<b>Dataw Island named top community of year</b>

Real Estate Scorecard has named Dataw Island a 2017 Bliss Award winner for Best South Carolina Community of the Year.

Real Estate Scorecard provides in-depth research and candid insight into the overall happiness and satisfaction of over 390 master planned communities in the Southeast. Each year, they honor the best with a Bliss Award in 15 categories, including Happiest Community in America.

For the last decade, the Lowcountry continues to be one of the fastest growing regions in the South, according to Real Estate Scorecard.

Master planned communities didn’t come onto the scene until the early 1980s, and Dataw Island was one of the first master planned communities built in the area.

Located about 15 minutes from the downtown Beaufort waterfront, the South Carolina community is almost completely surrounded by water and it’s gated. The Beaufort real estate development has a large retirement population, yet the island is not age restricted.

In addition to the nearly 100 member-based clubs and groups in which members are philanthropically involved, there are also sports, including golf, tennis and croquet in this golf-cart-friendly community.

Amenities are extensive. The recently updated 40,000-square-foot clubhouse overlooks a saltwater marsh filled with birdlife. Jenkins Creek feeds into the marsh and is an offshoot of the Harbor River.

Near the marina, the Dataw Island Community Center houses its fitness center, indoor swimming pool and classrooms. The deep-water marina has a boatyard, boat lift, storage, provisions store and showers.

The average home price in 2016 was $414,000, a dramatic increase from 2015 where homes averaged $319,000. Homes range from the $150s to over $1.5 million.

If folks don’t want to build, re-sales are available from the mid $100’s to just over a million dollars. Membership to the club is required. Club dues are around $300 a month. POA fees are $200 a month for a traditional single-family home.

Visit www.dataw.com or call 843-838-3838.

<b>Beaufort offering online </b><b>license renewal help</b>

The new year brings a new way for companies to renew their business licenses with the city of Beaufort through an online payment service. To help area businesses with the optional online system, city leaders have scheduled drop-in workshops at City Hall.

Participants should bring their own laptop or tablet, but it is not required to establish an account and accessibility.

The drop-in workshops are scheduled for:

• 8:30-10 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 7 and Feb. 14
• 4-5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 9 and Feb. 16

<b>Real estate office adds </b><b>to Beaufort sales team</b>

Nancy Hansen has joined the sales team at Weichert, Realtors-Coastal Properties.

She and her husband relocated to Beaufort in 2008. Following a successful career in the telecommunications industry, Hansen joined Weichert Realtors in New Jersey in 2004 as a sales associate and earned the Accredited Buyer’s Representative designation in 2005.

Hansen is based in the Beaufort office and can be reached at 843-441-8685.