The Team Blog

Sept. 15, 2014

Greenville Condos and More

New Trolleys on Main St.

Our beloved trolleys that service downtown Greenville’s Main Street are getting an upgrade and extended running hours.  The trolleys were originally created to ferry riders to the Greenville Drive baseball games from the upper reaches of Main Street.  But they have become so popular for getting around town in general that the city will offer the service every night from Thursday through Sunday.  The end goal is to offer it every day of the week.  The system has a few new kinks to it.  Riders will catch it at 20 fixed stops and can access a phone app to see where the bus is located in real time.  The return northbound loop will run on parallel roads to Main and on designated weekends, there will be a detour route to serves the Heritage Green area and the Children’s Museum.  The new trolleys will also feature a conductor who will show off the downtown area.  Best of all, they will continue to be FREE.

New Hotel and Luxury Condo Projects Downtown

Two prime spots near the Peace Center are getting close to starting new developments.  The Greenville News which has been a landmark for 50 years, will be torn down and replaced by a major complex that will include a hotel, residential units, as well as office and retail space.  That lot is 3.96 acres and will certainly change the landscape.  Just across Broad Street and directly across from the Westin Poinsett Hotel on East Court Street, there are plans to build a luxury condo six stories tall with mixed use space below.  For those who know the street well, it’s right behind the small plaza next to Bellacinos’s where there is a statue of city founder Vardry McBee.  The lot is pretty small at one-fifth of an acres, so they will be going up to gain space.  This project still need approval of the City’s Design and Review Board. If you are looking for more information on downtown Greenville condos for sale

Quick Residential Market Update

After a huge season in 2013, things have cooled off a bit in 2014 with closed sales only 1.5% above last year so far.  More inventory has hit the market, primarily from new home construction that continues its march forward.  Even with more homes on the market (5% increase), prices have continues to push upward, with the average sales price up 5.2% to $191,000.  Interest rates are still very low which makes the affordability of purchasing a house pretty good, and the 4% increase in GDP through July means we Americans are earning money.  Even though the inventory has increased this year, the average days on market has dropped to 85 days, so indeed, the money is flowing in the residential market with new and updated homes taking the majority of share.  Specific to the area around downtown Greenville, the housing supply is extremely low, so finding a condo can be tough task.  
Current Greenville Weather

Relief from 90+ degree temperatures is here folks! After a mild summer, August heated us up!! This week we are enjoying much cooler temperatures with fall just around the corner. This past weekend was cool and overcast with a few rain showers cooling things down. Today and Tuesday has highs in the 80s with a small chance of pop up thunderstorms. The rest of this week has overnight lows around 60 with highs in the 70s. This weekend will be in the low 80s with some clouds dotting the skies. 

Sept. 6, 2014

Downtown Greenville Claussen Bakery Building Sees Upfit

This landmark building on Augusta Road is being converted to office space. It's in the growing West End of Greenville's downtown area near the Drive stadium and Greenville High School. Just down the road Scott Towers high rise was recently demolished to make way for new development. Greenville is pushing out this way both in commercial and residential real estate.
Aug. 22, 2014

Greenville Traffic New Contractor Chosen

I'm not sure when this project will have the green light to start tearing up the road, but it will probably be fairly soon.  The time line is to finish in just short of 3 years.  There is a lot of work that will include work from Salters Road up to Pelham Rd, and from Roper Mountain Road to Smith Hines Rd.  It is guaranteed to be a big mess, it will help solve the biggest congestion in our area.  Currently a lot of commuters come up I-385 from residential homes in Simpsonville and the Woodruff Road area, and they run into the heavy I-85 traffic with a lot of trucks. There also has been a lot of discussion about how to alter Woodruff Road at this interchange, so we will see how it all pans out.  Buckle your seatbelts, it's gonna be a bumpy ride for a few years.

Posting as Lee Cunningham Realtor©

Aug. 20, 2014

Greenville Traffic Delays

Road construction has begun on the section of I-85 between the Greenville Spartanburg International Airport  (GSP) and I-26 in Spartanburg.  This is a pretty big project that will continue over the next 2 years.  The stretch is about 12 miles long and will see extensive full depth repairs to the road surface, as well as shoulder and guardrail improvements.  Some of the major points along that route that will be affected: Greer's Inland Port, the BMW manufacturing plant, and the upcoming Bass Pro Shops development that is upcoming.
Aug. 13, 2014

More apartments coming to Greenville West End

Another 217 apartment complex is targeted for the Greenville west end, which brings the total apartments arriving to almost 850. New construction of downtown condos has been flat recently, which shows that apartments are in first position for investors of downtown property.  Condo prices are thus on the rise.  Even with these  850 units coming on the market, there is plenty of demand for professionals who want to live close to downtown and walk to work. These new style apartments are offering upscale amenities such as additional living spaces that include courtyard space, swimming pools, rooftop terraces, and bicycling storage and tune up benches.   Post settings Labels Published on 8/13/14, 8:37 AM Eastern Standard Time Links Location Search Description Options

 

Post More apartments coming to Greenville West End Posting as Lee Cunningham Realtor©

June 30, 2014

Development at Church Street in downtown Greenville

This multiuse commercial development is really coming out of the ground.  Situated close to the county buildings and the Falls Park I expect to see a lot more development along this section of Church Street.  Another high rise condo is slated to begin on a parcel behind this development.  And across church street the old Scott Towers was

recently demolished in order to put in another high-rise condo.

June 27, 2014

Greenville get the World Cup of Para-cycling 2014

The U.S. is hosting the UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) Para Cycling Track WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS and GREENVILLE, SC is the host city!!!! Greenville has put up a website for the event here --> http://www.greenvillesc2014.com and even more information can be obtained at the actual UCI website. The event will be held in August 28-September 1, 2014. Over 45 countries will be represented in this championship. The race will span 5 days and will include time trials and road races. Check out the websites above to see more details, but this is going to be a HOT event here is Greenville, SC. This is a BIG thing for Greenville, not that we weren't on the Cycling map already with the US Pro Road Championships we hosted from 2006 - 2012. Greenville has been on the map for Bicyclists for awhile with George Hincapie making his home here. The Cycling community in Greenville is strong with the Greenville Spnners Bicycle Club of 700+ members. They host many regular rides and support new and experienced bikers. The mountains around Greenville offer challenges for mountain climbers and the Donaldson Center track give time trial junkies a place to hone their skills.
Posted in Greenville Events
May 23, 2014

Aloft at Heritage Park

The Cunningham Team Greenville Real Estate Blog · Post Aloft at Heritage Park Posting as Lee Cunningham Realtor©

Got up super early today help launch the RE/MAX balloon on Simpsonville. Lots of other balloons were launching as well. A great sight!  The event lasts all weekend with concerts and the whole shebang.

Post settings Labels greenville sc, remax balloon Published on 5/23/14, 5:02 PM Eastern Standard Time Links Location Greenville, SC, USA Search Description Options

Posted in Greenville Events
March 18, 2014

Greenville-Pickens Traffic Relief |West End

 
Traffic Relief Projects 
The Greenville-Pickens Area Transportation Study (GPATS) has two big projects designed to ease local traffic congestion-one to bypass Easley in Pickens County and another to give more access points to Woodruff Road at Miller Rd, which is in Greenville County.  The Easley project is ready to start right of way construction so that Highway 153 can be extended behind the Wal-Mart and connect with Prince of Peace and Saluda Dam roads.  That will create a parallel corridor to take some of the pressure off Hwy 123 through the center of Easley.  The Woodruff Road project creates a thoroughfare from Miller Road near Frankie’s Fun Park over I-85 that will connect to Verdae Boulevard.  Along the way it will pick up several dead end streets that spur off Woodruff Road: Woodruff Industrial Lane (by Target), Green Heron Rd (across from Cheddar’s), and Ketron Court (across from Costco).  There may also be a connection to Salter’s Road which already has a bridge going over the interstate.  The Woodruff Road project has yet to be approved, and funding is short at this time, so there is no solid time frame.  There has been a lot of development along Woodruff road lately, so this project will certainly allow motors to navigate a bustling part of Greenville. Esurance Coming to Greenville with 450 Jobs
Insurance industry leader Esurance has announced a new sales office will open in Greenville, bringing 450 jobs to the area in 2014.  Esurance is a large, quality company or personal line coverage that was acquired by Allstate in 2011.  It has nearly doubled in size since then and now has more than 3000 employees. Inside sales positions with the company have an average annual base of $50,000 with a comprehensive benefit coverage, so these are pretty good jobs indeed.  The Greenville Area Development Corporation stated that the reason Esurance is coming to Greenville is the availability of a quality work force and class A office space. Having an appealing and diverse community such as Greenville also makes it easy to attract talent to the area.  South Carolina has added 10,600 service industry jobs since 2011, so there must me something about southern hospitality!
Greenville West End Improvements   Business owners in The West End of Greenville have been putting their heads together in an effort to increase foot traffic down toward the baseball stadium.  Many pedestrians stop at the junction of S. Main and Pendleton, not aware of what enticing new shops and services await them just a short walk farther.  The big issues are signage and additional lights, topics that the City has embraced and acted on quickly.  Trees have been trimmed so that the existing lights emit more light that will enhance pedestrian safety, and additional street lights are planned for University Street.  There is also a push for more directional signs that list specific businesses and where they are located, similar to what you will see along the Main Street above the Reedy River Bridge.  Establishing this type of infrastructure will help the West End grow, and make no mistake, it is coming.  There are three apartment complexes coming to the West End that will add about 350 units and plenty of foot traffic - 150 units at Wardlaw and Rhett Streets, 100 units with the Stadium Apartments at Rhett and Markley, and 107 units at 121 Rhett St.  
Weather Yesterday and today’s cold rainy days were not a great start to spring in Greenville. But hold on, the flowers here are already showing off their color, trees are blooming,  and the latter part of the week is looking up.  Thursday should bring sunny skies with highs in the 70s.  Bring it on Mother Nature!
Feb. 17, 2014

Greenville News Relocating, Gateway to downtown Development

 
Greenville News to Relocate Printing    
greenville_news_downtown
Greenville News building, Downtown Greenville, SC
Sitting on a prime corner at S. Main and Broad Streets in downtown Greenville, the Greenville News has around since 1874 and in the current building since 1970.  But the future use of this corner across from the Peace Center is unknown since the parent company Gannett has announced that printing operations will be moved to Spartanburg and Gastonia.  That will result in a loss of 42 full-time and 75 part-time jobs; however, whatever goes into this 4-acre downtown site will certainly generate more employment.  And with the way commercial and apartment projects have been popping up downtown, it might not take too long to reach fruition. Gateway to Greenville gets Apartment Complex? Having sat empty since 1997, the land across from the Bon Secours Wellness Arena (formerly the Bi-Lo Center) might be the future home of 4-story apartment complex called the Broadstone Gateway Apartments.  There is an application in on this project to the City pending review, and officials are hopeful it will be the right use for the parcel.  Since the Greenville Memorial Auditorium was taken down, several developers have attempted to utilize the awkward wedge of land that is squeezed between two busy one-way streets. The projects never worked out on the location that truly acts as a “gateway” into Greenville as motorist come in on I-385 and enter the City center. The apartment concept for the Gateway comes as no surprise as Greenville’s downtown appeal has attracted residents resulting in a spate of apartment construction.  Currently there are apartment projects at McBee and Spring (site of the failed Peacock Hotel) and Rhett and Wardlaw in the West End.  Another proposal under review puts 300 units in at Reedy View and Westfield, very close to the Linky Stone Park on the Reedy River and the Swamp Rabbit Trail. Nine Times Forest get Conservation Status On the other end of the development spectrum, a large chunk of land in Pickens County has been recently purchased to create a protected forest that is an ecological jewel of the Upstate.  Located off scenic Highway 11 near Lake Keowee and close to Jocassee Gorges, the 1600 plus acres offers three mountains with granite outcrops that overlook the pristine Blue Ridge escarpment rising to the north.  Naturaland Trust and Upstate Forever had been working to acquire the land for 10 years and were able to purchase it for $3.5 million from Crescent Communities with the help of several contributors.  The U.S. Forest Service provided a grant under the Community Forest and Open Space Conservation Program, one of only 10 nationally.  Fred and Nancy Stanback from North Carolina made a generous donation, and Duke energy provided more than $1 million as part of negotiations to renew their lease for their Keowee-Toxaway Hydroelectric Project. It’s nice to have scenic areas of protected land within an hour drive from Greenville and there are plenty of great areas to explore along this wonderful portion of South Carolina’s Upstate. Snowstorm Hits Greenville
Some rare South Carolina snow!
We don’t get that much snow in Greenville, and when it comes, it usually paralyzes the area before the typical warmer temperatures return and melt it all off. So it’s a bit unusual that we were frozen in after about 4 inches of snow since Tuesday, with a few more inches Wednesday and freezing temperatures through last Thursday night. Most people stayed safe at home instead of hitting the roads which are usually a bit risky with autos that are not prepared for this kind of weather. This week things warm up, with highs in the upper 60s. There were a lot of business closures, including the school system which will probably be out until after Presidents Day. Hey, it’s South Carolina y’all, and you still have to love the fact that the daffodils will be popping up by the end of February!