As a teenager, I visited the Island in 70’s with my family. We all fell in love with the charm of the Island and one by one we all moved our families here.  Visitors just like my family are doing the same thing.  They have been visiting the Island for vacation and are returning to the Island when they are ready for a change in lifestyle.  It is familiar and comfortable.  These visitors are creating market trends that are fairly predictable which include Half Backs, Be Backs, Boomers and the upcoming Generations X & Y.

Half Backs on Hilton Head Island

I met my first Half Back last year.  He and his lovely wife were living in Naples.  I believe they had visited, but never really considered looking at real estate.  They told me one of the reasons they were looking was to be closer to the kids and grand kids.  They also had some very close friends on the Island.  Half backs are typically retirees that have moved to Florida from somewhere north and then decide to move half way back to the place they left. Hilton Head is small town (annual population of 33,800) and is half way for many of these retirees.  With a refreshing change of seasons and moderate winters we are seeing more of these halfbacks settling in Hilton Head Island.

Be Backs on Hilton Head Island

A young Be Back couple recently purchased a villa with me.  Their first visit started with a google search for the best beach close to their home in Tennessee.  As they returned they decided to look at real estate because of the timing this market offered.  What they discovered is the money they were spending on rental accomodations throughout the year would cover the carrying costs of the rental villa they purchased near the beach and tennis courts.  A study shows that on average, a “Be Back” Buyer will visit an area 4 times before they purchase.  The important note here is that these Be Backs cannot time the market better and should not wait for their next visit.

Baby – Boomers on Hilton Head Island

As Baby Boomers grew, Hilton Head grew and became a favored destination.  Baby Boomers are now turning 60 at the rate of 8,000 a day and represent 38% of our total population in this country.  The way I see it based on 2.5 million visitors per year to Hilton Head Island, we have over 950,000 of these Baby Boomers visiting the Island with about 50,000 of them turning 60 years old every year for the next 17 years.  Our recommendation is to be ahead of this herd!  We are just beginning to hear the rumble.

Generation X and Y on Hilton Head Island

These generations are connected and now buying their first homes with the low interest rates and prices.  These buyers are gobbling up all our homes under $350,000 on the Island.  This in turn fuels the food chain because as one home sells it creates the need for another.

We will save you a seat

If you are a Baby Boomer, BeBack, Half Back or Generations X or Y, you may want to get ahead of the herd.  Can’t you hear the rumble?   Give us a call at (843)842-0805, visit our website at www.HiltonHeadRealEstateNEws.com or email me at robbie@robbiebunting.com.