Have you ever thought about how your daily life is affected by the design of your environment – the room you’re in, the neighborhood you walk through?

I’ve been obsessed with the notion since I can remember. The arrangement of the room you’re in, as much as the cohesive structure of your community, affects your mood, your spirit, your ambitions, your life.

As an advocate for livable communities with smart, sustainable development, my approach to real estate in Charleston may be unique, but for me it’s a no-brainer. 

Bryan McElveen

Real Estate Broker

Charleston, SC

Ancestry

South Carolina has a colorful, troubled, and dynamic history. 
I am a product of all of it.

My own life began a few generations after and about 100 miles inland from where the first McElveens landed in Charleston Harbor. 

As I understand it, my ancestors were a modest bunch. They worked farms and built things, served as nurses, seamstresses and housekeepers. 
My grandfather contracted in 1929 as a laborer in the construction of the Grace Bridge in Charleston. 

Sumter is a quintessential southern town, whose experiences mirrors that of many others: provincial origin, a shame of slavery, economic devastation following civil war, decades of social strife, then a century of recovery and reconciliation. 

As an elder millennial, I witnessed a LOT of this. 
My first job was at a drug store on Main Street. 
If it were any more Norman Rockwell my photos would be in colorized sepia.

Country → City

Growing up in and around the expansive forests and marshes of South Carolina, I found my passion to create balance with the harmony of nature.

As a student at the University of South Carolina, I completed my degree in Biological Sciences that often found me trudging through marshland and hiking the foothills to observe the full spectrum of their biodiversity.

Through these endeavors and into my career, I have sought to further understanding of our environment, to spread awareness of the impact our civilization has on nature.

At the MUSC Hollings Marine Laboratory on James Island, I contributed to ecological research studies ranging from the genetics of the avian immune system, to measuring the pollution in our waterways by analyzing the immune responses of local dolphins.

Along this journey, I came to realize that the most impactful way to change our world for the better was to create a sea change in the way we structure our built environment.

I began to study and advocate for smart urban planning, efficient use of energy in our homes, and incorporating the preservation of nature and history as a matter of being.

As a Realtor at Dunes Properties, that passion is conveyed in serving my clients, who have found my expertise the key to discovering the unique culture and lifestyles of Charleston’s livable communities, from the historic French Quarter to the beaches.