January 2009

So I can get in a short blog today I thought I would let everyone know that one of my co-workers, Linda Coe, will have one of her listing properties shown on NBC's The Today Show, at 9:00 am.  I am so jealous!!! That's got to be exciting.  Linda's listing is 32 Fiddler Drive on Lady's island.  Take a preview before you see it on TV.  I have been to this home, and it has great curb appeal and some newly re-done floors...Very Nice

The competition in the Beaufort South Carolina real estate market is fairly tough.  Having a listing on a national show is huge.  Congratulations to Linda Coe.  Lately, I have been calling around and talking with some of the major magazines and website in an attempt to get my website featured.  No luck as of yet.  That hasn't

…

While a nine percent decline in your local real estate market might seem like bad news, in South Carolina, you are the best.  The 9.2% drop in Beaufort homes sales was the lowest of any South Carolina real estate market.  Homes sales in Beaufort seemed like a dream come true compared to the Orangeburg, SC market, which fell an amazing 34%.  If you have ever been to Orangeburg, that's certainly no surprise.  Sorry Orangeburgonians.  As far as the South Carolina real estate market goes, SC homes sales fell a whopping 24% compared to 2007.  This is great news for us Beaufort SC real estate agents, home sellers, and anyone else involved in the world of real estate.   

There are certain factors that always seem to keep Beaufort above average when it come to

…

If you have read any of my blogs here on Lowcountry Properties, you know I am somewhat new to the Beaufort area.  A lot of people raise their eyebrows when I tell them I moved from Charleston.  Everyone has such a high opinion of Charleston, they often wonder why any one would leave.  It is a great question as Charleston truly is a nice city.  I moved to Charleston in 1995 to attend the College of Charleston.  For the frst 10 years I thought I had gone to heaven.  Charleston is a beautiful city, on the coast, fantastic restaurants, and more things than I could ever list.  Somewhere in the 2005-2006 timeframe I started to feel differently.  There were more people, more trafic, more condos, and more busyness.  As I got older I wanted less and Charleston, at…

Many of you probably read the Beaufort Gazette's Monday article on housing permits.  Yes, housing permits are way down due to the real estate crisis.  This hurts Beaufort real estate agents, brokers, builders, banks, and all real estate related industry.  For all the negative news we see on TV, there is a bright spot on the housing front. 

Because of slumping housing permits, building materials in Beaufort have become much much cheaper.  For those who own a vacant lot, now seems to be a great time to build.  Just in the past couple weeks I have noticed several lots being cleared here on Cat Island (I love living here).  If you are in the market, and still can't find what you are looking for, investigate some of the vacant lots for sale.  While he would

…

Today I had a client ask me about Fripp Island and how sale were going out there.  Long ago I stopped being surprised by how down the market is.  Though that may be the case, I was thinking resort areas are doing still pretty good.  After all, people who own homes in a beach community are rich, right?  Well it seems that this housing slump hasn't even spared luxury home owners.

Actually, when I pulled up Fripp sales for the 4th Quarter, I was a little taken aback.  Only 14 sales in the past 4 months!!!  That's as slow as it gets.  I then pulled up the 4th Quarter 2005 sales and wow, what a difference.  Anyone who thinks we aren't in a slump, take a look at these numbers.  Total sales in the 4th qtr. of 2008 were off by 69.2% (2005 = $29,160,350/2008 =

…

I don't have a lot of time tonight but I wanted to comment of the proposed bailout for Realtors and other industries.

Yes, I'm a Realtor and the past two years have not been as great as the previous 14 before that. You know, it hurts. While it hurts now, I have a very funny feeling these bailouts are going to set a VERY poor precedent for the future. It seems like no one is being held accountable and the taxpayer has to pay the price.

In the past, when I have made poor financial decisions, I learned and made better decisions in the future. Bailouts are no more than a free pass for companies and individuals who made snap, uneducated decisions, with no thought about the future. Greed propelled many of these decisions and the government forgiving some

…

This morning, after taking a holiday break, I attended the first ERA Evergreen Company meeting of 2009.  When I arrived, the office was buzzing, and everyone sure seemed busier than I remember in the past few months.  With my eyebrows raised, I asked several of my colleagues if things were picking up for them.  Every agent I asked had that gleam in their eye and said, "Yes, things are picking up".  No doubt 2008 has been a less than stellar year financially and especially for real estate in general.  So I had to ask my self, "Is 2009 going to mark the turn around for us beat down real estate agents, home owners, and anyone else involved in the real estate business?"

After the meeting, I spent some time wondering if all the buzzing at the office was a

…