Welcome to Seafood Paradise!

We all choose to live here for a variety of reasons. The Lowcountry delivers on many levels: a healthy and stable economy, great scenery, wonderful weather, rich history and, for those of us who love to eat, a fantastic variety of local foods. While the trend to consume locally grown and harvested foods is relatively new, in Charleston, we’ve been enjoying the fruits of the sea for generations. To help you in your quest for enjoying the best our area has to offer, we’ve compiled our list of favorite dishes from our local restaurants. You won’t want to read this on an empty stomach – seriously!

Charleston – Favorite Seafood Dishes


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hanks’ Seafood
Not to play favorites, but we really, really like almost everything on the menu at this downtown establishment. From their raw bar offering to plentiful seafood platters, Hank’s offers up the real deal in seafood. Here are a couple favorite dishes:

Pan Seared Sea Scallops, Shiitake Mushrooms, Seasonal Greens, Fried Mashed   Potatoes, Ginger Lime Coriander Vinaigrette
Seafood al a Wando, Sautéed Shrimp Scallops and Fish deglazed with Sherry finished     with Crabmeat, Button Mushrooms and Scallion in a Shellfish Saffron Cream Sauce     Served with Fried Grit Cakes
Roast Grouper, Pea and Lobster Risotto with Shrimp Basil Butter Jus

The Boathouse at Breach Inlet
Everyone enjoys the famous “Fishboard” at The Boathouse. Talk about choices! They offer a variety of fish, prepared in a variety of styles but go with the fresh local fish of the day (always changing) and have it grilled – always a taste treat! This restaurant has a wonderful nautical ambiance and a cool, open air, 2nd Floor Bar, called the Crow Bar, where you are highly likely to spot dolphin swimming in Breach Inlet.

The Fishboard

Choose a Fish: Yellowfin Tuna, Local Mako, Local Snapper, Golden Tilefish, etc.
Choose Style of Preparation:
• Simply Grilled with Choice of Sauce:
Tarragon Cream Sauce, Sun Dried Tomato Vinaigrette, Dijon Glaze,
Lemon Basil Aioli
• Sesame Seared with Hoisin Glaze
• Blackened with Tomato Relish
• Simply Fried
• Thyme Roasted

Gilligan’s at The Dock
Looking for a more “down home” approach to your seafood? Classic Carolina seafood is deep-fried and served with hushpuppies. Gilligan’s waterside location delivers the goods along with great atmosphere! Arrive by boat or by wheeled vehicle to this casual eatery located on the Tailrace Canal. Try one of these delicious plates:

Seafood Combo  
Choose two separate items: shrimp, flounder, oysters, popcorn shrimp,
clam strips, or crabcake.

Fried Shrimp Dinner
A plentiful plate of hand breaded, lightly fried shrimp.

Hushpuppies are served with all meals and all entrees come with your choice
of two sides.

Prefer to stay home and don your chef’s hat to whip up a fresh seafood meal? Goose Creek locals swear by Anthony’s as THE place to buy super fresh seafood. Call ahead to ask what’s flopped fresh off the boat and then work your magic on one our area’s bountiful seafood selections. Bon Appetite!

Anthony’s Seafood
525 Red Bank Rd, Goose Creek, SC 29445
(843) 553-0060

Revisit the Joys of Historic Downtown Charleston

As a resident of Charleston, surely you’ve enjoyed one of our city’s iconic carriage tours. Rolling along at a stately pace through the old city’s historic streets, listening to the rhythmic clip clop of horse hooves is a rite of passage that every visitor and local must experience. Many of us have enjoyed taking these tours multiple times – there is, after all, so much to see downtown.

In fact, there is so much to see, at one point it dawned upon me that I should, literally, hop off the carriage and take a walk around the place. A handful of tour companies decided a few years back that walking tours would be a great way to see the nooks and crannies of the city, such as the many alley ways and hidden gardens, inaccessible to carriage riders.  If stretching your legs out exploring our historic city is right up “your alley”, we can highly recommend a tour that is run by Charleston Strolls. Their walking tour last 2 hours and departs from Mills House Hotel at 115 Meeting Street twice daily (10am and 2pm) 365 days a year.  Tickets price are $20/Adults, $10/Children (7-12) and FREE for kids 6 and under. Best of all, the tour guides are entertaining and knowledgeable!

Some highlights of their tour:
Tour where carriages and motor coaches are not allowed as you take a fascinating stroll with stories and traditions revealing Charleston’s rich history and colorful past.  This two hour tour through America’s most charming historical district is sure to be the highlight of your visit.

Stops on your tour include:
Rainbow Row
Historic Waterfront Battery
Antebellum Mansions
A visual tour of Fort Sumter
Hidden Gardens & Courtyards
Historic Churches & Graveyards
The Revolutionary and Civil War

Visit their website at www.CharlestonStrolls.com to read more and to order tickets online.

Charleston Area Farmer’s Markets

Our local farmer’s seeds have taken sprout and are now ready for your table! We’ve compiled a list of local farmer’s markets where you can stock up on the freshest fruits and veggies straight from the source.

Charleston Area Farmer’s Markets

Awendaw Farmers and Fresh Seafood Market
6971 Doar Rd, Awendaw, SC (Town Hall)
2nd Saturday of the month only, 9:00 – Noon

Charleston Farmer’s Market
Marion Square (King St. @ Calhoun St)
Saturdays, 8am-2pm

Cross Community Center’s Farmers Market
1690 Old Hwy. 6, Cross, SC 29436
Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday from 8:30 am – 11:30 am
Days/Hours will vary according to crop production
Call Community Center for info at 843-753-2196

Daniel Island Farmers Market
Island Park Dr., (across from the Publix Shopping Center)
Thursday, from 4 pm until dusk

Freshfields Village Farmers Market
149 Village Green Lane, Johns Island, SC  (Crossroads of Kiawah, Seabrook, and Johns Island)
Mondays,  4pm – 8pm

Goose Creek Farmer’s Market – City of Goose Creek
519 North Goose Creek Blvd. (Goose Creek Community Center by City Hall)
Thursdays, 3pm -6pm, May 6-September 30

Goose Creek Farmer’s Market
150 Howe Hall Rd., Goose Creek, SC
Saturday 8:00 am – 2:00 pm

Moncks Corner Farmers Market
Gulledge Street at Heatley Street, Moncks Corner, SC
Saturdays, 8am – 2pm

Mt. Pleasant Farmer’s Market
645 Coleman Boulevard (adjacent to Moultrie Middle School)
Tuesdays, 3:30pm – ‘til dusk

North Charleston Farmer’s Market
Park Circle’s Felix C. Davis Community Center
Thursdays between 12noon-7pm

Stono Farm Market/Ambrose Farm Store
842 Main Road, Johns Island, SC
Monday-Friday, 9 am-6 pm and Saturday, 9 am-5 pm.

Summerville Farmers Market
218 S. Main Street (First Citizens Bank parking lot)
Saturday from 8 am-1 pm

Drew Sineath & Associates’ New DSA PERKS PROGRAM

Drew Sineath & Associates would like to thank all of our loyal clients for the pleasure of their business and the confidence in us to recommend DSA to their friends and family.

We thought it was about time you get rewarded for your loyalty to DSA. For every referral you send us, you will have your name entered into a monthly drawing for a chance to win an assortment of prizes such as gift cards, goodie bags, and more. See below for full contest details:

Contest Rules:

1. Only one entry into drawing for every referral received from 1st of the month to last day of month

2. Drawings shall take place on or before the 5th of every month. Winner will be notified via phone call and email. Plus announced in our Up The Creek ENewsletter. Winner will be asked to pick up prize at our office no later than 5 business days after notification.

3. Past Clients of Drew Sineath & Associates (having bought or sold property as a client of Drew Sineath or Drew Sineath & Associates) will be able to refer themselves for new transactions during contest.

4. All referrals must be emailed to drew@drewsineath.com with the following information:

- First and Last Name

- Phone Number and/or email address

- Type of transaction, buyer, seller, or both.

- Property address for all seller referrals

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Good Luck and Have Fun!!

Be Careful of Real Estate and Rental Scams on Craigslist

Be careful, it has happened to some of Drew Sineath and Associates’ listings and it has become even more widespread. Scammers are listing homes currently on the market for sale as rentals on Craigslist.com. As the summer months and prime rental season approaches you need to be extra cautious about looking for rentals online. DON’T give any personal information or make a deposit to anyone over the phone or through the mail without doing a little more homework. Something as simple as driving by the home to look for signage can save you from this scam.

Click here to read a related story.

Charleston SC Mayor Launches New Lighten Up Program tp Help Community Lose 100,000 Pounds

Lighten Up Charleston was introduced by Riley and members of the community steering committee on last Monday at the Charleston Maritime Center. The mission of the group is to help members of the community lose a collective 100,000 pounds and to be recognized as the healthiest city in the southeastern U.S. by the end of the program’s first year.

“Over the past 30 years, America has experienced a dramatic rise in the incidence of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease, including hypertension,” Riley said. “Medical care sustains people suffering with these health problems but cannot cure them. As a result, medical care costs have accelerated but health status has deteriorated. Many of these health problems are due to lifestyle choices, primarily inadequate nutrition and physical inactivity.

“This situation takes a heavy toll on our children and senior population,” he added.

The initiative partners the city’s steering committee with MUSC, Roper St. Francis, the College of Charleston, the Citadel, Charleston County School District, Benefitfocus and S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control Region 7.

“Community health and wellness is the next frontier in medicine, and data has shown that success in weight loss depends on not just the individual but groups and the community,” said Dr. Marcus Newberry, one of the co-chairmen for Lighten Up Charleston. “This project is my number one priority because of its importance to the future of our population.”

An interactive website, www.lightenupcharleston.org, allows people to find programs in the community to get healthy, track progress and learn ways to lose weight. People can log in and report their weight loss, create a group, tell their stories or seek help from the many partners.

Article provided by Charleston Regional Business Journal

Change to Property Tax Law Stimulates Some Real Estate Deals

Article provided by The Post and Courier

Large commercial real estate deals are already benefiting from changes to South Carolina’s property tax laws approved in 2011, while the impact on second-home sales has been limited.

“The projects that we have on the drawing board wouldn’t be on the drawing board” if the law hadn’t changed, said John Darby, president of The Beach Co., which has several large projects under way.

 

Extra Photos

  • Site preparation work is under way for Middle Street Partners’ 270-unit apartment complex in Mount Pleasant.
  • Site preparation work is under way for Middle Street Partners’ 270-unit apartment complex in Mount Pleasant.
  • The Beach Co. broke ground last week for construction of The Boulevard, a roughly $40 million mixed-use project on Mount Pleasant’s Coleman Boulevard shown here in a rendering provided by the company. The 370-apartment and business complex may not have been possible, according to The Beach Co., without the changes in property tax regulations approved last year in South Carolina.
  • The Beach Co. broke ground last week for construction of The Boulevard, a roughly $40 million mixed-use project on Mount Pleasant’s Coleman Boulevard shown here in a rendering provided by the company. The 370-apartment and business complex may not have been possible, according to The Beach Co., without the changes in property tax regulations approved last year in South Carolina.
 
 

How did the tax law change?

Under the old rules created by Act 388, the South Carolina Real Property Valuation Reform Act of 2006, properties in South Carolina are reassessed when there is an “assessable transfer of interest,” which is usually a change in ownership due to a sale. This is known as a point-of-sale reassessment, and it can cause large increases in property tax bills.
Last year, the General Assembly changed those rules to create a discount for commercial properties, including rental properties and second homes. The way it works is the property is still reassessed if there’s a transfer of interest, but then the new value is discounted by 25 percent if the owner applies for the “commercial exemption.”
The discounted assessment cannot be lower than the assessment prior to the sale or transfer. The way the math works out, a property’s value would have to gain more than 33 percent to trigger a tax increase related to a sale.
For example, if a $1 million property were sold for up to $1.33 million, and then the new value was discounted by the 25 percent exemption, the assessment would go back down to $1 million.

The tax changes created an exemption for commercial properties, a category that includes second homes, that greatly reduces property tax increases that can kick in when properties change hands.

The practice of reassessing a property’s value when there’s a change in ownership, commonly called “point of sale,” has been a thorn in the side of the real estate industry since it began in 2007.

Happy Easter Goose Creek SC!

Local Easter Services and Places of Worship in Goose Creek SC:

Northwood Church at Carnes

2600 N Main Street in Summerville SC

843-797-2885

www.nwclife.com

Two Services at 9:00 am and 11:00 am

Offerings for the kids: Rainbow Row (infants – 4 years) and Kid’s Town (grades k4-5th) and Shift (middle school)

Metro North Church

109 Central Ave Goose Creek SC

843-764-0873

www.metronorthpca.org

Worship Service at 10 am.

 Sonrise Christian Church

102 Myers Rd Summerville SC  

843-821-1961

http://sonrisechristianonline.com/Welcome

Sunday School for all ages – 9:40-10:30am

 Worship Celebration Service – 10:45am

     *Jr. Church – 1st-5th graders *Dismissed after communion (Optional)

First Baptist Church – Goose CreekSouth Carolina

www.firstbaptistgoosecreek.com/ -

  141 Saint James Ave, Goose Creek
(843) 553-0402
 

Crowfield Baptist Church

crowfieldbaptist.org/Similar

  100 Hunters Lane, Goose Creek
(843) 569-6745
 

Harbour Lake Baptist Church

www.harbourlakebaptist.org/Similar

  1056 Red Bank Road, Goose Creek
(843) 797-2982
 

St Timothy Lutheran Church

www.sainttimothylutheran.org/Similar

  200 South Goose Creek Boulevard, Goose Creek
(843) 553-4175
 

New Life Baptist Church

  111 Old Moncks Corner Road, Goose Creek
(843) 553-8328
 

Calvary Church of the Nazarene

www.charlestoncalvary.org/Similar

  541 Red Bank Road, Goose Creek
(843) 553-2902

 Easter Weekend Activities at Middleton Place

Easter weekend activities at Middleton Place have expanded beginning with Easter Eggstravaganza, an eco-friendly holiday celebration on Saturday, April 7th from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Among other activities, the event includes egg hunts and colonial games with hand-crafted clay eggs made by the Stableyards potter as “prize” eggs.

Middleton Place
843.266.7477

www.middletonplace.org

Easter Egg Hunt – Isle of Palms

Saturday, April 7th at 10:00am SHARP

Come visit with the Easter Bunny and participate in the largest Easter Egg Hunt on the Isle of Palms. Easter Egg hunt with four different age divisions. Jump Castles, live entertainment, pony rides, free candy and so much more! Fun for the whole family! FREE! Everyone is welcome.

Isle of Palms SC

886-8294

http://www.iop.net/departments/recreation_youth_easteregghunt.aspx

Easter Sunday Brunch

Grill 225, Market Pavilion Hotel; 723-0500

Halls Chop House Sunday Gospel Brunch; 727-0190

Leaf; 793-2230

Palmetto Cafe, Charleston Place Hotel; 722-4900

Poogan’s Porch; 577-2327

Slightly North of Broad (S.N.O.B.); 723-3424

Swamp Fox Restaurant, Francis Marion Hotel; 724-8888

 

 

 

 

 

On Saturday, April 7, 2012, Freedom Church is inviting the community to attend “The Big Ol’ Easter Egg Hunt”.  At 11:00 am a helicopter will fly overhead dropping thousands of plastic eggs from the sky leaving twenty-thousand  easter eggs on the grassy field at Foxbank Plantation. This is a FREE community event for families with children ages 12 and under. Before the egg drop we will have inflatables, vendors, live music, and other fun activities! We look forward to seeing you in April!

Just Listed in Indigo Palms of North Charleston: Nice Large Home on Cul-De-Sac with Wooden Lot!

8526 Sentry Cir

North Charleston, SC 29420 | Dorchester County

$250,000

Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420

8526 Sentry Cir

Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Photo of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420 Virtual Tour of 8526 Sentry Cir, North Charleston, SC 29420

MLS #

1207647

Bedrooms

4

Full Baths

3.5

SQ.FT.

2586

Acreage

0.230000

Year Built

2010

Subdivision

Indigo Palms

Elem School

Windsor Hill

High School

Ft Dorchester

Middle School

River Oaks

 

Wow! Like new construction without the wait! Indigo Palms subdivision in desirable Dorchester II school district, close to shopping and other conveniences. This is Crescent Homes Mannington floor plan. The home features 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths and a 2-car garage. Also featured are upgraded stainless steel appliances, upgraded 42″ cabinets, granite counters, tile back splash in the kitchen as well as a separate eat-in area. This floor plan is great for hosting get togethers. A formal dining room with crown and picture molding as well as a large, open family room with an awesome study off the family room that will make a great office. Large master bedroom with a smooth tray ceiling. Great laundry room with lots of storage. Amazing bonus room and an attached full bathroom will be great for guests. Some hardwood floors, tile floors in all bathrooms and laundry! You will enjoy evening BBQs in the backyard as the lot backs up to a wooded area. There is also a screen porch.

April is National Fair Housing Month

As a REALTOR (R) Fair Housing is very important to ensure the integrity of our industry and I am proud to show my support for the National Fair Housing Month.

Click here to read a Fair Housing Publication from the National Board of REALTORS(R). 

 What’s New in Fair Housing?

Video:
Watch Trying Too Hard to Help: Fair Housing and Unintentional Discrimination

April is Fair Housing Month

April 2012 marks the 44th anniversary of the 1968 landmark Fair Housing Act. Each year REALTORS® recognize the significance of this event and reconfirm our commitment to upholding fair housing law as well as our commitment to offering equal professional service to all in their search for real property