Real Estate News

Home builder promotes "green"

Centex Corp. says construction is under way on nearly 200 energy-efficient homes in neighborhoods across the South Carolina coastal area.

The new Centex homes now in progress are projected to prevent 340 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions in just the first year of occupancy. Centex Energy Advantage is now available in all to-be-built homes in 54 neighborhoods across the Charleston, Hilton Head Island and Myrtle Beach areas.

"In today's economy, buyers are just as concerned about the home's operating price as its purchase price," says Will Cutler, division president for Centex, Coastal Carolinas division. "We can put real-time information about monthly energy costs in their hands. Reducing energy use is good for their budgets reducing emissions is good for the Lowcountry."

Charleston's first Energy Advantage home, located in Rice Field at Carolina Bay in West Ashley, is scheduled for delivery in April. Similar homes are also finishing up in the Hilton Head area and near North Myrtle Beach.

The company's Energy Advantage homes are up to 22 percent more efficient than comparable new homes built to the 2006 International Energy Conservation Code, according to Dallas-based Centex and a study commissioned with the National Association of Home Builders Research Center.

According to the center, each Centex Energy Advantage home prevents the equivalent of what the family automobile emits in greenhouse gas over four months.

Features of the Centex Energy Advantage standard package in South Carolina include an energy monitor providing real-time information about electricity usage, Whirlpool-brand Energy Star qualified appliances, Lennox high-efficiency HVAC system, programmable thermostats, energy-efficient windows, high insulation and roof decking in the attic, compact fluorescent lights in high-traffic areas and information for homeowners on energy efficiency.

Visit any Centex neighborhood sales office along the South Carolina coast for more information or visit centex.com/energyadvantage.asp.

Johns Island roads discussed

Traffic already is congested on Johns Island and is going to escalate 50 percent in the next few years, so now is the time the take steps, says a top state engineer, who addressed agents at the Carolina One Real Estate West Ashley office last week.

Paul O. Roberts, engineer and transportation consultant, talked about the proposed transportation needs and solutions for the Johns Island/Kiawah area.

The proposals were not developed just to make travel easier for the upscale residents of Kiawah and Seabrook, Roberts says, but to improve the overall transportation situation on Johns Island. He says just 12 percent of the traffic on Johns Island consists of Kiawah residents, and a large number of employees who work at the Kiawah and Seabrook resorts as well as the residents of Johns Island would be served by these changes.

In a survey, the majority of Johns Island residents say they support the changes. Roberts says he was not suggesting the addition of more lanes or the widening of River Road, Bohicket Road or other picturesque roads that make up the character of the island.

He says the island's roadways "have become increasingly more congested and dangerous. The area undoubtedly will see increased development, and we need to work toward a solution now before the land along the proposed route is developed and becomes more expensive."

Agent attends conference

Local Realtor, commercial agent and land specialist Jack Pratt recently attended the Third National Land Conference in Nashville. Pratt is with ReMax Professional Realty/Pratt & Company and specializes in investment property and land sales. The Realtors Land Institute sponsored the conference, held March 25-27. Gaylord Opryland Resort Hotel hosted the event.

Seabrook holds open house

A Real Estate open house will take place from 1 to 4 p.m. today on Seabrook Island. More than 30 homes and villas will be open and another 20 or more lots can be inspected. Maps are available at Salt Marsh Town Homes. For more information, call (843) 768-2560 or visit the Seabrook Island Real Estate Web site at www.discoverseabrook.com.

Litchfield Co. hires

Joni Floyd has joined The Litchfield Co. as a sales executive. Her responsibilities include generating sales and marketing for Litchfield Co. properties, guiding purchasing decisions for prospective buyers and assisting sellers with pricing and marketing strategies. A native of Albemarle, N.C., Floyd and her husband moved to Murrells Inlet in 2006.

"We are pleased to announce the addition of Joni to our team of dedicated sales executives," says Will Davis, sales manager of The Litchfield Co. Real Estate Sales Murrells Inlet office.

The Litchfield Co. is a leading resort real estate sales and marketing company based in Pawleys Island. For more information, visit the company's Web site at www.thelitchfieldcompany.com.

Top commercial Realtor tabbed

Chris Fraser, co-founder of one of the largest real estate firms in the area, has been named 2008 Commercial Realtor of the Year.

He was honored by the Charleston Trident Association of Realtors Commercial Investment Division. The award recognizes Fraser's involvement as a member of the local, state and national Realtor associations, as well as the community at large, according to the Charleston Realtors association.

He is a founder of Grubb & Ellis|Barkley Fraser and has been involved in the local commercial real estate industry for more than 20 years.

As president and managing principal, Fraser has leased several hundred thousand square feet of office space and developed office, hospitality and sports facilities valued at more than $100 million in the past decade.

Fraser has held his broker's license since 1985 and his CCIM designation since 1989. He served as president of Charleston Trident Association of Realtors in 1995 and was Realtor of the Year in 1994.

"Considering his broad experience in commercial real estate, his many years of service to our association, and his example of leadership in numerous public service roles, he was the natural choice to be our 2008 Commercial Realtor of the Year," says Chris Cunniffe, 2009 CID president.

In 2008, Fraser was elected to the West Ashley seat of the Charleston County School Board. He has also served as chairman of the S.C. Housing Authority, chairman of the board of directors of the Education Foundation and an executive committee member of the Charleston Metro Chamber of Commerce.