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This was our third trip to MP, and this time was short - just a long weekend, as was our first trip.
We came away, as we did our first visit, just really loving how nice and friendly people are. It started at the airport with a big "Welcome to Charleston" - That never happens in Boston - and then at the rental care company who sat us in the shade and gave us bottled water to drink while they got our car. Talk about hospitality! And of course we love the weather. We are hearing it has been a "cool" summer, so the heat likely was not the "usual" but the weather was just great!
We saw lots of subdivisions - Dunes West, Park West, Charleston National, Tupelo, Mallard Lakes, Oakhaven, Belle Hall, Brickyard, Oak Park, Sweetgrass, Waters Edge, Snee Farm, Longpoint, Old MP, The Groves, Old Georgetown Crossing, Planters Point, Rivertowne, Ivy Hall, and Laurel Grove.
Given our budget of under 300K, and trying to balance price and location, it seems Ivy Hall and Laurel Grove are our best bets. Laurel Grove was adorable, but we were disappointed in the yard sizes. Very small. And only one car garages, which are detached. But the houses are so cute. We love the smaller size of the subdivision.
If we get more for our house than we plan, we will add Belle Hall to the list (we love the convenience of the shops across the street and being close to 526, but I know you have to be careful not to be too close), but it is a bit cookie cutter (as is Ivy Hall) and our "reasonable" dream place to be - but right now it's out of our budget - would be Brickyard. We love the trees, the walking trails, the mature, established feel of the neighborhood and the houses - all different styles.
The Post House - our "go to" place to stay, did such a good job of feeding us breakfast that we didn't even feel like lunch, so missed going out and experiencing more of the great restaurants.
Did make it to Palmetto Islands County Park - checked out the dog park (!), and had our obligatory visit to Barnes and Noble. "Shopped" at Bottles to get a bottle of wine for friends who invited us over, and again at Harris Teeter at Belle Hall Shoppes to buy the toothpaste we had forgot. Both great stores. Love that they sell wine at the grocery store! Also love that the stores aren't freezing lilke they are here with the a/c cranked so high.
We're getting used to 17, although it still feaks us out when someone runs across - oh my word!
We love MP - can't wait to come back and explore some more. We still have yet to see some "fun" things - the Yorktown, some other restaurants, the beach, the farmers market, etc. We're looking forward to utlimately settling there and experiencing a slower pace of life.
If anyone lives in these communities, we'd love "insider" knowledge of Ivy Hall, Laurel Grove, Belle Hall and Brickyard!
There's sections in Brickyard you can afford. The problem is low turnover and they sell fast when they come up. One of the best parts about Brickyard is the boat ramp and boat storage. Only $170 (I think - they upped it from $150 this year) for the whole year. They recently redid the ramp and it's much better.
There's two pools - the Colonnade one is small and shallow so it gets HOT in the summer. Basically, all of the amenities are kept in great repair. People are very active here and they use the walking trails a lot. It's 2.5 miles if you do the entire loop.
Magnolia Grove and Boone Grove sometimes have homes under $300K.
Thx! We saw a house in Magnolia Grove that we adored, but it was 350K.
Don't really want to, but thinking we will have to sell our house, move & rent so we can jump on things. Don't know how we will juggle the timing of renting & buying with end of lease.
Thx! We saw a house in Magnolia Grove that we adored, but it was 350K.
Don't really want to, but thinking we will have to sell our house, move & rent so we can jump on things. Don't know how we will juggle the timing of renting & buying with end of lease.
There's been lower priced homes in that section. They just tend to go fast is all.
Thx! We saw a house in Magnolia Grove that we adored, but it was 350K.
Don't really want to, but thinking we will have to sell our house, move & rent so we can jump on things. Don't know how we will juggle the timing of renting & buying with end of lease.
If you rent, you can always go month to month at the end of the lease until you close on your house. The rent will probably go up $100 or so per month for month to month.
Do you mean get a 6 month lease, then go month to month? We want to rent a house since we have a dog, ideally with a small yard.
The other subdivisions on our list - the "high end" that we likely can't afford - are Snee Farm and Hamlin. We love Snee Farm again for that established, mature feel with lots of trees, large lots, and the location. Worried about things needing to be remodeled, though, as we won't have money to do that.
I also love Hamlin - my husband not as much. There are some mid 300s homes there once in awhile, but I doubt ever under 300 for a sf (we don't want a townhouse). I love that it's newer and love the style of homes. Worry about the wind and hail and flood insurance in that location.
Another on our "doable" list is Sweetgrass. It's again a bit "cookie cutterish" but the location is great.
So I think our list has come down to:
Ivy Hall, Laurel Grove, Belle Hall, Sweetgrass - less expensive
of
Brickyard, Snee Farm, Hamlin - likely not doable but keeping on the list with Brickyard being the top.
OK, our list just got shorter ( a good thing!) after I looked up the height restrictions on fences.
Ideally we want a 6' fence and Brickyard and Snee Farm are the only 2 that allow that - our 2 favorite communities - ha!
We will keep Sweetgrass and Ivy Hall on the list as "affordable" back-ups as they allow 5' fences.
I saw that Snee Farm HOA is $300 but does not include amenities. Does anyone know what the pool/tennis fee is? We are not interested in the golf/country club membership. Snee Farm seems out of our price range, but maybe we could find a house that's "livable" but needs work and do the work over time. Worries me though, as we would only be able to afford cosmetic work, not structural work or big things like plumbing, roof, electric, foundation, etc.
And here's a website with Snee Farm homes for sale - there's a few in your price range. Did you ride around New Charlestowne when you were in Snee Farm? Cute houses in the old Charleston 'style', but pretty close together. It's a nice little neighborhood.
I know that there is Seaside Farms Shops right across the street from Sweetgrass with a grocery store - not sure about a pharmacy.
Can anyone tell me the nearest grocery store and pharmacy to Brickyard, Ivy Hall and Snee Farm?
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