102 Orleans, Simpsonville, 29680
Our home is for sale and the real estate folks can only list so much information.
I, on the other hand, can blog away forever about it! I would like to give a lot of information about the area because it has been such a blessing for us to live there these past 20+ years. We are not moving because we don’t like the house or the area – we are moving because we bought land and we wish to establish a farm. (After I talk about the area, I’m going to talk about the house, because we’ve spent thousands of dollars and hundreds of hours on completely redoing this wonderful home.)
LOCATION: Jenkins Estates is in the lower part of Greenville county. It is the best kept secret in real estate! Located beginning at the intersection of 418 and Fork Shoals Road and extending for about 1 mile down Fork Shoals Road, Jenkins Estates is a small community of homes, each sitting on an acre or more of land. You don’t have to worry about being too close to your neighbors!
NUMBER/TYPE OF HOMES: The neighborhood consists of several “French” roads, Marseilles, Bordeaux, Orleans, and Beauclair. There are approximately 60 homes in the entire subdivision. There are about 5 rental homes in the whole area. Only two homes in the neighborhood would be considered “fixer uppers” – the rest of the homes are very well maintained. There are NO mobile homes.
AGE: Some of the homes are part of the original subdivision, and were built around 1975-1977. The rest of the homes have been built since that time and new homes are built from time to time. (Example: Someone may sell 2-3 acres and then someone will buy that land and build a home or two.)
TREES: Because this is an older neighborhood, the trees are well established. Most folks have tried to preserve the large trees, so you won’t find the “cookie cutter” look of new subdivisions with scrawny little trees. Many of the trees throughout the neighborhood are so big it would take 2-3 people holding hands to surround a tree.
DIVERSITY/TYPE OF NEIGHBORS: This area is a wonderfully diverse community of people. While predominantly Caucasian, there are several families of various ethnic backgrounds scattered throughout the neighborhood. Most everyone gets along well with their neighbors. There are no “race issues” and we enjoy and respect each other.
I LOVE my neighbors and I will truly miss them when our house is sold. We will definitely be going back to visit! How many people do you know who still borrow sugar and eggs from their neighbors? How many people do you know who even know their neighbors’ names and children? This is an old-time community of people who really do get to know each other.
My neighbors have been an incredible blessing to me. Over the years, we have watched each other’s homes, sat for each other’s pets, held community events, and borrowed eggs and sugar back and forth. Whenever I had a new baby, at least one if not more of my neighbors would bring a baby gift or a casserole dish. Some have given my children gifts, others always offer cookies and tea when they visit, others have invited them to church events. Most of my immediate neighbors are involved in a local church. I cannot say enough good things about the people in Jenkins Estates. It is truly a nice community. I think part of that has to do with the fact that so many people who move into Jenkins Estates stay for 10 years or more.
There are retired couples, couples with no children yet, couples with small children, couples with teenagers, and empty-nesters. We have enjoyed raising children in this neighborhood.
In 20 years, I have heard music from someone’s party only 4 or 5 times. The people are simply quiet and respect each other’s privacy.
SCHOOLS: Fork Shoals Elementary School and the brand-new Ralph Chandler Middle School are VERY close to the house. Chandler is about ¼ mile away and Fork Shoals is about 2 miles away. The high school for this area is Woodmont.
FIRE SERVICE: We are serviced by one of the finest volunteer fire departments in SC. Canebrake Fire Department volunteers are dedicated and FAST! I know because my husband has been with them since 1991 and my son joined a year or so ago. Once a call comes in, someone is on site within just a few minutes. We have a great record for quickly putting out fires. And – there’s fire hydrant in my neighbor’s yard, so 102 Orleans is VERY close to the water source! Our ISO rating is currently a 7 and we are on schedule to be considered for a 5 soon!
HOSPITAL: Hillcrest Hospital is the closest hospital to us (about 10 minutes). I have to say, the few times we have needed it, they were great to work with. I’ve never had to wait long and the doctors they have there are super nice and caring. I’ve been very pleased with the services we’ve received there. For bigger emergencies, the next two hospital choices would be St. Francis and Greenville Memorial, each about 30 minutes away.
SHOPPING: Wal-mart may not be in our backyard, but I wouldn’t want it there anyway. Just 11 minutes away, you have Wal-mart, Ingles, Jack-in-the-Box, Panera Bread, Bi-Lo, the Post Office, Target, McDonald’s, a donut shop, tire places, car repair places, many restaurants, car dealerships, doctor’s offices, and businesses. It may seem like a long drive into the country, but it really isn’t. They’re even building a brand-new movie theater in Simpsonville!
THE HOUSE: 3 bedrooms, 3 baths (one with laundry facilities), 2 bonus rooms, a beautifully remodeled HUGE kitchen with pantry, a large great room/ dining room area which is perfect for entertaining a crowd. The house measures just under 2,000 square feet. It’s like 1,986 square feet or something. The 2 bonus rooms were originally built and used as bedrooms, but we can’t call them bedrooms because they don’t have closets.
The roof was redone in April 2008, so it’s good for another 20 years!
The only thing original to the house is the shower stall in the master bathroom. The other two bathrooms have new surround tub units. In all the bathrooms we installed new sinks/vanities, medicine cabinets/lightbars, and all toilets are 17” tall. (These commodes are not the cheap specials for $40. We paid about $200 each for them.)
The kitchen appliances are all new. Built-in dishwasher and microwave, smooth-top electric stove/oven. Breakfast bar seats at least 4.
The home has ceiling fans throughout and a whole house fan which draws in a beautiful breeze during the spring and fall. When it gets too hot for a natural breeze, the central air takes over and does a great job. The unit will serve up to 3,500 square feet, so if you add on to the house you can use the existing unit to cool it and heat it.
A brand-new wood laminate floor has been laid in the kitchen, living/dining, one hall, and master bedroom. The other two bedrooms have wood parquet flooring. The 2 bonus rooms, second hall, and all bathrooms have ceramic tile.
The house is not built on a slab, there is a crawl space, which is tall enough to store bicycles, etc.
The house sits on 1.1 acres and is a corner lot. We are on the corner of Fork Shoals Road and Orleans. We have a pear tree, an apple tree, and two peach trees, as well as large established pine trees and a huge garden plot in the backyard. In the front yard, we have several large flower beds.
There is a barn in the back yard. It is two-stories tall and the first floor is divided into two rooms. We used one as a hobby room and one as a garden/lawn room. There is a “Dutch garage” on the backside of the barn, large enough to store a car beneath the roof (or lawn tractors, trailers, etc.) The barn also has an attached kennel and dog run.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email me! We are very interested in getting this home sold quickly. This house is an incredible deal right now at only $144,900. It would be hard to find such a nice house with a large barn and sitting on an acre of land anywhere closer to Simpsonville!
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