Authorities say sand swept off Hilton Head Island beaches by this month’s damaging rains and storm surges will be more than offset by a $20 million beach renewal project already planned for next year.

Source: Erosion to Hilton Head Island beaches will be short-lived

Halloween is just around the corner. Have you thought about decorating your home this year?

It might seem like all of the options for Halloween decorations are the same year after year: carve a pumpkin, light the luminaries, and set out a bowl of candy for trick-or-treaters. But with just a little paint and creativity in the right places, you can really make your Halloween decorations stand out.

3 Easy Twists on Traditional Halloween Decorations

Looking to modify your Halloween decorations this year? Here are a few simple twists on your traditional choices.

Carve Patterns Into Your Pumpkins

Who said pumpkins always had to have faces? Light up the night with swirls and stars from your illuminated pumpkins, and let your friends and neighbors admire your unique creation.

You can carve your pumpkin with as simple or intricate designs as you want. It’s all up to you.

Make Mason Jar Monsters

Turn your ordinary glass jars into simple yet spooky decorations with just a little bit of paint and cloth. You can paint a Mason jar orange with black eyes and a mouth to look like a jack-o’-lantern, or wrap a jar with gauze and stick on two eyes to look like a mummy.

And let your creations glow in the dark. Light a tea candle or put a battery-operated tea light into your Mason jar monsters and set it on a table or window sill to give your room a spooky effect.

Welcome Trick-Or-Treaters with Goody Bags

Turn the typical treat stop at your front door into a fun experience for both you and the trick-or-treaters — you’ll have fun decorating individual goody bags, and they’ll have fun choosing among delicious treats.

Fill a small Ziploc bag with orange jelly beans and draw on eyes and a mouth to make pumpkin treat bags, or draw a hairline and eyes on a bag filled with green jelly beans to create Frankenstein’s monster.

Or, if you want a spookier effect, you can make hand-shaped goody bags. Just fill transparent plastic gloves with candy or popcorn.

And if you’re selling your home this month, you don’t have to save these sweet tips for Halloween night; leave small goody bags for home buyers during a showing. It’s a great way to treat them.

Selling Your Home This October?

Let Halloween be the only spooky time that you encounter this month. We’re your real estate experts and are happy to help you stage your home, answer your questions, and determine a competitive listing price for your property, giving you peace of mind while selling.

Give us a call today and we can talk about your home selling timeline.

There is no sense waiting until December to make your move.  The buyers are here now.  In fact, there are still some sellers sitting on the fence waiting for more money and rolling the dice that these buyers will still be in the market when they are finally ready to sell.  If you would like to sell before the tax bills are due, read on.  If you are waiting for the next rocket ride in appreciation, it is our hope that you have a very comfortable seat on that fence. Read the rest of this entry

Hilton Head Islanders may be craving some sunshine after 12 days of dark skies and some rain, but we really have nothing to complain about. Our neighbors in Columbia and Charleston will need lots of help in the days, weeks and months ahead. If you would like to volunteer or contribute locally, listed below are ideas and collection points.

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If you’re a home buyer, changes to the closing process are coming in just a few days.

New regulations go into effect on Saturday, October 3rd, providing new loan disclosure forms that are designed to help you better understand the terms of your home mortgage before you close on your new home. That means if you applied for a loan on or after that date, you will receive the easier-to-understand forms.

What You Need to Know About the New Closing Disclosures

To summarize, these new rules combine mortgage loan disclosures from both the Truth-In-Lending Act (which informs consumers about loan terms) and the Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act (which deals with closings) into one simplified set of disclosure forms for home buyers who are getting a mortgage.

The official title to these regulations is a mouthful — Truth-In-Lending Act / Real Estate Settlement Procedures Act Integrated Disclosure Rule— so the regulations are just referred to as TRID. (The enforcement agency, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, also calls it “Know Before You Owe.”)

“Know Before You Owe” is designed to help borrowers clearly understand the costs and terms of their home mortgages. Here are the changes that you can expect from these new regulations, from the number of forms you’ll need to fill out to the time requirements that can alter your closing date.

You’ll Have Two Forms Instead of Four

If you’re getting a mortgage, you’ll receive two forms under “Know Before You Owe.” The first, a loan estimate, based on your financial information. You’ll receive the loan estimate 3 business days after applying for your mortgage. The second, a closing disclosure, which outlines all of the costs you will need to pay. You’ll receive that form 3 business days before closing.

These two new forms are more user-friendly, and are replacing four separate forms that home buyers received before — two Truth-In-Lending statements, the loan estimate, and a list of itemized fees.

With these new regulations, you will have time to review the terms of your mortgage well before closing, so you can understand exactly what fees there will be. You can read the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s full guide to the loan estimate and closing disclosure forms here.

There is a 3-Day Review Period Before Closing

Under the new “Know Before You Owe” rules, mortgage lenders must send you easier-to-understand information about your loan — the Closing Disclosure form — 3 business days before closing on your home, giving you time to review the terms of your mortgage.

However, some changes to the mortgage terms — like changes to your interest rate or the loan product itself — will mean that you will need another 3-business-day review period, possibly delaying your closing date. If you would like an overview of the details, the CFPB highlights the instances where the 3-day review period would be affected.

We Can Answer Your Questions About “Know Before You Owe”

If you are buying a home and have questions about these new regulations, and what it might mean for closing on your home in the future, contact our real estate experts today and we will be happy to answer your questions in detail.

If you purchased Hilton Head Property in 2013 or 2014, and the value established by the County exceeds your purchase price, you may have a basis for an appeal.  In and around August of the year after you purchased your property, you most likely received a notice stating the assessed value of your purchase.   Many ignore the notice and miss the ninety day window to appeal. Good News! You still can appeal and if successful you can enjoy savings. Read the rest of this entry

Ever wondered what your Hilton Head Property is worth now?  Want to know where to start looking?

Whether you’re just curious or are eager to find a competitive listing price, using the best resources to find your property’s value is crucial.

Today, we’re going to be talking about two types of property evaluation tools: neighborhood sold reports and comparative market analyses.

Comparing Your Property with the Neighbor’s

A neighborhood sold report is a detailed list of homes that have recently sold in your area. These are the reports you receive in the mail.  They include information about the square footage, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, address, neighborhood, and, of course, the sold price.

Since sales prices are determined in part by your property’s location, as well as a neighborhood’s housing supply and demand, honing in on your own neighborhood real estate market is the best way to determine what the housing market is doing and how it can affect your listing price.

How much did your neighbor receive for his 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom house down the street? Is your listing price thousands of dollars more?

If your property is priced too high, you’ll know immediately by looking at the comparisons in the neighborhood sold report. It’s better to learn sooner rather than later, when your property is on the market and you’re feeling frustrated by the lack of buyer interest. The same goes with pricing your property too low.

Your Home’s Value in Today’s Market

A comparative market analysis, often called a CMA, is a fantastic tool to help you determine your home’s value. This report can include anything relevant about the current real estate market in your area, such as:

• recent neighborhood home sales
• withdrawn home listing prices
• unique property features

The important distinction between neighborhood sold reports and comparative market analyses is that the CMAs are more detailed, and can take into account any home improvements or unique property features that buyers would be more interested in (and therefore, would pay more for).

The bottom line: CMAs help you find that sweet, sweet selling price that’s fair to you but still attracts potential home buyers.

Don’t Settle for Estimates

If you’re serious about selling your Hilton Head property, the market value of your property is what you’re after. Don’t settle for estimates based on the mailings you receive as this is often outdated information and does not take into account your properties unique features.

You’ll want to do considerable research on the current state of your local real estate market to help you determine the best listing price for your property. If you need help along the way, our real estate experts at Hilton Head Properties are always happy to offer assistance.

Sell Your Property with Our Real Estate Experts

We offer both a neighborhood sold report and a comparative market analysis, and we can work with you to determine the best price for your property. And if you’re eager to get the results you’re looking for in your property sale, list your property with our dedicated real estate team.

Contact us today to get started!  Our phone number is (843)785-7111 or please email us at info@hiltonheadproperties.biz.  Thank you.

Before you start your Hilton Head property search, you want to know how much you can afford, right?  There are two ways to do this: with a mortgage pre-qualification and a mortgage pre-approval. As a Hilton Head buyer, the pre-approval is more valuable to you during your property search.  Here’s why.

How Pre-Approvals Help Hilton Head Buyers

One of the main differences between mortgage pre-qualification and mortgage pre-approval is how the lender gives you the mortgage amount.

For pre-qualification, you give the mortgage lender your general financial history (including debts and income), and the lender gives you a mortgage estimate. For pre-approval, the lender digs deep into your credit report and gives you the exact loan amount.

If you’re choosing between getting pre-qualified for a home mortgage and getting pre-approved, choose to get pre-approved. Here are the top three reasons why:

3. Shop for Hilton Head Real Estate with a check in your pocket!

There are no estimates in a pre-approval. The lender has looked into your credit history and you’ve given the required documentation to go through with the pre-approval process.  A mortgage pre-approval is not a commitment to the loan, but it paves the way to transition into applying for a specific property — your dream home in your price range.

2.  You Can Narrow Your Hilton Head Property Search

Searching through online listings can be tedious.  How do you narrow down your Hilton Head Property search and eliminate properties that don’t work?

When you’re pre-approved, you’ll know exactly what you can afford, and you can tailor your property search around the mortgage amount. Now you can easily search through the listings with confidence and knowledge on what you can afford.

1. Hilton Head Sellers Will Take Your Offer Seriously

Hilton Head sellers like to see that you’re pre-approved — it tells them that you’re serious about buying their property.  In fact, when you’re competing with other buyers to make the best offer on your dream property, being pre-approved will give you the competitive edge over buyers who are not.

We’re Your Hilton Head Real Estate Experts

If you want more information about the mortgage pre-approval process or about finding the perfect property that fits your lifestyle, contact us today and we can get started. We’d be happy to answer any questions you have about the mortgage pre-approval process in the Hilton Head Area.

The post Top 3 Reasons to Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage appeared first on Dakno Blog.

If you are looking for the perfect getaway, escape to Hilton Head Island this fall!  Near perfect temperatures, clear skies, fun fall festivals, unbelievable sunsets, a more relaxed pace and very little rain make fall visits truly wonderful.  It really is a beautiful time of the year. We invite you to experience fall on Hilton Head Island and stay in one of our big beautiful homes or amazing villas!

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