In order to get a good property at a great price it is important to be in close contact with your Realtor on Hilton Head Island.  We are seeing deals pop up and sell quickly.  If you are a prospective Hilton Head purchaser and want to catch a rippin good deal,  the key to getting a great property at a great price is to have your Realtor call you as soon as they find something that matches your present or future needs.  Agents can also e-mail New Listings “ASAP” through a free Link by your MLS Realtor.   Read the rest of this entry

I was driving down the William Hilton Parkway yesterday and spotted the first sign that our selling season will soon come to an end.  The pumpkin patch mobile home pulled into position across from Harold’s Diner.  Soon the green and white tent will go up and we will all be thinking a little more about the holidays and a little less about real estate.  After they sell all the pumpkins, out come the Christmas trees but, between now and than Hilton Head Island will offer Chamber of Commerce Weather which in turn attracts great buyers.  Read the rest of this entry

Hilton Head Island is a be-back city. 

Face it, most of the Hilton Head buyers live somewhere else.  With an annual population of only 35,000, Hilton Head’s primary buyer pool exists in it’s 2.5 million annual visitors.  These are the be-backs that will return either every week, every month or every year until they buy something.  Of course, Real Estate Agents on Hilton Head Island want these be-backs to know that if they cannot find as nice home as they saw on their last visit, or they cannot negotiate as much, or the interest rates are higher, don’t blame it on us! Read the rest of this entry

Ready, Set, Recharge!  We have put together our Hilton Head Island Getaway including our favorite restaurants, our favorite places to stay and a fun list of things to do on Hilton Head Island.  This time of year is a favorite for weekenders with the temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s, white puffy clouds and a slower pace than the busier summer season.   With easy driving distance from Charlotte and Atlanta and direct flights into nearby Savannah/Hilton Head Airport, our weekenders love Hilton Head because they can arrive to the Island on the same day and in only a few hours.   Read the rest of this entry

The way you live in a home is different than the way you sell it!

These days marketing strategies are more important than ever for home sellers. With homes on the market in greater numbers and prices at an all time low, sellers need a competitive edge to put themselves ahead of the competition. Staging a home before it goes on the market is essential in making it the best product for potential buyers. Staging a home can range from a few decorative changes to furnishing vacant spaces.  Any attention to enhance a home for the market will improve its selling potential! Read the rest of this entry

A note from Paul Griz, CPA about Short Sales and Taxes

Whenever a debt of a taxpayer is forgiven by a lender, whether the debt is credit card debt, home mortgage debt, or other debt, the forgiven debt, i.e., debt relief, is generally taxable to the taxpayer.  With regard to short sales or foreclosures, if you have reached an agreement with your mortgage lender in which the lender has agreed to forgive your mortgage, you will be subject to income tax consequences.  The lender will typically issue either Form 1099-C “Cancellation of Debt” or Form 1099-A “Acquisition or Abandonment of Secured Property” in the year of the asset sale.  In other words, you should receive one of these forms from your prior lender in the year of the closing of your home.  At that point, the debt forgiveness is reported to the IRS as income. Read the rest of this entry

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! Read the rest of this entry

Meaningful conversations are not always easy!

It is said meaningful conversations contribute to happiness.  One agent explained that he has been telling good people some tough stuff lately.  We all seem to dance around the tough subjects, but certainly it makes more sense to have a meaningful conversation before a selling season.  These tough conversations often revolve around issues including access, condition or price with timing on the sellers side for the upcoming fall season!  Read the rest of this entry

Baby boomers will make their move to Hilton Head in 2011

It is not until next year that baby boomers will begin retiring in force and this group will have major impact on areas like Hilton Head Island despite the economy.  With the “oldest” turning 65 years and the “younger” ones turning 50, these boomers will start begin their pilgrimage in numbers next year.  Although we are busy selling real estate on Hilton Head, this is the calm before the storm and we need to prepare ourselves for this deluge.  The economy may have slowed some of this group down, but it is impossible to stop them.  The key though is to be in front of them. Read the rest of this entry