We looked for 4 years..."
Jim V
- Verified Resident (Since 2013)
And when we began our search, we knew exactly what we wanted: •To be in Charleston. •To be on (or near) the beach. •A home with quintessential, southern architectural design. •A (short) deep water dock. •A killer view. (I know, not much to ask for, right?) And so we looked, and looked, and looked… When we weren’t in Charleston touring some 5-8 houses per day, we were bogging down the internet’s bandwidth with marathon searches. We became so close with our Charleston-based realtor that we even got an invitation to his wedding. Without exaggeration, we must have seen over 70 homes. One could easily accuse us of being too picky, or indecisive. But, there was an unvoiced expectation that when we found the right house we would know it - like falling in love. And that’s exactly how it happened. Only, the house we fell in love with turned out to be nothing like what we thought we wanted. It’s not in Charleston, or near the beach. There is absolutely no “southern anything” in its design. It does have a very short, deep water dock. But, it’s the view that stole our hearts. It’s on the end of Deer Island in Islands of Beaufort (IOB) surrounded by water. As we went thru the house for the 3rd time (OK, maybe a bit indecisive), we noticed two very large birds coming up Battery Creek. What ensued was an aerial battle between an osprey and a bald eagle in which the eagle robbed the osprey of his catch – right in front of our window. It was at that moment that we knew that we had found the home we were looking for. What we didn’t know, was that we would fall equally in love with the IOB community. We really hadn’t given the community much consideration in our purchase decision, other than we were impressed with the privacy, layout and overall appearance. But, we had no idea what made IOB so special. Because, you can’t see it. It’s not the landscaping, or the architecture, or the amenities. It’s the neighbors who live here. When we arrived with the moving van, we knew no one. Not a soul. Within months, we were acquainted with everyone in the community, and close friends with many. We are now surrounded by kindred spirits, who have made the same lifestyle move from all corners of the globe, and as such have welcomed, and assisted us in making IOB our new home. The net result of which is that we have an exhaustive social life, and are doing more than we have ever imagined. I would encourage you to do exactly as we did - search to buy (or build) your dream home. Just don’t be surprised if it’s not what you thought you were looking for. And, be prepared to be surprised, if none of your well planned expectations is really what wins your hearts. Don’t get me wrong, we love our house. But, it’s the people that live here that make us love where we live. That’s the big secret about IOB…
And when we began our search, we knew exactly what we wanted: •To be in Charleston. •To be on (or near) the beach. •A home with quintessential, southern architectural design. •A (short) deep water dock. •A killer view. (I know, not much to ask for, right?) And so we looked, and looked, and looked… When we weren’t in Charleston touring some 5-8 hous ...
More ▼