Real Estate News

In a somewhat surprising move the Beaufort Country will be reassessing property values in 2009.  The county assessor, Ed Hughes, who just last month said it might be beneficial to the county to postpone reassessment, has changed course again.  On Monday, March 23rd Hughes told the Finance Committee that his team had made such preparations for the reassessment this year, that waiting until next year wouldn't make sense.  With council members is agreement, it looks as though it will go through as planned.

I'd say more than a little shocking.  Sure, the scheduled 5 year reassessment time is 2009 but the government has the option to put it off one year.  Hughes and the Beaufort County Council are well aware that the SC Association of Realtors and many South

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

 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

You might not know, but Beaufort country already imposes impact fees housing developers to construct and improve roads, libraries, and, fire stations.  Under a new bill sponsored by Senator Tom Davis (R - Beaufort), developers impact fees could also be used to building and improvement of local Beaufort area schools.  

Living in Charleston, prior to coming to Beaufort, has given me a unique perspective on the future of Beaufort.  It's strange as I see things happening here that happened 10 year ago in Charleston.  It's like being able to see the future.  Because I have seen the negative effects large, new development can have on an area, I absolutely support the new bill sponsored by Senator Davis. 

When no impact fees are accessed, the developer makes

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

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

Having a tough time paying those large property tax bills all at once?  Beaufort County has initiated a relief program to help residential and commercial property owners.  The program allows property owners to divide their 2008 real property taxes into 5 separate installments.  Applications for the program were mailed along with tax notices last month.  An online version of the installment application can be found on the Beaufort County Website.  Owners must apply for the program to see if they are eligible

Be aware that the installment program is available only for real property (residential or commercial property) taxes.  The plan cannot be used for such things as cars, trucks, motorcycles, or boats used as a primary residence.  Applications must be

Hello Everyone.  As most of you know, "Night on the Town" is Friday night from 5:00 on, in downtown Beaufort.  Like many downtown businesses, ERA Evergreen will be open to say hello to the public.  We at ERA Evergreen would love to see your smiling faces.  No teasers at ERA.  We will have wine and appetizers for all the ravaged and thirsty folks.  All of our agents will be there to answer any real estate questions you might have.  Don't have any real estate questions, no problem.  At the least, come by and have a glass of wine and some food.  We will have plenty.

Moving to Beaufort is one of the best decisions I have ever made.  After living here on a part time basis, I finally made the move permanent in mid April.  While I have met a BUNCH of great

My name is Todd Covington and I would like to welcome you to my new website, www.LowcountryProperties.com .  After years of hard work, research, and waiting for my wife to graduate from MUSC in Charleston, I finally launched Lowcountry Properties.  I am very proud of how the site turned out, and hope home buyers and sellers will find it to be the ultimate resource when exploring the Beaufort, South Carolina real estate market.

My first job as a real estate agent was at Coldwell Banker Latorre in Charleston, South Carolina.  As many know, starting a career as an agent is no easy task.  Those outside the world of real estate might not realize, but 95% of real estate agents quit and move on to other careers within the first year.  Why?  Because acquiring