January 2015-January 2016 Market Report - Island West, Bluffton, SC Island West is a community off of Highway 278, 20 miles west of Hilton Head Island, SC. There are 207 homes with another 18 under construction. It is gated after 6PM and has two entrances; one off of Highway 278 and the other from another newly opened egress on Hampton Parkway. It has several community amenities, 2 tennis courts, basketball court, fitness center, and salt walter swimming pool. Proximate to Bluffton Elementary, Okatie Elementary, Bluffton Middle School, and Bluffton High School, it is a popular place. Island West is also 2 miles from Berkeley Place where there is a movie theater, shopping, and local and national chain restaurants. Many newcomers to the area are concerned about the need for flood insuranc... 01/25/2016

ABOUT Heyward House, Bluffton, SC Local Attraction If you're visiting the lowcountry of South Carolina you'll notice loads of historical markers along the major highways. If you take a turn off the busy Highway 278, down Highway 46 - also known as May River Road, then take a turn onto Calhoun Street, you'll be in the heart of Bluffton.The Heyward House - whose formal name is the Cole-Heyward House - is located at 70 Boundary Street in Bluffton, SC. It serves as the Welcome Center for Bluffton as well as the home of the Bluffton Historical Society. With its pretty and inviting front porch, it's a great place for visitors to come and just 'set a spell.'The home was built in 1841 as a 'summer home' for a local plantation owner and is one of only eight remaining homes in Bluffton from the a... 01/24/2016

2015 Bluffton, SC Home Sales Wrap-Up Before 2016 gets any busier than it has already started, I'm going to give a bit of a wrap-up. Some of these charts may look like spaghetti they are a pretty good visual illustrating a bit of what our market did in 2015. HOW ACTIVE WAS THE MARKET So, the most active market was what we call Bluffton/Off Plantation; this encompasses all the communities that are not behind gates (in general, though there are a couple that do have some sort of security). There were 918 homes that closed ranging from $83,000 to $1,270,000. That high priced home was indeed in a secured community - actually an equestrian community but still qualifies for this analysis.    Historic Sale Comparisons The median sale price was $223,283 or $113.96/square foot. The sale price rat... 01/03/2016

Great Buy in Sun City, Hilton Head $205,000 Search current inventory of Homes in Sun City Hilton HeadListing Details Camellia Model - home for sale in Sun City - Beaufort County14 Darby Creek Court, Bluffton, SC. 29909Price: $205,000MLS number: 341155Bedrooms: 3Bathrooms: 2Square Footage: 1328Call Susan 843-384-0979 to see if this property is still available and arrange a showing. You Will Love the Lifestyle in Sun City Hilton HeadWith so many amenities in this terrific community, you'll wonder why you haven't moved sooner! That's the feeling of all who live in Sun City. With a regulation croquet lawn, loads of tennis courts, many pools, and over 200 clubs to join, you'll be busy every day. There are synchronized swimming classes, water aerobics, lane swimming, and even fountains so tha... 11/07/2015

 Raise a glass at the 2015 Bluffton, SC Beer FestThough it may no longer be October, there's no reason not to attend the 5th annual Bluffton International & Craft Beer Festival! With the moniker as "The Best Little Beer Fest in the USA", you have a chance to sample from among 200 beers from 80 breweries. When: Saturday, November 7, 2015Where: Bluffton Oyster Factory Park, Bluffton, SCHours: 1:00P.M. - 5:00P.M.What: Beer Tasting FestivalWho:  ADULTS 21 and overNO PETS OR CHILDREN IN THE FESTIVAL AREACost: $35 (up until 11/6/15) and $40 day of the festival CASH ONLYBenefits:  Palmetto Animal League What is going on?This fun event again is a great way to get to know thearea that is Bluffton, SC! A little town that is one of the fastest growing towns in South Carolina, the Beer Fest is just... 11/06/2015

Bluffton SC 3rd Quarter UpdateIt seems only fitting that on the anniversary of the discovery of King Tut's tomb in 1922, we also take a look at the discovery of numbers for our year thus far.  No relation you say, well I beg to differ.  Discoveries are all about serendipitous findings and how it applies to the future.So the most important statement, iterated by the Hilton Head Area Association of Realtors, is that we're having the best sales outcomes in the last 15 years! That's just year over year - 2014-2015 and with sales UP 15.1% and inventory DOWN 16%, that trend looks like it will continue.Specific to the 'Mainland'/Bluffton market, the sales numbers are UP 21.9% and inventory is DOWN about 8.9%, the days on the market are DOWN 3.9% to 78 with many selling much more quickly - so l... 11/04/2015

11th Annual Bluffton Arts and Seafood Festival COME ON DOWN to the 11th Annual Historic Bluffton Arts and SEafood Festival - Where Fine Art & The Bounty of the Sea Come Together!When: October 10 - 18, 2015Where: ALL OVER BlufftonHours: Check the schedule!Cost: Depends on the eventContact: 843-757-BLUFWhat is going on?Golly what isn't???? From fishing tournaments to a wonderful Bluffton heritate discovery tour this Saturday 10/10/15 and gospel concert that night to an artist showcase on Sunday and then the finale - the Art & Seafood Street Fest next Sunday, 10/18 from 10:00 AM to 4:00PMIn order to build up to eat all the treats, there's a 10K road race and 5K fun run the day before 10/17/15 beginning at 8AM fom the Bluffton Oyster Factory Park.This year the festival has 5 chefs that hav... 10/07/2015

Bluffton SC Alzheimers Walk Event October 2015WHEN:      Saturday, October 3, 2015                    Registration: 10:15A                     Walk: 11:00AMWHERE:    The Promenade                    Old Town Bluffton at the corner of Hwy 46 & May River Road                    110 Calhoun Street, Bluffton, SC. 29910ORGANIZER: Amanda Newberry                         843-614-6608This event began 2 years ago with a "Crawl" through Old Town Bluffton and has now grown to a wonderful opportunity for family members, caregivers, and those who support the cause to get together and be visible in the community.The Beaufort County Alzheimer's Association invites one and all to come on out and there will be a meaningful tribute to those who suffer or have passed from causes associated with Alzheimer'... 10/02/2015

What's HOT in the Bluffton, SC Home Sale Market?I hate to throw cold water on things, but truth be told, we're in a bit of a slump with malaise thrown in. The reason is good and bad -the inventory is going down and number of qualified buyers is up but prices are not going up as quickly as hoped so sellers are still unwilling to put their homes on the market, thus buyers still have nothing to buy - or the pickings are so slim that they're not motivated. Whew - a Realtor® without product is like a retail store with nothing to sell.This phenomenon often occurs this time of year since admittedly it's summer and kids are out all over the country; thoughts for prospective buyers are not totally on 'where shall I buy a new house' but instead on 'where shall we go for vacation.' If people are h... 06/01/2015

March 2015 Pinecrest Market Report Bluffton, SC It's time to review again where Pinecrest is in the Bluffton marketplace. READ MY POST for the overall Bluffton marketplace review to put things in perspective. Meanwhile, for the first quarter of 2014, Pinecrest had 14 closed sales with an average list price of $257,029 a list price/square foot of $114.60, average sale price of $250,450, average sale price/square foot of $111.60, sale price to list price ratio of 96% and days on the market of 138. This year looks a bit different with 8 sales and average list price of $252,525, list price/square foot of $122.60, average sale price of $243,683, sale price/square foot of $118.70, sale price ratio of 95% and days on the market of 94. Pinecrest inventory continues to shrink and at the moment t... 03/29/2015

March 2015 Island West Market Report Bluffton, SC It's time to review again where Island West is in the Bluffton marketplace. READ MY POST for the overall Bluffton marketplace review to put things in perspective. Meanwhile, for the first quarter of 2014, Island West had 5 closed sales with an average list price of $329,380, a list price/square foot of $128.70, average sale price of $320,200, average sale price/square foot of $125.10, sale price to list price ratio of 97% and days on the market of 106. This year looks a bit different with 7 sales with average list price of $347,714, list price/square foot of $133.40, average sale price of $331,500, sale price/square foot of $126.90, sale price ratio of 95% and days on the market of 109. With the national builder DR Horton getting ready t... 03/23/2015

  Then and now 1st quarter 2014 and 2015 Bluffton, SC Real estate market data for Bluffton, SC provided by Susan Jacobsen of Carolina Realty Group and personal website - Lowcountry Luxury Homes.  (Information provided by Hilton Head Multiple Listing Service and Hilton Head Area Association of Realtors.) Bluffton, SC Home Prices   We have seen 6 straight months of selling price increases on home prices in Bluffton and with the increased number of ready, willing, and able buyers in the marketplace this spring, I don't really anticipate the the prices will go down .  If this is your year, you need to be prepared financially and do your research as well as engage an experienced Realtor®.  It isn't the time to just make an educated guess; days on the market time is beginning to decrease and ... 03/22/2015

Clydesdales coming to Bluffton, SC March 13, 2015 Who says everything about Friday the 13th is bad???? This Friday the 13th a team of the famous Budweiser Clydesdales will be coming to Bluffton, SC. In honor of the 5th anniversary of The Olde Town Dispensary, these beautiful horses will be hitched to their traditional bright red Budweiser beer wagon and will parade down Calhoun Street at 4PM. For those wanting to see them disembark from their 50-foot tractor trailers - where they travel in great style and comfort - you will need to get there by 2PM! Obviously, the Clydesdales are the best ambassadors for Anheuser-Busch and are made continually famous by their Super Bowl commercials as well as periodic visits throughout the country. These horses were bred for their tremendous strength an... 03/12/2015

PURRRRRfect Idea in Bluffton, SC We have a feral cat problem in our area - yep, I've said it! We have either vacationers who come and may bring their animal and then think that gee, it's warmer here than in Pennsylvania I'll bet my cat will love the warm weather. Or with good intentions someone gets a kitten and oops it grows up and now what to do - and holy cow the kitty has claws and is scratching my furniture. As for our feral population, people who let their cats go without spaying or neutering them unfortunately create a big problem. We see the cats around restaurants and people get nervous about the cleanliness.We have cat colonies scattered throughout either Hilton Head or Bluffton and there are kind people who through the kindness of their hearts, and their own pocketbooks, feed... 02/01/2015

January 2015 Market Stats Pinecrest, Bluffton, SC Pinecrest is a wonderful community located in Bluffton, SC off Bluffton Parkway with another entrance off of H.E. McCracken Circle. Built by Centex there are 495 homes, a community center, community swimming pool, and playground. It is also close to the Bluffton Boys and Girls Club, as well as a Beaufort County County Park. Pinecrest has been recovering from the recession and prices are gradually rising. Having said that, and as indicated by the chart below, there is still a bit of a rocky road ahead. The inventory has been gradually tightening but the prices are at the moment a bit slow to recover. The number of foreclosures and short sales has dramatically dropped and at the moment there is only one home on the market that is a distres... 01/28/2015

January 2015 Market Stats Island West, Bluffton, SC Every month, I do extensive research on three main market areas one of which is Island West in Bluffton, SC.  At the moment, like many communities in Bluffton, there are very few properties available. CLICK HERE to see your choices in Island West. Part of the fun is to not only look at the homes but to also evaluate what has happened in a particular community. The chart below gives you quite a bit of information about the most current information for Island West. In case you're wondering where your children might attend school: Elementary school age children go to the Okatie Elementary School which is very highly rated and was named a National Blue Ribbon School. Located off of Highway 170 it's only 5 miles away. Okatie Elementary enjo... 01/25/2015

  Condo choices for sale in Bluffton, SC There are plenty of condos, or villas, as we call them on Hilton Head. But what about condos/villas in Bluffton? The Reserve at Woodbridge Located off of Buckwalter Parkway, The Reserve is a small gated community (214 units) with its own pool and clubhouse as well as garages available for some of the properties. The buildings are two story without elevators and most have wooded views. There are currently no active listings - they are very popular and are snapped up very quickly. The monthly regime fees are $287 and that includes water/sewer, trash pickup, pest control, and exterior insurance. This property does allow pets. To be clear, these are true condos - you do not own the land. The Townes at Buckwalter These are townhome style properties an... 01/24/2015

Which to choose:Island West,Eagles Pointe,The Crescent & Pinecrest There are many lovely communities in the Bluffton/Off Plantation area identified by our Hilton Head Island Multiple Listing Service. Island West, Eagle Pointe, The Crescent and Pinecrest are all great options and each have their own nuances. Be sure to CLICK HERE to use my website for your search! ISLAND WEST This DR Horton developed community shares space with the public Island West Golf Course which winds through the community. The Palm House is the center for activities in the neighborhood and has a playground, basketball court, tennis courts, and both adult and children's swimming pools. Inside the Palm House is a meeting room as well as fitness center. There are 195 homesites in the community and at the moment there... 01/18/2015

How to find a Realtor® in Bluffton SC If you're looking to buy a home in Bluffton, click here for a home search link. If you're thinking about selling your home in Bluffton, click here to enter information for a thorough market analysis. After you have finally committed to Bluffton, determined your lender, have done loads of research on the internet, have driven into the neighborhoods, the all-important task of hiring a Realtor(R) to represent you is the last step before actually doing a home search. Choosing your Realtor® (NO an agent is not the same as a Realtor®), is a very important step. You will be providing me personal information, motivation, financial information, family information in order to purchase what is most likely one of the largest purchases you will make or accompli... 01/17/2015

      Bluffton SC 2014 Year End-Gated Community Stats As I explained in another post, the Bluffton, SC market is divided into Bluffton/Off Plantation and Bluffton and the various gated communities. This  market report summary will be relative to those private communities. More clarification, I'm focusing this particular information on communities from the bridge going over to Hilton Head (Moss Creek), as far west as Berkeley Hall and basically every other gated community in between - including Hampton Hall and Hampton Lake. If you're not from this area of the country you're probably wondering why so many places are gated - I'm not going to speak to the crime statistics - which are low - but instead try to explain that the esthetics really dictate this concept It really goes back to when... 01/05/2015