In the 25 years of selling real estate on Hilton Head Island, I have seen buyer cycles come and go.  Although this cycle may appear longer or deeper than the others, it too shall pass.  One thing I have found in these cycles is that the very best real estate deals are often struck when the news in the papers is really, really bad.  That said, the recent NYT article “Widespread Fear Freezes Housing Market” triggers another good reason to buy real estate on Hilton Head.  While it may have made every buyer and seller shudder, one agent said it perfectly when he stated “Do the opposite of what they say in the newspapers when you buy and sell real estate on Hilton Head Island and your timing will always be good”…and the local numbers support the reasons why!

Hilton Head is up when the numbers nationally are down

In the same period that the nation saw a 26% decrease in home sales, Hilton Head posted a whopping 33% home gain.  This is more like global warming than a frozen housing market.    Granted all markets are local it would be nice however if news stated this.  The recent market research compiled by the Hilton Head Area Association provides a snapshot of the local real estate market.  This report shows an increase in pending sales over last year and it shows that our inventories have leveled off, if not dropped in some market segments.  The smart buyers are taking advantage of all this bad news.

Here is another theory on why the timing is right for buyers

A client and friend has a similar theory* for the timing of our local real estate market.  He recently read some bad news about Sears reporting second quarter losses greater than expected; as he dug further he found that Pottery Barn (Williams-Sonoma) reported second quarter profits greater than expected.  Because Pottery Barn’s primary market is more upscale than Sears & Kmart.  i.e. Sears sell bed covers for $39 and Pottery sells bed covers for $169 he believes we should start seeing the higher end clients in the coming months because they are buying once again.  He believes many of these households (including boomers) have a significant amount of money they have not spent over the past 18-24 months and they have a pent up demand and  a return in confidence to start spending(and the above demonstrates this).  By the way, with the youngest boomers turning 50 next year(me) and the oldest turning 65, all bets are off for a good deal in the years to come.  

Buy Hilton Head Real Estate when the news is bad!

Warren Buffet said, “Be fearful when others are greedy and greedy when others are fearful”.  The good news must be circulating because my office has seen a 40% increase in business over the last year and we (Jane and I)have seen a 50% increase year to date over our last year’s production.  While some folks will still sit on the sidelines waiting for the newspaper to say it is OK again, smart money is buying real estate because the news says its bad. 

Is it time to contact your Hilton Head Realtor?

To locate and or buy a great deal, just give Jane Hyers, Robbie Bunting or your REALTOR a call.  To reach us direct call us at 800-932-3652 or you can also shoot us an email at robbie@robbiebunting.com.  Now is the time to check out our great listings because the news may be bad, but the real estate deals are incredible right now on Hilton Head Real Estate!  

*By the way, if you have a theory or idea for a blog post and would like for us to review and share it with others, please email us at islandrealtor@hargray.com.  Thank You.