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

The Director of Sales at Dunes Marketing Group, Bill Baldwin was recently quoted in the local Island Packet stating that the Hilton Head real estate market bucks the downward real estate trend reported nationally.  Now I really don’t know how a newspaper makes money, but as a Hilton Head homeowner and a realtor on the Island, I think I would read the paper more often and even advertise more frequently if the paper had more news like this in the headlines. Read the rest of this entry

Interested in learning about short sales on Hilton Head Island?

If you are a buyer or seller and are wondering what a short sale is and how you can benefit, shoot us an email at robbie@robbiebunting.com or call us toll free at 800-932-3652.  Essentially a short sale is selling a property for less than what is owed the bank.  We have worked out many short sales for our buyers and sellers and have found that although time consuming, they can be a way for a purchaser to get a great property or a seller to get their otherwise upside down property sold.    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

Dear Clients, Friends and Fellow Associates~

Below is our Hilton Head Monthly Market Trend Report for July 2010.  This report is exactly what it’s name implies; it’s an “at a glance” report of current Home, Villa and lot trends for Hilton Head Island. 

This market research tells us where the most robust (busiest) price segments of the market are – i.e. it will tell us where the activity is and where it is not.  It shows the number of listings and the sales that occured last month in each pricing segment.  It also shows negotiatiability, the average listing to sale price, the days on the market and the number of months of inventory.  The last column shows the increase or decrease in the remaining months of inventory from the month prior and helps us spot possible trends.  Take a look below and than call us to explain how this report applies to the timing of your Hilton Head Island purchase or sale. Read the rest of this entry

Record Low Mortgage Loan Rates
Mortgage loan interest rates are one of the key drivers in the real estate industry. In today’s economy, Freddie Mac is reporting 30-year fixed rates at historic lows over the last few weeks.

What does this mean to you?

1. If you’re thinking about selling, now is a great time because buyers will be able to afford more home at a lower monthly payment.
2. If you want to sell and move up, a low interest rate will help you get more home for the monthly payment you pay. 
3. If you want to stay in your home, now is a great time to refinance your existing mortgage loan.

Call me or e-mail me if you’d like more information. I am happy to answer any questions you might have. Contact me now. When it comes to mortgage loan interest rates, timing is everything.  You can email me at robbie@robbiebunting.com , or call us at 800-932-3652 ASAP.  These rates offer the bottom of the market for every reason including rate, selection and price.

Greetings from Hilton Head Island~

The Hilton Head area is truly an oasis. With its lush sub tropical beauty, the 12 miles of beach, great year-round climate, life is simply better here! As a prospective purchaser that is researching the area, you will find that Hilton Head Island is centrally located and truly offers something for everyone. Read the rest of this entry