What are going to do about Mom/Dad? Elder care on Daniel Island . . .

One of life’s toughest decisions that many people undergo is what to do with a parent after realizing they should no longer live by themselves. Both Steve and I have experience in this aspect of life and many people do not realize that Daniel Island has an excellent elder care facility on Seven Farms Drive named Summit Place of Daniel Island.

It’s wonderful that many people who have moved to Daniel Island have also decided to locate their parents here as well. We wish my mother-in-law would move here but alas, upstate NY is home and that is where she’s staying. But it’s great for our residents and their children to be able to bike or walk to Summit Place and be able to visit their parent or grandparent. Everyone I know that has a parent at Summit Place is delighted with their care and services.

Summit Place has a comprehensive assisted living program designed individually for each resident’s needs and capabilities. I have been to my fair share of assisted living environments and they do a great job at Summit Place. Every time I visit it’s always spic ‘n span clean, the residents are happy to see you, and there are always plenty of service staff engaging the residents and ensuring their safety. Three meals daily with snacks, weekly housekeeping, plenty of social, recreational, and educational programs — Summit Place provides it all. Bright and airy, the environment is one that causes Steve to say, “I want assisted living now!” And some days I wish he would check in!

For more info on Summit Place of Daniel Island, visit their website at http://www.summitplaceofdanielisland.com

Memorial Day and the link to Mother’s Day . . .

Happy Memorial Day to everyone and while we widely recognize it as the kick off date to summer fun, I did come across some interesting tidbits about the day which used to be called “Decoration Day” in which gravesites of soldiers were decorated with flowers. It has since been changed both in name and date since its inception and coincidentally has some ties to the origin of Mother’s Day.

It is sad that we think of hot dogs and mattress sales on Memorial Day so lets not forget what Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion” and honor those who have sacrificed on behalf of this country. And the Moms who also suffered as a result.

And just to make it interesting on a solemn day, I’m running a contest for my readers: the first person who can correctly identify the US national cemetery in this post, you win a package of hot dogs! Hint: I have visited this site more than 10 times, it’s quite scenic and serene.

Here is a link to the complete story of how these two holidays are linked courtesy of the “Don’t know much about” series from Kenneth Davis. It’s really quite touching . . . http://dontknowmuch.com/2009/05/memorial-day-a-history-lesson/

Sailing away . . .

What a beautiful day for a sail! Recently we took some friends out for a sunset sail around the Charleston harbor aboard “Fate”, a 50′ luxurious yacht. “Fate” is based at the Charleston marina and we enjoyed a 3 hour cruise captained by Captain Dustin Ryan.

What a great time and what a great way to see the city. The weather was perfect and the company delightful. The food was catered by Caviar and Bananas and not only was it super tasty, they even delivered to the ship. It really was a magical evening cruising the Battery and seeing the magnificent homes from the water.

“Fate” is available for overnight cruises as well as for morning/afternoon/sunset cruises. We “won” our trip at an auction held for the Big Brothers/Bog Sisters organization and I would like to thank Captain Dustin for donating this fantastic item.

For more details on chartering “Fate” click here: http://www.charlestonsailingcharters.com.
Tell him “Meg sent ya!”

April 2014 Daniel Island sales report

For my number crunchers, here’s the link to the April sales report: http://www.danielisland.com/real-estate-activity/current-activity/

To summarize, the market is sizzling and shows no signs of letting up soon. But if you have any questions, feel free to contact me and I’ll be happy to help! And the photos? I just thought I’d highlight the Daniel Island Club cottages which are available for rent. They turned out beautiful I thought and our visiting guests have enjoyed their stays tremendously.

Google glass for real estate . . .

I don’t think you’ll see me sporting these high-tech glasses anytime soon but I recently read a report on how google glass can aid realtors in conducting their business. Some fascinating tidbits and maybe I’ll hop onboard the bandwagon after seeing someone else wearing these while touring homes with clients.

But interestingly, here are 10 ways to use them which was recently written about on a real estate website, http://www.bozaco.com:

1. Realtor or home inspector can stream a virtual tour of a home to a remote client via a hangout. The client and agent or home inspector can interact live together, discussing what is being viewed.

2. Homebuyers would be able to drive around neighborhoods, locate homes for sale, open houses, review listing information and watch a video of the interior spaces. The Trulia Glass app is one such a tool.

3. While on a tour of a home, Realtors can receive discreet messages from other clients and business associates.

4. Facial recognition technology makes identifying people easy. This can be a great tool for security when an agent meets a new client for the first time on a home tour. Furthermore, Google Glass can send a photograph of the person(s) being met to a remote location, such as your office.

5. Real estate professionals can discuss documents remotely with clients.

6. QR codes on home appliances can quickly provide specs, model numbers, replacement costs, availability, etc.

7. Clients and agents can run virtual home staging apps to get a feel for a home’s potential.

8. You will be able to draw a floor plan by just scanning an area with Google Glass.

9. You will be able to talk to your client about the neighbors, by just looking at their homes. You can have the neighbor’s name, details on their home and city assessment information.

10. You can capture hands free images of a home or any documents during site visits.

Admittedly, this is some pretty impressive technology but also comes with some dangers and privacy issues. Call me “old school” but I think it will be awhile before you see me wearing these pricey spectacles. But who knows, if the frames come in the right color and style . . .

PS – A sad footnote to the previous post. My niece’s team (UCONN) lost to Georgetown in the semifinals last week. There’s always next year Lauren!

Family brag – (Part Two) My niece is a first team All American!!!

Forgive me but I gotta brag again about one of my many wonderful nieces and nephews. Now Jack, forgive me for making you yesterday’s news but sorry, your cousin Lauren Kwasnowski (pictured above evading impending doom) just knocked you off the proverbial front page. I am incredibly proud to announce that my niece has been selected Big East first team All American as a member of the UCONN Huskies women’s lacrosse team!

What makes this especially impressive is that she is just a sophomore and was a walk on to the team! Congratulations Lauren and good luck in the game tonight. UCONN made the semifinals and plays Georgetown tonight (Fox Sports 2 at 8:30). Lauren is the youngest of my brother David’s six kids. He and his wife, Linda, (pictured with Lauren after her first game last year) have raised fantastic young men and women and Lauren took the collegiate path less travelled. All of her older siblings graduated from Syracuse University while Lauren reversed Horace Greeley’s advice and went East. Much to the Cuse’s dismay it looks like; maybe they should have given her that lacrosse scholarship after all . . .

It appears UCONN is on a sports roll this year as both the men and womens basketball teams won their national championships. Let’s hope the lacrosse team keeps the hot hand (and sticks) alive with another championship. Go Lauren Go! So proud of my All American!