In 2008, the company, which includes Mungo Homes, Harbor Homes, Sovereign Homes, Mungo Construction, Mungo Homes of Georgia and Mungo Homes of North Carolina, became the first builder in South Carolina to claim the National Housing Quality Award. Mungo also is among the few Certified Master Builders in the Palmetto State and is ranked as the 35th largest builder in the country.

Quality and customer service tell only part of the Mungo story – company leaders make it a point to give back to the communities they serve, and they encourage their employees to do the same. Many of them serve on boards and committees concerned with subjects such as education, health care and the arts, as well as with non-profit and civic organizations.

Mungo Homes builds in several neighborhoods in the Columbia area, including Wren Creek, Lakeport, Springhaven, Persimmon Grove, Brookhaven, Vintner’s Wood, Hawkins Creek, Eastfair and Arbor Springs.

RANKINGS BASED ON TOTAL 2011
DEED TRANSFERS, AS REPORTED BY
MARKET OPPORTUNITY RESEARCH ENTERPRISE,
KNOWN AS THE M.O.R.E. REPORT

Clay Cunningham ~ CAROLINA ONE REAL ESTATE

Did you know that Media Services is a full-service marketing company with the knowledge and experience to design and maintain your business web page and social media activities? Clay Cunningham, a Carolina One real estate agent, has enjoyed his experience with Media Services on his website at www.ParkWestNeighborhoods.com.

“My first lead was a successful sale; I sold a condo to a couple in North Carolina within the first six months of the site,” he said. “In fact, my first three leads gained from the Park West site actually led to sales: the condo sale, a house sale and then the listing of a house and of a condo.”

Cunningham said after a few months, the site started to attract a large amount of traffic.

“Most of the leads have been local,” he said. “I have been corresponding with a guy in New York who hopes to move to the area; there are people who check the site from out of state.”

One of the advantages of the site is that Cunningham gets his leads in real time, without any delay. That means he can address the needs of potential clients right away. He describes this as a great advantage.

“They’re getting an answer back from me within 10 minutes, maybe sooner,” he said with a chuckle. “I always send a personal response, even if I’m out of the office. Timing is everything; it’s best to speak with them while the house buying or selling process is fresh on their mind.”

Cunningham feels that Media Services’ focus on Internet marketing has increased his own marketability and ability to create a buzz in the area. Similarly, the goal for a Media Services website is to provide real estate professionals with strong marketing tools that generate listings.

“The Media Services Web presence is strong,” he said. “Taking advantage by having these sites means more visibility for me. Right now, I’m working on having more of them in other neighborhoods, and I look forward to the results.”

Another advantage of working with Media Services is the blending of print with digital. In Cunningham’s case, an editorial featuring one of his neighborhoods in Park West, Masonborough, appeared in Carolina Homes & Interiors, the company’s flagship publication.

For local real estate information or about Park West, call Clay Cunningham at (843) 345-4647 or email sold@ParkWestNeighborhoods.com.To find out more about website design or buyer leads,
call (843) 881-1481, ext 21 or email publisher@mediaservices1.com.

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PULTEGROUP, INC., based in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, is America’s premier home building company, with operations in 60 markets and 28 states. The company has an unmatched capacity to meet the needs of all segments of the real estate industry through Pulte Homes, Centex Homes and Del Webb.

Pulte offers an unwavering commitment to customer service, removing the worry and confusion from the home-buying process, whether you’re buying your first home, need something larger or settling down to enjoy retirement.

First-time homebuyers get the most for their money with a Centex home. From thoughtful floor plans to inviting neighborhoods, Centex provides buyers with a place to call home.

With Del Webb, homeowners can enjoy an active adult community filled with life, energy and people who share the same interests. Every morning provides a clean slate to fill with activities, friends, lifelong learning, volunteering or just trying new things.

Pulte, Centex and Del Webb are currently building in many thriving communities in the Charleston area.

Older Top 10 Builder lists can be found on the Previous year’s Top 10 Builders page.

Centex Homes, based in Dallas, has been building homes, winning awards and breaking new ground for well over half a century.
The company, established in 1950, in the beginning built homes only in Texas. Before long, however, Centex ventured outside the Lone State State, making history by building America’s first master-planned community, Elk Grove Village, near Chicago.

Centex, which now operates in more than 90 U.S. markets in more than half the states in the country, has earned several awards and honors, including being named “Most Admired Big Builder” more than once by BigBuilder magazine and taking a spot on Fortune magazine’s list of “America’s Most Admired Companies.”

In 2009, Centex and Pulte Homes announced a merger that created the nation’s largest home-building company. Pulte Homes is headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

David Weekley Homes offers home-buying opportunities from master-planned communities to building on your own lot.

The year 1997 marked the beginning of a successful relationship between the South Carolina Lowcountry and David Weekley Homes. Since the beginning, the national builder has helped create the beautiful landscape of Daniel Island and is now building quality homes in Carolina Park in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina.

David Weekley Homes has made friends in many major cities in the United States since 1976, when the company was founded in Houston.

“We are predominately in Texas but are also located in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Indiana, South Carolina, North Carolina and Georgia,” said Bryan Booth, division president for David Weekley Homes in South Carolina. “At David Weekley Homes, we focus on three tenets of construction: design, the choices we allow our customers and our service. We go above and beyond home buying and home owning because we want our customers to be happy even after they move in.

David Weekley Homes offers its customers several home-buying opportunities, from communities such as Carolina Park to building on their own lot.

“Carolina Park is a long anticipated master-planned community in the northern part of Mount Pleasant near great schools. It’s ideal for families,” said Booth. “It is operated by a company that has a great vision for the entire community.”

Daniel Island, which is more well-known outside the Lowcountry because it hosts a nationally-televised women’s tournament at the Family Circle Tennis Center, is just a short drive from downtown Charleston and some of South Carolina’s most beautiful beaches.

“It is another example of great vision. Daniel Island is gorgeous, probably one of the most beautiful communities in the nation,” Booth commented.

As one of America’s largest privately-held builders, David Weekley Homes is constantly pushing the envelope to bring its customers a great home-building experience, with innovative designs, incomparable choice and inspired service.

Those who choose David Weekley Homes have the benefit of LifeDesign®, which uses sightlines, traffic patterns, room placement, windows and light to highlight the best features of their new home. In addition, FlexSpace™ provides flexibility for each family’s unique needs and changing lifestyles.

David Weekley builds EnergySaver Homes, which are friendlier to the environment, homeowners and their pocketbooks.

To discover more about David Weekley Homes, visit www.DavidWeekleyHomes.com.

By Stacy Domingo

DSA Master Crafted Doors has been designing and creating unique, innovative and virtually hurricane-proof doors for high-end homes for more than a decade, serving the needs of distributors and contractors up and down the East Coast and as far west as Texas.

Headquartered in Raleigh, DSA recently opened a new showroom in Wilmington, North Carolina, giving its dealers and builders another opportunity to provide their customers with a firsthand look at the company’s high-quality windows and doors.

After all, few aspects of a home are more inviting than a beautiful door. Designed not only to enhance the home’s facade but to welcome friends, the front door is the centerpiece of the entryway, revealing the personality of the house and of the family that lives inside.

According to Marketing Manager/Creative Director Cristina Avgerinos, DSA plans to open additional showrooms throughout North Carolina and South Carolina, an ideal region of the country to show off its newly-qualified hurricane-rated doors. Many of DSA’s doors have a Design Pressure rating of 50, which means they can withstand winds of up to 173 mph, well above the minimum wind speed of an earth-shaking Category 5 hurricane.

Available in dozens of styles, the doors are carefully handcrafted of hardwood laminated veneer lumber core, their beauty surpassed only by their stability and resistance to warping. Most of the doors are mahogany or knotty alder, with a variety of stain options, ranging from natural to mahogany to light oak to dark oak. In addition to its already large selection of standard doors, DSA creates custom designs for clients, in some cases using walnut or oak.

According to Avgerinos, DSA Master Crafted Doors sells four categories of doors: solid panel, true divided light, leaded glass and decorative irons.

Designs from the renaissance collection include the Seville and the Barcelona, which add a Spanish influence. The Wakefield collection offers doors with intricate glass inserts, while the Milan evokes a modern Italian feel. DSA’s Tiffany doors are worthy of their namesake and the High Country collection offers more than 20 distinct styles, from plain rustic to classic elegance and everything in between.

Glass is an important element in many of DSA Master Crafted Doors’ designs, and a variety of options are available, including Clear, Clear Bevel, Seedy, Flemish and Glue Chip. Each type of glass finish lends style to the door and allows light to trickle or – if the homeowner prefers, roar – into the home.

DSA Master Crafted Doors also offers a selection of beautiful decorative leaded-glass windows, suitable for bathrooms or as a unique accent. The styles range from plain and classic to modern and colorful and all are also rated at DP 50.

The manufacturing facility and showroom are located at 10681 World Trade Blvd. in Raleigh. The newest showroom is at 3001 Flight Path Drive #5 in Wilmington. For more information and photos, visit www.dsadoors.com.

by Barbara Millen Patrick

Photography provided by DSA Master Crafted Doors

Reasonably close to the Cooper River, the area now known as Park Circle was mostly covered by plantations before the Civil War. Later, port facilities were built nearby and a vibrant community sprang up along the river and to the west. The grandparents and parents of many of today’s residents set down roots in Park Circle and its environs before and during World War I and World War II.

Early in the 20th century, when the land was an unincorporated section of Charleston County, a group of prescient businessmen formed a development company, bought the E.P. Burton Lumber Co. tract and launched plans to build homes and encourage commerce. Their ideas called for Park Circle to be an English garden style community. The area’s streets still carry the names of some of the original developers, including Durant, Buist, Mixson, Hyde and O’Hear avenues.

North Charleston’s population increased, spurred in part by the expansion of the nearby Charleston Navy Yard in the 1940s and the establishment of the U.S. Naval Station – Charleston a decade later. In June 1972, the South Carolina Supreme Court upheld an incorporation referendum that cleared the way for the city of North Charleston, with John E. Bourne Jr. serving as its first mayor. The municipality consisted of several small areas, including the hub of activity known as Park Circle.

After the naval station closed in 1996, North Charleston in general and Park Circle specifically suffered a decline in retail businesses, restaurants and home ownership. Crime began to rise. North Charleston’s third and current mayor, Keith Summey, along with property and business owners and residents, worked hard to change the face of Park Circle.

A renewed focus was placed on green spaces and on re-establishing the commercial, residential and industrial areas. The Noisette Company and its Noisette Project have garnered controversial attention but nevertheless helped renovate the dilapidated sections of Park Circle with a balance of people, planet and profit. The company accepted a daunting challenge of rebirthing a dead community and influenced others to follow suit.

At the center of Park Circle is a large park surrounded by a traffic circle. Inside the circle you will find several ball fields, picnic tables, a gazebo and a playground. Disc golf, which has become popular across the country, can now be played along a course located around the outside of the traffic circle.

Throughout the year, residents and visitors enjoy the North Charleston Farmers’ Market at the Davis Community Center, as well as Parktoberfest, Paws in the Park and other events that benefit the community. During the holiday season, the park is a popular spot for a leisurely stroll or an evening drive to see an array of interesting Christmas displays.

The Park Circle area’s rebirth has been both trendy and green. North Charleston Elementary School, located on Durant Avenue, was the state’s first elementary school certified by the U.S. Green Building Council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system. And in 2009, North Charleston won the Award of Excellence for Sustainable Community Development from The Home Depot Foundation for the work done in the Park Circle area. A team of national experts served on the advisory committee and based the award on the city’s dedication to building a sustainable community in the aftermath of the closure of the naval base.

The East Montague Business District – the Old Village to locals – has a traditional Main Street, with on-the-street parking and two-story masonrystyle buildings lining both sides. Many of the original buildings are occupied by new businesses that include small shops, a grocer, restaurants and bars, which contribute greatly to Park Circle’s vibrant night life. Streetscape improvements and the new infrastructure have revitalized this once economically damaged section of North Charleston.

“I am very happy with what has occurred in Park Circle,” said Summey. “We need to continue the Montague Avenue Streetscape through the rest of Park Circle and Liberty Hill so that we have better avenues of getting into the Old Village area and enhancing the development that has occurred even further.”

One testament to the popularity of this quaint area is the large number of older homes purchased by younger residents and renovated to meet modern standards. Many people are investing in the trendy area’s bright future.

“It’s very refreshing to see the change in Park Circle. I feel it has to do with the mayor and the Noisette Company showcasing the area. It’s very much a community and a business-oriented area,” said William W. Walker Jr., president and owner of W.C. Wilbur & Company, which has sold homeowner’s insurance in Charleston since 1911 and moved to the north area in the 1940s. “My father cared very much about Park Circle and this whole area of North Charleston. He was part of Charleston County government and worked in Columbia to make this area better. He had a lot of interest in seeing the city do well. He would’ve really liked to see how things have turned around.”

Park Circle is being rebuilt with the enthusiasm of this generation, on a foundation established by its original forwardthinking developers.

“Park Circle has anything you want,” Summey added. “It has wonderful walking areas for families, with plenty of activities for the children and great restaurants in the Montague corridor. Park Circle is 10 minutes away from everything in the universe called the Lowcountry.”

by Stacy E. Domingo
photography by Jason Bennett