Dan and Amanda Byrnside and their two daughters, Charlotte (2) and Evelyn (10 months) moved to Charleston in 2011 from Washington State. The Cassina Group REALTOR® Garrett Rust helped the buy their home and find this perfect house for them before it went on the market. She took in to account all they were looking for in a house and found this gem. The Byrnside’s love taking their kids to the neighborhood park and walking local restaurants such as Pelican’s Sno Balls and Kickin Chicken.
1. How long have you lived in Charleston?
We moved here 6 years ago from Seattle, Washington. We were stationed there, Dan was active duty in the Army at the time. It had it’s perks but it had a lot of rain too.
2. What made you decide to move here?
A : We were tired of the rain and we wanted a slower lifestyle. We wanted a nice place to settle and have kids. Work gave us a couple cities to choose from and one of them was Charleston. We obviously said “absolutely!”
D : I went to school in Augusta for the Army for a few weeks. We were in the process of figuring out where we wanted to move in the South but just didn’t know where specifically. I was born in Columbus, Georgia but was in a military family so we lived all over. While I was in August I took a weekend trip to Charleston to check it out. I drove straight down 26 to the heart of downtown, fell in love, and drove straight back. We were really gunning for the idea of moving to Charleston. Then an opportunity arose about a year later and we jumped on it.
3. What was the home search like?
D : We knew we wanted to start a family so we were set on Mount Pleasant because of the great things we heard about the schools. We moved around in Mount Pleasant and in that process kind of figured out what we wanted in a house.
A : It was all thanks to Garret for finding this house! She found this house off-market in a neighborhood that is extremely difficult to get a house. She gave us a quick tour before it went on the market and we ended up putting in a contract with the owner beforehand.
D : This house was an estate sale and there have only been two owners before us. The home was in good shape but it still needed some work and updates. The kitchen was not in the middle of the home so we moved it to the middle and then I built the banquet by hand that is now under the window where the kitchen was. We then expanded the window and did a few other things. After hiring a designer, on Garrett’s recommendation, she told us we should go big. The kitchen is completely new from the ground up. We also gutted and rearranged our master bathroom.
A : We did the entire demo ourselves which was a once in a lifetime thing. It was fun picking out the finishes and deciding every detail. We salvaged a few things like the fireplace and the bookshelves. Also, the girls rooms and bathrooms we really didn’t change.
4. What were the key selling points of this home?
A : It’s one story and on a corner lot. It has a huge yard for this kids, great school district and we realized how much we could do with this home!
D : It was everything we were looking for!
5. What was your experience like working with Garret?
D : It was wonderful. She sold our [previous] home and represented both parties on our new home. It made me a little nervous at the beginning because she was expressing an interest for both parties but she was very ethical about the whole process. Very open, told us exactly how things were, and made sure we were comfortable. But it went very well and both the us and the sellers got everything we wanted out of the sale.
A : She told us exactly what we needed to do to sell our old house and it did, within a few months. We couldn’t have had a better experience buying this house. Honestly, if it wasn’t for her, we wouldn’t have gotten this house.
If you’re thinking about making a move, let The Cassina Group help! We offer the perfect mix of leading-edge technology and hands-on personal service to help you find your ideal Charleston property. Connect with one of our agents today.
