Shuckin Shack in Summerville

It's about time we get a seafood place in downtown.  My family and I, along with some friends, had the opportunity to stop for dinner there and check it out.  I'm excited to have a local seafood place less than mile from my house and it's in a great location. I was expecting to see a larger space inside with more tables but I was pleasantly surprised by the "quaint" feel of it.  The decor was reminiscent of a seafood place in Myrtle beach with a lot of "cheesy" factor but in it's defense they did have a Steeler's Terrible Towel. You gotta love any Steeler's fans.

We started with the fried pickles and macaroni and cheese bites which were very good. I'd recommend both of them.  I give my fish tacos a 7/10 but this may be because my expectations were super high when I went it and anticipated the greatest fish tacos in history - which they were not... but they were good.  My daughter had a bucket of oysters which you just can't go wrong with. What's very cool is if you pay an additional $2.00 they'll shuck them for you.  My wife enjoyed her Mahi mahi fish and chips and they were probably my favorite at the table.  My friend had the sliders and corn on the cob and liked the sliders well enough but the corn was frozen in the middle. This makes me wonder why it was frozen to begin with and did they just throw it in the microwave?

The service was very good and our waitress was very friendly and attentive.  The Manager came and apologized for the corn which I appreciated and shows professionalism.  I'll go back in a couple months and see how it is then.  In the meantime I give it a 7/10.  Go give it a shuckin' shot and have a shuckin' good time!

My turn

Well everyone, it appears that my family and I may be experiencing very soon what many of you are doing - Moving.  I started the school year as a Guidance Director at a middle school in Berkeley County (been doing this 9 years now) and I've decided to pursue Real Estate full time and placed my resignation in.  Unfortunately, we live in Dorchester County but my daughter attends a Berkeley County high school b/c of my "other" job (at least for 35 more days) which means in order for her to stay at her school and play sports we have to move.  I go against what ever Realtor, including myself, says to client - Don't let it be personal.  I love my house and am attached emotionally to it. We have a lot of sweat equity and money into this house making it exactly what we want it to be and now we probably have to start all over.  This frustrates me but we do a lot of things for our kids and that includes moving. I'll keep you all updated as we process through this and I can't wait to be a Realtor full time.  Please let me know if I can assist you and if you wish to buy my house.  I will post pics later just in case you are interested because we have a great in-ground pool.

-Jason 

Smokin' HOT

That's how I describe the current real estate market. Literally, the last 4 transactions I am aware of, including one of my own, had multiple offers.  If you have ever thought of moving to downsize, up-size, or even condo-size now is a great time to list your home.  This market cannot last forever and a recent article on Realtor.com talks about what to do when the market turns.  Here is what they say to do.

1. Know the Market - this is what a great agent comes in to play. A good agent follows numbers, tracks data and knows the local statistics.  Get to know someone and their knowledge before choosing them as an agent. I am always available and encourage you to interview me.

2. Low-ball the right way - I recently had a buyer interested in low-balling for an investment property but the seller already had an appraisal and had rejected 2 offers.  A good agent will get that information early on and not waste your time.

3. Know when to ask for upgrades and discounts - This really only works well in a Buyer's Market because then you have leverage.  It's hard to get "extras" when there are 3-4 offers on a property.  In a recent transaction I was able to get over 10% off the list price.

4. Show you are serious -  As a  buyer this means know what you are looking for, be pre-approved by a mortgage lender or if purchasing with cash have a letter from the bank showing you have appropriate funds to purchase your dream home.

5. Talk closing costs - These can get very expensive and must be calculated into your overall purchase. On average a buyer will pay 2-5% of the sales price and the average is $3,700. Of course the more home you buy the more your costs will be. But, did you know sellers will often pay some of your costs. They are allowed to pay up to 3% which can really add up.

I hope this helps!

-Jason

Honeysmoke

What a great night.  My beautiful wife and I went down to Palmetto Brewing for the evening to enjoy a glass (or 2) of great craft beer and the band Honeysmoke.  The brewery is beautiful with a great atmosphere and their outdoor stage is perfect for the venue.  I've been wanting to hear Honeysmoke since they started because I love their sound.  I highly recommend the brewery and the band and since I don't have the musical understanding and lingo to describe their sound I am attaching a video here.  Not only did we get good beer and music we also were at the right spot at the right time.  We were able to get a tour of the facility and get a history of brewing beer, we learned Palmetto Brewing is the oldest brewery in South Carolina and received quite a history on prohibition.  I'm a little of a history nerd so this was right up my alley.

"With their soulful, relatable lyrics and down-home sound, there’s no denying these guys evoke the spirit of the Lowcountry."  

     - Azalea Magazine

By the way I know some of these guys live in Summerville....just another reason why Summerville is so great!

Summerville Celebrity pizza

2 pizza posts back to back is not my norm but I just read that the Food Network was in town in January to remake Valentino's Trattoria on Trolley Road. With $10,000.00 and 2 days to work they renovated the restaurant and the pizza/food to boost business and revenue.  The show airs tonight at 10:00 on Food Network so tune in for some local celebrity time.  The latest Yelp review of this place, by Red B., says "As my go to for a  quick slice lunch place, Robert Irvine and his design team did an outstanding job on the makeover.. Food has always been solid along with  friendly management and staff." 

 I think I have a new place to try out and review.  Also, stay tuned for my Flowertown Festival review!

Scotto Italian Grill and Pizzeria

This past weekend my family and I decided to try a new place and we were not disappointed. We went to dinner at the Italian Grill located 402 North Cedar Street, next to Piggly Wiggly.  I think it used to be a bakery but boy I'm glad it's Italian now because it was good.  Our waitress was super friendly and honest about the menu.  I ordered the "Three Lil Pigs Stromboli" and my brother got a cheese-steak hoagie and we swapped after we ate 1/2.  I'll be honest - my Stromboli was better than his hoagie and I was a bit disgruntled I had to give 1/2 away.  My 5 year old nieces got chicken strips and spaghetti and obviously they were good because the plates were licked clean.  The one that ate the spaghetti had 1/2 on her face.

It's worth the visit and I'm pretty sure you'll go back for seconds. 

Here's a little about the place that I snagged from their website:

The 2 Scotto brothers, Tony and Jerry, have served Napolitan Casino Style for more than 25 years. You can expect the very best in a contemporary Italian food, from Casino Sochi's seafood dishes to pasta chicken veal, from gourmet pizzas and gourmet sandwich homemade, to an amazing finish with our fresh deserts at Scotto Italian Grill .

Italian grill artwork

Good, Bad and Ugly

If you live here in Summerville you are noticing Spring!  I call it the season of The good, the Bad and the Ugly.  You ask, how could anything in Summerville be ugly?

The Good - Spring is here and the Azaleas and trees are beautiful 

The Bad - Pollen is in abundance and my silver Subaru is more of a yellowish/green snot color

The Ugly - This is how many people feel right now

Hang in there everyone as relief will be here eventually!  When I was a counselor it always made people feel better to know they were not alone in their suffering.  Maybe this video will help you! 

-Jason