Posts by : Adrianne Anderson

Transforming your kitchen into a space that exudes luxury doesn't have to deplete your savings. With a few smart choices and creative approaches, you can elevate the heart of your home to a magazine-worthy level without spending a fortune. Here are five budget-friendly strategies to infuse luxury into your kitchen:

Upgrade hardware

One of the easiest and most cost-effective updates you can make is to switch out old, dated hardware for more modern, high-end options. Drawer pulls, cabinet handles and faucet sets in finishes such as matte black, brushed nickel or stainless steel can dramatically change the look of your kitchen. This small change can make a big impact, giving the space a mo...

Median Sales price for a previously owned single family home dropped for the 3rd month in a row. Since May, the median sales price has dropped almost $30,000 from $405,000 to $376,000. 

Months supply remains relatively flat. Since April, supply of all homes has hovered between 4.6 and 4.7 months of inventory. For townhomes and condos, we have 6.3 months of inventory. 

Compared to August of last year:

10% fewer closings

Median days on market is up by 20%

What does all of this mean?

For buyers: it means you’re gaining more negotiating power as inventory levels rise and existing inventory sits on the market longer. The price reductions we're seeing are the result of sellers co...

Creating a kid-friendly bathroom doesn't mean compromising on style or functionality. In fact, with thoughtful design, you can make a safe, fun and appealing space for the little ones in your life. Here are five key points to consider when designing a bathroom that caters to children's needs while keeping safety at the forefront:

Nonslip surfaces

Safety comes first, especially in areas prone to wetness and spills. Opt for nonslip tiles for the flooring and a textured mat for the inside of the bathtub. These help prevent slips and falls, making the bathroom safer for children. Additionally, consider soft-close toilet seats and cabinets to protect little fingers from getting pinched.

Adj...

Home maintenance needs to be done throughout the year. It is done to make sure that your home is in tip top shape all year long and that you and your family stay comfortable. As any homeowner knows, there is always some work that needs to be done around the house. If you divide the work by season, you will find that completing each task will be more manageable. Here is a compilation of home maintenance tasks that should be done with each season of the year.

In the fall

• Before the cold weather arrives, have a HVAC professional inspect your heating system. This includes checking the furnace and testing the thermostat as well as changing any filters as needed. If you have a fireplace, ma...

The last thing I want to do is help you move here and then you call me and tell me you hate it. This is where I’m from, where I’m raising my family, and where I will mostly likely retire. I love calling the Grand Strand home. Let’s talk through a few things that you should consider before moving here and if any of them are deal breakers, please don’t move here. 

Heat and humidity: With summer temperatures as high as 100 degrees and humidity in the 80’s and 90’s, our area can be like walking into a sauna. July and August will make you especially thankful for air conditioning. While not nearly as bad as Florida, our area is hot and humid in the summer months. Stay away if our sub-tropic...

This article lists out the reason why you want to move Myrtle Beach or the surrounding area. Learn why this is one of the fast growing areas in the nation!

As one of the fastest growing areas in the nation, people are moving to the Grand Strand in record numbers (this is included in our article about reasons why NOT to move here).

When I ask people, what brings you to South Carolina, the first answer people give is the weather. They are tired of cold weather and excited to leave their snow shovels behind. To be fair, our summers are hot but our winters are incredibly mild. It only snows once every couple of years and when it does, it rarely sticks around long. Our spring and fall season...

Limewashing is a unique painting technique that blends paint with natural mineral pigment to deliver a luminescent matte finish to your walls. The paint creates a mottled finish with a chalky texture that adds depth and interest to your walls. It is conveniently available in a premixed option in a variety of colors. After it dries, limewashing imparts a suede-like ambiance to the wall with soft tonal variations and textures. Limewash paint has been a staple in Belgian homes for centuries and dates to Roman times. One thing that can be said for limewash is that it gets better with age.

While limewash can trace its origins back to ancient times, its ecofriendly qualities  make it perfect f...

Imagine what it would be like having an area of your kitchen specifically designed to meet your every cold-beverage preference. Dedicated beverage centers are now trending in a big way. According to a recent National Kitchen and Bath Association poll, more than half of those surveyed plan to install specialized beverage storage and appliances in their kitchens. From beer and wine to juice boxes and fresh smoothies, these centers are only limited by your imagination and budget.

Why do I need one?

One reason is to save space in your refrigerator. Storing drinks such as beer and wine in your main refrigerator can take up a lot of space. With a dedicated beverage refrigerator, you will have...

After years of streamlined, minimalistic style, the flashy style of the 1980s is making a comeback. One vintage furniture dealer says that '80s-era furniture is resonating with his clients, and he can't keep enough brass furniture, multicolored area rugs, laminate bedroom sets, curved sectional sofas and neon accessories in stock. The hallmark of '80s interior design was an aesthetic that combined extravagance, bold colors and a variety of cultural themes. Geometric shapes and patterns played a leading role in creating this style and were splashed liberally across upholstered furniture, walls, floors and accent pieces.

It's always a balancing act between rocking an interior retro style a...

As a native of the Grand Strand, I’ve enjoyed the water in our area: beaches, rivers, creeks and inlets. It’s what makes our home so special with the water becoming ingrained in our lives. With that water comes the chance of flooding.

Flooding is flooding: water spills over its banks and causes road closures, damage to property and impacts our scheduled plans. I’d like to split the flooding we experience in our area into two categories: Storm Surge and River Flooding.

Storm Surge refers to the abnormal rise in sea level during a coastal storm. This is caused by the winds of a storm pushing water on shore, the low pressure of the storm (picture the water being held in a hurricane like an...

A bathroom remodel is the stuff of homeowners' dreams. After all, you use your home's bathroom every day. And most of the fixtures are built in, so it's totally natural to fantasize about tearing them out and replacing them with ones that look and perform the way you want. Here are the steps involved in bringing your bathroom down to the studs so you can rebuild it according to your wishes:

1. Make a plan. If you've been thinking about remodeling for a while, you've probably thought some of it out already, like what colors and finishes you want for your new tiling or what kinds of features you want in your new fixtures. That is, unfortunately, the fun part. Before you begin, you'll have t...

It's probably been a few months since you started a fire in your fireplace. When you feel that first chill in the air, you know that cozy evenings spent in front of a fire are not far behind. Whether your fireplace is wood-burning, gas or electric, you will want to familiarize yourself with some of these important safety tips.

Clear the clutter — Over the months when a fireplace is not being used, clutter somehow seems to find its way around the fireplace area. Move any rugs, knickknacks, books, furniture or other decor that is too close to the fireplace itself. Check to make sure the area is clear of anything that could potentially fall into the flames. Make sure you have a fire screen ...

Mixing vintage and modern design elements is an approach to home decor that celebrates the beauty of different eras and allows for a personalized space that feels inviting. You can create a harmonious blend of vintage and modern styles by balancing colors and proportions, making vintage pieces the focal points, mixing textures and materials, and layering lighting. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Balance proportions and colors

To effectively mix vintage and modern decor, focus on balancing proportions and harmonizing color palettes. Choose a unifying color scheme that weaves through your modern and vintage pieces. This approach creates a cohesive look, even when the styles of th...

Here some interesting stats for all property types (Single Family Homes, Townhomes/Condos and Manufactured Homes) from the Coastal Carolinas Association of Realtors:

-Prices went down by almost $10,000!

-Closed sales were down by a little more than 5%

-Pending sales were up by almost 11%

-Compared to last July, there were 13% more new listings

As I looked at the numbers, something that jumped out at me is that there are two different markets emerging along the Grand Strand. The numbers below demonstrate just how different the single family home market is from the townhome/condo market. I’ll also explain what it means when someone says “Months Supply”.

For Single Family Homes, the...

Unlike the ubiquitous and trendy stark-white kitchen with its equally stark cabinetry, subway tile backsplash and stainless steel appliances, the comfortable and cozy English farmhouse kitchen continues to stand the test of time. The hallmarks of this kitchen are familiar and include a hearth-like range, a large center island, built-in cabinetry, warm paint colors, minimal decoration, beamed ceilings and a mix of natural materials such as wood, stone, brick and subtle metals. These elements are meant to evoke a sense of comfort and tradition — something many people are craving today.

You are likely to find locally quarried limestone floors as the traditional choice for English kitchen fl...

Soon after being crowned the monarch of England, King Charles II ordered the governors of the American Colonies to build a road connecting Boston, Massachusetts to Charleston, South Carolina. Beginning in 1673, it took until 1735 for the road to be passable by wagon. It will surprise no one in Horry and Georgetown counties to learn that the road from Wilmington, North Carolina to Charleston was noted as the “most tedious and disagreeable of any on the Continent.” Crossing multiple rivers via ferries and large stretches of low swampland would have been very difficult for early travelers. By 1750, the road had been expanded as far north as Maine and as far south as Savannah, Georgia. 

In o...

A recent issue of the well-respected trade publication/platform Remodeling reported on the top 23 major home remodeling projects. In fact, five of these renos offered more than 100% return on investment for homeowners. Here are five of the more interesting projects from the analysis for homeowners to think about:

HVAC conversion — While electric heat pumps are not the most glamorous, homeowners are converting their fossil-fuel-burning furnaces to this style. Heat pumps not only heat a home but cool it as well. This is good news for folks living in areas where homes run budget-busting air-conditioning systems all summer long. Consumers are seeking eco-friendly HVAC systems and are willing...

Usually located just off the kitchen, utility rooms bridge the space between the outdoors and the indoors. Here family members can take off their muddy or snowy boots, store wet umbrellas and raincoats, and store bulky items that would otherwise clutter other spaces. A well-designed utility room will do all that and more. It can even house small appliances or seldom-used items like special occasion dishes, glassware and silverware.

A "bootility" room is both a utility and boot room. A bootility room is outfitted with storage cabinets; hooks for hanging coats, umbrellas and dog leashes; and a bench to use when pulling  on and off boots or shoes. The bench can also have shelves underneath ...

The movement toward spending more time working and exercising at home is being reflected in the latest home bathroom design trends. Homeowners are seeking bathrooms with more health club like amenities and less emphasis on functionality. Wellness is a priority, and designers are seeing greater interest among their clients in features such as steam showers, wet rooms, saunas and even cold plunges. Here are five top trending ideas for refreshing your bathroom no matter the size of the room or your budget.

Spa-like features

Nontraditional shower spaces are playing a key role in bathroom design. Wet rooms allow you to take a bath in the same space where you shower. As you are soaking in the...

Traditional interior design is based largely on 18th- and 19th-century European styles and conventional ideas of what a home looks like. The types of furniture, color palette and decor usually found in traditional homes reference the elegance of the past with little concern for what is trendy. Many Americans grew up in homes characterized as traditional and feel very "at home" with this comfortable, relaxed style. Because it is not rooted in any particular time period, traditional design can be adapted to include touches of contemporary elements while maintaining its understated aesthetic.

Here are some decorating guidelines for updating the traditional style of your home:

In the living...