By: BOB LANG Of The Post and Courier
Staff
Originally Published on: 5/05/01
Page: G 4
Subheadline: New Beazer community caters
to customers' desires
Photo Information: WADE SPEES/STAFF-
Windows channel sunlight into family living room
and kitchen of a model home at Arlington
at Park West. (475093)
A second-floor balcony in an Arlington
home shows off the family's
vaulted ceiling. (475094)
Arlington sign at Park West. (475095)
So far, 112 homes have been sold in
Arlington, which has access to
bike trails and common areas throughout
Park West.
There is also a map and an info box
about the neighborhood.
MOUNT PLEASANT-Beazer Homes USA is well
familiar with the East Cooper market, having built and sold
hundreds of homes in Longpoint, Belle Hall and Dunes West
subdivisions.
The Atlanta-based company, formerly
known here as Squires Homes, prides itself in molding its
products to suit buyers in a specific location rather than
offering a one-size-fits-all product line.
Beazer's latest Mount Pleasant
neighborhood, Arlington at Park West, is a prime example of how
the company tailors its homes to its customers.
Opened in March of last year, Arlington
offers one- and two-story homes that come packed with standard
features that typically are extra on other builders' homes in
this price range. Prices start at $162,990 and top out at about
$240,000 for a large house loaded with upgrades.
Standard features include such items as
architectural shingles, wood-burning fireplace, garage-door
opener and built-in microwave oven. Yards are sodded and
landscaped front and back. Ceilings are at least 9-feet high on
the first floor and smooth instead of blown.
Walker Gregory, who has been with Beazer
for more than a decade and is currently Arlington's sales
manager, said Mount Pleasant buyers demand more out of new houses
than ever before.
"This is not a first-time buyer's
neighborhood," he said. "We're dealing with a move-up
buyer mostly. If we had 8-foot ceilings, dark floorplans and
blown ceilings, people would say thank you very much and walk out
the door."
Gregory said Arlington's homes stand out
in a heavily competitive price range in Mount Pleasant. As of
last week, there were more than 300 homes listed in Mount
Pleasant between $160,000 and $240,000, according to the Multiple
Listing Service.
"That number used to be around 70.
It shows that the market has softened in Mount Pleasant, but
we're still selling at a high rate," Gregory said.
"While the other guys have had dips and valleys in their
sales, we've hummed right along. We really have a high level of
customer satisfaction."
So far, 112 homes have been sold in
Arlington. Gregory projects the community, which has 159 homes
planned, will sell out by the end of the year.
Buyers can choose a home in inventory or
have one built from among eight floorplans. Most of the plans
feature vaulted ceilings, extensive use of windows, and optional
bonus rooms.
All homes have a two-car garage, gas
heat and high-end vinyl siding. Master bathrooms come with a tub
and separate shower, with a double-bowl vanity sink.
Besides the homes, Gregory said the best
thing about the neighborhood is its location.
Park West is a developing
multimillion-dollar planned subdivision on the north end of town.
It features bike trails and common areas throughout, including an
amenity center located within a half mile from Arlington. The
center has a pool and playground.
Also within Park West are two of the
better public schools in the Lowcountry, Pinckney Elementary and
Cario Middle. The new Wando High School will be built just north
of Park West and will have a connecting road from within the
subdivision.
Gregory also points out that Park West
is located in a fast-growing part of Mount Pleasant, where new
stores, restaurants and other businesses are moving every day.
The 16-mile commute to downtown Charleston is "not
significant," he said.
"The Medical University (of South
Carolina) is the single biggest employer among our buyers,"
he said.
Arlington can be accessed one of two
ways: through Dunes West on S.C. Highway 41 or through the main
entrance to Park West on S.C. Highway 17. Arlington is located on
Bessemer Road, just south of the amenity center off of Park West
Boulevard.
Arlington is one of seven neighborhoods
in the Lowcountry where Beazer is building. The others are The
Pointe at Legend Oaks in Summerville (from the $150s), Magnolia
Lakes (from the $120s) and Autumn Chase (from the $150s) at Grand
Oaks in West Ashley, Waterford Place at Wescott Plantation (from
the $160s) in North Charleston, Westwood at the Bridges of
Summerville (from the $120s), and Scott's Mill in Summerville
(from the $90s).
Beazer Homes USA, founded in 1952,
currently builds in more than 30 markets in the Southeast,
Mid-Atlantic, Southwest and South Central United States. The
company consistently is ranked among the top 10 single-family
builders by Professional Builder and Builder magazines. Beazer
also is one of only 50 builders to receive the prestigious
Diamond Builder award for quality construction and customer
service. Beazer Homes USA is listed on the New York Stock
Exchange (NYSE: BZH).
Bob Lang covers automotive and real
estate news. Contact him at 937-5594 or at blang@postandcourier.com.
NEIGHBORHOOD
Arlington at Park West
BUILDER/MARKETER
Beazer Homes
MORE INFO
Sales office: 884-5412
Office hours: Monday to Saturday, 11
a.m.-6 p.m.; Sunday, 1-6 p.m.
HOMES PLANNED
159
PRICE RANGE
$162,990 to $222,490
SQUARE FOOTAGE
1,480 to about 2,700
SPECIAL FEATURES
Smooth ceilings
Double garage with garage door opener
Fireplace
Natural gas heat
Architectural shingles
PROPERTY TAXES
$1,067 a year on a $200,000
owner-occupied home
AREA ATTRACTIONS
Mount Pleasant recreation fields within
Park West, Towne Centre shopping complex, Palmetto Grande
multi-screen theater, beaches, numerous restaurants and grocery
stores within 7 miles.
DISTANCE TO CHARLESTON
16-mile drive to downtown area.
SCHOOLS
PINCKNEY ELEMENTARY
Grades K-5; 849-2802; enrollment, 917;
certified staff, 55; PACT results, 63.5 percent of fifth graders
scored above basic on the English/language arts portion, 44.3
percent scored above basic on the math portion.
CARIO MIDDLE
Grades 6-8; 856-4595; enrollment, 631;
certified staff, 37; PACT results, 31.6 percent of fifth graders
scored above basic on the English/language arts portion, 31.3
percent scored above basic on the math portion.
WANDO HIGH
Grades 9-12; 849-2830; enrollment,
2,079; certified staff, 121; SAT results, 508 verbal, 496 math.
The 1,004 combined score is higher than the state average (966)
but lower than the national average (1,019).
HOUSING TRENDS IN NORTHERN MOUNT
PLEASANT
Number of sales in fourth quarter of
2000: 54 (up from 40 in the fourthquarter of 1999).
Average sales price in fourth quarter of
2000: $236,100 (up from $206,600 in fourth quarter of 1999).
Median sales price in fourth quarter of
2000: $208,000 (up from $194,000 in the fourth quarter of 1999).