Johns Island-based Staffordshire community rural, yet just 20 minutes from downtown

A tight economy spurred Scott Hagan to action. The builder chose a Johns Island tract to construct houses with features such as the stainless steel appliances and granite countertops found in upper-crust homes while charging more moderate prices. The neighborhood, Staffordshire, will have 130 homes when built out, including 44 in a first construction phase. There are seven floor plans, both ranch and two-story, ranging from 1,204 to 1,560 square feet. Home prices are $209,900 to $224,900. Scott Hagan Builders of west of the Ashley launched the neighborhood last October and unveiled the first homes this spring. The contractor had visited local home shows and picked up tips on what families were looking for in a starter home, as well as what would attract professionals eyeing an economical living space and seniors moving into smaller digs. Foremost, he came away convinced that interiors are important, notably kitchen appliances. So Hagan, a custom builder, decided to install as much as practical and affordable in each home rather than build a basic house and charge extra for options. "He wanted them to walk in and say, 'Wow,' " says Kitty LaTorre, Realtor with Coldwell Banker LaTorre Realty, who is heading up marketing and sales. "I wanted to put in everything first," Hagan says. The neighborhood footprint is set out, and sidewalks are built on both sides of the street to link homes. Houses, meanwhile, are full of standard attractions. They come with garages, 6-foot privacy fences surrounding large backyards, smooth ceilings, fireplaces, brushed-nickel hardware, ceramic tile and laundry rooms. Most master bedrooms have tray ceilings, and many bathrooms come with garden tubs; otherwise, they are combined tub/showers. The stylish kitchens come standard with a range, microwave, dishwasher and refrigerator. In fact, one of the few options is a side-by-side refrigerator, which is $500 extra, Hagan says. According to LaTorre and Hagan, Johns Island in particular has a shortage of midpriced housing. Developers have focused on the island as an extension of the pricier resorts at Kiawah and Seabrook islands, or as a country getaway from urban and suburban Charleston. Hagan says he was zeroing in on a group of buyers of more modest means. "I was thinking the first-time homebuyers, retired, (people) downsizing," Hagan says. To make homes as easy to move around in as possible, he is building a lot of single-story homes, or houses that "for the most part have everything on one floor." LaTorre says Staffordshire also benefits from a central location. "It's so close to downtown, Kiawah and Seabrook," she says. "It's 20 minutes to the medical complex: We timed it." Hagan says the neighborhood should work out the way he and its backers planned because the houses are well-valued. "I've been building for 10 years," says Hagan, who comes from a family of home contractors. "This is a good price." To get to Staffordshire from downtown Charleston, cross the Ashley River bridge heading west. Turn left onto Folly Road and cross the Wappoo bridge. Make a right at the traffic light onto Maybank Highway. Follow Maybank across River Road and continue for about two more miles. Turn left on Staffwood Road. Staffordshire is ahead on the right.