All Blog Entries by Todd Covington

For those with a little spare time this Sunday, please join me at 348 Cottage Farm forr a public open house.  Lowcountry Properties will sponsor this event on Sunday, March 29th 2009  (1:00 - 5:00 pm). 

I would love to have as many visitors as possible.  348 Cottage Farm Dr. is one of Cottage Farm's prettiest homes.  Whether you are in the market to buy a home or just want to explore all the beautiful features this house has to offer, come out and see me.  The owners are extremely motivated.

Directions:  Coming from Port Royal, take Ribaut Rd. until right before Beaufort Memorial Hospital where you will take a left on Allison Rd.  Cross the railroad tracks and take your next left on Cottage Farm Dr..  Home is 1/2 mile on left.

For a map, click here.

The secret is out!  In 2008, Beaufort, South Carolina was voted Best Small Town by Southern Living Magazine.  Surrounded by water, Beaufort is located on the east coast between Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia.  Beaufort has much of the charm of these two cities:  marshes, rivers, mossy oaks, and lots of history.  Beaufort has been said to be a miniature Charleston. 

Beaufortonians live a laid back lifestyle.  Most homes here have large porches which encourage residents to sit outside, enjoy the day, and talk to neighbors.  In addition, many of the premier neighborhoods promote a community feel with common green space, neighborhood docks, pools, and tennis courts.  People in Beaufort are friendly, exuding southern hospitality.  With all

Lady's Island South Carolina has seen a huge decline in new home construction in the past 4 years.  In one of the best real estate years in history, 2004, Lady's island had 204 building permits issued in 2004.  In 2008 only 52 single family residential building permits were issued which comes to a 75% decline.  

These numbers are no big surprise as exsisting home have had trouble selling.  Current homes have seen a 7% decrease in price since 2006.  While those numbers seem bleek, the National Association of Realtors reported on Tuesday that Febuary homes sales took an uexpected jump of 5.1%.  The rise was attributed to forclosure and distressed sales.  Even so, this means exsisting homes are slowly being bought up.

I know a lot of the local builder and

Like many of you, my dream is to buy a pretty piece of land on deep water property and build my dream home.  Unlike many places along the South Carolina coast, Beaufort still offers affordable waterfront property for the not so rich.  Of course we have multi-million dollar properties here but we also have a bunch of lots that you need not be "The Donald" to purchase.  Today I did a little research on what's on the active in market, has sold, and how many are currently under contact.

Wow is an understatement.  I was shocked to see the results of my search.  Not a single one has sold this year and only 2 are under contract.  I have noticed prices dropping and the fact that only 2 in an area this large are under contact, tells me that prices aren't low

Today I just wanted to give everyone a quick market snapshot.  First, we have a chart on the total Beaufort SC MLS Stats for 2009.  Currently, there have been 114 total residential sales in the area.  One important thing I notice is the "Days on Market".  For a long time that number was over 200 days.  This year, every months reports days on the market to be under that threshold which is good news.  While stats are great to look at, being in the market place also gives me a feels as to what's happening out there.  I can tell you without reservation, that buyers are on the move.  In no way do I expect 2009 to be a banner year but I do expect things to be much better that 2008.  Many parts of the country are reporting increased sales.   

Yes, I still

If you are looking to purchase a home in the waterfront community of Cottage Farm in Beaufort SC, I have great news.  One of the nicer homes in the entire neighborhood, 348 Cottage Farm Dr. was just listed in the Beaufort SC MLS TODAY.  What caught my attention was how pretty the home is and especially the PRICE.  Comparatively speaking, this home is priced much better than similarly priced homes in the area.  Not to mention it's drop dead gorgeous!!!

Looking over some of the details, I couldn't believe all the features of the home and that it has a complete Mother-in-Law suite/apartment on the ground floor.  This looks like a wonderful home for a family.

Here is a list of some the great details to 348 Cottage Farm Dr.:

• 3075 Overall Square Footage

I have great news for those looking to buy a home in Cat Island in Beaufort SC.  11 Governor's Trace has been reduced to $524,999. My original blog for this home saw the most hits ever, and I hear the house is starting to get showings, as the home buying season moves into high gear.  If considering purchasing a home on Cat Island SC, I highly suggest you check this one out.  And no, I'm not the listing agent.  It's just a great house and my personal favorite in the Olde Tabby Park section of the area.  

Here is a quick summary of 11 Governor's Trace:

• 3036 square foot
• 5 bedrooms
• 5 BATHROOMS
• hard wood floors throughout
• Lowcountry Style home summary
• Overlooks the golf course and lagoon
• Built in 2005 (Looks like NEW)
• 2 Car Detached Garage with

 When I started working on this website back in April of 2008 the goal was simple...become the top real estate website in Beaufort South Carolina.  With 87% of home owners now starting their home search on the internet, I knew the web was the way to go.  If I could get there not only would I benefit from buyer leads, the sellers who trusted me with the selling of their home, would gain unprecedented exposure never seen in this area.

So is a little bit of bragging?  Absolutely.  I have spent day and night for months on this computer, trying to make this site the best it can be.  Now, when I walk into a listing presentation, I have no trouble saying that their home will receive the highest exposure possible in the Beaufort real estate market.  I want to be

To everyone who believes that the Beaufort County Board of Realtors MLS is the only place to find a home in Beaufort SC, check out this Cat Island SC home I found on eBay.  Earlier this week I was searching eBay for property and stumbled upon a home for sale only 5 doors down from me.  66 National Blvd was previously listed on the Beaufort SC MLS but after a try with a local Realtor, the home owner has decided to give it a try on eBay.  Actually, I think it's a pretty good idea.  A better idea might be to have it in the MLS, eBay, FSBO.com and a few other locations too.

Personally, I think this is one of the cutest homes in Olde Tabby Park.  My wife and I live a few doors down, and always comment on how cute it is.  Previously listed at over $500,000,

In checking with the Beaufort Country Association of Realtors MLS system, I was surprised to see 20 single family residential listings had closed last week.  Sure, 20 closings in a week doesn't seem like a lot but if you consider that last week accounted for almost 20% of this years sales, it's great news. 

So far this year only 103 homes have sold in 2 months plus.  As we said in previous blogs, there are definitely more buyers looking.  Now we can say there are more buyers buying too.  Because it takes an average of 30-45 days to close on a house, it tells us that buyers started pulling the trigger at a more rapid pace sometime in mid-January.  From increase website traffic to fellow realtors production, one can see buyers are still very active, which