The Elegant Augusta Real Estate Blog

Caroline Ashe Your Source in Augusta, GA Real Estate May 31st, 2007

• Riparian rights - The right of a landowner to use the water on, under, or adjacent to his land. Also known as aquatic rights or water rights.

For the homeowner that has a home that borders a river, riparian rights gives the homeowner the right to use the water as they see fit – unless it harms owners downstream. Whether your ownership stops at the river line or to the center of the river is determined by the navigability of the waterway. If the waterway is navigable, ownership stops at the high water mark. If the water is not navigable, then ownership extends to the centerline of the river or stream. Unfortunately there is some debate at to how navigibility is defined, but the official definition is waters that can afford a channel for useful commerce.

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Caroline Ashe Your Source in Augusta, GA Real Estate May 30th, 2007

This week I decided to write about one of my favorite neighborhoods in North Augusta- Palmetto Place!Geographically, Palmetto Place rests in the ‘Vee’ created by Ascauga and Sudlow Lake Roads. This area is out of the city limits of North Augusta; and even though it is in Aiken County, it is on the extreme north-western edge. Edgefield County is only 5 minutes away.

That brings us to a unique advantage of this community. Situated barely a half mile from Ascauga Lake Road, 2 miles to Highway 25 and Interstate 20, 3 miles from Highway 1, and soon to be less than 2 miles from Bobby Jones, this neighborhood offers ideal access to all points of the CSRA in moments. As such, residents of Palmetto Place work in many varied places: the hospitals of Augusta, the shops of Aiken, the rural areas of Edgefield, and the factories of South Augusta.

A bird’s eye view of Palmetto Place showing it’s proximity to Ascauga and Sudlow Lake Roads.

There are only two roads in this small neighborhood: Maplewood Drive which circles around on itself, and Red Maple Court, which ends in a small cul-de-sac. There are approximately 85 houses in Palmetto Place.

Palmetto Place is located just north of the Horse Creek Valley area, which is characterized by spring-fed ponds. In the immediate vicinity of the neighborhood are no fewer than six ponds. The community itself is closed in by ponds on 3 sides – so it’s not going to get much bigger than it is now! A few houses at the back of the neighborhood have backyard access to the largest pond. There is also a community pool which is maintained by homeowners dues of $200 per year.

The neighborhood was built in multiple phases, a majority, from 15 to 10 years ago. As such, many homeowners have added features to their homes such as larger garages or workshops and privacy fences. The homes vary in price and size from around $160K to $350K; and 2000 to 3000 square feet. The lots themselves don’t get very large – usually less than an acre. Typically the interiors feature tray ceilings, garden tubs, his and her vanities, and other upscale amenities. All the homes have two car garages and in-ground sprinkler systems. The neighborhood is characterized by low turnover – only a few homes have been sold in the last year. Most have sold very quickly, except for a couple that were unfortunately priced above market.

The neighborhood is zoned for Belvedere Elementary and North Augusta Middle and High Schools.

Local attractions are many: lots of public golf courses in the area, Green Jackets baseball, North Augusta and Midland Valley High School sports, Clarks Hill Lake, shopping and dining in Augusta, equestrian activities in Aiken- you name it. It is my belief that this area will only continue to grow. One thing is for sure- you will enjoy living in this quiet and mature neighborhood.

If you wish to see all the properties available in this neighborhood, please click the link below. It is continually updated with the latest real estate available in the neighborhood: Homes for Sale in Palmetto Place.

This is one of a continuing series of profiles I am creating for popular neighborhoods. If you wish to see a profile of your neighborhood, or one you are interested in, please leave a comment and I’ll work on it!

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Caroline Ashe Your Source in Augusta, GA Real Estate May 28th, 2007

As much as I try to plan out home tours ahead of time, once in awhile it becomes uncontrollable and somehow things take a turn into the strange. Several weeks ago, I went to take a first time homebuyer out to look at homes. I had laid out a pretty solid plan of homes that were in his price range, were close to his work, and were all great homes. I just knew I had a great tour ahead!!!

So I thought.

Problem #1- I let my client follow me. Sometimes they insist for various reasons, and this one did. Generally, I am pretty good at getting to my destination, however this house was on a section of one way street and it was not a matter of going up one street and coming around. No, this street was at a diagonal and I got lost trying to get around to where I needed to be. So when I finally got oriented to where I was, it was obvious I had gone in a couple of circles and it was also obvious I was unfamiliar with the home.. (which led to problem number two).

Problem #2- Sometimes one end of the street is not as good as the other. This particular house was on a street I thought I knew pretty well. I was wrong. The end of street I was on led to a less desirable neighborhood. I had a guy beg for change and then curse me when I would not deliver. Then a ‘crazy lady’ came up to rant about the pharmacist. What pharmacist and where I have no clue- but it was important to her that we heard her complaint. Oh how we heard it…

I knew it would be a struggle to pull out of this one, but I still had some great houses to look at. I thought I still had time to save this tour. I had not yet totally tanked.

Problem #3- I get very excited when I show houses. I love real estate and houses. I love to open closets, imagine other furniture in the space, comment on what improvements can be made, and generally look at the house as if I were going to buy it. You may be thinking ‘that doesn’t sound so bad,’ until you see me giggle with delight, coo at something cute, rumple my nose at something I hate or any other reaction that you had not bargained for. I got so excited with a couple of the homes and a couple of times I saw him look at me like I was a complete loon. The more I tried to turn off my excitement the more the inner dork came out. I tried to hide it but it was too late…I was a chatty excited dork! AAAGGGHH!

Problem #4- The very last house we looked at was my piece de resistance. I had saved the best home for last. My chance to save the tour right?

Wrong.

I was given the wrong home alarm code. This led to me setting off the alarm not once, but twice! What a disaster! We previewed the home as the alarm blared, which woke up every dog in a 10 mile radius, made the neighbors come out and stare, and generally made the viewing miserable. My one saving grace was that it did not notify the police. I am pretty sure if a cop had shown up that that would have been the topper to my shame.

Problem #5- I tried to recover. I knew in my heart that he thought I was weirdo, however my brain said I still had a chance. Before he scurried into his car to escape me, I said, “Please call me I would love to show you more homes.” My speech should have ended there but it did not. No, I went on for about five or six more minutes in the blazing sun. I tried to stop- but I just could not help myself.

Everyone who knows me knows that my heart is always in the right place. I love showing homes and I especially love the satisfaction of helping someone find their first home. Sometimes though, between me getting excited and Mr. Murphy stepping in, things just go bad.

The good news is that there is a first time homebuyer out there that will always remember his first trip out to look for his new home.

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Caroline Ashe Your Source in Augusta, GA Real Estate May 24th, 2007

Have you ever wondered how many homes are for sale in our area? Here are the stats….

• Total Active homes: 3,718
• Homes pending and under contract: 1,196
• Homes sold (last 30 days): 610

• Active in Richmond County: 1,507
• Active in Columbia County: 1,241
• Active in Aiken County: 526

(The City of Aiken has their own MLS and their numbers are not represented here.)

I don’t know about the rest of the country, however the Augusta Real Estate market is still very active!!!

(Numbers were collected on May 23rd at 5:10 p.m.)

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Lydias Assistant May 23rd, 2007

Tycoon Ron Baron has signed a contract to purchase a $100 million dollar oceanfront estate in the Hamptons. The property is located next to…Ron Baron’s other estate in the Hamptons. The 40-acres of oceanfront property is being sold to Ron by Adelaide De Menil Carpenter, who is an heir to the Schlumberger oil fortune.

The real estate sale, expected to close in June, will break 3 records:

• Highest priced real estate transaction in the Hamptons ($45 million for a property in Wainscott.)
• Highest priced real estate transaction in the state of New York (a $53 million dollar townhouse located in the fashionable Upper East Side of New York City)
• Most expensive real estate transaction in the United States (previously $70 million for a Palm Beach Florida property)

When Ron Baron was asked about the fictional ‘real estate bubble’ so frequently referred to in the mainstream media, he replied, “Bollocks and poppycock on rye! I read the Elegant Augusta Real Estate Blog. The bubble is a myth I say!”

(Ok, we made that last part up)

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Caroline Ashe Your Source in Augusta, GA Real Estate May 23rd, 2007

I have written several articles, and given quite a bit of advice, on the popular question of “Does (you fill in the blank) add value to my home?” The real answer to that question lies in the phrase Keeping up with the neighbors…

The first step to determining if something is a good improvement to add value to your home is knowing what your neighbors have done to their home. If several of your neighbors have a large rear decks on their home and you do not, that might be an excellent home improvement that would add value to your house.

The second consideration is knowing the level of finish that is appropriate for your home. If you live in a home that is valued under 100 thousand dollars, granite counter tops, gold plated fixtures, and marble bath tubs would be examples of improvements that do not add home value.

In summary, unless you are adding the improvement strictly for your enjoyment, stay within the confines of improvements that make your home equivalent to your neighbors’ homes. You want to have the second nicest home in the neighborhood, not the first. Don’t over do it!

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