The Island Real Estate Market typically slows a bit as we head into the Holidays.  Although it is easier to get a table at some of our favorite Hilton Head restaurantsat this time of year,  our market research shows that Hilton Head Buyers are not sitting back and waiting for their next visit or next year.  These buyers are aligning themselves during this off season with the best properties at great prices and negotiating before the start of the new year. Read the rest of this entry

Listed below are some of the conversation turning points we have had with our Hilton Head sellers, purchasers and fellow agents in 2010.  Of course, this is a new language that we have had to learn to react to the changing market.  All bets are off next year as the pendulum shifts to a buyers market or somewhere in the middle. Read the rest of this entry

The other day I took my toughest clients to lunch, my mom and dad.  In this appointment, I was going to tell them that they should drop their price and sell their home at “market price” rather than waiting for the market to turn around.  Once we sat down, one thing became perfectly clear, I needed to tap all resources to communicate my message.  This couple was tough.  They knew how to debate, in fact she had been my first real estate broker and they had all the right answers, I pushed on. 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

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

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

A note from Keith Miller at Miller Long Term Rentals

The demand for long term rentals has been very good since August 2009. Our problem is we don’t have many available rental properties under the rental rate of $2,000/month. [typically homes between 1,800 sq. ft to 2,400 sq. ft.] We feel that prospective buyers are NOT taking advantage of the low interest rate and lower sale prices.  We feel that prospective buyers who eventually want to move to the area can buy today and rent the property to help offset some of their carrying cost until they are ready to make the move to Hilton Head. Read the rest of this entry

Happy Half Year!

As we are now half way through 2010, I wanted to wish my clients and friends a very happy half year!  As we stated at the beginning of 2010, the market is changing.  We have seen positive improvements take place and we also can see challenges ahead.  There are also several vanishing opportunities worth noting.  All in all, the first half was a great improvement over 2009.  In fact, my company and I doubled our sales and volume in the first half of 2010 compared to the first half of 2009.  We are very happy to be busy with buyers once again. Read the rest of this entry

Hilton Head Retirees take note

States are wooing retirees with tax breaks.  Considering everything, listed below are the states that tax experts say offer the best deals for residents older than 65:

Georgia, Pennsylvania, Mississippi, Illinois, Michigan, Kentucky, New York, South Carolina, Delaware  and Louisiana Read the rest of this entry

Hilton Head Sellers and Buyers must be aware of the “Principle of Substitution”

Sellers and buyers on Hilton Head need to be aware of the “Principle of Substitution” as it can either kick them in the butt or help them negotitate an incredible deal.  This simple principle states that when several similar properties are available, the one with the lowest price will get the greatest demand. This principle also assumes there is not much time between the comparison of the properties.  In other words, the lowest priced property will always sell first when it comes up on the market. Read the rest of this entry