Tag: Upper Peninsula

Hampton Park via Instagram user @tracimagnus

Wagener Terrace is where downtown locals love to live. Away from the bustle of the more touristy parts of downtown, Wagener Terrace is an oasis filled with wide sidewalks, Spanish moss-covered live oaks, quiet living, and friendly neighbors, the latter of which range from families to young professionals. Still on the Charleston peninsula, Wagener Terrace is biking distance to the city’s theaters, antiques, shopping, and nightlife.

photo taken by @leahsuarez

But there’s still plenty of fun to be had within walking distance inside this serene pocket of the peninsula. These are just a few of our favorite things to do in and around Wagener Terrace:

Play:  The biggest highlight to living in this area has to be the accessibility to Hampton Park, which is below Wagener Terrace in the Hampton Park Terrace neighborhood. The largest park on the peninsula, Hampton Park is 60 acres of green space where locals jog, bike, walk dogs, picnic, and play. Weddings are held in the park’s picturesque gazebo, books are read by the fountain, and there are plans for an abandoned concessions stand at the park to be restored by the neighboring Park Cafe.

photo taken by: @theparkcafechs

Eat:  Speaking of Park Cafe, the bright, airy, and simplistic Rutledge Avenue restaurant is a neighborhood favorite for quality farm-to-table food, wine, and coffee. Just up the street, you’ll find Rutledge Cab Co., another popular local eatery and bar that’s half-owned by actor and Charleston local Bill Murray and features live local music each week. Very close to Wagener Terrace and Hampton Park Terrace is a trendy new spot called NoMo, where you’ll find tons of live music and great wings at Home Team BBQ, a killer brisket at Lewis’ Barbecue, a bar menu and brunch you won’t forget at Edmund’s Oast, and duck-fat fries, taxidermy, and good times at the Tattooed Moose.

photo taken by @tattooedmoose

Drink:  Also close to Hampton Park is Moe’s Crosstown Tavern, a buzzing local dive bar with great grub and a casual, unpretentious atmosphere. For a local craft beer, head straight to Wagener Terrace’s own Cooper River Brewing Co. on Mechanic Street, where you can get anything from a glass of Nitro Stout to a growler of IPA. If you’re in the mood for the lighter stuff, check out Huriyali Gardens, a vibrant wee juice haven on Huger Street with nutrient-rich, organic foods and juices and an adjacent garden that will make you feel like you’ve stumbled upon a magical hidden gem.

photo taken by @cherry_bryd

Dance:  If you’re in the mood for a boogie, head down to the nearby Faculty Lounge on Huger Street. Not only can you find a reason to dance on weekend nights, the Faculty Lounge also features a quality cocktail menu and a chic, local vibe every single evening.

photo taken by @russelldpowell

Shop:  Locals can bike to Food Lion on King Street, the only large-scale grocery store near the neighborhood. As far as any other types of shopping — be it organic foods or clothes or antiques — there are plenty of great spots a short drive away in either the Historic District or over the Ravenel Bridge in Mt. Pleasant.

If this sounds like your kind of neighborhood, stop by the Real Estate Studio and see what adorable bungalows are for sale!

A whole heck of a lot. That’s what. The Upper Peninsula is defined as the area North of the Crosstown (Highway 17) and South of Heriot Street (basically) and includes the neighborhoods of the Westside, Hampton Park Terrace, Wagener Terrace, North Central, Longborough, Lowndes Pointe and parts of the Eastside. Home sales in this area recently have been out of this world – so much so, that I have started skulking around at homes under renovation to see if I can help my clients get a jump on them before they even come on the market.

So if you are looking for a mostly renovated, completely renovated, or a new construction home under $500,000 here, you better be ready to jump.  Here are the numbers for your statistical enjoyment.

10 homes sold in the past month.

+

22 homes on the market.

+

22 homes under contract.

EQUALS

2 months of housing inventory = Sellers Market

So you ask – what do I think is driving all this activity??

1. It’s an extra hot real estate market this year.
2. People are realizing they don’t have to cross a bridge to live in a great neighborhood at a reasonable price.  And there’s so much history!
3. Hampton Park is pretty spectacular.
4. Upper King Street is, well, moving on up.  This makes these neighborhoods just a stroll or a quick bike ride away from some of the best restaurants and shops in town.
5. Small local businesses are flocking to the area around Upper Meeting and North Morrison Drive (“NoMo” for short) for inexpensive commercial lease rates and short commutes. SIB just announced this morning that they are moving their headquarters to NoMo from Meeting St south of Calhoun St.
6. Restaurants and bars are opening here slowly but surely. Bob Carter’s Rutledge Cab Co. at the corner of Rutledge and Mount Pleasant is packed – all the time. As is Santi’s and The Tattooed Moose.
7. The schools are improving.  Not only are they being rebuilt, but also they are being rethought.  For example, the James Simons Elementary School will become partly Montessori.
8. Overall, there’s a great sense of community, with community-driven change.  People are passionate about this area and spend their time working together to improve it.

So let’s take a look at the homes under contract and how long they lasted before they had a contract. That will give you a good idea of demand for the Upper Peninsula! Note that some of them had been on and off the market for years, and as soon as they came back up recently and were priced right, they were under contract.

MLS# 1204829- 18 FRANCIS ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $209,000 – 109 Days.

1224717 -311 ST PHILIP ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $239,000 – 92 days. (This and the other St. Philip addresses are the new construction homes in the nook of the King Street off-ramp from 17)

1224796 -301 ST PHILIP ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $239,000 – 48 days.

1222925 – 75 SIMONS ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $259,000 – 145 days. (also new construction)

1224794 –  307 ST PHILIP ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $265,000 – 0 days.

1224795 –  305 ST PHILIP ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $265,000 – 20 days.

1224831 –  0 FISHBURNE ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $269,000 – 22 days. (Also part of King St off-ramp project)

1224829 – 302 ST PHILIP ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $269,000 – 1 day.

1304868 – 235 FISHBURNE ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $295,500 – 6 days. (Though it was on and off the market since July 2010)

1224792 –  309 ST PHILIP ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $299,000 – 0 days.

1224793 – 303 ST PHILIP ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $299,000 – 2 days.

1301297 –  1007 ASHLEY AVE, CHARLESTON, SC – $299,900 – 4 days. (Though on and off the market since July 2012)

1301171 –  81 GORDON ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $300,000 – 28 days.

1225650 –  203 SAINT MARGARET ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $306,900 – 90 days.

1300787 – 163 MAPLE ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $324,000 – 0 days.

1304620 –  31 DUNNEMANN AVE, CHARLESTON, SC – $369,000 – 7 days.

1304375 – 12 CLEVELAND LN, CHARLESTON, SC – $369,900 – 14 days.

1213573 –  368 ASHLEY AVE, CHARLESTON, SC – $379,000 – 250 days.

1304476 – 109 FISHBURNE ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $412,000 – 2 days.

1303548 –  101 SAINT MARGARET ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $424,000 – 21 days. (Though on and off the market since April 2010)

1303287 – 76 MAPLE ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $426,500 – 20 days.

1302095 –  176 SAN SOUCI ST, CHARLESTON, SC – $429,900 – 19 days.

And the sunset views over the Ashley River from the fishing dock at Longborough, aren’t too bad either…:)

Kristin Walker

You can find me at  Charleston Inside Out or riding my bike all over downtown Charleston.

(843) 412-3333 | kwalker@dunesproperties.com