All Blog Entries by Todd Covington

Extreme Makeover: Home Edition brought a lot of national attention to Beaufort, SC's own Mossy Oaks community, just minutes from Beaufort's historic downtown district. The Extreme Makeover crew, with the help of hundreds of volunteers from the Beaufort area, stormed into the area in early January, and built a brand-new home for a deserving family. Construction was completed in about 96 hours.  The episode was broadcast earlier this year on ABC.

Although this area of Mossy Oaks is home to very modest, single-story residences built mostly in the 1960s, the mammoth, double-porched Extreme Makeover structure would look at home in any of Beaufort's best waterfront neighborhoods, from Newpoint and Coosaw Point, to Habersham, Distant Island, and Polawana Island.  

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While researching land opportunities for a buyer-client, we have really been turning up some 5-star opportunities. In addition to our own research, we solicited ideas from members of the Beaufort Country Association of Realtors, and were really blown away with some of the opportunities which have surfaced.

Take Lady's Island, for instance. Waterfront homesites overlooking Factory Creek and the Intracoastal Waterway sold in the $300,000 just a few years ago. Now, there is one available which can be had for $199,000, and this would include 53 feet of slip space at the Lady's Island Marina, right across the Intracoastal Waterway from downtown Beaufort. Although located on Lady's Island, this property is a leisurely walk to Bay Street in downtown Beaufort, and…

A drive to the oceanfront community of Fripp Island is a drive like few others you will ever take. Once you leave charming, historic downtown Beaufort, SC,  you can be at this seaside paradise on the Atlantic Ocean in about 30 minutes. During this very pleasant trip, you will pass over the Intracoastal Waterway, two swing bridges, historic Frogmore, SC, tomato farms, roadside produce stands, stunning water vistas, and Hunting Island, the state's most visited and unique park.

Fripp Island is a true original. Located 18 miles due east of Historic Downtown Beaufort, SC, Fripp Island has more than three miles of beachfront, and is Beaufort's top spot for those seeking a primary or vacation home in an oceanfront community.

Once on Fripp Island, you are never…

When many would-be buyers consider purchasing a home in downtown Beaufort, their thoughts tend to turn to older, historical homes.

And, to be sure, historic downtown Beaufort has homes which date to the early 1700s. But there is much more to the downtown Beaufort, SC real estate market, whether you are looking for a Antebellum mansion, or a condo.

There are currently more than 100 homes on the market in the downtown Beaufort area, from a $38,295 home which needs work, to a completely renovated, 4000-square-foot plus mansion in the Old Point that is listed for more than $3.2 million. The Old Point is the most historical area of downtown Beaufort.

The city of Beaufort's limits wind several miles outside of what most consider to be the "downtown"…

Those seeking waterfront property in the Beaufort area probably want to spend some time looking on St. Helena Island.

St. Helena Island is all about water. St. Helena Island is bordered by St. Helena Sound and Port Royal Sound on two sides, and Cowan Creek and Harbor River on the other two sides. Creeks and tributaries thread the island, creating waterfront real estate opportunities at ever turn. St. Helena Island is a largely rural barrier island between historic Downtown Beaufort and the beach islands of Harbor, Hunting and Fripp Island.

Although largely rural, St. Helena Island has a number of very distinct communities, including several gated neighborhoods -- Dataw Island, Polawana Island, Bermuda Bluff, and Bermuda Inlet.

Although developed by the same…

Since the stunning success of Newpoint, on Lady's Island, in the early 1990s, neo-traditional neighborhoods have been all the rage in Beaufort, SC.

Neo-traditional neighborhoods are planned in the style of coastal communities of the early 20th Century, like Beaufort, SC.

The idea of Newpoint was simple -- Create a neighborhood which looked and felt like the Old Point, Beaufort's incredible, historic and sought after downtown area, but with all the modern conveniences expected by late 20th and early 21st buyers. The Old Point is home to houses which date back decades before the American Revolution.

Newpoint is located just across the Intracoastal Waterway from the Old Point, and has a similar feel to its historic namesake.

After the success of

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This month's numbers are stuck in the shadow of the spring 2010 incentive market. A number of factors hinder a full-scale housing recovery, yet there are positives that suggest improving consumer confidence. Slowing unemployment claims, strong corporate balance sheets and 13 months of private job growth are cause for long-dormant optimism. Let's see if our local glass is half empty or half full.

New Listings in the Beaufort region decreased 32.6 percent from last March to 207 new homes. Pending Sales decreased 15.7 percent to land at 97 contracts written. As a result, inventory levels decreased 2.8 percent from last year to reach 1,720 active listings.

Prices lost some ground - the March Median Sales Price of $162,500 decreased 9.7 percent. Negotiations

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We think 109 Bartram Drive is the one of the smartest homes in Battery Point, a terrific community about 7 minutes from Historic Downtown Beaufort, SC. Designed  with incredible detail to quality, 109 Bartram Drive has all the modern conveniences of a new home, yet has the look and feel of a home built from the early 1900s.

109 Bartram Drive is located in heartbeat of Battery Point, just a few steps from the community tennis facilities, pool, and playground.  Despite this central location, 109 Bartram has a sense of privacy because of its location in a cul-de-sac, and the green space out back. Spectacular oaks further enhance this sense of privacy, and will enable the residents to enjoy the upper porch in private.

The screened back porch overlooks

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Anyone who has ever read a Pat Conroy novel has probably imagined what it would be like to live in Beaufort, SC -- The smell of the marsh, gentle tidal creeks meandering throughout the area, quiet summer evenings, heron gliding overhead, fishing opportunities galore.

Conroy, who still owns a home on Fripp Island, tells the story of his childhood through the fictional characters of The Prince of Tides, The Water Is Wide, The Great Santini  and Beach Music. All of these stories take place in Beaufort, although Conroy always changed the name of the town.

In Red Bluff Estates on Lady's Island, you can enjoy the quintessential Beaufort lifestyle from your back yard. 18 East River Drive sits on a tidal creek, and has just been reduced from $449,000, from

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I just sent off a listing agreement a short while ago, and I am very excited about my new listing, right here in Beaufort, SC. As I was typing instructions to the out-of-town seller, to ensure he was crystal clear on the terms of our listing agreement, I got to thinking about the concept of Dual Agency, which is a component of South Carolina listing agreements.

Dual Agency is probably one of those real estate terms that long-time agents take for granted. It bears explaining, though, because all prospective buyers and sellers should be very aware of and comfortable with the term before proceeding with a Realtor.

When you enlist a real estate agent to help you buy a house, that agent will serve as your buyer's agent. Your Realtor's job is to

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