure before you buy.

[jnjewel4101]

My family actually lives in Bradford Chase with our 2 year old son We love it! We bought our house in May 2008. The neighborhood is very quiet with lots of families and kids. There are 2 ponds. One with a walking trail and one with a gazebo. There are homeowner fees (150 a year) so the houses and neighborhood are well taken care of. The neighborhood is fairly small, but there are sidewalks for walking and lots of families. I'm actually also a teacher for DD2. Knightsville Elem. is not the best school in the district, but there is also Pinewood Prep down the road for private options. Dubose and Summerville HS are great. My son will go to school with me at a different elementary school where I teach in the district if we stay (and we plan to). Most of the houses still have warranties on them. Our house was built in 2006. Newer homes equals fewer problems (fingers crossed) Only problem we have is parking issues (but we do live in a culdesac lot with small driveway). Hope this helps and please let me know if you have anymore questions. I could possibly take some pictures for you if you would like. There is also a Bradford Chase blog and site if you put it not google

[StuBarnaby]

The neighborhood was built by Rex Thompson. The homes were poorly constructed and put up fast. they are stick built but the cheapest available building supplies were used for every aspect of construction. The neighborhood is relatively new 2005-2007 construction. But, the houses are already showing wear. You will notice fading siding and shutters and extremely poor upkeep in common areas. The homeowners association has done nothing to maintain the value of the neighborhood and more and more properties are not properly maintained. It is a starter neighborhood and there are young families. It is relatively safe. There are more rental units than the average neighborhood of comparable size. I built a home in Bradford chase and lived there for almost two years. It turned out to be a poor investment not only because of the housing market but because of the rapid decline of the neighborhood. You can find similar neighborhoods in the same area that are better maintained with better construction. The school's are Knightsville Elementary (poor), Debose Middle (Very Good) and Summerville HS (average).

[wordzgirl]

I have to take exception with the opinion of Knightsville being a poor school. We moved here from PA a year and a half ago, and we're really, really happy with Knightsville. Granted, it failed to meet some AYP standards, but from what I've gleaned from the teachers there (my husband is one of them), is that is mostly due to attendance, something the teachers and administration have nothing to do with. Is it as good as PA schools? Of course not, and I don't think any SC school is. Our taxes are much lower than they were up north, which I'm sure is tied to public education. Education doesn't end at 2:30, however. It's the parents' responsibility to take it a step further and read to their children and get them involved in outside the classroom learning; museums, etc. Even those who can't afford museums can take their kids to the library or on a nature walk.

My children are both in GATE classes and are thriving. The school feels like home to us, and I'm thrilled we're so close. I have heard some negative things about Dubose, however, but I have no firsthand experience other than having a couple teacher friends that work there.

Just my two cents' worth. I'm done with my PSA for the day

[StuBarnaby]

Maybe Knightsville isn't as bad as they say. I'm sure you are a bit biased since your husband works there. I review neighborhoods and schools for the real estate market. Knightsville received a poor rating. Sure parents are ultimately responsible. That may be the problem for knightsville Elem since there are some much less desirable neighborhoods that funnel the children to knightsville. The main contributers being Corry Woods, Bradford Chase and a group of neighborhoods along the Old Orangeburg road corridor. The Problem is probably a result of a few poor teachers, a lack of interest from the parents and the socioeconomic factors of a few select areas.

[wordzgirl]

Corey Woods kids go to Newington.

[rexdp10]

If your moving and still looking, maybe check out Myers Mill, its a new development (Ryland and Eastwood) off of Central. IMO stay away from Bradford Chase. We looked there and were not impressed at all.

[SCDweller]

As a real estate agent, I have to make sure someone is helping you and guiding through your decision making process for Summerville. It's wonderful to do research on the web and I try to provide lots of information for my clients via the web for this very reason. However, nothing beats first hand knowledge and someone who has been in the area and knows the ins and outs. I remember when BC was going up and the homes were selling faster than they could build them. It was a very hot neighborhood due to the location and low price point. Rex Thompson was inded the builder. The company is currently building Meadow Run in Summerville. If you were interested in the caliber of their building, you could look out there to see it underway. Hope this helps.
Let us know if you have any more questions!
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