Author: BHW Manager

Community Spotlight: The Parks of Carolina Forest

The Parks of Carolina Forest are located off of Carolina Forest Blvd between the city of Myrtle Beach and Conway in South Carolina. The Parks is a brand new community offered by the builder DR Horton. Building in this community has just gotten started and will have about 800 homes in 17 phases to be built over the next several years. The schools for this community are Ocean Bay Elementary, Ten Oaks Middle School and Carolina Forest High School. The community is conveniently located within a 15 minute drive to the beach. The homes in this community will be a mix of single family homes and multi-family duplexes or “duets”.

The Parks Amenities

This community is so new that several of the amenities are still under construction. Among the planned amenities you’ll find a resort style pool with zero entry section, sunshield and funbrellas, a clubhouse with a fitness center, kid’s playground, lazy river, fire pit, boardwalk, picnic and grilling facilities, hot tubs and water volleyball. The amenities complex borders a large lake with a dining patio overlooking the water. There will be activity areas for bocce ball, pickle ball and corn hole. The amenities complex will also feature a relaxing hammock garden, pebble pond and walking trails throughout the community.

The Parks Homes

DR Horton plans to offer as many as 25 floor plans with customizable options for flooring, counters and more. The Parks of Carolina Forest is a natural gas community and will be constructed in 17 phases over the next several years. Homes vary from 3 bedroom to 7 bedroom floor plans and have 2 or 3 car garages. There are an estimated 800 homesites in the community including single family homes and multi-family duplexes (also called duos and duets). The duplexes will occupy a special area in the community called The Townes at The Parks of Carolina Forest. In general, prices start around $250,000 and extend up over $500,000 depending on floor plan and lot size selected.

The Parks at Carolina Forest is a super new build community in the Carolina Forest area. Like all homes, it’s important to have newly built homes inspected thoroughly for any issues the builder might have missed or any defects the home might have. Being newly built doesn’t mean there aren’t any mistakes so when you’re ready to have your new home in The Parks inspected, call Bridgewater Home Watch at 843.903.HOME (4663). We also include an infrared thermal scan of the home as part of your inspection at no extra cost to you!

Home Renovations That Can Hurt Your Home Value

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder is especially true when it comes to real estate. Just because you prefer a certain look or upgrade, doesn’t mean a buyer will feel the same way. Here are some of the top home renovations that can hurt your home value.

1. Wallpaper – With the textures and patterns available, wallpaper is a huge gamble. Wallpaper can easily overwhelm a room and a buyer. It also takes away from the “blank canvas” recommendation that allows buyers to envision themselves living in your home. Few things scream personal taste quite like wallpaper. Also, wallpaper is notorious for being hard to remove. Buyers might steer clear of what they perceive to be a potentially difficult upgrade they’d have to make.

2. Bright and Bold Paint Colors – Similar to wallpaper, bright and bold paint colors take away from the blank canvas buyers need to be able to envision themselves living in the home. Repaint with neutrals before listing your home if you have bold and bright paint colors in your home. Let the buyers choose where they want to put color.

3. Combining Bedrooms – Knocking down walls to combine two or more bedrooms into one large room will nearly always hurt your home value. Buyers, particularly buyers with families, prefer more bedrooms – even if they’re small. When it comes time to sell, that one big room will cost you as each bedroom adds as much as 15% to your home’s value. Eliminating a bedroom is a home renovation that can hurt your home value.

4. Fancy Light Fixtures – Lighting trends change quickly and what looked lavish and high-end a few years ago looks dated and old today. Plus fancy and lavish light fixtures can be harder to clean. Not the look you want to show buyers.

5. Unusual Tile Choices – Choosing a textured tile or unusual tile choices or installation patterns can detract from your home’s value. While that black and white checkered tile pattern might look fun to you, a buyer would likely see that as an update they would need to make to the home. The more updates they believe they’ll have to make, the less likely they are to buy the home. Unusual tile choices also work against the blank canvas recommendation.

While there are a number of home renovations that can hurt your home value, these five are some of the most common. Choosing patterns or bold colors for walls or floors can and usually does backfire. Combining two or more rooms into one large room lowers the number of bedrooms available in your home. Dated lighting can look more funky than fancy. The best thing to do is to follow the blank canvas recommendation from the real estate industry and make your home as much of a blank canvas as possible to allow the buyer to envision themselves living in the home.

Community Spotlight: Kingston Plantation

Kingston Plantation is made up of several condo and townhome communities in Myrtle Beach. Kingston Plantation has a British flair and was developed by a group from England who envisioned a set of communities that resembled Winston Churchill’s estate. There are a variety of condos, villas and townhomes to choose from in the many Kingston Plantation communities, though they do have an unmistakable low country style more than a British style. Let’s learn more about Kingston Plantation.

Kingston Plantation Amenities

If you’re looking for amenities, Kingston Plantation is the place to be. Just take a look at all of the great amenities available to the communities within Kingston Plantation:

  • Beach access
  • 20 acres of ponds and lakes stocked with fish
  • 15 swimming pools (some are private)
  • The Splash Pool Complex waterpark with waterslides, kiddie pools and a lazy river
  • The 72-par Championship Arrowhead Golf Course
  • Walking trails
  • Fitness and exercise complex
  • Free summer activity programs for kids (might be affected by Covid)
  • Oceanfront tower pools with private cabana rentals, TVs and internet access
  • Two Outdoor snack bars
  • Three Lounges/bars
  • Two Fine dining restaurants
  • Access to all of the amenities available at The Embassy Suites and The Hilton

Kingston Plantation Homes

There are a wide variety of condos, villas and townhomes available in the many communities of Kingston Plantation. Many of these communities have their own private pool or special features that set them apart from the other styles and offerings in the other communities. Let’s take a look!

Canterbury Court Villas – Townhomes with garages, screened porches and jacuzzi tubs
Cumberland Terrace Condos – 2 bedroom units with spacious lofts
Gloucester On the Point Condos – The largest condos, 2 story, lakefront location and just steps from the beach
Gloucester Terrace Condos – 2-3 bedroom floor plans with high ceilings, sunroom and patio
Richmond Park Villas – Wrapped around Arrowhead Lake and offers 1-3 bedroom floor plans
St. James Park Villas – 1-3 bedroom condos situated between two lakes and offers outdoor storage and carports
West Hyde Park Villas – 1-3 bedroom villas surrounded by large live oaks and featuring wood-burning fireplaces
Windemere By the Sea at Kingston – 2-4 bedroom condos on a lake featuring jacuzzi tubs and a private community pool
Windsor Court Villas – 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom units featured screened porches and jacuzzi tubs

There are two Lodge style condo facilities on the shores of Lake Arrowhead and centrally located to all of the amenities called Arrowhead Court Lodge and Laurel Court Lodge.

Kingston Plantation also features four oceanfront high-rise condo towers: The Brighton Tower at Kingston, The Margate Tower at Kingston, North & South Hampton at Kingston and Kingston Royale Palms Resort. These towers feature large condo units overlooking the ocean and each is over 20 stories tall.

When you are ready to buy your new home in Kingston Plantation, you might have a variety of different units and features to choose from. No matter which community in Kingston Plantation you choose, Bridgewater Home Watch is your premium choice home inspector. We always include an infrared scan of your new condo, villa or townhome at no extra cost to you. When you’re ready to schedule your home inspection in Kingston Plantation, give us a call at 843.903.HOME (4663)!

Top 7 Tips for Selling Your Home Fast

When you have decided to sell your home, selling quickly is key to getting the most bang for your buck. Homes that linger on the market often have to reduce the asking price in order to sell. Here are 7 tips for selling your home fast.

1. Declutter – Clutter makes your home feel smaller than it is. Remove the clutter and you increase the perceived space in the home.

2. Use exceptional photos – The photos on your listing are the buyer’s first time seeing your home and your home’s first impression. Make sure its a good first impression with outstanding photos. Your agent should have a professional they recommend for listing photos if needed.

3. Hire professional cleaners – Your home should be exceptionally clean for showings. Hire a professional cleaning service to do a deep cleaning through the entire house, getting every nook and cranny so you can be confident your home is as clean as possible.

4. Care for your landscaping – Your landscaping and curb appeal is your home’s second chance to make a first impression. Make sure it’s the best first impression possible by taking good care of your landscaping. Just like with cleaning, consider hiring a professional landscaping company to come out and care for your yard so it looks wonderful for showings.

5. Update the kitchen – Kitchens and bathrooms are a huge factor in selling your home. Their importance cannot be overstated. Replacing an old appliance or getting fresh new countertops can make a huge difference in selling your home fast. What money you do put in for kitchen updates will likely be more than recouped in a higher asking price and sales price for your home.

6. Tackle odors – Nothing sends buyers out the door faster than odors. Whether from trash or pet odors, stinky homes don’t sell. You want to make sure to take trash out before showings and deep clean pet areas frequently to keep pet odors at bay. It’s also a good idea to take Fido with you when you leave for showings as he can smell too.

7. Get organized – Know that buyers are going to open every closet, every drawer, every cabinet and the garage. There is no place to hide clutter from buyers so make sure all of those areas are clean and organized because buyers will see them.

These 7 tips for selling your home fast are the key to a quick home sale. The last thing you want is for your home to linger on the market costing you additional mortgage payments while the home is listed and possibly forcing you into lowering your asking price. Taking care of these 7 items will help you sell with lightning speed.

Community Spotlight: Clear Pond at Myrtle Beach National

The community of Clear Pond at Myrtle Beach National is situated on the outer edge of Carolina Forest before you enter Conway. There are several builders in this new home community to choose from. Aside from the amenities, the area is close to Highway 501 and a quick trip to shopping, golf, the beach and area attractions. The school system is the top-rated Carolina Forest schools, specifically Carolina Forest Elementary, Ten Oaks Middle School and Carolina Forest High School. Let’s take a closer look at this popular new construction community.

Clear Pond Amenities

The amenities at Clear Pond include two luxurious community swimming pools, barbeque area, fitness room, clubhouse and playground. The community also has walking trails and a number of lakes throughout. HOA dues are affordable. Clear Pond is also a natural gas community. Many of the homes have lake views, golf course views of Myrtle Beach National or woodland views.

Homes in Clear Pond

A number of builders have contributed to the construction of the Clear Pond community. The development was started by Lennar homes in the early 2000’s. Mungo Homes and R. S. Parker also built out phases in the community. The current active builders in the community include H & H Homes, Centex Homes and Toll Brothers/Sabal Homes.

H & H Homes
H & H Homes offers eight floor plans ranging from 1,640 square feet to nearly 3,000 square feet. Home plans include from two to five bedrooms and two to three bathrooms. Prices start in the $230,000’s.

Centex Homes
Centex Homes offers seven floor plans to choose from with sizes ranging from 1,588 square feet to nearly 3,000 square feet. Home designs include from three to five bedrooms and two to three bathrooms. Prices start from $242,000 to $285,000 and go up from there.

Toll Brothers/Sabal Homes
Sabal Homes has 11 home designs to choose from, ranging from 1,670 square feet to 3,632 square feet. The floor plans offer from three to six bedrooms and from two to four bathrooms. Prices start from $241,000 to $339,000 and go up from there.

No matter which builder you choose in Clear Pond at Myrtle Beach National, Bridgewater Home Watch is your preferred home inspection provider. We provide a full home inspection, including a thermal scan of the home at no additional cost to you. When you are ready to buy your Clear Pond home, call us at 843.903.HOME (4663)!