Carnes Crossroads—A Wise Choice for Former North Charleston Couple

January 10th, 2017

After spending 26 years working for the Maytag Corporation, Carnes Crossroads resident Alan Boring understands the importance of dependability – one of the key attributes of his former company’s products. So when it came time for Alan and his wife, Debbie, to look for a new community and a new home, they kept that principle in mind.

Renting a house in North Charleston at the time, they knew they needed a place that better suited their needs. Debbie wanted a shorter commute to her job as a Title 1 Facilitator at Sangaree Intermediate School. Their granddaughter, a student at Cane Bay High School, was also living with them, so being closer to her school was equally important. They checked out a couple of neighborhoods in the area, but Carnes Crossroads quickly rose to the top of their list.

“There seemed to be more stringent standards in terms of managing the community and protecting the investment,” noted Alan, who declares himself ‘semi-retired.’ “And that had a big impact on our decision to move here.”

Another plus: Through his job at Maytag Alan had worked closely with David Weekly Homes, a builder at Carnes. They knew the company would be the perfect choice to construct their new home.

“I know what he stands for, what his personal values are, what he expects in his company,” said Alan. “His values and our values line up very well…He strives to do the best work possible, and that was important to me. That probably played more on our decision than anything else.”

“We also really liked the idea of a planned community,” added Debbie. “We knew already about the Daniel Island Company and that this was going to be something we’d be pleased with.”

They also believed in the community’s potential.

“Being close to retirement, we wanted to make a wise investment, where we knew it would be a good, sound financial thing to do,” added Debbie. “And we were confident not only about the builders that were out here, but also the area and the direction it was heading.”

The Carnes Crossroads developer impressed the Borings for another reason. They learned from the Pastor at Northwood Church that the company had donated land inside the community for the church to build a new school – Northwood Academy.

“That’s incredible,” said Alan. “That’s a big deal. That’s such a huge investment into the community by the developer. That gave us a pretty high confidence level. When he told me that, I felt like we made the right move coming here.”

They moved in to their new Carnes Crossroads home in October of 2015 and have never looked back.

“We’re very satisfied!” said Debbie.

With most of their family out of town, it doesn’t take much now to lure them to visit.

“Living here in the Charleston area, our kids want to come all the time, which is nice!” added Debbie.

Another perk – and one they say was a pleasant surprise – has been discovering the sense of community at Carnes Crossroads.

“If we’re out of town, we know the neighbors are going to look after our house, and we always alert them when we’re leaving,” said Alan. “We just look after one another.”

“The people that I’m meeting here have come from all over,” added Debbie. “At first it seemed like when we moved in most of the people were going to be retirees, and there are a lot of retirees, but there are also a lot of young families – so it’s kind of neat that it’s such a mixture.”

And Alan and Debbie have fit right in with that mix, helping their neighbors every chance they get. They’ve even been known to leave out cookies and other seasonal treats for the city’s sanitation workers and the mailman.

“It’s just paying it forward a little bit!” said Alan.

There is another Maytag slogan that also resonates with the Borings: “What’s Inside Matters.” Although that applies to the company’s products, the Borings have discovered the same can be said about Carnes Crossroads – where the heart of the community truly is its people.