Waterfront Real Estate

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

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Once in a while, a property comes along that captures all of the elements many buyers seem to be looking for when they begin searching for homes in Beaufort, SC.

137 Sunset Boulevard is one of these special homes. Located on Lady's Island, this home offers the proximity to downtown Beaufort that most buyers seem to desire. The home is a mere 3 miles from the bridge connecting Beaufort's Historic Bay Street with Lady's Island.

137 Sunset Boulevard also offers the water access that is so appealing to prospective Beaufort real estate buyers. The property has a desirable, short pier head, and a floating dock, which allows the owners easy access to Factory Creek, and then the Intracoastal Waterway. Via boat, Historic Downtown Beaufort can be reached as quickly

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A few years ago, if you put the words "deep-water homesite" in the same sentence with "Lady's Island,"  you were generally talking about a property which would cost a minimum of $600,000, maybe more.

Not so, anymore.

Like every other segment of Beaufort's real estate market, the Lady's Island deep-water market has responded to the sluggish sales of recent years, and prices have been reduced. It's now possible to purchase a homesite with spectacular views of downtown Beaufort, with deep-water access, for under $200,000. Please note that this particular property comes with an asterisk, since this $175,000 property, overlooking Factory Creek and the Beaufort River, can possibly be purchased with a slip at the adjacent marina. Without the slip, which the owner…

It seems that every week I am reminded how quickly home buyers have to act if they are going to capitalize on some of the tremendous real estate opportunities in Beaufort, SC. When these properties are reduced beyond a certain price threshold, buyers are going to move, and they often move in masse. And these are going to move lightning quick.

The latest example can be found at a tidal creek home in Walling Grove, a deep-water neighborhood on Lady's Island. Homes in Walling Grove range in price from $305,000 up to $749,000, for something on the water.

The home in question had been on the market more than 500 days, and was reduced on March 31 to $350,000. Almost immediately, a buyer snatched up the property. I am going to go out on a limb and say that the…

I had a conversation the other day with a property owner at Distant Island, one of Beaufort's premier deep-water neighborhoods. The water access at Distant Island is spectacular -- deep and protected.

Our conversation was about Distant Island property values, which, like every other neighborhood in Beaufort, have depreciated these last couple of years.

A few years ago, some deep-water homesites (no house on the property) in Distant Island were listed for more than $900,000. Currently, asking prices for these same deep-water homesites in Distant Island have dropped into the $600,000 to $700,000 range, with one homesite currently listed at $585,000.

There were two deep-water sales on Distant Island in 2010, for $449,000 and $425,000, respectively.

My friend,…

When someone says "beach" in Beaufort, some obvious places come to mind. Hunting Island, for instance, with its several miles of beach and unique maritime forest, is the most visited state park in South Carolina, and an incredibly popular destination for Beaufortonians and visitors alike.

Fripp Island and Harbor Island, just to the northwest, are Beaufort's best-known beach communities, and offer access to several miles of beach. At either Fripp or Harbor, you can find a single-bedroom condo within easy walking distance to the beach, or a lavish beachfront home.

But there are some lesser-known beaches in Beaufort as well, namely Coffin Point and Land's End, which sit on opposite sides of St. Helena Island, one of Beaufort's large barrier islands. Although…

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…