The Charleston Blog, by Jim & Maria

I don't think that a single day goes by -- except for Sunday of course -- that we don't receive at least one catalog in the mail.  And for more than half of them, I have no idea how we got on their mailing list.

But the other day on the Today Show I saw an awesome website that will help rid me of all of these catalogs that go straight into my recycling bin.  It's called CatalogChoice.org.

And it is so easy to do!  All you have to do is go to their website and click on "Get Started".  Then you just set up a free account and your ready to clean up your mailbox.

It's so easy, and it sure beats trying to call the merchant and get your name off of their list that way. 

According to their site, The Catalog Choice community is presently 493,221 persons strong, having already opted out of 5,883,249 catalogs.  That is fantastic!  Think of all of the trees that have been spared.

And it's actually really good for the merchants, too.  They get to save tons of money in print and postage.  Now only the customers that want their catalog and are looking to buy something from them will be the ones receiving their mailings.  It's really a win-win all the way around.

And although it may take up to 60 days to finally get your name out of their system, it will be quite refreshing to not get all of those unwanted and useless catalogs any longer.

More great news for South Carolina is just in, and it's about our higher education. 

Clemson University, the University of South Carolina and the College of Charleston all are ranked as among the best deals in public education, according to Kiplinger's 2008 annual ranking.

Clemson claims the highest spot among the three, ranking No. 33 of 100, but fell from No. 29 last year.  

USC, meanwhile, jumped 16 spots to No. 35 after dropping 20 spots in 2006.

College of Charleston also made the list at No. 70, down from 47 last year, as the cost to attend the school increased from an average of $14,762 to $17,272.

To compile the list, Kiplinger analyzed student SAT and ACT scores, university enrollment, student-faculty ratio, graduation rates, total cost and average debt after graduation.  The financial magazine will release the rankings in its February issue.

Kiplinger did not mention Clemson or the College of Charleston in the article but singled out USC's rise on the list for "a more competitive admission rate, plus better test scores." 

"The 2007 freshman class entered the university with the highest average SAT score in our history," said USC President Andrew Sorensen.

These are just three of the many colleges and universities available in South Carolina, and hopefully we'll see a few more make the list in years to come.

Just imagine this.....65,000 pounds of oysters!

Two tractor-trailers full of oysters will roll onto the grounds at Boone Hall Plantation on Sunday, January 27, 2008 to kick off the 25th Annual Lowcountry Oyster Festival.  This event has been named in the "top 20 events in the southeast" by the Southeastern Tourism Society!

Held by the Greater Charleston Restaurant Association, the "Oyster Fest" gates open at 10:30 am with free parking available. Besides having plenty of oysters, other food will also be available.  The "Food Court" will feature food from some of the area's most popular restaurants, so everyone will be able to find something great to eat.

Activities on the main stage include the Oyster Shucking Contest, the Oyster Eating Contest and local live entertainment.  Also, the winner of the Oyster Recipe Contest will be announced and the kids will love the Children's Area designed to keep them happy and having fun.

Oysters are sold by the bucket (approximately 3-4 dozen) for market value and served with cocktail sauce and crackers.  You can either BYO knife and glove or you can purchase them at the event. Beer, soft drinks and other beverages will be sold.

Proceeds benefit the Ronald McDonald House, Hollings Cancer Center, Travel Council and Charleston County Science Materials Resource Center.

Advance tickets for the 25th Annual Oyster Festival will sell for $10.00 and will be available at all Charleston area Applebee's Restaurants and through the Association Office.  Tickets can also be purchased at the event for $12.00 (kids 10 and younger are admitted free when accompanied with an adult). 

So make sure you clear your calendar for Sunday, January 27th, because you won't want to miss this!

I cannot count the number of times that I've been showing a home, mention a FROG, and get really funny looks from our clients. 

It seems that none of our out-of-town buyers have ever heard the term.  But since we're both Charleston natives, it's just part of our language.

So, a FROG is a Finished Room Over Garage.  Other places refer to it as a bonus room, but here it's a FROG.

In the early 1970's, builders in the Charleston area starting dropping the ceiling in the garage to create space for a room - sometimes unfinished (UnFROG) and sometimes finished (FROG) in order to add value to their homes. The only access to this room was typically through the garage or laundry room.  This room is unique to Charleston -- at least by this name.  We also have the only MLS that identifies a FROG and FROG sqft. 

In more recent years, builders determined that it added even more value to their homes if the room was accessible from the upstairs hallway of the rest of the house.  The room would then be considered a bonus room.

So if you can access the room over the garage through the main house, it's technically a bonus room.  But we'll still call it a FROG :)