January 2012

If you're familiar with the writings of Beaufort, SC native son Pat Conroy, then you are familiar with the the water-born landscape of novels like The Prince of Tides, Beach Music, and The Great Santini.

It's not uncommon for Beaufort Realtors  to receive inquiries from prospective buyers looking for a place to set up a weekend getaway. Water is a way of life in Beaufort, a county of more than 90 inhabited islands. If you've ever been swept up by the kind of property which provides the landscape for Conroy's novels, then you may want more information regarding 100 Vineyard Point (MLS # 129025), a new listing which is about 25 minutes from downtown Beaufort, SC.

This bucolic homesite has a tidal creek flowing through the back yard, and, offered at

For a Realtor, there are few things as satisfying as a golf cart ride through one of Beaufort, SC's thriving new community, on a cool December evening, just before the sun dips below the horizon.

I had a blast showing property the other night at Somerset Point, a terrific neighborhood along the Coosaw River. Somerset Point has been one of 2011's true real estate success stories in Beaufort. According to statistics provided via the Beaufort Multiple Listing Service, there have been 17 homes which have either sold, or gone "under contract," since Jan. 1 of this year. Demand has been so great for homes in the neighborhood that the development team is adding additional inventory of "spec" homes, so that buyers will be able to move into their new homes

We are seeing more and more properties in the Beaufort and Lowcountry area that have that wow factor. A home or homesite possesses the wow factor when it is listed -- or sells for -- a price which you just wouldn't have imagined a few years ago.

For instance, earlier this week, a 3000-plus square foot tidal creek home on Lady's Island, one of Beaufort's best residential areas, went under contract for less than $525,000. Just a short while ago, this Pleasant Point home would have been likely listed in the mid-$700,000-range. And it is very easy to envision this home valued in that same price range when the market strengthens again. And, friends, bear in mind that $525,000 was merely the asking price. At that price, it already had the wow factor, but who

Sometimes, a property price will just jump up and grab you. During recent research via the Beaufort Multiple Listing Service on behalf of a pair of prospective buyers, we came across a couple of such properties. One is a homesite in Habersham, and the other is a condo on Dataw Island.

The old real estate investor saying is that you make your money when you buy your property, not when you sell.

The Habersham homesite has just been reduced to an eye-popping $23,900. Before the real estate bubble busted, this same  homesite was listed for $104,000, and even at that price was the least expensive lot in the neighborhood, by about $40,000 at the time. This homesite sold for more than $60,000 back in 2007.

The Dataw Island condo is listed at $132,000, down

I received an email out today regarding a very large price reduction on a condo in Port Royal, about 5 minutes from downtown Beaufort.

This 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom condo, originally, priced at $139,000, was reduced yesterday to $70,000.  This condo home has almost 1200 square feet of living space. This condo has been smartly updated, including new flooring and new stainless steel appliances.

It's the sign of the times for condos. A few years ago, this kind of property would have sold in the $140,000 range.

Beaufort has never experienced the kind of condo mania which went a long way towards killing the Florida real estate market. There, buyers were trying to simultaneously buy and sell a condo, and make $100,000 or so in the process.

The Port Royal

Anyone who has ever spent time in Beaufort and the Lowcountry in the summer knows it gets hot and humid. A small price for living in paradise.

So, if you are thinking about relocating to the Beaufort area, why not think about a neighborhood with a pool? In recent years, more developers have been opting to add a community pool.

On our list, we just including pools which are automatically accessible to property owners and residents of a community, with no separate membership required.  

For instance, both Cat Island and Royal Pines have pools within the confines of the community, but memberships are required to both. Likewise, Fripp Island had more than a dozen pools, but membership is required.

The king of all neighborhood pools in Beaufort, in my

One of the gratifying aspects of selling real estate is helping really nice people buy a perfect new home. It's particularly gratifying when the really nice people get a whale of deal.......and when they are newlyweds!

We were fortunate enough to be able to help just such a couple a week or so ago, as they purchased a super, like-new home in Walling Grove, a terrific neighborhood on Beaufort's Lady's Island. This 2524 square-foot-home, located at 229 Green Winged Teal Dr. in the heart of the neighborhood, is yet another example of the seemingly endless array of incredible real estate opportunities available in today's real estate market.

The home had originally been listed at $450,000 way back in 2009. After two years of chasing the market, the sellers

Folks, this is a blog I wrote a while back and forgot to post.  I figured I would go ahead and post it in case someone was interested in a respective view of the first half of 2011.  Here we go...

We are five months into the 2011 real estate year, and there are some encourage signs, although I would be cautious before making any plans to do any house flipping just yet.

Real estate professionals and market observers have long maintained that the heavy inventory of foreclosure homes and short sales needs to be thinned before a recovery can begin.

And there is some encouraging news regarding the Beaufort market in the statistics through May 31.

There have been 421 home sales recorded through the Beaufort MLS. The median sales price is $175,000, which

Investors are always looking to buy for pennies on the dollar.  We have been encouraging real estate buyers and investors for more than a year now that there are truly amazing real estate opportunities available in Beaufort's best areas for pennies on the dollar.

Recently, Lowcountry Properties' agent, Keith Strawn sold 10 Anchorage Drive in Beaufort, SC.  This was an opportunity to buy a waterfront homesite, in one of Beaufort's best neighborhoods, for pennies on the dollar. 10 Anchorage Drive overlooks a tidal creek within Islands of Beaufort, with the potential for a dock.

10 Anchorage Drive Purchased just a few short years ago for $280,000. The asking price on this attractive building site was just been reduced to an astounding $99,000. Heck, this

Once in a while, it's nice to just take a moment, and reflect on some of the incredible opportunities that buyers have been able to take advantage of in our charming Beaufort, SC real estate market. We in the real estate biz have been harping and preaching about "opportunity" for a couple of years now.

1) Take the folks who recently purchased a deep-water homesite, in a darn nice neighborhood, for $230,000, about 53 percent less than the $480,000 the previous owners paid for this deep-water property in 2006. That's opportunity!  This homesite is located on Lady's Island, and will provide years and years of enjoyment to these folks, who hale from the Midwest. They came south to Beaufort, SC, looking to "steal" a piece of waterfront property, and that is