Dream BIGGER!

It is my belief that we will all look back on this year and say that 2009 was the best year to buy real estate.  With housing affordability reaching record levels and pending home sales rising in the southeast by 8 ½ percent the time to buy property has never been so rewarding.

Does it get any better?  We think so.  We recently completed a few transactions for our clients that were amazing.  Although they had hoped to sell for more, they were realistic and realized the purchase of their dream saving over $150,000! 

They sold their home for less than they hoped for:                       
   $525,000.00 Purchase price                                           

+$100,000.00 in improvements

  $625,000.00 Basis                                                            

  $565,000.00 Selling Price           

  $  60,000.00 less than the HOPED for BUT…               

They Purchased their Dream Property  for:

  $899,000.00 Replacement Property                            

 -$699,000.00 Purchase Price                                          

  $200,000.00 SAVINGS                                                    

-$  60,000.00 From above cost to sell     

  $ 140,000.00 Total Savings                                       

Moving up is taking place all over the Island as one couple sells their present property to buy a foreclosure or a market bargain.   You have this present opportunity in your favor and we would love to show you how you can save money in this market.  By the way, given the historic low interest rates, payments are lower than ever before. 

Are you interested in seeing if this can work for you?  Give us a call or shoot us an email.  We know what you are looking for and have some real estate deals and steals that you will absolutely love.  Who says you cannot have your cake and eat it too!

Thank you,

 
Robbie Bunting

Dear Clients, Friends and Fellow Associates~

This Fall we are pleased to be offering a FREE 1 year AHS warranty with the purchase of one of our listings or sales.  Our buyers and sellers will get this absolutely free.  If you are an agent we will pay for this on behalf of your client if you sell one of our listings.  If you are a buyer we will include this service with our $500 Travel Allowance when you Fly & Buy this fall!

Happy Fall Buying Spree! 

Robbie Bunting

& Jane Hyers

AHS® Home Warranty available for all life’s events

Many people are not aware of home warranties until they are involved in a real estate transaction, but AHS® offer its home warranty directly to you regardless.

Selling your house – AHS® Home Warranty is the perfect marketing tool. It can help your house sell faster and for a higher price.

Buying a house Buying a new house is an exciting experience. It is also probably the largest investment you’ll ever make. Problems don’t move out when you move in.

Currently living in a home A home warranty from AHS® allows you to focus on more important things in life than repairs.

Rental property or vacation home An AHS® Home Warranty is convenience for those with tenants who like to request service in the middle of the night.

Taking care of a parent or your child’s home An AHS® Home Warranty can’t prevent system or appliances form breaking down, but it can help make covered repairs or replacements easier and less costly.

AHS® is a nationwide provider  just tell us where your home is located

Regardless of age, make, model, or dwelling type

The covered items must be domestic grade and in good working order at time of purchase. Commercial grade items are only covered specified by the manufacturer for use in a residential application.

Consider your dwelling type – AHS® has a home warranty for your residential dwelling and does not require the dwelling to be owner-occupied. Residential dwelling must be under 10,000 square feet types include single-family homes, new construction, condominiums, townhouses, mobile homes and multiunit dwellings.

Since your home is one of your biggest investments, it only makes sense to protect it. Right?

AHS® covers many of the most frequently used items items we as homeowners take for granted until something breaks down.

Customize your coverage Select from many packages available for your dwelling and life’s event. Whether you are going through a real estate transaction or a current homeowner. AHS® has a home warranty plan for you. Several option packages and single item options are available to customize your plan to fit your individual budget and lifestyle. No home inspection necessary!

Did you know that there is a 60% chance that a major system or appliance in your home will fail in the next yearo repair and replace

Average retail replacement costs System and appliances are becoming more and more complex, making them more costly to repair and replace. Check out some of the average retail repair and replacement costs for many common home systems and appliances.

An AHS® Home Warranty can be a helpful financial management tool. It helps protect you against many of the costs associated with repairs and replacement that could put a serious dent in your budget.

Sign up for the Foreclosure Bus Tour Today!

With HiltonHeadForeclosureBus.com you will see and learn all about the foreclosed properties and short sales on Hilton Head Island and Bluffton.   Our licensed agents will show you the very best properties offered and provide a list of every foreclosures and short sale available in the area. 

On hiltonheadforeclosurebus.com you can sign up for a bus ticket to view foreclosures that are currently for sale in the Hilton Head Island Area. Simply click here  and sign in under “schedule a viewing” and we will email a confirmation for your tour and send you a bus ticket via email.   

These tours* will take you into gated communities and into the homes and villas that are offered as a foreclosure or short sale.   We schedule private tours throughout the week and weekends. 

Please choose the tour number you would be interested in seeing…
Tour 1 ~ Under $400,000
Tour 2 ~ $400,000-$700,000
Tour 3 ~ $700,000-$1,000,000
Tour 4 ~ Over 1 million

Visit hiltonheadforeclosurebus.com and sign up for your bus tour today!

See you on the bus!

Robbie Bunting &
Jane Hyers

P.S.  Please sign up in advance, space is limited.   A complete list of all area foreclosures and short sales will be passed out to attendees

The good news in real estate is finally moving from the back pages to the headlines in major newspapers and magazines.  One very important factors that effects the value of real estate is the Law of Cause and Effect.

Because of all the Good News out there, we are seeing more buyers in the buy real estate on the Island.  Last week on Hilton Head we sold 4 oceanfront homes which is more than the entire year and my phones are busy as we put together contracts for our buyers and sellers.  

Below are just some of the GOOD NEWS ARTICLES that we would like to share with you. 

USA TODAYIDEAL LIVING . COM

Island Packet ` New Homes Show Market Rebound

Island Packet - Profits, home prices lift Dow above 9,000

Island Packet - Home Mortgage rates continue to fall

NY Times - Recovery Signs in Houseing Market Stir Some Hope

This news will have effect on the supply and all bets are off once the inventory corrects itself.  In the meantime, lets make a deal.

All the best,

Robbie Bunting

Dear Clients, Friends and Fellow Associates~

I credit this economy for allowing my clients to get better properties at better prices.  I credit this economy for challenging me to do things differently and become stronger.  I credit this economy for the chance to find creative solutions for my buyers and sellers.  We have listed several ideas below that can help our clients, friends and fellow associates move faster and save money in the lending process!  We hope you find these useful.

Creative Financing 101:

Call your Stock Broker!   Recently a client of mine found a great home, but alas had not yet sold his primary residence.  Deciding not to take a chance on time he bought this great home and went to work figuring out how to pay for it.  In his search for cheap money he found his Stock Broker offered a loan at 2 1/2 percent.  Needless to say, I told him he should buy another!  This portfolio loan program is offered by many brokerage houses or give me a call as we have sources we can share with you. 

Ask the seller to offer financing!  Back in the old days when we had interest rates starting at about 17% we often looked for alternative or creative financing from the seller before we ever headed to a bank.  If the seller does not have a mortgage(if they do have a mortgage see land contracts below) they should consider the benefits of offering seller financing on their Hilton Head Property.   Of course, seller financing makes sense for the second home or vacant lot owner.  The benefits can include a faster sale and a better return.  Right now, money markets are paying less than 1.5% and the seller could easily offer owner financing at 5 or 6%. 

Ask the seller to do a land contract!  Land contracts offer more attractive financing terms over the rigid qualification standards of institutional lenders right now.  This program is similar to a lease purchase or rent to own and works for sellers that have an existing mortgage in place.  A land contract wraps around the existing mortgage or is paid straigt to the existing lender.  The seller typically offers this financing with a balloon payment of  3-5 years. At the time that the buyer secures bank financing the sellers existing loan is paid off and the deed transfers to the purchaser.  And for non conforming properties, a land contract or seller financing makes the property easier to sell.

Ask the seller to carry a second mortgage!  Given the higher down payments required by the lenders in today’s market, sellers would be wise to consider a 2nd mortgage on their property.  If the seller has some equity, this is a great way to earn a higher return than investing this money in a mutual fund or CD, but the real benefit is it will help the seller position the property more attractively to a buyer.  This is a great solution for a buyer that simply cannot come up with the down payment, but can easily afford the property.

Get a home equity line to buy a lot or second home!  Although this is not a preferred financing alternative, many purchasers have used their equity to buy property in the area.  These equity lines allow homeowners the ability to borrow up to $100,000 and still deduct all of the interest when they file their tax returns.   Home-equity loans provide an easy source of cash. The interest rate on a home-equity loans although higher than that of a first mortgage – is much lower than on credit cards and other consumer loans.

Sellers and buyers both win!  The benefits of creative financing for buyers include less stringent requirements to qualify, flexible terms, lower closing costs and a faster closing.  Seller realize benefits that can  include a faster selling process,  less difficult appraisal requirements, the possibility of deferring a gain, monthly income, a better rate of return than money market accounts and a faster closing. 

Money is once again flowing.  Conventional and even Jumbo loans are now available with very attractive rates.  If however you want to speed up the sale and reduce closing costs the above alternative financing solutions can help.  With 30 year fixed rates lower than they have ever been timing is important.  We may not be at the bottom, but we are pretty darn close!

Happy August on an Island.

 
Robbie Bunting &
Jane Hyers

Below are some great properties located in Palmetto Dunes on Hilton Head Island, SC.  Please click on the link below titled “Palmetto Dunes” for community information.  Click above on listings to find out more abbout any of the properties listed below.   Thank you.

Palmetto Dunes
	1 Masters Court  $1,394,500 5 Bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms, 4610 sq. ft.
	11 St George Road  $774,000 4 Bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms, 3435 sq. ft.
	213 Turnberry Villa  $329,000 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, 1351 sq. ft.
	3 Interlochen  $599,900 4 Bedrooms, 3 1/2 Bathrooms, 2450 sq. ft.
	309 Barrington Court Villa  $499,000 1 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, 862 sq. ft.
	58 Heath Court West  $729,000
	59 Heath Court West  $1,995,000 5 Bedrooms, 5 Bathrooms, 4686 sq. ft.
	6 Benty Court  $1,200,000 3 Bedrooms, 3 1/2 Bathrooms, 3300 sq. ft.
	677 Queens Grant  $349,000 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, 1988 sq. ft.
	701 Barrington Park Villa  $599,000 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, 1482 sq. ft.
	987 Inverness Villa  $459,000 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms,
	Hilton Oceanfront Resort   $95,000

If we can be of assistance and provide any additional information, please do not hesitate to call or email.  We all are researching and learning together>

Thank you.
Robbie Bunting

islandrealtor@hargray.com

800-932-3652

Palmetto Hall
	103 Fort Howell Drive  $995,000 4 Bedrooms, 4 1/2 Bathrooms, 4059 sq. ft.
	17 Stonewall Circle  $990,000 5 Bedrooms, 4 and three halfs Bathrooms, 5600 sq. ft.
	18 Lenox Lane  $599,000 4 Bedrooms, 3 1/2 Bathrooms, 2961 sq. ft.
	19 Ellis Court  $924,500 4 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms, 4019 sq. ft.
	20 Club Manor  $389,000
	244 Fort Howell Drive  $249,000
	248 Fort Howell Drive  $169,000
	25 Clyde Lane  $149,000
	29 Clyde Lane  $219,000
	29 Sedge Fern Drive  $565,500 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms,
	323 Fort Howell Drive  $249,000
	35 Lenox Lane  $298,000
	357 Fort Howell Drive  $219,000
	378 Fort Howell Drive  $629,000 4 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms, 3092 sq. ft.
	40 Clyde Lane  $1,199,000 6 Bedrooms, 6 Bathrooms, 4,412 sq. ft.
	46 Sedge Fern Drive  $149,000
	7 Stevens Court  $289,000
	8 Cherry Hill Lane  $599,900 4 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms, 2950 sq. ft.
	9 Hatteras Court  $949,000 5 Bedrooms, 6 Bathrooms, 5435 sq. ft.
	241 Fort Howell Drive  $849,000 4 Bedrooms, 4 Bathrooms, 4368 sq. ft.

For Palmetto Hall, please do not hesitate to email or call.  Thank you,

Respectfully~

Robbie Bunting

islandrealtor@hargray.com

800-932-3652

Dear Friends, Clients and Fellow Associates~
 
This week will be spotlighting the Top Ten Reasons to buy property on Hilton Head Island in Spanish Wells with its 400 acres and its incredible waterfront.   We are also spotlighting the Top Ten Reasons to buy property in Wexford(29928) with its British colonial architecture and its unique harbour!  

Spanish Wells

1. It has a great location!   Spanish Wells Plantation is located on the north end of Hilton Head Island, in the geograhic center.  It has easy access the Cross Island toll bridge. Spanish Wells Plantation is within three miles of the great  beach, gourmet supermarkets, an airport, a hospital, and plenty of shopping.
2. It has great Waterfront!  Nestled on a peninsula between the Inter coastal and Broad Creek, Spanish Wells offers deep water access with private docks on both sides. 
3. It has great architecture!  Spanish Wells Plantation homes include comfortable mid-sized homes to magnificent mansions with a variety of unique and wonderful styles.  The amenities these private homes offer are unbelievable.
4. It has great golf!  Designed by George W. Cobb the 9-hole “Spanish Wells” golf course opened in 2005 and features 3,052 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 36.
5. It has the great history!  Spanish Wells was named for the freshwater wells on the property that were frequented by the Spanish fleets in the 13th century when they were exploring the area.  The wells still exist today.
6. It has a great club! The club includes golf, four Har-tru tennis couts, a clubhouse, a beach area and a recreational boat dock.  The deep water dock provides fishing and crabbing opportunities as well as dolphin watching.
7. It has a great acreage!  Although Spanish Wells is one of the smaller communities, all lots exceed one acre.  There are over 200 homes spread across nearly 400 acres.
8. It has a great blend of property.  Spanish Wells is a true community with all age groups and interest.  This is a very small and intimate neighborhood of only 200 homes and this is the catalyst that makes this a great neighborhood.  Adjacent to Spanish Wells is Wells East, a 24-home community, nestled along the first two holes on the Spanish Wells Golf Course. Property owners enjoy Spanish Wells’ amenities as well as their own pool, community well, and recreation field.
9. It has great security.   Although no security gate—the crime rate in Spanish Wells is significantly lower than in other gated plantations with their roving patrol.  The first stop sign wasn’t even added until late fall of 2001.
10. It has a unique real estate!  Brams Point Road offers a limited number of estates with deep water in the back of these homes and inter coastal beach at the front.  Brams Point Owners enjoy both sunrise and sunsets over the water from these unique locations.

Below are the prices for Spanish Wells today:

Spanish Wells Homes                    $ 599,000  to  $6,975,000                                    
Spanish Wells Home-sites           $349,000  to   $2,699,000

Wexford

1. It has a great location.  Close to the center of the Island, Wexford offers convenience to shops, banks, post office, and the Cross Island Expressway.
2. It has a great masterplan.  Wexford is 500 acres with 37 acres of waterfront winding through the residential neighborhoods.  Originally 525 home-sites were planned but some lots have been combined and site plans altered so that only 460 remain today. By design, every home has a view of marsh, lagoon, golf course or harbour.
3. It has a great amenities.   In addition to golf and boating, there are six Har Tru tennis courts, a swimming pool, playground, bathhouse, patio area, a croquet, bocce ball court, biking and walking trails
4. It has great water.   Wexford’s 37.5 acre 138 slip harbour offers direct access to the intercostal waterway and Broad Creek.  You can  get a slip or park your boat in the backyard.  There are only two other communities on the east coast with lock-controlled harbors.  
5. It has a great clubhouse.  The British style clubhouse with marble foyer and Tiffany glass skylight offers pro shop, locker rooms, private lounge, and a first class restaurant.  On Thursdays, Happy Hour from 6:00 – to 7:30 pm provides the perfect way to make friends with your neighbors.
6. It has great architecture.  Homes are designed with a British West Indies design with colonial and Caribbean architectural elements embracing the land that it sits on.  The private, championship golf course passes amongst Wexford’s beautiful homes.
7. It has great security.  Wexford Plantation is tucked behind 24 hour gated security.  Security monitors the community round the clock
8. It has great history.  Alexander Trench sailed from Wexford, Ireland in 1690 to Port Royal Sound.  The name Wexford is derived from their sister community in Norse, Weissfjord.
9. It has great golf.  The 18 hole championship golf course was designed by Willard Byrd with five sets of tees which extend a short 4,000 yards to a long 7,000 yard course.
10. It has a great blend of neighbors.  Attractive to young and old, this community offers leisure trails, a heated swimming pool and safe cul-de-sacs.  Members are spotted out riding in golf carts, in their boats, bicycling, jogging, dog-walking, and pushing babies in strollers and enjoying their community and this Island paradise.

Below are the price ranges in Wexford today:

Wexford Homes                         $579,000 to $4,995,000
Wexford Home sites                 $159,900 to  $2,395,000

We hope you enjoy these benefit lists.  If you would like a complete price list and ownership package e-mail us at islandrealtor@hargray.com.  Please be sure to visit our website www.robbiebunting.com for some of the best properties offered on the Island.  Thank you!

All the best~

 
Robbie Bunting & Jane Hyers
800-932-3652
islandrealtor@hargray.com

P.S.  If you would like to visit our other top ten lists for communities on Hilton Head Island, please CLICK HERE.