A 20-Year History

Spring 2013
A REAL ESTATE UPDATE FROM WOODSIDE
A 20-Year History
Woodside celebrates a milestone p. 2
Spring Fling Expected To Draw
A Big Crowd p. 2
Try Something Sweet p. 3
Real Estate Trends Emerging
p. 4
An Owner’s Story
At Home with the Marinaccio’s p. 5
The Best Time To Exercise is… p. 7
Plus
See the latest photos & start planning your Discovery Visit
Woodside is a private, golf and residential community located in Aiken, South Carolina
Spring 2013
www.WoodsidePlantation.com
WOODSIDE CONTINUES TO
IMPROVE THE LIFESTYLE
BY INTRODUCING A NEW
HEALTH & WELLNESS CENTER
FROM THE DESK OF RICK
STEELE, DEVELOPER OF
WOODSIDE:
This year marks a special anniversary
at Woodside Plantation. It was exactly
20 years ago that my partners and I
took over development of this
exceptional community. During this
time, we’ve seen some very wild
fluctuations in the economy – times of
rapid growth when we could barely
keep pace with demand, and other
times when growth seemed to slow to
a crawl.
medical campus with state-of-the-art
health care services and a brand-new
Village Health & Wellness Center, with
additional retail shops and dining
venues in the works.
Through it all, we’ve focused on one
simple vision: To create one of the
country’s premier communities, a
place where families will still choose
to live fifty or even a hundred years
from now.
Of course, none of this would have
been possible without our property
owners and residents. We can all be
proud of the progress we’ve made,
but there’s no time to rest on our
laurels.
Over the years, we’ve completed a full
array of family-oriented amenities,
including a superlative Nicklaus Design
golf course, an outstanding tennis
complex, and a beautiful clubhouse
facility with pro shop, piano bar and
fine dining. Also underway is the
Village at Woodside, featuring a
Our promise to you for the next 20
years and beyond is to continue to
work hard to ensure Woodside
remains one of the country’s foremost
communities. We invite you to join us
in that effort, and look forward to
seeing you soon at Woodside
Plantation.
SPRING FLING IS HERE AGAIN!
If you missed out on last year’s
Memorial Day celebration, you
certainly don’t want to miss out this
year. Mark your calendar for May 24th
-27th, and make reservations now for
our annual “Spring Fling” event.
The festivities begin Friday night with
a Pub Club cocktail party and dinner at
The Reserve Club. Saturday morning
will feature golf or the choice of a
Trolley Tour of downtown Aiken or a
day at our new Health & Wellness
Center, the newest addition to the list
of completed amenities at Woodside.
The party continues on Saturday night,
with The Reserve Club Anniversary
Celebration from 7pm-11pm, with
cocktails, dining and lots of dancing!
Sunday morning features the Raising
of the American Flag, featuring the
USMC Honor Guard, followed by a
southern-style Sunday brunch.
For more information or to R.S.V.P. to
this highly-anticipated event, please
call (888) 344-7009. Please make your
reservations early because space is
limited.
This is one of the most anticipated events of the
year so make reservations early!
Completed Amenities. A 20-year track record of success. Authentic, small-town living.
FINDING THEIR SWEET SPOT
It Was The Smartest Move We’ve Ever Made
The Rudisill family can now say they are living the sweet life
According to Cindy Rudisill, “When people saw how we converted our basement full of antiques to look like a country store, they all commented on how it brought
back wonderful memories of when they were kids, and the idea to open up our own candy store was then born.”
Since moving to Woodside Plantation
three years ago, Cynthia and Dick
Rudisill have been acting like kids in a
candy store. And, as it turns out, that’s
exactly who they are.
This past January, the Rudisills opened
Cyndi’s Sweet Shoppe in a vintage
hundred-year old building in the heart
of downtown Aiken, filling it with all
manner of chocolates, fudge, pralines
and assorted candies. Though open
just a few months, it’s already become
the number one destination for every
sweet tooth from Aiken to Augusta
and everywhere in between.
Cyndi’s Sweet Shoppe is the
realization of Dick and Cynthia’s longheld dream to open their own candy
store. Both have an abiding love of the
past and were committed to recreating the authentic sweet shop
experience of a by-gone day.
It was their love of the past, in fact,
that helped convince them to come to
Woodside. “Aiken is a charming old
town with a deep sense of history,”
Dick said. “It feels a lot like Savannah
or Charleston, but without the risk of
hurricanes.”
They had one other prerequisite for
relocating. “No snow,” Dick said.
“Coming from Syracuse, I’ve seen
enough of that stuff for two lifetimes.”
They heard about Woodside eight
years ago from an article in Where to
Retire. They’d just sold their second
home in Melbourne, FL and wanted to
move far away from the threat of
coastal storms. They purchased a
homesite on their first visit to
Woodside, eventually moving to the
home where they now live.
“It was the smartest move we’ve
made,” he said. “We’ve got worldclass amenities, great neighbors, a
host of new friends and a chance to
live our dream. I guess the best way to
sum it up is to say that, at Woodside,
life is sweet!”
To learn more about Cyndi’s Sweet
Shoppe, contact them at 803-2260191. www.cyndissweetshoppe.com
Spring 2013
SALES TRENDS FOR THE FIRST QUARTER, 2013
One look at any of the financial
publications, T.V. shows or newspapers
as of late, and there’s no doubt that all
of the signs are pointing to an
undeniable fact--real estate is on the
way back up in most areas of the
country.
And Woodside is experiencing some of
that same momentum in 2013, with the
best sales performance in the first
quarter since 2008. With all of those
sales, a few trends are becoming clear.
“What we are seeing for the first time
in almost five years is that folks are
buying land again. Many of our recent
buyers have picked up a homesite at
Woodside, even though they are a year
or two from making their move down
south” notes Sean Barrett, Director of
Sales for Woodside. “They tell us that,
although they aren’t ready to move
here now, they don’t want to miss out
on the opportunities that this market
has presented, so getting one piece of
the overall puzzle, the land itself, just
makes good financial sense.”
Another trend that Sean Barrett noted
was that customers are looking to
scale down, even more so than in the
last few years, but that doesn’t mean
that they are looking to skimp on
quality.
“We have noticed that, while the
interest has been in smaller homes on
smaller properties, the customer
wants to put quality finishes inside the
home. Granite countertops, natural
flooring, screened porches and
summer kitchens are becoming a lot
more common than in the past” notes
Barrett. “And I would have to say
what hasn’t changed is the desire to
keep all of it—acreage, landscaping
and the exterior of the home– as
maintenance-free as possible.”
www.WoodsidePlantation.com
Completed Amenities. A 20-year track record of success. Authentic, small-town living.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS. AN OWNER’S STORY
At Home With Warren and Tina
New residents Warren and Tina Marinaccio share how a stranger and a long-lost friend changed their lives
We have had two locations to
travel back and forth between for the
past 20 years, Kohler, Wisconsin and
Hilton Head, South Carolina. With
retirement approaching in 2011, we
decided we wanted to get down to
one place for all of our "stuff“ (and
after 20 years, there’s a lot of “stuff”).
We had seriously considered staying in
Hilton Head and looked at many
homes for sale, but found nothing that
really caught our eye. We were sitting
in Bonefish Grill in Hilton Head one
evening and started talking to a couple
next to us. They were from Aiken,
South Carolina and just kept raving
about this town. They mentioned that
if we wanted to look at homes, we
should consider taking a look at
Woodside Plantation. We decided we
should visit Aiken, because maybe it
was time to escape the "tourist pace"
of the beach.
So, that night, we began our research
into what would soon change our
lives.
“We decide to visit
Aiken, because maybe it
was time to escape the
tourist pace of the
beach ”
We knew what was on our list of
priorities when it came to finding our
retirement location. We wanted a
gated community with attractive
homes and well landscaped areas that
lends itself to a healthy lifestyle.
We went online to view the Woodside
website and it certainly did peak our
interest. A bonus was to find out that
a realtor that we had worked with in
Warren and Tina Marinaccio enjoy their first Steeplechase race in March 2013 in Aiken,
South Carolina. Courtesy of Warren’s iPhone.
the past in Hilton Head, Wally Busch,
was now working at as a realtor at,
you guessed it, Woodside. In fact,
Wally had helped us buy our
condominium in Sea Pines (Hilton
Head Island) 20 years ago! And now
fate had put us back in his hands to
help us find a home at Woodside. Talk
about a coincidence. We had become
friends with Wally and Phyllis Busch
20 years ago, but over the years had
lost contact with them. Now we were
reunited and they couldn't have been
more hospitable and welcoming to us
all over again!
At Woodside, we found everyone to
be very friendly and helpful. It's
always fun to hear where people have
moved from and what activities they
enjoy here. Woodside has a great
blend of people that have found a
perfect location to enjoy many years
of active retirement! And we decided
to join them, thanks to the strangers
at the bar and an old friend from two
“What
more
could
anyone ask for…It’s all
here. We are so happy
to call Woodside our
new home.”
decades ago. Woodside Plantation is
truly a magnificent place, with the
rolling wooded hills blended together
with outstanding landscaping. Even
though we are not golfers we enjoy
watching the game and have always
lived in golfing communities. The
Reserve Club has spectacular tennis
courts along with a wonderful
Clubhouse. Add the Wellness Center
and "what more could anyone ask
for?" Outside Woodside is the very
vibrant downtown area of Aiken, with
very friendly shop owners and
townspeople. Blended into all this is a
fine University setting.
It's all
here. We are so happy to call
Woodside our new home!
Spring 2013
www.WoodsidePlantation.com
DON’T MISS THE 2013
Come enjoy a fun-filled weekend of events at Aiken’s most prestigious golf and residential community. Choose from a
variety of activities and events, or simply enjoy the charm and history of downtown Aiken. Experience our southern
hospitality and make this Spring Fling an unforgettable weekend.
FRIDAY, THE TWENTY-FOURTH OF MAY
from six until nine in the evening
SATURDAY, THE TWENTY-FIFTH OF MAY
Shotgun Start at nine thirty in the morning
Lunch available on the course
OR
A day pass to the new Village Health & Wellness
center, or a one hour wellness massage
(limited availability)
from seven until eleven in the evening
Cocktails, Dinner & Dancing
SUNDAY, THE TWENTY-SIXTH OF MAY
At nine thirty in the morning on The Reserve Club Front Lawn by
the United States Marine Corps Honor Guard
Reservations available from ten in the
morning until one in the afternoon
TO R.S.V.P. FOR THIS EVENT OR LEARN MORE, CALL 888.339.6375
Completed Amenities. A 20-year track record of success. Authentic, small-town living.
From The Village Health and Wellness Center
Morning Workouts: Why They’re Better
Don’t Hit That Snooze Button! At
first, morning exercise might be the
equivalent of sticking a fork in your
eye, especially if you’re a night owl,
but eventually you’ll learn to love it.
Besides, experts say there are real
physical and psychological benefits to
exercising before breakfast. Among
them:
You're twice as likely stick with it. As
the day progresses something pops up
that’s more important than exercising.
But if getting fit is a real priority, the
odds are in your favor if you squeeze
in an early a.m. workout. In fact, more
than 90 percent of those who
exercise
Sledding Hill
consistently do so in the morning.
It boosts your metabolism. Studies
show
that
morning
exercise
jumpstarts your metabolism. And a
metabolism on the move burns more
calories throughout the day, even
when you're sitting still.
It’s good for your mojo. A morning
workout energizes you for the rest of
your day. Plus, you'll get a
psychological boost knowing you've
accomplished something that's good
for you.
You’re smarter. Exercise increases
mental sharpness. Granted, you might
not become Einstein material, but
you’ll get the energy you need to think
WOODSIDE ON THE ROAD IN EARLY 2013
The Woodside sales team was busy in
the months of January, February and
March, not just at the property but in
many parts of the northeast as well.
The team participated in real estate
shows in Connecticut, New York, New
Jersey and Washington, DC, just to
name a few.
“All of the shows we attended were
incredibly busy with customers looking
for planned-communities located in the
southeast, and our booth was the
busiest it has been since 2006,” notes
Sean Barrett, Director of Sales for
Woodside. “The overwhelming theme
that we kept hearing from those in
attendance was that they wanted to find
an area with a low cost of living, great
weather, great healthcare and a
community where amenities were
completed. Customers want an active
social life and want to make new friends,
and that is exactly why Woodside has
become more popular than ever” notes
Barrett.
Look for the Woodside team to hit the
road again, as upcoming dates are being
planned for later this fall.
clearer and come up with new ideas.
You won’t eat as much. Morning
exercisers report that working out in
the a.m. curbs hunger. (Physical
activity releases endorphins, which
suppresses appetite.)
You'll sleep better. Sure, you might
have to wake earlier to fit in a 30minute workout, but you’ll sleep
better at night because exercise
improves slumber.
To learn more about the newlyopened Village Health & Wellness
Center, contact Woodside at 888344-7009.
The weather’s great.
The golf is amazing.
The best properties
are available now.
And the new
1419 Silver Bluff Rd
Aiken, SC 29803
DISCOVERY VISIT
At Woodside is only $149.
Call 888-344-7009 to book
your visit today!
Featured Property: The Cloister.
Three Bedrooms. Three baths. 2,536 square feet. $366,900
includes outdoor kitchen. Call for floor plan and additional photos. Or better yet, plan your Discovery Visit and view this
model and several others, with prices starting from $299,900. Call your Woodside Sales Executive today!
Woodside 1419 Silver Bluff Road
Aiken, SC 29803 Sales Office (888) 344-7009
www.WoodsidePlantation.com