Today's college students want comforts of home

LOS ANGELES -- At apartment complexes near college campuses across the country, gym-tan-laundry is just the beginning. (full story)

Reed to manage Hampton Lake sales

Pratt Reed has been promoted to sales manager at Hampton Lake, where he will oversee residential real estate sales at the 900-acre master planned community. (full story)

Real estate briefs, Sept. 7

Gloria and Allan LaCoe have joined The Alliance Group Realty in the Fresh Market Shoppes on Hilton Head Island. The LaCoes are well-known in the local real estate community for their sales success and involvement in charitable organizations during the past decade. (full story)

Sale of historic Orange Grove Place to benefit two Lowcountry nonprofit groups

Two Lowcountry nonprofit organizations will benefit from the sale of a historic home in Walterboro, representatives from the Historic Beaufort Foundation and the Colleton County Arts Council announced this week. (full story)

Real estate notes, Sept. 7

Tech-savvy real estate agents throughout the Lowcountry find potential customers, sell homes using social media

Will posting Facebook photos of Lowcountry sunsets and tweeting local events and real estate tips make people more likely to do business with you -- and purchase a house? (full story)

Hambletons join Alliance Group Realty

Betty and Neal Hambleton have joined The Alliance Group Realty. They have more than 15 years of combined local real estate experience. (full story)

Consultants picked to design new medical center

Sustainable Design Consultants Inc. was recently selected to team with internationally known architectural firm Perkins and Will in Charlotte on the design of the new Lexington Medical Center facility on the SCANA Campus in Cayce. (full story)

Entertain in elegance: make the most of your dining room

I love to entertain by hosting dinner parties in my home. Unfortunately, with my hectic schedule, I don't get the opportunity often enough. Inviting people into your home and providing them with a relaxed evening of food and conversation is both a labor of love and a wonderful gift of hospitality. Memories are made and celebrations happen around a dining table. Although it can be daunting to cook a gourmet meal if you are not a professional chef, setting the scene for a special dinner is easier than you think. (full story)

Don't count on Internet to help you buy a home

Just like trying to diagnose a medical ailment by researching the condition online, believing everything you read on the Internet about real estate isn't a good idea, either. (full story)

Residential real estate sales heat up in greater Bluffton

This summer is hot -- for local real estate. (full story)

Real estate notes for August 7

-- Real estate companies and other organizations looking for a community service project are asked to consider sponsoring a new playground at the Bluffton Boys & Girls Club. After six years of hard use, the equipment is unsafe and needs to be replaced. Partial sponsorships for the play equipment, installation costs and ground cover also are available, according to Molly Smith, unit leader at the Bluffton club. Details: 843-757-2845 or mollyosmith@yahoo.com (full story)

A different world: Callawassie Island

As you drive over the causeway onto Callawassie Island, it's like entering a different world. Wood storks, great blue heron and snowy white egrets wade among the gold and bright green marsh grasses surrounding Chechessee Creek. On the island, the lanes are lined with crepe myrtle trees, stands of pines and ancient live oaks. This is an island with a dual nature: Callawassie is developed, yet the environment is treasured and preserved. It also has a rich history. Callawassie Island was given its name by the Yemassee Indians, who occupied the island until the 17th century. Early white settlers built a sugar mill, but the island proved to be a poor place to grow sugar cane. The tabby ruins of the sugar mill are preserved on Callawassie, but the mill's history remains a mystery. The island was also once owned by the family of Thomas Heyward, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. Over time, Callawassie was home to indigo plantations. It also became a "southern playground for the nation's industrial elite," according to a display of historical materials showcased in one of the community's two clubhouses. In 1981, the island was purchased by Chaffin & Light Real Estate, and development got under way in 1986. "The idea for development of Callawassie was to create a lifestyle," said Lindsey Cooler, director of marketing and membership. To that end, low density and high-end amenities were the goal. There is one house per 1.25 acres on the island, and while that affords a certain privacy, there is also a neighborhood feel. "The people are so friendly and involved in the community of Callawassie and the area around Callawassie," said island resident Marshall Webb. "It's quiet and safe, but not at all isolated. It's also very natural. We love the alligators, herons and turtles." The 500 houses (there's room for 200 more) on Callawassie range in price from $250,000 to $900,000 and include single-family homes, cottages and villas, some of which are second homes and are rented to vacationers. There are also many amenities on the island. They include a 27-hole Tom Fazio-designed golf course, which was recently renovated; six Har-Tru tennis courts; a fitness center; four community docks, including one with a kayak launch area; two clubhouses, each with its own pool; and clubhouse restaurants featuring casual and fine-dining. There are multiple activities and clubs available, with something for just about anyone, including bridge, gardening, book clubs, bocce, croquet and much more. The island has 11 miles of marshy and deepwater coastline, and water activities are popular, including boating, kayaking, shrimping, crabbing and fishing. Callawassie Island is surrounded by salt marshes, the Chechessee Creek, and the Okatie and Colleton rivers, with their sapphire blue waters. The natural environment is hugely important to the community. The island is one of only 15 nationally and the first area in South Carolina to earn the National Wildlife Federation's Community Wildlife Habitat certification. "Callawassie is more about nature than being manicured," said Cooler. The natural environment is one of the things that drew Sheila and Stephen Brown to buy on Callawassie Island. "It's such a special place. It's the kind of place that was created to fit into the environment, and not the other way around," said Sheila Brown. "The houses tend not to shout, but to fit into the natural surroundings." The Browns, who are from New Jersey, originally retired to Florida, but "Florida is no nirvana," said Sheila. "We wanted a warm climate and a coastal area. We looked here and fell in love. And the island is ideally situated. It's easy to get to Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head, and it's an easy 30 minutes from the (Savannah-Hilton Head International) airport. "Callawassie is understated, but elegant," she said. "It's just a lovely place to live." (full story)

Real estate notes for July 31

-- Ticket sales have begun for the 2011 Auldbrass Plantation Tour in Yemassee, which will be held November 5-6. Tickets are $85 per person; a picnic lunch at Tomotley Plantation costs $15 per person. Although Frank Lloyd Wright designed more than 1,000 projects during his career, Auldbrass is the only plantation. It's one of the largest and most complex projects he undertook, and he worked on it, off and on, from 1938 until his death in 1959. On Nov. 5 the Land Trust will host Eric Lloyd Wright (Frank Lloyd Wright's grandson) at a lecture at the USCB Performing Arts Center in Beaufort. Wine and hors d'oeuvres will be served at 6 p.m.; the lecture starts at 7 p.m. Tickets for the lecture are $50 per person. Details: The Open Land Trust office at 843-521-2175 and www.openlandtrust.org -- Cora Bett Thomas Realty & Associates has launched the new OUR WORLD/Institute 2.0 platform for its sales agents nationwide, to provide clients with additional visibility for their property. This professional social media platform allows the company's agents to share information about listings with realtors from around the country for out-of-town buyers. Also, Cora Bett Thomas Realty & Associates sales agent Catherine Hemmi-Joyce has been named a volunteer court-appointed special advocate for Chatham County. CASA volunteers complete 40 hours of training, recommendations to judges and follows through with the child until advocacy issues have been resolved. --Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners were ranked number 45 among the Top 50 Coldwell Banker affiliate offices in North America for adjusted gross commission and number 48 for units sold for the second quarter of 2011. --Dataw Island will host a benefit dinner for Citizens Opposed to Domestic Abuse from 6:30-9:30 p.m. August 1 at the Dataw Island Clubhouse. Chefs from Breakwater Bar and Grill, Maggie's Pub & Eatery, Sultus River Grill, Southern Graces, The Tooting Egret and the Dataw Island Club will prepare signature dishes served with wine. The chefs will be available to discuss the wine and food. Tickets are $40 a person and the proceeds will go to CODA. Details: Anne Brown at 838-8428. --Damon Williams, Sun City Hilton Head's assistant executive director, has achieved his landscape industry certified manager certificate from the Professional Landcare Network. This certification covers all aspects of the landscaping industry, including strategic planning, leadership, marketing, financial management and production operations and horticulture. Williams is also a certified golf course superintendent through the Golf Course Superintendent Association of America. --Beaufort resident Nate Schoen was honored as one of the top "40 Under 40" home-building professionals in the U.S. The award was announced in the June 2011 issue of Professional Builder magazine. Schoen's company is Bridgewater Consulting & Custom Builder Management Solutions. --Weichert Realtors-Apex Realty in Beaufort received the "WREA Public Relations Silver Scoop Award" in recognition of the agency's awareness of the value of communication to the public through the media. Ten franchises from the Weichert Real Estate Affiliates (WREA) network earn this honor each year. Manager Carl Joye received the award at the Weichert Homecoming. (full story)