Greetings From Charleston, South Carolina,

July 2025 

It’s summertime and we are see-sawing our way through sunny, steamy days and rolling thunderstorms and high winds.

As much as it isn’t pleasant to go trudging in and out of the car and through muddy yards and driveways on rain filled afternoons, these are the best days to see properties one is considering buying. Flood zones alone do not provide a full picture. 

I have seen many homes not in a designated flood zone experience some flooding and water intrusion. Even if your home doesn’t flood, who wants a back yard that turns into a shallow pond during one of our five to ten year weather events? Or even one corner near your foundation where excessive water pools.

Things to consider are the surrounding terrain, nearby street and yard storm drains, nearby ponds, grading, and the elevation of the home. Also, study the property’s proximity to the road and the slope of the road towards the home. Flash flooding is often a result of the rain water not making it through the road storm drains fast enough. 

I once drove through Dunes West, a gated neighborhood in Mount Pleasant, one afternoon during a thunderstorm. Several streets were completely flooded making driving very dangerous. As I drove through the neighborhood onto higher ground, there was no standing water on those streets. I called home, about two miles away, and it wasn’t even raining there. I recommend a flood policy on every home purchased in the greater Charleston area. 

I learned something interesting when I had a wastewater event at a rental property a few weeks ago. Many properties in older neighborhoods in downtown Charleston, West Ashley, and South Mount Pleasant are serviced with waste water pipes made of terracotta. Replacing them all is too great an expense for the water companies. When a protected tree’s roots burst or clog the pipe, the water company hires an outside vender to seal the pipe with epoxy. 

In this case, an oak tree’s roots burst through a terracotta waste water pipe and clogged it in October 2024. The water company performed a temporary fix until the outside vendor could arrive to make the permanent repair. Nine months later, due to a busy schedule, the outside vendor still has not arrived to complete the repairs and that was the cause of the waste water back up into the rental property.

As the insurance underwriter explained, “If you kill a man in the Charleston area, you may do some jail time. If you kill a tree, you’ll be put away forever”. There is a tree ordinance throughout every jurisdiction in the Charleston area. Study it before removing any trees. If you would like a copy for an area you are considering, please let me know.

Thank you to my loyal clients and those new to my website.. 

If you are considering a move, reach out and schedule a conversation with me.

Let’s talk Tuesdays is a day I typically reserve for new conversations. I will be posting a link soon that will allow you to schedule time with me. If Tuesdays aren’t good for you, please reach out and let me know a date and time that works for you.

Best regards and remember to hug your dog,

Zelda