Abberly at West Ashley Blog

Bon Appetit Magazine's September issue has just declared Husk, a Charleston restaurant, as No. 1 on its list of 'Top 10 Best New Restaurants in America.'

Husk restaurant in Charleston’s historic district has received the magazine's honor. The magazine is one of the nation's best known food publications and has a circulation of 1.5 million.

The magazine is one of the country's largest and best known food publications with a circulation of 1.5 million.
There was icing on the cake too. Husk's signature skillet-roasted chicken is splashed across the cover.

Charleston's reputation as a foodie city has been steadily transitioning from word-of-mouth endorsements to more public forms of recognition.

Here are some other Charleston distinctions:

• Local chefs Robert Stehling of Hominy Grill, Mike Lata of FIG and Brock of Hust won consecutive Best Chef Southeast awards from the James Beard Foundation, from 2008-2010.
• The BB&T Wine + Food Festival is ranked as one of the nation's top five such festivals by Forbes Traveler.
• Food Network magazine recently named EVO pizza in North Charleston as one of the 50 best pies in the country.
• Southern Living also chose Husk, as Best New Restaurant in the South this year and will be a partner in October's Taste of Charleston for the first time.

At Abberly at West Ashley we welcome dogs (no aggressive breeds please). However, for your dog to be happy in an apartment it is important that they get enough exercise but not only that; they need the right kind of exercise.

For smaller dogs, do not assume that they get enough exercise running around your home because they are small. For a dog, your home is like a large cage. The key to keeping any dog in an apartment is providing enough exercise.

Even small dogs need to be taken out for daily walks. High energy dogs can live in an apartment if the owner takes them out for long walks or jogs. Enough daily exercise is the key to keeping any dog stable and happy. But, be sure it is the right type of exercise. The right kind of exercise drains both the dogs physical and mental energy.

Only providing excited exercise does not drain the dog’s mental energy. Dog park exercise is excited exercise and it is not recommended as the only source of exercise a dog receives. It keeps the dog in an excited state of mind.

Almost any dog can live in an apartment in Charleston, SC if they get enough of the right kind of exercise. You have a wide range of non-aggressive breeds to choose from if you plan on jogging with your dog. However, your dog must learn how to heel on the jog so the dog is not worrying about being your leader and is instead relaxing as he is following you.

If you plan to jog every day you could even get a higher energy dog even though you are in an apartment. But if you plan on only jogging 2 or 3 times a week and walking the dog the remaining days, you should go with a medium energy or lower energy dog.

Excluding aggressive breeds, the thing to remember is it’s not necessarily the breed you are looking for but the energy level of that particular dog. There are pups born within every litter that are higher energy then other pups within the same litter.

 

When deciding whether to rent or buy, you are making the choice to rent an apartment home or renting the capital needed to buy a home. Most Americans don't consider that they are renting equity (from the bank) to buy a home. As you are aware, very little equity is built in the first few years of paying a mortgage. Many people are surprisingly still very unaware of this fact.

This following article explains how renting is financially better than buying in about 75% of cases!

For the Past 30 Years, Renting Was Generally Better Than Buying

If homeownership is the American dream, then the nation had better wake up. That's the message from a new research paper that examines whether buying or renting a home was a better financial decision over the past 30 years. Most would find the result surprising: over the period Americans were better off renting between 65% and 75% of the time, depending on the investment alternative.

The article essentially looks at eight-year periods and assumes that a person invests the money he or she saves by renting. Since buying is generally more expensive than renting, renters have extra money to invest. It also makes a number of assumptions favorable to homeownership, including gains from the mortgage interest tax deduction, the option to refinance, and the ability to walk away -- loss-free -- from an underwater mortgage. Still, renting wins approximately three-quarters of the time.

The staff at economic research organization e21 explains why this result actually shouldn't be so shocking:

Counter-intuitive as the finding may be to some, it is actually quite logical. Unless someone possesses the cash necessary to buy a residence, he or she will be renting one way or another. The choice is between renting the property directly or instead renting the capital necessary to buy the property. The amount of capital to be rented is a function of house prices, while the bulk of a mortgage payment is interest, which is the rental payment on this capital. After 2 years, the typical 30-year amortizing mortgage balance has been reduced by less than 3%. This means that a household that took out a $300,000 mortgage with a 5% interest rate to buy a home has only reduced its mortgage balance by $8,600 after two years despite spending nearly $39,000 in total over this period.

Housing advocates may respond by pointing out that at least the $8,600 in this scenario went towards home equity rather than simply being squandered on rent. But, as demonstrated in the Real Estate Economics article, the principal component of each mortgage payment - i.e. the portion of the mortgage payment that goes towards reducing the principal mortgage balance instead of interest - is an added expense renters don't have.

This turns the real estate industry's biggest talking point on its head: you aren't throwing rent into the wind each month, you're casting away equity.

Of course, that equity also provides a potential benefit. The analysis's eight-year rolling methodology appears to miss the biggest reward of owning a home: living rent-free once the home is paid off. After that 30-years is up, the longer a family remains in that home rent-free, the more buying pays off. Taking this into account would almost certainly change the result in some, if not all situations. Renting may be a better option initially, but there's no eventual reward.

An important point still needs to be made here: buying a home that you don't plan to live in for an extended period of time probably isn't a great idea. The rent you pay in the form of interest on a 30-year loan for five or even 10 years won't be any better than if you had just rented outright. But if you're planning on living in a home for 30-plus years, then you could potentially get some benefit from buying rather than renting.

Original article by By Daniel Indiviglio, The Atlantic

The South is known for many things, and the South Carolina Low Country fare is extra special. With the many various ways to prepare Grits, Shrimp and Southern Peaches, you could eat all day long in Charleston.

The South Carolina shrimp season is in full-swing. Magwood Seafood has been a fixture in Mount Pleasant for decades, and is famous for providing high quality local seafood at fair prices. Delivery is available, or bring the biggest cooler you have to the store and they'll fill it up with fresh local shrimp!

As South Carolina's state food, grits are considered a staple, a comfort food, and a symbol of our unique culinary traditions. The color of grits depends on the color of corn used – yellow or white. The best part about grits is you can have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner or dessert, and it is served in diners and in gourmet restaurants.

Summer in South Carolina means peaches. From roadside stands to supermarkets, this delectable fruit graces our shelves and palates from early June straight through to September.South Carolina is #2 in the nation in peach production, second to California. We lead all southern states, including Georgia, and are called the "Tastier Peach State." As a matter of fact, the peach is SC's state fruit. If you haven't tasted one, you're missing out!

So start the challenge at your apartment in Charleston, SC. See who can create the tastiest Shrimp and Grits with Peach pie for dessert.

Everyone has watched at least one episode of American Idol, and probably most of you know that auditions are being held in Charleston! American Idol host Ryan Seacrest will be in Charleston on Friday for season 11 auditions. The auditions are just two days away, but if you want to sing your best song, first you will need to sign up.

Registration is going on right now at the North Charleston Coliseum. Those who sign up receive a wrist band for Friday morning's auditions. Auditions are expected to start around 8 a.m. So if you are done with practicing you tunes in front of others in your apartment in Charleston, SC, your opportunity to sing for real is here!

Seacrest will attend the auditions on Friday, but too bad judges Randy Jackson, Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler are not expected to be in Charleston. The last time American Idol was in town for auditions was during season 7. If you plan on going, good luck and make everyone in Charleston and Abberly at West Ashley proud.

The appeal of relocating to Charleston, SC is nothing new. For centuries people have been attracted to its pleasant climate, coast lines, and its abundant natural resources. Because of this the city has had a steady influx of enterprise and culture, and today Charleston exists as a cross-section of history, beauty and modern city.

Charleston, South Carolina is considered among the most beautiful, historic and livable cities on the east coast. Standing like an antebellum mansion on a peninsula surrounded tidal rivers and a picture book harbor, downtown Charleston is historic houses, colonial churches, wrought iron gates, cobblestone streets and expansive gardens.

Situated only a few miles from surrounding beaches and sea coast islands, along the intracoastal waterway, nearby to world-class golf links, and filled with gourmet restaurants, Charleston is a preferred address for those who enjoy natural beauty and cultural diversity. If you are looking for an apartment in Charleston, SC, contact Abberly at West Ashley for more information.

Summer vacation is now upon us in Charleston, South Carolina. Sometimes it's hard to come up with different activities to keep the kids happy and the parents from going crazy, especially when it rains. As much as your kids will tell you they can't wait for summer, the words "I'm bored," inevitably cross their lips. While children do enjoy the freedom that comes with the summer months, they still like to have a little structure to their fun. This summer, more than ever, families are trying to stick to a budget while still having fun with their kids.  Here are a few activities for your kids when it rains.

Charleston library is a great resource. They have free passes to lots of day activities and museums.  Most of them are indoor so that's always something to fall back on for a rainy day if you don't mind driving in the rainy weather to get to the museum.

Board games or card games are good for a few hours depending upon the age of a child or children.

Walking around the mall. Kids can spend hours in the Lego store and be perfectly happy building things from the bins that are available to the public in the store. Netflix subscribers have a huge cache of free family movies available for viewing, many of them perfect for a rainy day. Watch movies that are also books and make an activity seeing how they are the same and how they are different.

If it's 90 degrees outside and raining, go outside and dance in the rain with your children. Let them jump in puddles and get dirty. Let them see you jump in puddles and get dirty. Make mudpies. Catch raindrops on your tongue.

Your kids want to see you having a good time just like them. 

We are celebrating the 236th anniversary of our nations independence!  Charleston is steeped in history. Being such an historical landmark, the Charleston area is offering many different fireworks celebrations collaborated for a night of fun, food, and firework explosions.

The USS Yorktown will be center stage for one of Charleston's spectacular pyrotechnics displays.  Located minutes from new Ravenal Bridge, Patriots Point will offer music, dogs, burgers, and plenty of other patriotic food and drink.  There was a lot of money spent on this year’s bang, so don't miss it.  Need directions? From Abberly at West Ashley Cross the Cooper River Bridge and follow signs to Patriots Point.   

Everyone has heard about having an indoor herb garden. There is nothing more delicious than fresh rosemary, basil and parsley in your home cooked recipes. The bright and airy apartments of Abberly at West Ashley are the perfect place to set up your own indoor garden. Not only will you have fresh ingredients, but you will bring light and cheer to your home.

Rosemary grows into a beautiful and low maintenance plant, and parsley, basil and chives are universal and easy to care for as well. Really, any herb you enjoy is easy to grow indoors, but don’t just stop with herbs. Did you know there are several vegetables that are easy to grow too? Leaf lettuces such as Boston and Bibb are very easy to grow from seed in a small window box.  Spinach and Kale work well also. You can pick off the leaves as you need them and enjoy a fresh salad at lunch or dinner.

Veggies like tomatoes can be grown inside as well.  Cherry tomatoes are best but you can grow any size tomato. The larger tomato plants do need a larger pot with more soil, but the rewards are worth it for a nice, fresh tomato in your sandwich. Give tomatoes a spot in your apartment home that gets about 6-8 hours of light and the soil should remain moist.

Believe it or not, green beans and peppers are also great plants for indoor gardening. They both have lots of beautiful foliage and it is fun to watch the initial flowers turn into edible veggies. Be creative with your indoor garden, and give it a try. Add a burst of color and life to your apartment home and enjoy picking and eating fresh herbs and vegetables.

National house prices have dipped in 19 of the 20 largest metro regions, and declines in house prices are expected to continue given the 1.9 million in backlogged foreclosures. As the American economy shifts from buying to renting, with the number of renting households rising by 700,000 annually -- according to a USA Today analysis of Census data -- the number of homeowners fell by nearly 200,000 per year. Unemployment rates remain high and wages are down, which makes it more difficult for people to buy a house and prompts them to rent.

A number of studies continue to show that renting is better than owning for many Americans, with a house being a poor investment compared to renting and investing in inflation-adjusted Treasury bonds. In the paper "American Dream or American Obsession?," Wenli Li and Fang Yang from the Philadelphia Federal Reserve Bank concluded that the "adjusted real rate of return on housing actually falls below zero," and the national rate of return for home ownership between 1975 and 2009 was 1.3 percent, below the 3.375 percent return for stocks.

Home ownership translates into less money available for investment and owning a house limits mobility should a new job opportunity arise elsewhere. Some economists have even suggested that high home ownership rates correlate to high unemployment rates. Declines in house prices could make it difficult to sell if the house is worth less than its mortgage. Not everyone should own a house, and the recession has helped eliminate some of the stigma once associated with renting, now that 70 percent of Americans now agree that renting has its advantages over owning.

Article from National Multi Housing recent release