Spring is here! The warmer weather, beautiful flowers, and longer days are perfect for viewing Hilton Head Properties in person.  It’s no wonder that the spring season is the most popular time for buyers to start looking at properties and communities in the Hilton Head area.  Before you jump in the car or book a flight, we have listed the 5 Best Strategies for Hilton Head House Hunting below.

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Just another reason South Carolina is a great place to live.  South Carolina was tied for 5th lowest in 2016 property taxes by state.

Looking for a fun group activity on Hilton Head Island?  How about family golf clinics or even corporate golf clinics?  Talk about a great low ropes exercise for everyone.  Greg MacDonell, Head Teaching Professional at Old South Golf School can put together a program for your entire crew.  This short video introduces you to Greg and the programs he offers including Summer Golf Camps for kids. Feel free to contact Greg MacDonell at (843)384-8768 or via email at mgmhhi@aol.com.

The month of March brings spring, and with spring comes bright budding flowers, longer days, warmer weather, and spring cleaning. There is no better way to shake off the dreariness of winter than a freshly cleaned home ready to welcome the season. Here are 10 easy ways you can clean your home for spring.

1. Open the Windows

There’s nothing like the sun shining through your windows to usher in the feeling of spring.

Throw back the curtains, part the blinds, and open up the windows to let the fresh spring air waft through your home.

2. Organize Your Closets

If you are running out of closet space, you can put away many of your bulky winter clothes to leave room for your spring wardrobe. You can even take a few extra minutes to sort out any clothes you no longer wear to donate, giving you even more room for the upcoming season.

3. Use Detergent as an All-Purpose Cleaner

A little bit of laundry detergent can go a long way. Warm water, laundry detergent, and items that you may have around the house can help you clean:

• oil spills
• carpets
• cabinets
• stovetops
• sinks
• toilets
• walls
• countertops
• bathtubs
• and more!

These recipes for all-purpose cleaners recommend just 1/4 cup of detergent for 5 gallons of water. Simple and effective.

4. Brighten Rooms with Simple Changes

A simple change of pillows on a sofa or comforters on a bed can make a world of difference. You can rotate these household items seasonally, keeping your décor fresh and rooms feeling like new with very little effort.

5. Reorganize Living Areas

Again, small changes can make a big difference in the look and feel of your home, and rearranging the furniture in main living areas can leave your home feeling fresh and ready for spring.

6. Clean Light Switches and Fixtures

Take a few minutes to wipe fingerprints off light switches, dust your lamps, tighten the screws on any loose door hinges, and replace any incandescent light bulbs with brighter and more energy-efficient bulbs.

7. Clean Kitchen Appliances

Give your microwave and fridge a fresh look by cleaning any old food remnants from inside the appliances. An easy way to clean the microwave is by heating a bowl of water — the steam loosens the residue for easy clean-up.

8. Bring Plants Indoors

A few indoor flowers and plants can bring the fresh blooms of spring into your home, brightening living rooms, kitchens, or windowsills with ease.

9. Check Your Cabinets

Look in your kitchen and bathroom cabinets to see if anything has expired, is almost empty, or needs to be thrown away. This is a simple way to declutter your home’s key features without spending a lot of time cleaning.

10. Put Out a New Welcome Mat

What better way to welcome spring than with a new welcome mat outside your front door? This fresh feature not only adds another focal point to your entryway, it makes an excellent first impression for visitors.

Cleaning to Sell Your Home This Spring?

These spring cleaning tips can help you prepare your home to sell. Home buyers love to see homes that are bright, clean, and inviting from the front door, and these easy tips can help you get started. We can also recommend other home staging tips and home selling resources to help you make the largest return on your investment this spring; just contact us and we can talk about selling your home.

Meet Amber Kuehn, Hilton Head Island’s awesome Sea Turtle Protection Manager.  Amber monitors the sea turtle nest along the Island’s 14 miles of beach for these federally threatened species.  Starting May 1 and ending October 31, Amber is busy making sure these nests, the baby sea turtles and their moms are safe and protected.  One of the biggest ways visitors and oceanfront owners can help is to turn off the lights on the oceanfront from 10 pm – 6 am. Read the rest of this entry

There are many benefits to owning a home: A home is an investment that can earn equity, is often cheaper to buy than to rent, and is your own place that you can fill with wonderful memories.

But another great benefit about owning a home is the financial benefits that you can take advantage of during tax season.

Major Tax Breaks for Homeowners

Owning a home, and eventually selling it, can offer you opportunities for deductions on your taxes, and we wanted to outline the major tax breaks for homeowners today. Are you taking advantage of these tax benefits?

Deduction for Mortgage Interest

In many cases, you can fully deduct the amount of your mortgage interest on your taxes. The IRS has a chart you can use to help determine if your mortgage interest is fully deductible.

A mortgage interest credit is available for lower income homeowners for part of the home mortgage interest that they pay.

Credit for Energy-Efficient Home Improvements

Available until the end of this year, homeowners who have installed solar hot water heaters, solar electric systems, wind turbines, or qualifying energy-efficient home improvements can take a tax credit as part of the Residential Energy Efficient Property Credit.

The credit is for 30% of the cost for these energy-efficient home improvements.

Deduction for Property Taxes

In addition to deducting your mortgage interest, you can also deduct the annual taxes you pay on your home’s value, called real estate taxes.

Deduction for Capital Gains

If you have used your home as your primary residence when you sell, you can exclude up to $250,000 in capital gains from the home sale on your taxes (or $500,000 if you are married filing jointly).

To learn what other tax benefits you may take advantage of, visit the Credits and Deductions page on the IRS website or read this MarketWatch article about other tax breaks for homeowners.

Let Us Help You Find the Perfect Home

If you have been considering buying a home and are ready to start your search, we can help you find the perfect home that falls within your budget and provide you with helpful real estate resources to make the journey to homeownership as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

Contact us today and let’s talk about your goals for owning a home.

Here is a fun vacation idea!  The owners of the home located at 31 Bradley Circle have agreed to offer their home in our “Name Your Price” program.  This program allows vacationers to bid for a week of vacation in this beautiful beach bungalow(taxes, renters insurance and cleaning are not included)

“Name Your Price” for 31 Bradley Circle – Hilton Head Island 

No detail has been overlooked in this completely renovated 4 bedroom beach bungalow.   From the front door – designed and custom made – to the addition of a second kitchen on the bottom floor, no expense was spared to make sure your vacation is one to remember at 31 Bradley Circle.

Your welcome to the home will include a view of the ocean from the front porch. Head into the main level of the house and you will enter a gorgeous great room including travertine tile floors, a fully equipped kitchen with brand new stainless steel appliances and granite counter tops. The dining room table seats 8 and you can enjoy watching TV on the 50 inch mounted flat screen TV from the living room which includes a pull out sofa.

The fine print for Name Your Price

If the seller agrees to the bid, it’s yours for the week at your bid amount offered + cleaning($300), renters insurance($100) and taxes(10%). Of course, availability and this offer are subject to change at anytime without notice, so go ahead and Name your Price!  Rental weeks run from Saturday to Saturday.  Email your bid and dates to darcey@hhprandr.com or call us today at (843)785-2242 ext. 5.

Hilton Head Island, South Carolina.  Summertime visitors will enjoy bigger beaches on Hilton Head Island in 2016. Thanks to the Town’s Beach Renourishment Project starting this month.  Funded by the 2% bed tax dollars collected on overnight lodging, this 20 million dollar project should be completed by Memorial Day. Shell seekers, sun worshippers and beach lovers will find more beach to love this summer. Read the rest of this entry

If you are hosting a big party to celebrate Super Bowl 50, you probably want it to be an event that you and your guests remember for years to come.

But Super Bowl parties can be messy: Crumbs and dirt from your guests’ shoes can embed themselves in your carpet, drinking glasses and plates can pile up, and the late-night messes can leave you feeling frustrated. But not to worry, we have a few Super Bowl party ideas that can help you minimize the mess.

Game-Changing Super Bowl Preparations

Before you place the perfect decorations and put the snacks out on the table, prepare for game night with these helpful tips.

1. Buy Disposable Table Covers

Protect your coffee table from scuffs and crumbs by covering it with a disposable cover, whether it’s a plastic tablecloth or a roll of brown paper. For extra security, you can tape the edges to the underside of the table, and all you have to do is scoop up whatever’s left — including broken chips, bits of salsa, and water rings — and toss it out.

2. Put Everything in Easy Reach

Every second counts during the Super Bowl, both during the game and during the commercials, and no one wants to miss any of the action while heading to the kitchen to grab another drink or handful of chips.

Let your guests stay glued to the TV by keeping the food within easy reach on a large table in front of the couch. (The disposable table covers will definitely come in handy here.)

3. Go Bite-Size with the Snacks

Keep the mess to a minimum and select the best snacks that are bite-sized. You can stick toothpicks into your appetizers, too, to add an element of style to your snack selections.

Check out these recipes for bite-size snacks on the Food Network or these appetizer recipes from Better Homes and Gardens for great bite-sized snack ideas.

4. Prepare Your Stain Removers

It’s always helpful to prepare for spills, and having carpet cleaner on hand can help you prevent stains from forming on your carpet or on your sofa.

A little bit of dishwashing detergent can go a long way to clean up soft drinks, wine, and beer. Visit Good Housekeeping for easy cleaning solutions for just about any kind of stain, including beverages.

5. Stick with Disposable Plates

Avoid any mishaps and broken dishes by buying disposable plates, bowls, cups, and silverware before game day, and have your guests personalize their glasses with a permanent marker to prevent any misplacing. Then, instead of having to wash dishes, you can toss everything into the trash bag and stick it in the garbage.

Preparing to Sell Your Home? We Have Your Covered!

The home selling preparations don’t stop even during the Super Bowl. We hope these mess-free party preparations can help you stay on track and avoid having to clean massive messes, and we can recommend other helpful tips for cleaning and decluttering your home that can save you time and money.

We’re available to talk if you need any advice, resources, or real estate information, and we can help you sell your home for top dollar and in a short time. Just give us a call today and let’s talk about your goals.

Selling your Hilton Head property may be an idea you are seriously considering, but that does not mean you are ready to put your home or villa on the market just yet. You may be waiting to pay off your mortgage, you may be waiting for the kids to move out, or you may not be ready yet to part with all the memories yet.  But that does not mean you don’t have to start preparing your property to sell. Read the rest of this entry