Young and older professionals attracted to rolling, manicured Walnut Farms in lower Dorchester County

Leroy Burnell
The Post and Courier

While there are close to 150 homes in Walnut Farms, the sites are spread out because of the average 1-acre lot size.

Leroy Burnell
The Post and Courier

The living room of this 3,670-square-foot house for sale has a fireplace and two half-moon-shaped windows.

Scenic marsh, towering oaks and lapping waterfront are notable features of Lowcountry properties, where the level land makes it easy to see out and up. But slopes and ridges?

That's what struck Behren Kittrell, who grew up in the mildly rolling terrain of Greenville, the first time she toured Walnut Farms. "When I drove through the neighborhood, it reminded me of (tony neighborhoods in) Greenville," she says.

Walnut Farms, launched about 20 years ago, has grown gradually to nearly 150 homes on large lots west of Summerville. While the gradation is gentle at most and imperceptible in some places, the land does sweep upward and downward, especially on lands closest to the Ashley River.

The neighborhood is popular, judging by the small number of homes for sale. Although at least a half-dozen homes are on the market now, many individuals, couples and families buy and keep their properties.

"Honestly, there is not a lot of turnover in the neighborhood," says Kittrell, a Realtor and owner with her husband of Help-U-Sell Lowcountry Lifestyle.

"Obviously, there's pride of ownership. Everybody seems to take good care of their lawns."

Kittrell is listing a 3,670-square-foot home built in 1990 that has had one owner, who is selling to move closer to relatives. The brick dwelling comes with stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, crown molding, two full stories and a room over the garage, an acre of land and a swimming pool in back, yet is priced at $479,000 or about $130 a square foot. By comparison, similar upscale homes in Mount Pleasant are fetching $200 a square foot.

Pools are fairly common in Walnut Farms, possibly because the neighborhood does not have a community swimming area or clubhouse. The village, off Dorchester Road, is close to amenities such as golf courses and shopping in and around Summerville.

The brick houses, neat green lawns and carefully trimmed bushes and trees give Walnut Farms a somewhat uniform appearance. But it's not that whimsy is prohibited: One of the homes in the neighborhood is the so-called "Hobbit" house that a couple has been building on a wooded lot over the past 11 years with irregular brick work and rolling roof shingles to give the impression of a much older home.

Kittrell says the community is an attractive choice for couples with a young child or children. The home she is listing would be a good fit, she says, for a small business owner who has guests over and wants a fairly roomy dwelling.

"The floor plan is so good for entertaining," she says. The pool is alluring for adults and kids alike.

As a bit older design, the house has a couple of quirks, such as both a full second story and a furnished room over the garage with stairs to a loft. The screened porch is on two levels, too, possibly because it was added on to over the years. At the same time, the home's maturity may be an attraction in some ways. Kittrell notes that open floor plans are popular in new houses, which can be appealing but also can limit privacy. "This (the 18-year-old Walnut Farms home) has good flow but it also gives you walls," she says.

To reach Walnut Farms from downtown Charleston, take Interstate 26 west to Ashley Phosphate Road, exit 209. Turn left onto Ashley Phosphate and follow it to Dorchester Road. Turn right on Dorchester. Go about eight miles, crossing Bacon's Bridge Road on the way. Walnut Farms is on the left.

Neighborhood

Walnut Farms.

Location

Dorchester County.

Total homes

147.

Home sizes

2,500-5,000 square feet.

Home prices

$300,000-$700,000.

Property taxes

$2,290 on a $450,000 home.

Typical features

--Brick exterior.

--One acre or larger lot size.

--Two or more stories.

--Hardwood floors.

--Upscale kitchens.

--Fireplaces.

--Garages.

--Wooded lots or forest views.

--Three or more bedrooms.

--Porches and decks.

--Landscaped yards.

--Gently sloped properties.

--Peaked, shingled roofs.

--Homes built from late 1980s to present.

Area attractions

Ashley River, area golf courses, Colonial Dorchester State Historic Site, downtown Summerville, historic plantations and gardens along S.C. Highway 61, Azalea Park and area gardens, Sawmill Branch and Azalea Square Shopping Plaza.

Distance to downtown Charleston

26 miles.

Schools

Flowertown Elementary

Grades K-5; phone, 871-7400; enrollment, 975; certified staff, 72; PACT results, 43.9 percent of fifth-graders scored proficient or advanced on English/Language Arts, 34.2 percent on math, 27.5 percent on science and 25.5 percent on social studies.

Gregg Middle

Grades 6-8; phone 871-3150, enrollment, 986 ; certified staff, 71; PACT results, 22.6 percent of eighth-graders scored proficient or advanced on English/Language Arts, 14.2 percent on math, 32.5 percent on science and 25.7 percent on social studies.

Summerville High

Grades 9-12; phone, 873-6460; enrollment, 3,517; certified staff, 207; SAT results, 501 verbal and 520 math. The 1021 combined score is higher than the state average (984) and the national average (1017).

Housing Trends

Dorchester County between Bacon's Bridge Road and Four Hole Swamp:

Number of sales in the first quarter of 2008: 166 (down from 274 in the first quarter of 2007).

Average sales price: $221,200 (down from $230,100).

Median sales price: $195,000 (down from $214,500).

Reach Jim Parker at 937-5542 or jparker@postandcourier.com.