The population of Anderson County is projected to increase 27 percent by 2040 as the second-fastest growing county in the 10-county Upstate region behind Greenville at 33 percent.
According to Realtors Wade and Sheri Alexander of Coldwell Banker Exclusive Realty & Management, lake living is playing a significant role in that growth.
“I think Lake Hartwell has a lot of do with the growth in Anderson County. It’s one of the largest lakes in the Southeast and it’s so convenient to the City of Anderson and the other communities,” Wade Alexander said. “There is a lot of lake frontage and a lot of things to do on the lake, so I think that’s a big draw for this area.”
With 962 miles of shoreline, Lake Hartwell gets much of the attention, but Anderson County is home to Lake Russell, Broadway Lake just outside Belton and Lake Secession in Abbeville County which borders Anderson County.
Known primarily as a fisherman’s lake, Lake Russell is beginning to see more real estate development, the Alexanders say. One drawback, however, is that docks are not allowed on the lake’s shoreline.
The Alexanders know a bit about lake living. Presently, they are residents of Harbor Gate, a condominium community on Lake Hartwell. They also have lived on the lake in Townville and in the north lake area near Clemson Boulevard. And this time last year, they were living in their motor home at Sadlers Creek State Park where they served as campground hosts for six months.
Both Alexanders hail from the Upstate, and both have found second careers as real estate agents.
A native of West Pelzer, Wade spent most of a 30-year career in education at Palmetto High School in Williamston where he taught history and coached football, basketball, baseball and track and field. Sheri, who grew up on the Wren side of Easley, was a sales rep for Varsity Spirit Fashions for 25 years.
“When COVID hit, I was furloughed,” Sheri explained. “At that point, we decided we wanted to do something different. For a long time, we had wanted to do something together. Real estate is what we chose, and we love it.”
Known as The “A” Team of Coldwell Banker Realty & Management, the Alexanders have just celebrated their one-year anniversary in real estate, combining a love of working with people with an innate knowledge of the market. They handle residential, commercial and land transactions primarily in Anderson and Greenville counties, working some in Greenville, Abbeville and Spartanburg counties.
Having experienced lake living firsthand, the Alexanders are experts at guiding home buyers through the dictates of the Army Corps of Engineers, which regulates what is allowable along the shorelines of Lake Hartwell and Lake Russell, such as building a dock or cutting down trees.
“You need to know that if you buy a piece of property here, you can’t just clear it or do whatever you want to with it. Even though you own the property, the Corps controls the shoreline.”
The Alexanders also have been guiding buyers and sellers through a red-hot housing market over the past year.
“Houses are selling so fast that the market is very competitive,” Sheri said. “Without a pre-approval, you can’t even put in an offer.”
For buyers, being pre-approved for a loan to determine how much house you can afford is a must, the Alexanders say. Buyers also should be prepared to put down earnest money with their offer. And buyers should not make any large purchases during the home buying process that could affect their credit.
For sellers, curb appeal is key, along with taking steps such as professional photography to ensure that the home shows well.
In today’s environment, sellers should be prepared to leave home on weekends because multiple showings are sure to take place. Since homes are selling so quickly, sellers can expect to receive multiple offers, so knowing what they will and won’t accept is critical.
“Because the market is so competitive right now, a potential buyer often will send a letter to the seller along with the offer, pulling at the heartstrings,” Wade said. “We’ve seen that happen a few times and it works.”
For more information, visit cbhdpros.com or call (864) 225-3788.
