Dear Clients, Friends and Fellow Associates~

We have been tracking the market for two years now by compiling a Monthly Market Trend Report like the one below for May 2010.  This report is exactly what its name implies; it’s an “at a glance” report of current Home, Villa and lot trends for Hilton Head Island.  Read the rest of this entry

If you are looking for live entertainment and a great time, get out and see Marty Falle.  You can view his music link here.  His schedule is below.  If you would like to book a gig e-mail Marty Falle  at marty@seoresearch.com  or contact Sandra Moretti at smoretti1@roadrunner.com.  Read the rest of this entry

If you are visiting the Island and want to see a great oceanfront home, check out our new model home.  This model is open daily.  Simply tell the agents on duty that you are working with Robbie Bunting and they will allow you to tour the home without pestering you. 

If after touring the home, you now have real estate fever, please call us at (843)842-0803 and we will schedule some time together to research areas you are interested in.  You can also email us at robbie@robbiebunting.com  So without further ado…check out the model below: Read the rest of this entry

Hilton Head Sales Pace is Picking UP!
We have assembled a comparison by community that compares the sales that have taken place in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010 year to date.  This report is also broken down by types of property including homes, villas and homesites.

While the average selling price has dropped from last year, the number of sales are increasing.  Compare the first quarter of  2010 to any of the years past and you will see growth is now taking place.  Buyers sitting on the fence will be shoved off center with these statistics. Read the rest of this entry

By Todd Brooks

Indications show that the 2010 rental season will be better than the 2009!

The landscape of the vacation rental industry has changed over the last several years.  The trend has been to book vacation plans closer to arrival date.  The vast amount of information available on the Internet has enabled the potential guest to check availability and have numerous selections to choose from, eliminating the “sense of urgency” that we experienced in the prior years.  As the economy weakened, the mindset of the traveler was to hang on to their money as long as possible. Read the rest of this entry

Dear Friends, Clients and Fellow Associates~

If you live on an Island, you need to get out in a boat.  We met Captain Hancock the other day.  He is a great guy and runs charters out of Shelter Cove Harbor.  The nice thing about inshore fishing with a local guide is you can catch some great fish without traveling very far.  Check out his “Fishing Inland” article and call him to schedule a weekend or your next visit.  It is all about the water…R

What’s Inshore Fishing on Hilton Head in 250 Words or Less?

That’s a tough one.  Let’s start by defining inshore.  Inshore is a term used for all waters inland of the embarkation line.  This is an imaginary line that separates island water from offshore waters, in most cases where the ocean meets the sound.  This includes all the rivers that come together to form the sound, the expansive mud flats, and curling feeder creeks that look like wandering arteries into the salt marsh.  All of these ebb and flow twice a day much like a heart beat carrying detrius, a soupy mix of plankton made up of decaying plant and animal material, back to the ocean.  This is what gives our local waters its distinctive green color.

Next, let’s list some of the fish that you can catch there.  These nutrient rich waters are home to a variety of game fish that include greats like the redfish (a.k.a. spottail bass), the picture perfect speckled sea trout (the king of camouflage), the flounder, and the sheepshead, a likely character from a dentist’s worst nightmare.  In addition to these resident fish, Hilton Head’s inland waters plays host to a number of migratory fish that included thirteen different species of shark, the especially tasty cobia, and the notorious tackle-buster known as the tarpon.  All of which present great opportunities to hone you skills as an angler.  So, whether its sitting in calmer waters eyeballing a cork or experiencing a 100+ pound tarpon tail-walking across the surface of the water, doing its best to break your line and your will, you’ll find what you’re looking for inshore!

Captain Alec Hancock
843-301-9067

fishingtheforecast@gmail.com

If you have Air Conditioning problems, be advised!

After December 31, 2009, new conditioning units and those requiring repairs to any part of the cooling function components(evaporator coils or compressors) will no longer be allowed to use the standard refrigerant fluid, R22. Instead, a new material, 410A, must be utilized. This replacement substance operates at a higher compression rate and temperature than the old standard R22 material and this has caused and the need for an expansion valve to be added to compensate for this characteristic on existing units which previously operated with that old coolant.

We are hearing from a number of homeowners and realtors they are being told by some HVAC companies that they can not work on their existing units at all after 12/31/09 and the whole system has to be replaced where those components described above may require repair / replacement.

This is simply not true and appears to be a sales pitch to oversell unnecessary products in an otherwise slow market for HVAC activity while building activity is off.  As a repair item and one of the aspects licensed home inspectors emphasize their focus on, this has been a “deal killer” according to some of the realtors who have contacted us about this new regulation.

The cost differential could be enormous and we hope this saves you money and your deal.

From an Island that loves AC,

Robbie Bunting and Jane Hyers

Dear Friends, Clients and Fellow Associates~

Buyers in the recent past have been a lot like my hound dog.  Every once in awhile you get their attention, but if a butterfly floats by or a poor day on the stock market takes place, the buyer and the hound head off in a different direction.  I started thinking about this the other morning when I was out walking my hound dog Sheeba.  As she poked around looking for scent, I called her several times and finally got her attention.  As she started heading in my direction, something distracted her and off she went back on her original course. 

My buyers were a bit distracted too.  Given the news in the economy in the past year, many buyers simply could not focus on anything including real estate. Every day  now it seems that there are fewer distractions.  In fact,  our Island’s real estate inventory went down last month for the first time in over a year.  With this supply decrease sustained we will start seeing a turn take place because real estate is governed by the simple law of Supply and Demand!

Inventory drops 4.5% on Hilton Head Island!

One thing that is always true, Sheeba comes running for food.  That said, when buyers start feeling and seeing this stability in the market place, they will all come running at once, too.   The problem with this is that we are an Island with a very limited and finite number of properties. 

I will keep calling you!  I call this “caring persistence”.  My advise though if you want your piece of paradise now is to not wait for my call!  My number is 800-932-3652 and my email is robbie@robbiebunting.com.  I look forward to talking soon.  Thank you.

Happy Hilton Head~

Robbie Bunting &
Jane Hyers

P.S.  ~ As this market continues to improve properties on Hilton Head Island will disappear and be replaced with less negotiable and higher priced properties!