April 30, 2022 — The Coastal Insider

The Flowers are Blooming, and the Buyers are Booming

March 8, 2023April 30, 2022 by The Coastal Insider

by Jennifer Hamilton, director of sales, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Coastal Real Estate Have you thought about selling your house? If the answer is yes, then there is no better time to put it on the market than now. Spring has always been a popular time to sell, but the continued demand for homes in our area, coupled with limited inventory, has driven home prices up even higher. Many sellers receive multiple offers, oftentimes driving the sales prices above asking price. Long gone are the days of asking 5% under asking price, negotiating with sellers to pay closing costs, with many even foregoing inspections and appraisals. With such strong activity, by the time a property sale closes, the market has already adjusted to a higher price than even recent sales suggest. Though such markets can create stress and frustration for many prospective homebuyers who frequently have to submit offers on multiple properties before they are able to secure a purchase, home sellers in our market are seeing a sizable return on their investment. So, If you have been putting your move on the back-burner, waiting for the perfect time to sell, you should know your golden window of opportunity is here and now. If you are able to get your house ready for the market quickly, here is what you can expect to see. You Should See More Buyer Activity Buyer demand is expected to remain higher than in previous years. As of March 2022, home prices had risen 16.8% since March 2021, with pending sales in our market up 6.9% and closed sales up 17.9% since this same time last year. This is a direct result of increased competition among buyers, ultimately leading to a bidding war over houses. Compound that with mortgage rates increasing to 4.67%, the highest since November 2018, and chances are good that this analysis is right. As interest rates rise, experts say buyers often hurry to make their purchase before rates climb higher. As Nadia Evangelou, senior economist and director of forecasting at the National Association of Realtors (NAR) says: “Buyers are rushing to lock in lower rates as the outlook is for even higher mortgage rates in the following months.” Your House Is Expected to Sell Quickly It’s no secret that the Grand Strand is a great place to call home. For more than ten years now, homes in our market have been selling faster every year. The popularity of our area along with a global pandemic that caused many to reevaluate their goals and life preferences bred a perfect real estate storm. Homes in our market are selling on average in less than 101 days, from listing to closing; a decrease of 22.9% compared to last March 2021. Many more buyers are looking for luxury, smart technology, and lifestyle when shopping for a home. This is evident in the 79.4% increase in closed sales for homes priced at $400,000 or higher, seeing the largest closed sales hike than any other price point. No matter what price point your home is at, I promise you there is a buyer or ten looking for it. Your House Will Be in the Spotlight Since the beginning of the year, the number of homes available for sale has been at or near record lows. As of March 2022, our entire market had a mere 1.3 month’s supply of homes for sale. A market that is competitive for buyers and sellers occurs when there is at least a 5-6 month supply of homes on the market. In our current situation, if every home that is currently on the market sold, we would run out of inventory in less than 40 days. Inventory of Homes & Condos for Sale by Price Range as of March 2022: Under $200,000…………………………………….0.9 month’s supply of homes down 79.1% Under $300,000…………………………………….1.0 month’s supply of homes down 77.3% Under $400,000…………………………………….1.9 month’s supply of homes down 67.2% Under $500,000…………………………………….2.1 month’s supply of homes down 61.8% Over $500,000…………………………………….1.3 month’s supply of homes down 63.9% If you list when inventory is low, your house will be the center of attention for many eager buyers searching to find their home. Buyers are ready to buy, now ask yourself, are you ready to sell?

Anderson Brothers Bank

March 8, 2023April 30, 2022 by The Coastal Insider

Local Banking, Local Home Lending by Melissa LaScaleia Anderson Brothers Bank is a local institution that was founded in the early 1930s, when tobacco farmers needed financing for their crop. During the recession, there wasn’t an option for farmers to secure funding, so the Anderson family offered it to them out of the back of an old tobacco warehouse in Marion County. From these humble beginnings, Anderson Brothers Bank has grown into a full service community bank with over thirty locations from North Myrtle Beach to as far south as Summerville, and inland to Florence. They carry all the products and conveniences that you’d expect from a national bank, but also offer the personalized service that can only be derived from building relationships with their clients. Just as it was almost a century ago, today, Anderson Brothers Bank is still locally owned and run by the Anderson family. The third generation team includes: David Anderson as CEO and president, Tommy Anderson as vice president, and Neal Anderson as the chairman of the board. Tim McCoy is the vice president of the mortgage banking division, a role he’s held for the past ten years of his twenty-three years working in this industry. The Anderson Brothers Bank mortgage division provides home lending services to Horry County residents and the surrounding areas, offering a variety of options designed to make home ownership as affordable as possible. “In the past ten years, I’ve seen a tremendous amount of growth in our bank in general,” Tim says. “But particularly within our mortgage department. Today we’re one of the biggest mortgage lenders in Horry County and the surrounding areas. And that growth I attribute to the vision, leadership, and commitment of David Anderson. “The Myrtle Beach metropolitan area is one of the fastest growing areas in the state and also the country, which is a contributing factor in our growth. But we also develop a lot of relationships with local real estate agents and companies, and many new relationships are built via word of mouth. We’ve developed a really good reputation as time has passed. People say they know who Anderson Brothers Bank is. And a lot of our success comes from building those relationships and that reliability.” The mortgage industry is different from regular banking in the way business is conducted— secondary markets are involved. So navigating this arena requires a skill set that’s separate from regular banking. To grow in this market, for the first five years or so, David focussed the bank’s efforts on recruiting a stellar team of loan officers, processors, and underwriters— people who have the qualifications and specializations required to be a success in their industry. “We focussed on hiring good people,” Tim says. “We did it gradually, and then put infrastructure in place so we can maintain that level of operations. Now everything is done locally, which allows us to communicate better with customers and operate more efficiently than a national bank.” “It’s also about the repoire we have with the community. They work conjointly those two things— getting the right people and the right reputation. I believe we have the right leadership in place to allow that to happen. David likes to say: ‘Whether you’re a branch manager or processing manager, run it like you own it.’ He gives us the tools we need to succeed, and wants us to take pride in what we accomplish.” That managerial style goes hand in hand with Anderson Brother’s philosophy— to be the bank where employees love to work and customers love to do business. “Nowadays, all banks are highly competitive with interest rates,” Tim says. “So when shopping around for a home mortgage loan, really the differentiator is customer service. In the past three to five years, we’ve really taken off. Today we are one of the biggest local lenders. “We are always in search of a variety of new products and finding the right products, to be as competitive in the market as possible. “I’ve also seen a switch in customer preferences— whereas previously people tended to opt for bigger banks, now they are electing to do business with community banks because they understand that we carry the same level of security and guarantees, and they really enjoy what we have to offer personally.” Anderson Brothers Bank Globe Map-marked-alt Facebook Phone

Spring is in the Air

March 8, 2023April 30, 2022 by The Coastal Insider

Fitness and healthy lifestyle concept. Female is resting and eat

Living Well Nutrition By Jen Kavanagh Many of you know that I suffer from SAD-seasonal affective depression. This winter has been particularly hard on me. And I’m not alone: I hear it every day from clients and friends too. The affliction is common, with more than 3 million cases per year in the U.S. alone. Even though nature is well on its way to progressing into the warmth of the season, there are actions you can take that will enhance the upswing in your mood. One solution to help you start feeling better is to move. Get your daily dose of vitamin D from the sun naturally with a brisk walk, jog or bike ride. It’s been shown that movement and sunshine are a powerful combination to reset your mindset and combat the blues. And on those rare days when the sun isn’t shining, it’s especially important to get outside and breathe the fresh air. Staying connected to nature in simple, small ways is an important step in countering the negative affects of SAD. Additionally, if those clothes are feeling tight because you just haven’t felt like yourself, and that funk, as so many describe it, has led to overeating or indulging in comfort food, it’s time to take control over food. Here are some tips to getting on track: 1) Establish a movement goal. Do you know how many steps you average daily? Get a smartwatch or other counting device or app so you can keep track. Measure what your current number of steps is over the course of several days to get a good average, then set a goal to increase that number by an amount that feels manageable to you. You can pick up extra steps by keeping your home more tidy, running errands on foot, even parking further away in the parking lot from your destination. Aim to gradually increase your steps every few weeks— monitoring your mood as a compass point by which you set your goal. 2) Do you exercise? If not, find something you like to do, and get started with just 20 min a day three days per week. If you already exercise but your routine is feeling a bit stale, can you add or substitute something to spruce it up and give it a fresh energy? Consider combining lifting weights with cardio, or high intensity exercise with yoga or stretching. Aim for a balance and switch it up regularly if you get bored. 3) What you eat, when you eat it, and the mindset you have when eating is so important in regulating your nervous system. Many people default into a grab-and-go takeout routine, not realizing that they’re robbing themselves of a healing opportunity in cooking at home. When you cook, you’re putting your own intentionality into the food. Cooking slows you down—it’s a grounding, nourishing activity that counters the go-go-go mentality, and eating as an afterthought or while on the run. Cooking at home puts the power and control back in your own hands— to consume what you choose in your own timing and way. If you’re new to this, start small by planning to eat just one meal a day at home several days per week. Put a positive spin on the experiment by turning grocery store runs into an opportunity to discover something delicious that you’ll love. Remember to opt for whole foods, to give your body the nutrients it needs. On the weekend, plan which days you’ll cook at home, and shop in advance for those foods so your larder is stocked. What are your health goals? If you need help establishing a weight-loss routine, call me. I can help get you started on a plan to reach your goals and stop the yo-yo dieting. Living Well Nutrition www.eatplantsloseweight.com 610-742-1093 610-742-1

Einstein’s Dog-Sitting Service, LLC & Cat-Care

March 8, 2023April 30, 2022 by The Coastal Insider

Einstein's Dog Sitting Professional Dog Walker Sitter Myrtle Beach-1204

Pets are Family Members Too by Melissa LaScaleia Cindy Bright is the owner of Einstein’s Dog-Sitting Service, LLC & Cat-Care, a pet service for people who are busy, working, or away from home and want to make sure that their pets are well cared for in their absence or while they are tending to life’s other obligations. Cindy loves the canines and pets she sits for— and works seven days a week from 7am-11pm when needed, within the geographical radius of the Myrtle Beach, Socastee, Surfside, Market Common, and Garden City areas. She offers 30, 45 and 60 minute visits for dogs, and 30 minute cat-care visits, but can create a customizable schedule, offering any combination of those times to suit her clients’ needs. “A mid-day dog walk is anytime from 11am to mid-afternoon,” Cindy says. “It includes going outside for a walk and potty break, playtime, fresh water, and a treat. I also do in-home visits for both dogs and cats. I’ll take dogs out two to three times a day for walks, or to play in the backyard, and visit cats one or two times a day, depending on what the owner wants.” Cindy administers any medications the animals take, and gives them water and food according to the schedule the owner requests. She also provides transportation to and from the groomer or the veterinarian for scheduled appointments made by the pet parents, if needed. In addition to dogs and cats, she also cares for birds, fish, lizards, and rabbits. “As far as in-home visits for those out of town,” she says, “I take care of the home as well: the lights, curtains, trash, mail, TV/radio, and watering plants. This gives the home a lived-in look.” Cindy worked as a registered nurse in hospital emergency rooms for twenty-seven years as a career. “I was looking for a change,” she says. “And one day, my neighbor needed to go out of town and asked me to take care of her dogs while she was gone. I had so much fun, I thought, ‘I can do this.’ I got some books and began doing research, and decided to start my own business. Now I’m in my fifteenth year as my own small business owner.” “Being a nurse is very helpful in caring for pets,” she adds. “Many pets get medicines, and a lot of pets get the same medicines that people do. The equipment used and ways of administering the medicines are very similar.” Cindy has a list of accreditations. She is a member of Pet Sitters International; her company is bonded and insured; she is certified in Pet CPR and First Aid; and has background clearances. Her business is licensed and renewed in Horry County yearly. What’s her favorite thing about this career? “Every pet has their own personality,” she says. “And that is the best part— getting to know who they are.” Einstein’s Dog-Sitting Service, LLC & Cat-Care Facebook Globe Phone

Gaye Driggers

March 8, 2023April 30, 2022 by The Coastal Insider

Principal, Relationship Builder, and Avid Traveler by Melissa LaScaleia Introduce me to your family. My mom is eighty-eight years old, and my dad is eighty-nine, and both live here in Myrtle Beach in a retirement community. I have a sister, brother-in-law, and two nephews that live in Columbia, SC. I love spending time with them. Where are all the places you came from? What area of the Grand Strand do you now call home? I grew up in Wallace, SC. I lived in Johnson City, TN before moving back to SC in 1990. Today I live in the Burning Ridge Community. Tell me about your background. What do you do in Myrtle Beach for a career? I’ve been in the education field for over thirty-two years. I went to Lander University and played basketball and softball on scholarship, and received my graduate degree at East Tennessee State University. I got my master’s degree in administration from the University of South Carolina. I taught at Conway High from 1990 to 1997. In 2007, I became assistant principal, then principal in 2011, and I’ve been working in that capacity ever since. Tell me about your students, the community culture, and how Covid has affected your school. We have about 2600 students. And I always get compliments on them and their behavior. I’m genuinely proud of them as a whole in how they present themselves. Our parents and our community are supportive of the programs we offer; we have a great performing arts program, and stellar academics and athletics. I have around 280 staff, and over 150 teachers. There are five elementary schools and three middle schools. We plan events together such as the homecoming parade. We continue to try and build a strong culture within our attendance area schools. I love working with the feeder schools and their principals. The teachers have done a phenomenal job of not only providing instruction in the classroom to make sure students didn’t fall behind during Covid, but also found innovative ways to make sure our students could stay active in extracurricular activities. I feel there’s been a lot of flexibility and innovative thinking to provide students with the best environment possible given what we’ve been going through with Covid. We’ve received several awards in the midst of all this. It’s because of how well the students have worked through adversity, and the teachers not lowering expectations just because we’re going through a pandemic. We all expected a lot of ourselves, and I couldn’t do the things I do without the staff I have around me. What we do at CFHS is a team effort. I am very proud of our teachers, staff, and administrators; I wouldn’t want to do this job with anyone else. What is your favorite place in this area? I love boating and playing golf. I really enjoy the simplicity of being outdoors and at the beach, spending time with my family and friends. Covid has reminded me that the things that are the most important to me are those relationships that you build with others, and what you can build when you work together. And outside of work, the relationships that I build with my family and friends, and how that pushes me to grow as a person. What do you like the most about living here? It’s such a diverse county. You can go to the western part and be in the countryside, or head east and be at the beach. The Grand Strand and surrounding areas have a lot to offer. I appreciate the diversity of the student body in Carolina Forest. Being able to see them learn and grow everyday— developing into the best versions of themselves— that’s what’s most exciting for me.

Mushrooms and Eggs

March 8, 2023April 30, 2022 by The Coastal Insider

Mushrooms have long been the subject of fascination, fear, and to avid cooks, gastronomic delight. For centuries, they have been steeped in myth and fairy-lore, hunted by pigs for vast sums, touted as medicinal miracles, and sought for their psychedelic pleasures. For centuries, only China’s royalty were permitted to consume Reishi, known as the mushroom of immortality, or suffer death. The mushroom’s odd appearance, and to the average person, their moderately distasteful growing environment (damp and decaying matter) only seems to add to their charisma. The modern and ever-pervasive trend of eating organic, local, and wild foods has brought a resurgence to mushroom enthusiasm— placing the little white buttons firmly on the map. Attend a farmers market in any city across the county and you’d be hard pressed not to find a multitude of varietals. It’s even quite common to purchase a decaying log on which to grow your own personal supply. A book about mushrooms, Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds and Shape Our Futures, recently made the NY Times Bestseller list. It is safe to say that mushrooms are having their moment— and that moment may be lasting. Beyond all their hype, they really are miraculous powerhouses of nutrition, resilience, and tasty to boot. A perfect way to start your day. Mushrooms and Eggs Ingredients 14 oz cremini or white mushrooms 2 Tbs butter 1 ¾ cup creme fraiche 1 Tbs Dijon mustard ¾ cup fresh tarragon, chopped 2 slices of hearty, high quality bread, diced small 3 ¼ oz Emmenthal Cheese 4 eggs salt and pepper to taste Directions Chop the mushrooms into quarters and sauté in the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Once they are nicely browned, add the creme fraiche, mustard, and tarragon and bring the mixture to a boil for several seconds to thicken. Fill four small pyrex baking dishes with equal parts bread and cheese, and pour the mushroom mixture on top. Place to rest in the refrigerator for an hour to allow the bread to absorb the cream. Remove from the fridge, and crack an egg over the top of each mixture. Steam in a steamer (or place the dishes in a pot with a half-inch of water in the bottom) for ten minutes or until the egg white is set. The yolk should remain loose. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Jerry A. Quinn

March 8, 2023April 30, 2022 by The Coastal Insider

Vietnam Veteran, Recipient of the Purple Heart, Creator of the SC Blinded Veterans Association Celebrate Our Veteran gives voice to the stories of the U.S. military veterans living amongst us. The actions of these brave and dedicated people, who have served our country both in active military duty as well as administrative positions, have and continue to contribute to the protection and preservation of us and our country. We hope that this section of our paper is an opportunity for our community to hear and see veterans with new eyes, and for veterans to receive recognition and honor for their experiences and life journeys. This month’s Celebrate Our Veteran recounts the story of Jerry A. Quinn, as told in his own words. by Melissa LaScaleia “I was born in Union, SC on June 6, 1947. I went to elementary school in Buffalo, SC, then Union High School. I was drafted on November 28, 1966, for the Vietnam War. I completed basic training at Fort Gordon, Georgia, and advanced infantry training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. Then I was sent home for ten days before they flew me out to Oakland, CA to board TWA for my flight to Vietnam. My feeling about the war was, if it had a reason, I wanted to be involved. My entire family on both sides were military people. But I didn’t know it would turn out like it did. I was put in the first infantry division, known as the Big Red One. My base camp was Di An, Vietnam. I went through a week of jungle school and then was sent out to the jungle itself with my company. I was in the third platoon, where I became a squad leader. Vietnam had monsoons six months of the year, and tremendous heat. They had hogs laying around in their yard as big as Volkswagens but they wouldn’t eat them; they’d eat rats that they caught instead. Then an officer I admired, Captain Shapeland, became my commanding officer and he wanted to form a recondo squad. I was selected to be a part of that team. I turned down two promotions to stay in the recondo squad, that’s how much I liked doing it and how much I respected Captain Shapeland. Our job was to neutralize any land mines; and handle demolition or additional threats, like snipers, outside of the confines of the concertina wire. My captain made all the difference in the world in terms of operations and safety. The day I was hit, we had a different captain. And he died shortly thereafter. At this point, I was the acting sergeant. Captain Shapeland had just left to go into intelligence, and the new captain sent my squad into the jungle. We walked up a number of rice paddies, when suddenly machine guns opened up on us from the wood line; the woods were filled with Vietcong, and we had to fall back. My squad had just got inside the wood line when I called the captain and told him that the enemy had open-fired on us. He gave the order to hold our ground and said he would send artillery in to back us up. But when the artillery arrived, they started dropping bombs, and they got so close, they were hitting us. So then the captain told us to fall back. The guy that carried my radio was my RTO. He went down with a round of RPG (rocket-propelled grenade), and he had been in Vietnam for three days. I was hit by the same round, from my knee caps through my head. We were sitting ducks. Then our side sent in the gunships with the 50 calibers on them to fire on the Vietcong. Since we were out of the wood line, they could work the artillery successfully and medivacked me out. At this point, I had been there for nine months. They took me to Japan where it was discovered I was bleeding internally. I was a mess. I stayed in that hospital in Japan for a month. And during that time, I saw everything that could happen to a soldier because it was right there all around me. While I was in Vietnam, I saw four guys from my hometown; two were killed and two made it back. Buffalo Methodist Church in my hometown of Union raised all kinds of money so my mother could stay with me for six months because she couldn’t afford to come and stay. Then I was sent to Walter Reed hospital in Washington, D.C. A lot of people from Union, SC came to see me there. I was there when Dwight D. Eisenhower was there. I didn’t have my right mind in me for a long time. I was hit January 5, and released from the hospital December 18. I was twenty years old when I finally got out. I had been in the hospital so long, I had gained a lot of weight which made everything a struggle. And my brain was really messed up, and initially I was blind. I couldn’t be responsible for what I said. If I wanted a hamburger, I’d ask for a pencil. I had numerous brain surgeries; they had to cut pieces of my brain out. In 1973, I went to Edward Hines hospital in Chicago, and it gave me a new outlook on life. I joined the Blinded Veterans Association. Later, I formed the South Carolina Blinded Veterans Association; I’ve been a national officer for them. I went to college and graduated from the University of South Carolina, and Wofford College. My major was in psychology. Then I went to work in Daytona, Florida as a food vendor; then two places in Columbia, SC and one place in Akon, SC. I owned my own business. But in Daytona, my wife’s health really went downhill. So I had to quit there and we moved back to SC so I could focus more on her health. I … Read more

The Flowers are Blooming, and the Buyers are Booming

Anderson Brothers Bank

Spring is in the Air

Einstein’s Dog-Sitting Service, LLC & Cat-Care

Gaye Driggers

Mushrooms and Eggs

Jerry A. Quinn

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