April in Charleston

I apologize for the lateness of this post but it's been a busy April so far. 

April is here and the azaleas are in bloom! The Masters is in Augusta and the Volvo WTA tennis tournament is here in Charleston the first week in April.  The Tennis Channel is having full coverage all week and they are making a big deal out of this.  It’s come to be a very respected tournament and the start of the clay season.  Of course, the Cooper River Bridge Run is also April 1 and the Summerville Flowertown Festival is also the first weekend.  What a great month to be in Charleston.  Here is your April calendar of events:

1: 40th Cooper River Bridge Run

1: Harlem Globetrotters, N Chas Coliseum

1: Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Music Hall

1,2: Flowertown Festival, Summerville

2: Earth, Wind, & Fire, N Chas PAC

3-9: Volvo WTA Tennis Tournament, Daniel Island

4: Buddy Guy, Gaillard

6: Pippen Gaillard

7-9: World Grits Festival, St George

8: Marion Square Farmers Market Re-Opens

7,8: Charleston Bluegrass Festival, Middleton

8: 27th Folly Beach Sea and Sand Festival

8: Loretta Lynn, Gaillard

8: Keller Williams and Leo Kottke, Music Hall

8: Steeplechase of Charleston, Stono Ferry

9: Bruce Hornsby, Music Hall

9: Blues by the Sea, FreshFields

13: Hops and Vines, MacLeod Plantation

18: Chicago Musical, Gaillard

20-23: Lowcountry Strawberry Festival, Boone Hall

20: Jonny Lang, Music Hall

20: Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, N Chas Coliseum

21: R Kelly, N Chas Coliseum

21-23: Outdoor Festival at James Island County Park

24,25: Big Brothers and Big Sisters Golf Tournament, Bulls Bay

26: Blink-182, N Chas Coliseum

26,27: Mama Mia!, N Chas PAC

29: Cirque de la Symphonie, N Chas PAC

30: 30th Annual Blessing of the Fleet and Seafood Festival, Mt Pleasant Waterfront Park

Real estate in Charleston had its 2nd busiest year ever in 2016 and it looks like 2017 is setting up to be the even better.  Buying activity has been the strongest ever during the first 3 months of the year.  Though February, we are up 12.4% in transactions over the same time from 2016.  And we are up about 4% in median sales price to $244k.  We are getting a ton of good publicity.  Top Chef just finished airing the season that was filmed here.  The Tennis Channel is making a huge deal out of their first ever full week coverage of the WTA tournament here next week on Daniel Island.  They are calling it the premier clay tournament in America. Of course, Volvo is the sponsor and they are busy getting their new plant built in the Summerville/Goose Creek area.  Apartments are being built all over town to house all the new people moving here.  Housing inventory is low and prices are starting to ratchet upward.  We are seeing a boom in the 2nd home market here as well.  We have many more homes each week going under contract for over $1M than we have ever seen in the past.  What a tremendous time for Charleston.