Z Prather just became the newest agent to join the RE/MAX Sea Island Realty  team in Beaufort South Carolina.  Z was first licensed in 1986 and will be moving over from Weichert Realtors, APEX Realty to RE/MAX Sea Island Realty today 10/1/08.  Z's real name is Zofia and she is of Polish decent.  She speaks 3 languages; English, Polish, and Russian.  Z worked for RE/MAX Sea Island Realty earlier in her real estate career, so it was a logical choice for Z when she decided to work her real estate business full-time again.  We are all so excited about having such a seasoned real estate Broker on our team! She showed up at the office this morning in one of her RE/MAX shirts!  She said that she could not resist wearing her vintage RE/MAX wear today.  Z said she is also going to break out the ... 10/01/2008

Have you ever seen an ad describing a home as being sold in "as is" condition and wondered what it all meant?  Simply, it means the seller is making NO GUARANTEE as to the condition of the home! Years ago it used to be that the doctrine of "caveat emptor" prevailed and the buyer had no protection but no longer does that apply.  When a seller makes no guarantee this means that he/she will make no repairs BUT STILL HAS AN OBLIGATION TO DISCLOSE ANY KNOWN DEFECTS.  If you,  as a buyer, encounter an "as is" sale, proceed carefully. We often see this type of sale in our local Hilton Head and Bluffton real estate market.   Make certain your contract has a contingency clause predicated on a SATISFACTORY INSPECTION REPORT........one more bit of advice------Make certain you hire a CERTIFIED INS... 09/29/2008

ARE YOU CONCERNED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY OF YOUR HOME BEING FORECLOSED? If so, there are places where  you can seek expertise and assistance.  The Homeownership Preservation Forum has 1 simple goal-----AND THAT IS TO HELP HOMEOWNERS AVOID FORECLOSURE!  This is an independent HUD approved non profit agency dedicated to helping homeowners.  Their counselors are experts in preventing foreclosures.  The service is free!  You should NEVER use a service that charges a fee because most of these do not have your best interest at heart.  Don't be fooled by the many companies that are advertising on the internet and set up solely for profit at YOUR EXPENSE.  FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE HOMEOWNERSHIP PRESERVATION FORUM, CALL, 888-995-HOME I am always available to discuss the sale of your Hilton... 09/28/2008

Get FREE Home Buyer's E-Alert & MLS Access   Saves you time, energy and money and GAS!   Before you get in your car, or in a plane--search for your Sun City, Hilton Head Home from the comfort of your current home.   Get notified immediately of homes that meet your criteria and receive this information for FREE, delivered right to your email inbox and gain immediate access to the latest information from  both Hilton Head and Beaufort MLS  Sun City Hilton Head HomeBuyer's E-Alerts will give you  immediate notification of homes that are on the market, new to market which meet your buying criteria. Just complete the Sun City Hilton Head HomeBuyer's E-Alerts form.   You'll get free and immediate access to all Hilton Head and Beaufort Multiple Listing Service data and begin to receive email a... 09/27/2008

  Hampton Lakes, located in Bluffton, SC intrigues me because of it's attention to green detail in the community.  The developers chose to forego the golf course concept in favor of miles and miles ofwaterways, lakes and green areas.  Below are some quick facts that detail the special aspects of this community: 900 Acre Community 165 Acres of Freshwater Lakes 340 Acres of Natural Wetlands 9 Miles of Greenway Trails and 7 Miles of Blueways A committment to Wildlife Recipient of a Best in American Living Award First Private Lake Community in the Lowcountry Spa and Fitness Center Dog Paddle Park especially created for your pet Energy Efficient Green Builders Miles of Waterways for Kayaking I would consider it an honor to provide information about Hampton Lakes or any communities in the Low... 09/23/2008

The annual  Beach Sweep/River Sweep will be held the third Saturday of September and  each year it is the largest one-day litter cleanup of South Carolina's beaches and waterways.  Thousands of volunteers will donate their time and efforts to clear trash and debris from local waterways on Saturday, September 20th from 9AM to Noon. So how can we all help out?  Just meet at the following locations and get involved in a worthy community project.   Bluffton Oyster Factory Bluffton Beach at Alljoy Road Burkes Beach Coligny Beach Folly Field Beach Last year over 6000 Carolians from all over the state collected over 57 tons of trash.  Just imagine what it would be like if we didn't have these voluneers helping out so freely!  09/18/2008

This morning's Island Packet Newspaper reported that starting next year Beaufort County taxpayers will be able to pay their property taxes in installments-----something that should be welcome news to many residents of the County.  As approved, the ordinance will allow property owners to pay their taxes in 5 installments. SOME KEY POINTS TO REMEMBER The program goes into effect in 2009 First installment will be due February 15th. To participate in the plan, you need to notify Beaufort County between Decenber 1 and Jan 15.  Once notified, the county will supply you with estimated payments and prepaid envelopes I'm optimisitic this program will be well-received by Beaufort County Residents.  It's proven to be popular in other states and with the current tighter financial environment, perha... 09/15/2008

I think we'd all be hard-pressed to find a family that hasn't been affected by Breast Cancer .  Such an insidious disease but great hope looms in the future for cures and better treatments. Why not support the Breast Cancer Charity Golf Tournament that will take place September 27 at Old Carolina Golf Club?   This tournament is being held in conjunction with the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer team Breast Foot Forward.  The tournemant will be limited to 15 teams with dinner at Chipper's following the tournament.  Entrance is $30 per person, registration will close on September 22.  For more information call 304-2519 or pick up your registration forms at Old Carolina Golf Club of Chipper's Restauarant.  I hope Hilton Head and Bluffton sees a nice turn out for this worthy event.  AS ALWAYS, I... 09/14/2008

Here's a really worthy cause---The Palmetto Animal League Charity Golf Tournament will be held September 29 at Belfair Plantations' west course.  The Palmetto Animal League has been the voice for animals in need for over 30 years and is well deserving of this accolade. Let's give them our support. Everyone is welcome to sign up for the event. Come out and enjoy a beautiful day at Belfair and help the animals too!   For more information, visit their website or call 843.815.3011     09/13/2008

It appears the future is looking brighter for sales of homes in Hampton Hall.  After pouring through recent MLS statistics for the neighborhood,  it is apparent that inventory levels are declining.  What can that be attributed to?  Most likely, sellers are becoming more realistic and are more tuned into local market conditions.  Currently, there are only 59 homes listed compared to almost 80 last year at this time.  So, I guess that will give some comfort to sellers who have been eagerly looking forward to being able to get their homes sold.  Let's take a look at year to date activity in Hampton Hall: Year to date there were 84 new homes listed 33 Pending and 31 Closed Transactions Average Listing Price  $590. 274 Average Pended Price  $489,665 Average Closed Price  $483,399 Total Sales... 09/13/2008

Two Companies reported earnings in our portfolio on Sep 3rd: Reuters reported that "Hovnanian Enterprises Inc's (HOV) results were far worse than Wall Street expected, while Toll Brothers Inc's (TOL) loss was half what analysts had anticipated." Deutsche Bank Securities Inc. is holding  a Homebuilding Symposium on Sept 22, Pulte--the Builder- Developer for Sun City Hilton Head , Meritage homes  and others will make presentations. We started our paper trading builders's portfolion as of 8/29/08 (We are not giving investing advice.) This portfolio was up by 11.25 % at Friday's close. Here's where we are as of 2:20 PM today (09/08) Name Symbol Last price Change Shares Cost basis Mkt value Gain Gain % Day's gain Overall Return Meritage Homes Corporation MTH 24.9 -2.3 270 6333.75 6723 389.25... 09/09/2008

   "Something for everyone" There are plenty of benefits that lure seniors into 55-plus communities like Sun City. One of the things that makes Sun City Hilton Head very special is our weather--not as cold as the north in the winter, not like Florida in the Summer, but "just right", most of the time. And, we haven't had a Hurricane in 8 years--maybe we're due... When you come to Sun City, you are among your peers--we're all in the same boatNo children's' toys in the yard or loud music from screaming teenagers on skateboards--you're neighbors are like you. They are on the move in their cars, golf carts or on foot doing what they love to do or on the way to doing it. Work and play makes for a great day, every dayIf you're 55, maybe you still want to work. Some may also want to use Sun Cit... 09/05/2008

There is still quite a bit of inventory, down a bit from the high of 265 homes. Now is the time to buy a home in Sun City Hilton Head Sales 1 August-1Sept 2008 Average Days on the market: 162 Average Sell Price: $226,850 Average List Price: $242,180 Average Discount off List: 7% There are currently 247 Active Listings in Sun City Totals Sold from 1 January to 1 September 2008 Total for 9 Months: 153 Sales Average DOM 108 Average Sell Price $237,518 Average List Price $251,326 Average Discount off List: 6% Sales MLS # Street Address BR BA List Price Sell Pr Sold Date DOM  246909 85 Andover Place  2  2/0  $165,500 $154,000 8/27/2008  139  251447 98 Penny Creek Drive 3  2/0  $249,000 $250,000 8/6/2008  28  243728 21 St. Andrews Lane  2  2/0  $244,900 $239,000 8/1/2008  274  243849 31 Cobur... 09/02/2008

Is now the time to Buy Builder's Stock? (Buy a home?) (Get on with life?) Pulte Homes Inc is the Builder for Sun City Hilton Head. I've been watching this stock for several weeks now. People are buying it and other Builder stocks as well.   I'll give you a list at the end of this post of the top ten.  Pulte Stock Performance Growth Rate -9.00   Sales (Yearly Sales - $Millions) $8,445.00 Earnings Per Share) $-1.75   Mkt Cap (Market Capitalization - $Millions) $3,735.00 Below is a 5 year chart on a month to month basis. This stock is establishing a base and is trading in a $10-15 dollar range. I think this stock along with other builders is being quietly purchased. Perhaps the Builders are buying back their own stock--I haven't checked that out, but it's a real possibility. They are buyi... 09/01/2008

 In these turburlent and uncertain times, it's encouraging to know that some programs still exist to aid first time homebuyers in South Carolina.  The South Carolina State Housing First Time Homebuyer Mortgage Loan Program helps low to modrate South Carolina families by offering competitive fixed interest rate loans.  Additionally, there is down payment assistance available that can help with closing costs.  For more information, visit the official SC website.  First time homebuyers can find all pertinent information there as well as a list of approved lenders that participate in the programs.  So, take heart in knowing there IS some help out there--You just have to know where to look and how to work the program.  FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT HILTON HEAD AND BLUFFTON REAL ESTATE, PLEASE ... 08/26/2008

With all of the new housing words in our vocabularies.....short sales....deeds in lieu of foreclosure.....deficiency judgment.......foreclosure.......declining values.......It's no wonder that many home owners are completely perplexed what direction to take if you absolutely must sell your home.  Sellers often ask me why they should consider a short sale rather than just letting the property go back to the bank in a foreclosure. It's really quite simple----If you are able to do a short sale (and that is when the bank accepts less than is owed on the property), the short sale will be far less damaging to your credit rating.  It should appear as a "settled debt" once the transaction is completed rather than the more damaging "foreclosure" which can appear for 7 years on your report. Are ... 07/22/2008

SUN CITY HILTON HEAD  AGE RESTRICTIONS         Ask anyone who lives and works here about the age restriction requirements in Sun City and will get different answers . The only way to know for sure is to read the rules.  Here are the rules: Sun City Hilton Head is an age restricted community in compliance with all applicable state and federal laws. It  provides housing primarily for people who are 55 years of age or older. Every household must contain one resident who is age qualified. However, the developer has reserved 20 % of NEW CONSTRUCTION for those who are between 50 and 55. At all times, at least 80% of all residential units must be occupied by one age-qualified person. In the event that any qualifying occupant ceases to reside in the home all documented co-occupants may continue... 06/19/2008

Well, it finally has happened------South Carolina state legislature recently passed what may well be the toughest immigration law in the nation.  In all honesty, I believe the state was forced to act due to the fact that Georgia also has passed stricter laws.  The new law requires all business owners to either chech the status of new hires using E-Verify or make certain that all new hires have valid South Carolina driver's licenses.  I have no idea how one can verify whether a driver's license is valid or forged.  The new law will go into effect on July 1, 2009 for businesses with 100 or more employees.  If there are fewer than 100 employees, the law will kick in July 1, 2010.  I guess we'll all stay tuned to see how this plays out.  There will be issues of proper enforcement for sure. ... 06/19/2008

Well, it FINALLY happened!  The HGTV home located in Bluffton, South Carolina was awarded to a single mother who previously had lived in Bluffton.  Now how interesting is that!   Check out Tradition, Hilton Head for the complete story and photos of the Green Home.  Marsha Coulthard is the lucky winner and apparently, she moved away from Bluffton a few short years ago to live closer to her parents in Brandenton, Florida.  As reported in the Island Packet, Marsha entered the contest almost every day in the hopes of winning the home.  Can you imagine the shock and excitement of having the folks from  HGTV knock on your door to give the news?  According to the Island Packet newspaper, the Green Home is valued at $850,000.  In addition to winning the home, Marsha also won a 2008 GMC Yukon Hy... 06/08/2008

Well, I guess I learn something every day and the Bluffton Farmer's Market  is my lesson for today.  Up until a few moments ago, I had absolutely no idea this fabulous market even existed.  If you're in the area on Thursdays, plan on visiting the market until October 23 when things will wind down.  The event starts at 3 PM and is held at the Bluffton Oyster Cokpany at Park and Wharf St., downtown Bluffton.  Each week, there is a vast array of fresh local produce, flowers, baked goods, dairy products, desserts and fresh herbs.  FOR INFORMATION, CALL 843-815-4411.  06/02/2008