Potential Buyers on Hilton Head Island take note! There is a new way to find out about a property before it is listed for sale on the internet or Zillow. There is only one way to find out about these new properties. Your local Hilton Head Multiple Listing Agent can see them before you ever do.
These properties are categorized as “Listing Delay”! The sellers have deferred putting their properties on the market until a certain date. However, your Hilton Head MLS agent can see them before you ever do and even show some of them to you before they hit the market or internet.
If you would like to be recieve these property updates, email us today! These properties change daily and your agent can keep you posted if the perfect property pops up!
The Hilton Head Real Estate Market has been playing catchup from a sleepy spring as sales surge in the Months of May and June. Prospective purchasers are not taking a chance on time! They have been rewarded with selection and low interest rates!
If you would like to find out what’s available, just give us a call at (843)785-7111 or shoot us an email. With this activity, inventory will certainly change. After all, we are an Island that is 100% developed near the beach. We are certainly seeing negotiations firm up on the Island with multiple offers on properties that are priced right! Stay Happy and Healthy!
These incredibles Sea Turtles are returning to the Island after leaving the Island as hatchlings almost 25 years ago. If you would like to adopt a nest, the cost is $25.00 and you will be able to follow your nest with updates from from Terri Johnson(see below). Hilton Head Properties this year will adopt a nest for every new buyer that works with us this year! Click here to adopt your own nest. If you would like to start shopping for your very own nest on the Island please click Hilton Head Properties!
“Take care of our world.”
~ Miss Andrea Siebold
August 25, 2021
Dear Sea Turtle Nest Adopters,
On May 10th (Mothers Day! How appropriate!!!), the first sea turtle nest of our season was found on Hilton Head Island!! In the middle of the night, a mother sea turtle dragged herself out of the ocean, on to the sand and crawled to a beautiful, scenic spot waaaay above the high tide line. We did not see the mother turtle (long gone by daylight) but we did see her unmistakable tracks in the sand leading into the dunes:
Once she got there, she busily dug a deep hole with her back flippers (not too easy to do!) and laid her eggs (usually about 120 of them) into the hole. After that, she covered up all of the eggs, filled in the hole, so that her eggs would be safe from harm for the next 60 or so days until they are ready to hatch. Then, exhausted, she dragged her tired body back into the ocean – never to visit her nest or see her babies again! Wow! What a lot of work for that poor mother! If you look carefully, you can see her tracks to and from her nest: Also notice the nice empty beach, perfect for peaceful sea turtle nesting!
The Sea Turtle Patrol has now marked the nest with three poles and an orange label to remind us all that this is the nest of an endangered species – they are not to be touched or disturbed.
We got off to a great start, despite it being such a cool, cool spring. 273 nests as the nesting season winds down!!
Thanks so much for your interest – we’ll keep you posted!
Be sure to check out our Facebook and Instagram pages:
“Take care of our world.”
~ Miss Andrea Siebold
July 20, 2021
Dear Nest Adopters,
In July and August, the Hilton Head Island beach is a busy place: During the day, tourists and locals fill the sand and water with fun, noise and laughter. But in the night, although most of the mother sea turtles have finished coming ashore to nest, a lot of hatchlings are leaving the nest racing to the ocean! Everyone on the island is working hard to educate our beach goers with simple instructions: leave the beach at the end of the day as you found it! Fill in the holes, flatten the sand castles and pick up the trash. This is sea turtle territory!!🐢🐢🐢
Our “Man On The Beach” (MOTB) has been up early in the morning checking on the nests near our house! It’s Hatching Season!! Our first nest laid (May 9th) was our first nest hatched a week ago (around 65 days incubation), so we are off to the “races”!!!!
Hatching is the always a big question. No one really knows when a nest will hatch (like waiting for a pot to boil or lightening to strike!!) – it can be any time between 45 and 65 days after it was laid. But we do know that hatchlings prefer to come out in the night – it is cooler, quieter and safer for them.
Here is how it happens: more than 100 eggs have been developing under the sand for almost two months. Gradually, the hatchlings start to break out of their shells – still under the sand. You can tell that this is happening when you see a depression in the sand that looks like a bowling ball was dropped on it – like this:
The hatchlings don’t just come out one at a time…..they wait until a whole bunch of them are ready to make a run for it – and lots exit the nest at the same time. This is called a “boil”. In the Coastal Discovery Museum, there is a model of what a nest looks like under the ground during the hatching.
Then they make a run for the nearest light – which is supposed to be the ocean. (If people have on lights in their beach front houses, the hatchlings will go that way and never make it to the ocean….very sad!)
If everything goes right, our Man On The Beach will see tracks coming out of the nest like these, all going the same direction straight for the ocean!
After a couple days allowing the nest to “boil out” the Sea Turtle Patrol will “inventory the nest”, counting hatched egg shells and checking to see if any babies where left behind. Last year MOTB got to see the Turtle Patrol scoop some of the babies that didn’t quite make it out of an inventoried nest and release them closer to the lapping waves. You can see a good bit of the video he took at the attached link! Remember, only certified members of the Sea Turtle Patrol can handle these babies!
If you happen to see a nest hatching, you are very lucky – but PLEASE keep a distance away, do not take any pictures, and use only a red turtle safe flashlight – pointed AWAY from the hatchling. We want to protect every one of those babies!
Over 13,000 eggs are incubating in the sands of HHI beaches…..more later, we are getting closer to those results!!!
Let me introduce you to our “Man On The Beach”, my husband, Steve. He is out on the beach at sunrise most every morning and has some wonderful interaction with both the Sea Turtle Patrol (those folks permitted by the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to both monitor and protect our precious mommas and nests) and the opportunity to photograph his adventures for us to enjoy!
May 1st is the “official” opening of Sea Turtle Nesting Season (right around the corner!!). It won’t be long now until you find out when “your” momma came on shore to nest! I will email you right away when that happens!!
Last year, our Man on the Beach had the great fortune of starting his morning sunrise journey with a momma ashore nesting right on the dunes by our home! He had a chance to film it and you can see those videos here:
You have as much a chance of seeing a momma come ashore to nest (they are notoriously shy) as being struck by lightning!
Remember, these animals are an endangered species and federal law prohibits anyone, but the folks licensed by South Carolina Department of Natural Resources, to interfere or handle them in any way. So, if you are lucky enough to be on the beach during the late evening or early morning hours and see such an amazing thing, be sure to stay behind her and out of sight! Our MOTB had a very long zoom lens and was way out of her eye range when this video was shot.
More in the coming weeks! In the meantime enjoy this sunset view over the water taken from the dock of Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks……..
The beach is empty – the tourists and the sea turtles have departed. The 2020 hatching season has ended. We had a great season!
291 Nests
33,379 eggs 25,390 hatched eggs
55.5 days average incubation duration
114.8 eggs average per nest
95.8% nest success
Thank you for sharing the sea turtle journey with us in 2020 – your interest and enthusiasm have been inspiring! You are wonderful ambassadors to help save the sea turtles and our environment.
Our adopters came from almost every state in the US plus some providences in Canada. You are all awesome! This year’s adopters include:
Children and adults receiving birthday gift nests.
Couples anniversary gifts and new brides and grooms around the country becoming adoptive sea turtle parents.
Lost loved ones near and far honored with dedicated memorial nests.
Friends who travel around the world – and shared their experiences with us.
Book Groups
Mother and fathers who adopt for family members around the country so they can compare their nest success stats at the end of the season.
Grandparents who share in the joy of sea turtles with their grandchildren and continue the tradition of environmental stewardship and appreciation.
Realtors who adopt for their clients to share the lovely sentiment:
“Like the Sea Turtles that return to the island, it is our hope that will return to the Island again.”
Plus countless others.
To our local sea turtle lovers, we say thanks – the amazing Sea Turtle Patrol who does the “heavy lifting” every morning starting at 5:00 am, the Turtle Trackers who help clean up the beach in the evenings, the beach walkers who share their joy and pictures of mothers or hatchling sightings.
Special thank you to our Man On The Beach (my husband, Steve). He will be our eyes and ears for the 2021 season, therefore make sure you adopt for 2021 so you can follow along on his early morning adventures!
Thank you to the Coastal Discovery Museum staff who prepares and mails all of the certificates and shirts and who teach and inspire endless classes of school children, visitors, and locals.
A special thanks to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources who graciously provides us with the exciting details of each nest hatch.
A final thank you to our lovely Miss Andrea Siebold, who has shouldered the responsibility of keeping all adopters up to date and informed in her educational, entertaining way for the past 12 years. I am humbled and blessed to follow in her footsteps and look forward to new educational, entertaining journeys with our amazing returning adopters and those new to the HHI sea turtle nest adopting experience.
The 2021 nest adoption form is on the museum website www.coastaldiscovery.org, plus I’ve included the form with this email. Adoptions are already underway for next year so don’t delay to make sure you get the whole experience from the first momma sighting (around the end of April) to the last nest hatch (usually beginning of October)!
Because of our current pandemic situation, the Holiday Market at the Museum has been canceled, therefore I will be at the Farmers Market at the Museum on Tuesday, November 24 from 9 am to – 1 pm. Come over and say Hi!
Hilton Head Island & Bluffton Real Estate News March 2020/Updated July 2022
HHI is just a One Day Drive Away!
We recieved an email today from a guest that had booked an international vacation to a resort Island, but decided to drive to Hilton Head for summer vacation instead! The beauty of Hilton Head for most is that it is just a days drive(or less) away from where they live. So how does Hilton Head Island measure from where you live?
Atlanta ~ 285 Boston ~ 1025 Charlotte ~ 254 Chicago ~ 954 Cincinnati ~ 663 Indianapolis ~ 771 Jacksonville ~ 175 Knoxville ~ 416 Louisville ~ 657 Nashville ~ 533 New York ~ 867 Philadelphia ~ 720 Raleigh ~ 325 Savannh ~ 40 Washington ~ 592
Car access to the island is from I-95 at Hardeeville exit #8. Take U.S. Highway 278 directly to the Island. Click here to check out our incredible accomodations!
“I love being on vacation and never knowing what day it is.”
“Despite the forecast, live like it’s spring!”~Lilly Pulitzer
Hilton Head Island & BlufftonReal Estate News February 2020
How’s your Zestimate? Today, many property owners use Zillow to determine the value of their Hilton Head Property(or any other property). Did you know that as an owner you can claim your property on Zillow and correct any inaccuracies? As well, once a property is listed for sale, the listing agent can log in and make any corrections to the property. If you need any assistance in correcting your properties descriptions, just let me know.
Hilton Head Island & BlufftonReal Estate News February 2020
Twenty Twenty is going to be Awesome!!! Looking back on the market in 2019 we learned a few things that can help when buying or selling in the Hilton Head Market. Here they are in no particula order:
* The overall median price was up 3.4% in 2019. * Sellers received on average 96.8% of their selling price in 2019 * The number of homes available for sale dropped 12.1% in 2019. * Sales were up 5.6% by the end of 2019 in the Hilton Head Market * Distressed sales were a small player(1.6%)in the Hilton Head Market. * Sea Pines averaged 1 sale per day in 2019 (365 sales) * Non Gated Communities offered the lowest priced properties in 2019. * The average days on the market for all properties in 2019 was 170 days * Off plantation condos sold the fastest with 106 days on the market * Hilton Head Plantation was a close 2nd with only 113 days.
Buying vs. Renting a Second Home on Hilton Head Island.
Listed below are the Top 10 reasons to buy a second home on Hilton Head Island vs. renting one!
1. Your vacation dollars pay your mortgage not someone elses. 2. You can get a head start on on retirement with a foot in the door. 3. You may enjoy long term appreciation based on the history of ownership. 4. Your potential tax deductions could include mortgage interest and taxes. 5. You can have others pay your mortgage by renting your property. 6. You can take out the guess work of where you you will be staying. 7. You can travel light and leave all your stuff in the owners closet. 8. Your family and friend reunions will be easier. 9. You may be able to write off your trips to maintain your rental property. 10. Your health, Happiness and Quality of Life will improve with use!
If you would like to recieve a periodical update of the best second homes for sale on Hilton Hilton Head Island… let us know! We offer one stop shopping with our vacation rental company and realty company located at 12 New Orleans Road.
Hilton Head Island & BlufftonReal Estate News January 2020
Finding free money when you rent your Hilton Head vacation property. The benefits to buying a second home (besides all the fun times and memories)is that the rental guests can help offset some of the expenses.
This example(click here) shows the income and how it relates to the expenses of ownership. There may also be some tax benefits that you would determine by consulting your tax adisor. This article is great in hi-liting some of the benefits of owneship.
If you would like to sit down and bounce some second home vacation rental ideas around or recieve a list of the best rentals for sale today… let us know! We offer one stop shopping with our vacation rental company and realty company located at 12 New Orleans Road.
A New Decade in Real Estate on Hilton Head Island – The way in which buyers and sellers do real estate has changed over the past decade. Looking forward into the next decade we expect to see:
1. The buying and selling process to become even faster with new online technologies that will speed everything up. 2. Real Estate data will be eaiser to acces via the interenet making the market even more transparent to both buyers and sellers. 3. iBuyer platforms will make it seamless when selling one property to buy another. 4. The buying and selling experience will have less friction for all involved. 5. An agents role will move to that of a trusted advisor that assists buyers and sellers through the process of buying, selling and managing their property. 6. An agent’s local market knowledge will help buyers and sellers “localize” the vast information found on the internet.
At Hilton Head Properties Realty and Rentals we recognize that our clients are the heartbeat of every transaction. While we will embrace new technologies, we will never let go of the trust and relationships our clients have come to expect throughout the ownership experience!
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