We hope to see you on Hilton Head Island during the Holidays!  Listed below are some of our favorite things to do on the Island at this time of year.  Just click on the link to find out more.  If you need ideas for your visit or places to stay, just let us know.  We have all kinds of goodies including private chefs, bike rentals, a list of our favorite restaurants and fun things to do for your Holidays, Island Style!

10 Fun Things to do on Hilton Head Island over the Holidays

1.  Attend the Gregg Russell Christmas Concert in Harbourtown

2.  Wake everyone up for a sunrise on the beach 

3.  Invite a friend to walk or run the Jingle Jingle 5K and Health Walk

4.  Visit all Twelve amazing Christmas displays around Hilton Head!

5.  Check out the Daufuskie Artisans and Farmers Market at the Coastal Discovery Museum

6.  Take a long beach walk or big bike ride on our amazing bike trails!  

7.  Daytrip to Savannah, Charleston or Beaufort

8.  Play a game of Pickleball with the family at Palmetto Dunes

9.  Visit Olde Town Bluffton for fun, shopping and dining

10. Take a Trail Ride through the Forest Preserve with the crew

P.S.  Don’t forget to sign up for the Polar Bear Plunge

Happy Holidays from all of us at Hilton Head Properties

We wish for you a very Happy Hilton Head Holiday and A Prosperous New Year!  Please email or call us at (843)785-7111, if we can help you with anything over the Holidays or into 2019.  Thank you.

Whichever way you look at it, the real estate market is finishing strong as we wrap up 2013!

According to a recent Bloomberg report, several market indicators are showing growth and gains, which is great news for home buyers and home sellers alike!

Today, we’re going to share with you some of the highlights of this recent report. Happy holidays everyone!

US Home Sales

According to the Bloomberg article, purchases of new U.S. homes rebounded during the month of October from the lowest level it’s been in more than a year.

Specifically, home sales of these new homes jumped 25.4 percent to a 444,000 annualized rate. This was only a month after that figure was down to 354,0000, which was the weakest it’s been since April 2012.

Experts say that this signals that home buyers are beginning to adjust to higher mortgage rates.

Aiding this increase in home sales is the fact that there have been employment gains across the board, as well as stock price increases.

Here’s what else the report revealed about national housing market activity:

• Home purchases decreased 6.6 percent in September from a 379,000 annualized pace in August.
• The median home sales price showed a year-over-year decrease of 0.6 percent to $245,800 in October.
• Home purchases rebounded in all four U.S. regions during the month of October
• The biggest increase in home purchases was in the Midwest with a 34 percent increase.
• The supply of homes decreased from 6.4 months to 4.9 months during the month of September
• There were 183,000 new houses on the market by the end of October, which is down from 190,000 during the previous month.
• New construction accounted for about 7 percent of the residential market in 2012.
• Meanwhile, applications for building permits increased by 6.2 percent to a 1.03 million annualized rate, which is the most it’s been since June 2008.
• That’s compared to a September pace of 974,000
• There were 2.13 million previously owned homes for sale by the end of October, which is down from 2.17 million during the month of September.

National Real Estate News at Your Fingertips

As you can see, our national real estate market is becoming more active as residents everywhere become increasingly optimistic about the state of the housing market.

This bodes well for 2014 predictions for the national housing market!

Check back on January 1 as we continue to discuss real estate market activity that affects you!

Looking back over the past 12 months we saw about a 10% appreciation across the board in real estate pricing.  Banks started loosening up their lending restrictions and there has even been a trend of buyers diversifying into homes from their stock portfolios.  Christmas party chatter this year will reinforce buying real estate.  With all this good cheer, what does not make sense is why a buyer today would make an offer lower than the average list to sell price when the property is priced correctly? Read the rest of this entry

There are different types of buyers that flow into the Hilton Head real estate market market at different times of  the year.  While these buyers can show up anytime, there is definitely a trend here.  Based on our buyers behavior patterns, this is the real estate that we typically sell at different times of the year.

Read the rest of this entry

As real estate experts, we’re always looking for market indicators to suggest whether the market is favoring sellers or buyers.

We look at a variety of factors, including average list price,  median sales price and price per square footage.

Another indicator we look at is the days that a home spent on the market before it ultimately sold. And if the latest data is any indication, this metric is certainly starting to favor home sellers!

Why Home Sellers in the US Should Be Optimistic

According to the most recent real estate data, properties listed in September 2013 spent an average of 86 days on real estate websites, compared with 116 days last year!

This suggests that homes are selling nearly a month quicker than they did this time last year.

Here’s what else the most recent real estate data reveals:

• Properties listed in all 30 of the largest metro areas in the country sold quicker in September when compared to last year.
• Those homes in the San Francisco Bay area were listed for the fewest number of days at 48, followed by Sacramento with 59 days and Dallas with 60 days.
• Comparatively, in 2010, homes listed were on the market an average of 119 days.

Experts say that a declining inventory of homes for sale has attracted more eager buyers to the market, resulting in fewer days on the market for homes for sale.

Historically low mortgage rates, an improving economic climate and depressed home price values are further encouraging this activity.

Canadian Real Estate Market Faring Well Too!

Although data on average days on the market was not immediately available, other real estate indicators suggest that Canada’s real estate market is faring just as well!

Here is some recent encouraging data released by the Canadian Real Estate Association:

• Although the number of newly listed homes decreased by 0.8 percent from September to October, the Canadian housing market remains in balanced territory.
• The national average sale price increased 8.5 percent year-over-year in October.
• The MLS® Home Price Index (HPI) increased 3.5 percent year-over-year in October.
• Between September and October, national home sales declined by 3.2 percent.
• Meanwhile, actual (not seasonally adjusted) activity was 8.3 percent higher from October 2012 to October 2013.

The Ultimate Source for Real Estate News

Check back here soon for more updates on how the national real estate markets in the United States and Canada are faring!

And for expert help on your own home-buying or home-selling goals, please contact us today!

Leamington has approved the use of the Main gate on 278 for agents with clients!  See their note below.  Good Job, Good Job Leamington Owners!

 We in the Leamington community of Palmetto Dunes are very proud of the work done to make our community a residential community of choice with prospective buyers of homes and villas. We would like to share with new prospective buyers of homes in Leamington our new entrance at the 278 gate. Normally all REALTORS® are only permitted through our Ocean Gate as the 278 gate is only for residents and visitors of residents.

We would like to open up our 278 gate to Realtors® who have potential buyers with them. This will allow the prospective buyers the opportunity to see the beauty of the new entrance and more importantly show them where they as a resident will be entering and exiting Leamington. This year we invested a significant amount of money to improve our 278 entrance. In addition in the next few months the city of Hilton Head will be installing a new traffic light at our entrance to help improve the safety of all people who enter or exit the 278 location. Hopefully potential new homeowners will have a better view of Leamington that will help them in their buying decision.

The same tips for Black Friday apply to buying great real estate on Hilton Head Island.  Although you do not need to camp out in front of our office to get great deals, there are a few steps you can take to get a jump on the 79 million baby boomers born between 1946 and 1964.  So forget about setting the alarm at 3:30 or checking your insurance policy before getting trampled to death.   We got you covered and you may not even need to get out of your pajamas. Read the rest of this entry

The next few months offer great timing for real estate purchasers on Hilton Head Island.  The Island pace is more relaxed and access to all of our properties is easier.  If you would like to visit, we have arranged accommodation discounts at some of the best resorts on the Island.  Given the present interest rates, buyers have some real incentive to find their perfect property on Hilton Head Island.  For sellers the median sales prices are up over 11% over the last 12 months giving you the opportunity to get you a better price than you may have thought you could get.  Buyers can visit http://www.hiltonheadrealestatenews.com/schedule_a_trip  to schedule your preview trip to Hilton Head Island.  If you own property and would like to know the current value of your property with no commitment to sell, please click http://www.hiltonheadrealestatenews.com/form-selling-guide.php .  Please email us Robbie@RobbieBunting.com or call us at (843)785-7111 anytime. Thank you.

Great news for interested home sellers throughout the country: The price for single-family homes has increased in 88 percent of the country’s cities!

That’s according to third quarter data recently discussed in a Bloomberg article.

Experts are saying that the increase is directly attributed to buyers competing for limited inventories as well as a decrease in available foreclosed properties.

Listing Your Home on the Market

But the good news didn’t stop there for those home owners thinking about selling.

Here’s what else was revealed in the recent Bloomberg article:

• The median transaction price showed year-over-year gains in 144 of 163 metropolitan areas measured, according to the National Association of Realtors
• A third of those metropolitan areas had double-digit increases in median transaction price.
• The U.S. housing market had five months of inventory in the third quarter, down from 5.9 months a year earlier
• Completed foreclosures in September dropped a whopping 39 percent from a year earlier.
• Some cities are seeing near record price gains, including San Francisco and San Jose.
• The nationwide median price for an existing single-family home increased 12.5 percent in the third quarter year-over-year.
• Specifically, the nationwide median price is now $207,300.
• Those areas that saw the greatest price increases were Sacramento and Atlanta, which both saw increases of 41.8 percent.
• Las Vegas and Punta Gorda, Florida had the next largest year-over-year price gains with 31.9 percent.
• Other cities with large increases included Los Angeles (26.2 percent) and Phoenix (25 percent).
• Those areas with the biggest price declines were all in Illinois. Peoria had the steepest drop with 13.9 percent, followed by Kankakee (down 9.9 percent) and Rockford (down 8.4 percent).
• Meanwhile, the average mortgage rate for 30-year fixed loans was 4.1 percent.
• That figure is up from a near-record low of 3.35 percent in early May
• Meanwhile purchase contracts for exisiting homes dropped the most in more than three years in September.
• During the third quarter, San Jose had the highest median home price with $805,000.
• Rounding out the top three list was San Francisco (at $705,000) and Honolulu ($679,800.)
• Meanwhile, those cities with the most affordable median home prices were Toledo, Ohio ($87,500), Rockford ($88,900) and Decatur, Illinois ($91,000).

This data suggests that the market is rebounding in a big way, giving home sellers an opportunity to get the price they want for their home.

National Data You Can Use!

Please be sure to check back here soon for updates on the state of the national housing market, and how it may affect your neck of the woods.

And if you have any specific questions as a home seller, make sure to contact us for expert advice and useful resources.

There are two types of rental property available on Hilton Head Island.  This short video will help you in your research of the properties on Hilton Head Island.  Buy now and rent for later seems to be a growing trend because of the low interest rates. We have compared the different costs associated with the ownership of short and long term rental properties below.  We look forward to helping you with your research on Hilton Head Island.  Listed below are the areas of the Island that offer short and long term rental opportunities. Read the rest of this entry