Mount Pleasant has joined other South Carolina towns as an “All-America City.”

The National Civic League on Friday announced winners of its 61st annual All-America City awards. Mount Pleasant was one of 10 cities honored for 2010, taking its place among other honorees including Ac­worth, Ga.; Gastonia, N.C.; and North Miami, Fla.

Town officials in April an­nounced plans to send a delega­tion to Kansas City to compete for the honor, which they said could be used as a marketing tool.

“It’s a big deal,” Deputy Town Administrator Eric DeMoura said then. “It’s one of the most prestigious awards.”

The award recognizes places, cities and towns for outstand­ing civic accomplishments. To win, National Civic League of­ficials said, “communities have to demonstrate an ability to ad­dress serious challenges with innovative, grassroot strategies that promote civic engagement and cooperation between the public, private and nonprofit sector.”

“These All-America Cities represent what is working in American communities,” said Gloria Rubio Cortes, president of the National Civic League. “They are taking on challeng­ing issues and finding innova­tive ways of creating a better future.”

Charleston won the award in 1977-78. Other past South Car­olina winners include Colum­bia, Florence, Rock Hill, Harts­ville, Aiken, as well as Ander­son, Orangeburg, Georgetown and Richland counties.

Marsh front home situated on a large lot with pond and lush landscaping and plenty of privacy! Incredible views from the large sunrooms both upstairs and downstairs. Open floor plan is perfect for entertaining as the kitchen overlooks the deck and backyard and opens up to the dining room, family room and sunroom. Plenty of windows create lots of natural sunlight throughout. Downstairs you will find the formal living room, dining room, kitchen, sunroom and bedroom with bath. The downstairs bedroom/ office is adjacent to the kitchen and has a private bath and could be used as a downstairs master bedroom or mother-in-law suite. The master suite upstairs has sliding doors which open to a sunroom overlooking the marsh, pond and large backyard. The master bath has a tub, separate shower, dual vanities and a walk-in closet with laundry pass thru. Bonus room/media room at the end of the hall offers many options, with French doors leading to an office with hardwood floors on one side, and another set of French doors leading to a bonus/media room with built-ins on the other. (Could be used as a fifth bedroom suite). With fresh paint, new carpet, security system and an attached 2 car garage with ample storage this home is move-in ready! Belle Hall amenities include a large club house, playground, pool, basketball courts, tennis courts, and walking and bike trails throughout the neighborhood. Click here to view the Virtual Tour and Floorplan Online.

Recently reduced down to $839,000! MUST SEE this gorgeous custom-built home with large backyard, open floor plan and upgrades throughout. First floor features spacious kitchen which opens up to family room and breakfast nook, all overlooking the screened porch and private backyard. Gourmet kitchen has 42″ SubZero refrigerator, Wolf cooktop and granite countertops. With 4 bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms, this home has it all: Hardwood floors throughout the first and second floors, tile in bathrooms and laundry, and carpet on the third floor. Extensive trim and 10 ft ceilings throughout downstairs, dining room and office/formal living room. On the second level, you will find the master suite, two additional bedrooms, full bath and laundry room. The master bedroom suite has a private porch, sitting area and large walk-in closet. The large master bathroom has a Kohler whirlpool and large tiled shower. The third floor features a fourth bedroom, full bath and large bonus area for an office or playroom. Ample storage throughout. Spacious covered porches on first and second floors overlook generous backyard. Garage with carport houses two cars under cover. Come visit this beautiful home, situated on peaceful Perseverance Street.

Click here to view the Virtual Tour and Floorplan Online with room measurements.

This one-story, well-kept 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home has it all. Open floor plan, spacious living area, large lot, screened porch and 2-car garage. The family room, dining area and kitchen overlook the screened porch, patio and large backyard. The open kitchen has a dining area which is large enough for a full size dining table and buffet/serving piece. The split floor plan allows for plenty of privacy, as the master suite is separate from the other bedrooms. The master bedroom is very large with a walk-in closet and a sliding door out to the screened porch. The master bathroom has dual vanities and two additional closets which could be used as linen closets or additional storage space. Two secondary bedrooms share the hall bathroom. One bedroom is currently used as an office. Walk through the spacious laundry room to the garage where you will find pull down stairs to the attic. In addition to the many closets, the owner has also added flooring in the attic to further expand the storage space. Directly across the street, you will find the peaceful pond and neighborhood playpark. Ask about the buyer incentives offered with use of preferred lender, in addition to the first-time homebuyer $8,000 tax credit.

MUST SEE the details and upgrades in this custom built home by Bluestone Builders, located in the desirable Dart’s Pointe section of Dunes West. This home features a first floor master suite, 4 spacious bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms. Situated on a large lot which overlooks the marsh, this home offers plenty of privacy as you enjoy the expansive views from the multiple decks and large screened porch. Special features include Brazilian Cherry hardwood floors, granite countertops, Viking gas cook top (with four burners, a center grill, and fume hood), KitchenAid double ovens, dishwasher, refrigerator, and a large island with built-in professional microwave and an additional prep sink. Perfect for entertaining, as the kitchen opens up to the family room and is adjacent to the formal dining room. You will enjoy expansive marsh views from the family room, the eat-in breakfast nook and the kitchen. The spacious family room has a gas fireplace, custom built-in bookshelves and doors leading out to the large screened porch. The exquisite master suite overlooks the marsh with a private deck. Master bath has double vanities with granite countertops, travertine stone floor and double head stand-in Grohe shower, Jacuzzi, and two walk-in closets. Upstairs you will find the other 4 bedrooms and an office/living room with wet bar, wine refrigerator, granite countertops and French doors to private balcony with incredible marsh views. All bathrooms have framed mirrors over custom vanities with designer hardware and lighting. This home has it all with a three car garage, an elevator that stops on every floor, security system, built-in surround sound stereo, tankless water heater, ample storage, and an additional 6th bedroom on the ground floor with electricity and plumbing that could be finished for an additional $25K. This home was built with exceptional detail and has been pre-inspected and is move-in ready. You must see this home to appreciate all that it has to offer.

Just reduced $10,000… Now priced at $139,900 as one of the least expensive homes in the neighborhood! This traditional one-story home is low maintenance and move-in ready. The spacious living room has a fireplace and dining area with sliding door out to side yard. The open kitchen has plenty of storage space and overlooks the backyard. The master bedroom has a large picture window which looks out to the placid duck pond. Play park is just down the street.

This home is an investor’s dream. Contact Elise at 843.670.5996 to find out what your monthly mortgage payments would be – and what you could rent it out for… Opportunity for a cash flow investment!

 It looks as though the necessary factors are in place for homebuilders to see their business rebound in the coming months. Click here to read the entire article from the Charleston Regional Business Journal.

Refinance applications were down an unadjusted 18.9% last week, compared with the week before. Applications for mortgages to purchase a home were up a seasonally adjusted 1.0%, compared with the previous week.

The four-week moving average for all mortgages was down 4.7%.

Applications to refinance an existing loan made up a 69.3% share of all activity, compared with 73.6% the previous week. And applications for adjustable-rate mortgages made up a 2.6% share of all activity, up from 2.4% the previous week.

Rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 4.81% last week, up from 4.69% the previous week, with average points increasing to 1.28 from 1.13. A point is 1% of the mortgage amount, charged as prepaid interest.

Fifteen-year fixed-rate mortgages averaged 4.44%, unchanged from last week, with points increasing to 1.16 from 1.01. And 1-year ARMs averaged 6.55%, up from 6.38%, with points increasing to 0.12 from 0.10.

Amy Hoak is a MarketWatch reporter based in Chicago.

Click here to read Southern Living Magazine’s recent article about Charleston. Contact Elise Hagerty at 843-670-5996 or ehagerty@carolinaone.com if you are interested in viewing property while you’re in town.