Join agents of Keller Williams for a lunch tomorrow... Date: Tuesday Dec. 16th  Time: 11:30 to 1:30 Location: 1210 Duke Street at Alexander Court Come for some lunch and to see these exquisite coastal cottages. You won't believe the craftsmanship and attention to detail. While you enjoy your lunch feel free to preview the furnished model as well as get more information on other floor plans available. 12/15/2008

Picket Fences is one of our many charming communities. Just like Barbara Corcoran said, it is one of real estate's best buys! "Beaufort is just the way everyone pictures a great Southern town.." Barbara said. What great exposure! This charming home was featured on a segment of The Today's Show on Friday. I have shown this home and couldn't agree more with Barbara's comments. It is just so nice that now people from all over will get to peek into just one of Beaufort's wonderful communities.       Listed at only 205,000 this home is certainly "a real estate best buy!". The community itself is a treasure, with a gorgeous community dock, Olympic size swimming pool, miles of walking trails, stocked fishing ponds, and don't forget the signature picket fences. The price point is perfect, espec... 12/15/2008

Beaufort SC Real Estate Agency holds extensive Web Strategy Seminar  Exit Realty of Beaufort, with the help and leadership of Shelia and Greg Bennett, held a Real Estate Web Strategy Training Seminar Thursday December 11th with a strong participation of their Realtors... The session, led by Key Yessaad, focused on the necessity of Beaufort Realtors to find a direct path of service and communication with their Buyers and Sellers in the Greater Beaufort SC area and how the right strategy on the internet can help them organically. The Training Seminar lasted 6 hours and all the participants were very much engaged in every aspect to the Training. The participants were Perry Allmond, Janice Baker, Greg Bennett, Shelia Bennett, Melissa Evans, Tony Hagwood, Brandon Liles, Meg Liles, Kathy Mose... 12/15/2008

Well this will be a welcomed addition!! Hopefully now that access will be outsourced, we won't have to worry about downtime, but I'm sure accuracy and timeliness of information will still be a concern. "COUNTY TO PROVIDE NEW ACCESS TO RECORDS" The new sites are available through www.bcgov.net and are titled "Property Max" and "Collect Max". This will give access to property tax and property assessment records. GOOD LUCK and happy surfing! 12/15/2008

What on earth?!?!? I woke up this morning singing a strange song from the 80's. Although this isn't that uncommon, the song choice is a bit strange. "Everybody have fun tonight, everybody Wang Chung tonight.." I wasn't fond of this song in it's original time, why on earth did I wake up singing it today?!?! The mind is an odd cookie, especially mine. As I am belting out this ditty from the 80's, it made me think. How do we get certain things into our minds, and what is the effect? As I am cracking myself up in the shower, I realize this song is making me laugh. My mornings don't always start so comically, so I embraced it! I will be singing this darn song all day! So, who knows how it popped into my head, but it is there and it is making me smile. I hope you all find a thought in your mi... 12/14/2008

In 2007, including the two rounds of the National League playoffs, the COLORADO ROCKIES won 21 of 22 games to earn their first-ever trip to the WORLD SERIES.   Unfortunately, for the blistering, white-hot Rockies, the American League playoffs did not end for another few days, which created  an 11-day gap between the last of Colorado's National League playoff games and the first game of the World Series, against the BOSTON RED SOX. During their layoff, the Rockies cooled, lost their momentum, and were themselves swept by the Red Sox, who carried their own momentum into the World Series. We can't say for sure the Rockies would have won the World Series  that year, but I feel confident saying that without the long layoff,  the Rockies would certainly have made a better account of themselve... 12/14/2008

Funny as it sounds, I actually hesitated before writing this post. Just as in speech, I often write before thinking and later wonder if I should have refrained. My mind started flooding with doubts and fear such as "Will I sound like Polly Anna?", "Will I sound arrogant?" etc.... Thankfully, my natural impulsive behavior won. No, I am not Polly Anna. I am a positive person, slightly naive at times, and sometimes down right annoying. At least I know it, right? In this difficult time of foreclosures, short sales, job losses, and a collective fear of the unknown, I had a good day. Forgive me if I sound brash or brazen, it isn't intentional. I have been in the despair closet. I have had nights where my chosen career has caused miniature heart attacks. I also have soaked in the self pity tub... 12/12/2008

Lessons learned on what TO DO and what NOT TO DO! First of all, don't do it! Now that was the easy part. Second of all, DON'T DO IT! Always do the due diligence prior to submitting a contract and don't use RD for the loan. I knew better then trying to get a foreclosed, as is, property to close with an RD loan. But trust me, it wasn't my idea nor my guidance. An RD loan is the most difficult to use when dealing with repairs on a home in good shape, let alone a property that needs some TLC. Even though the home appraised well above the sale price, RD continued to be the beast of burden and the APPRAISER was no help. The first appraisal made no mention of some items, so when we thought we were finished, in comes another appraiser from the same company and rips the house a new ars and acted... 12/11/2008

  LIST PRICE: SOLD PRICE: DOM: HIGH LOW AVERAGE MEDIAN TOTAL PRICE LISTING COUNT $399,000 $190,000 $280,376 $279,500 $9,532,795 34 $0 $0 $0 $0 $0 778 3 208 152   Currently, there are 34 active listings in Royal Pines neighborhood on Ladys Island near Beaufort South Carolina.  The low price is $190,000 and the high is $399,000.  This makes the median price $279,500 with 152 days on the market.    LIST PRICE: SOLD PRICE: DOM: HIGH LOW AVERAGE MEDIAN TOTAL PRICE LISTING COUNT $375,000 $199,000 $270,595 $267,450 $6,494,300 24 $327,000 $202,000 $257,000 $258,500 $6,168,000 531 60 209 165   Currently, 24 homes have sold in Royal Pines since 01/01/08.  The median sales price is $258,500 with 165 days on the market.  Looking at price per square foot, the lowest price per square foot is $108.32... 12/11/2008

12/11/2008

12/10/2008

 received a mortgage rate update via email yesterday from a local lender. The rates were as good as I've ever seen. Since I'm not in the business of originating loans, we won't get into the specifics here. Please we aware that loan rates are always subject to an applicant's credit worthiness, and that rates are always subject to change, at any moment, without notice. And, obviously, no rate applies to all lenders. There are a lot of dynamic forces here, folks. Consult your lender for your specific loan scenario.With the disclaimers out of the way....A lot of times, we focus so much on price, that we don't give adequate attention to interest rates. A rising interest rate can easily offset any potential advantage a buyer hopes to see via declining prices.For example, again speaking in th... 12/09/2008

I missed Light up the Night Boat Parade this year!  I simply over-booked my weekend.  I hosted the following events this weekend; Night on the Town, RE/MAX Holiday Party, and the Christmas Parade, but I missed one of my favorite events....Well, in the spirit of Christmas, I could not let this event go by without including it in my blog, so instead of my photos, here is a link to The Beaufort Gazette's article on Light up the Night Boat Parade. Enjoy! http://www.beaufortgazette.com/local/story/641133.html   12/09/2008

Each year on the first Friday of December, many of the downtown businesses in Beaufort South Carolina stay open for Night on the Town and Lighting of the downtown Christmas Tree.  This year the weather was cool, but everyone bundled up and came to enjoy the street party.  Once again, RE/MAX Sea Island Realty participated in Night on the Town!  We served wine and cheese to the public from 6-8 p.m. EST.  Chris Skrip  and "Z" Prather  being silly on the front porch of the RE/MAX Sea Island Realty office at the corner of Charles and Craven Streets. Picture of some of the crowd on the porch, pictured are Mary McClaskey  and Mike Sackman, both agents at RE/MAX Sea Island Realty. Now how did they end up at Luthers on the porch... Chris Skrip and Jeanne Dial of Dial-A-Jeanne Errand Services in ... 12/09/2008

RE/MAX Sea Island Realty  and Chris & Maria Skrip  hosted their annual Christmas Party at Beaufort Yacht and Sailing Club.  Dinner consisted of 1 baked turkey and 2 fried turkeys, along with all of the fixins' brought by the RE/MAX Sea Island Realty agents!  Boy, are they some good cooks!! Entertainment was provided by Ramblin' Coastal DJ, Steve Curliss, who played dance music (at Mary McClaskey's request :>), swing music (for Chuck and Rita Riley who are excellent dancers) and Karaoke for all of us singers! Jeff Young, Steve Curliss, Chris Skrip  and Chuck Riley sing a rendition of "You've lost that loving feeling" - I think they were having a Top Gun flashback! Chuck and Rita Riley and Joy Jacobs  carve the baked turkey before the party. Troy and Gretchen Krapf. Many people do not kno... 12/09/2008

This weekend, Beaufort South Carolina hosted their annual Christmas Parade.  RE/MAX Sea Island Realty  had the RE/MAX Balloon Team here for the parade again this year.  The weather was quiet nippy on Sunday, so the 4000 Degrees coming from the Hot Air Balloon was welcomed by the crowd!  Picture of our float attached to the truck carrying the Hot Air Balloon. Maria Skrip, Cindy Young  and Mary McClaskey  on the float getting ready to go on parade! Mike Sackman  and our honorary Hot Air Balloon Pilot for the parade! Isn't he cute? RE/MAX Hot Air Balloon getting ready to warm the crowd up with the hot air blowers attached to the basket of the balloon.  Mike Sackman and Chris Skrip  drove the truck, while Maria, Cindy and Mary rode on the float in the cold weather....what's wrong with this ... 12/09/2008

A Realtor/friend of mine told me today about the excitement regarding a recent showing.  She was so excited, because it had been quite a while since she last had a buyer in the car. So, she pulls up to the house, hops out of the car............and forgets her lock box code. Oooops. She had to call the Board of Realtors to retrieve it. One of the dangers of a slower market is that we can slip out of real estate "mode." For me,  Active Rain helps keep me in real estate "gear," even if there is nothing particularly going on at that moment. That's a testament to all of you excellent bloggers. Keep up the good work. 12/09/2008

For most of us, this time of year, the weather cools and physical activity wanes. Vitamin C becomes second nature and Kleenex sales soar. Have you made an appointment with the Dock?!? You should. There is valuable advice regarding your health at your disposal. I try and visit the Dock at least once a week and more when stress levels are high. The Dock isn't hard to find. No appointment necessary. The Dock always reminds me to slow down, breathe deeply, and appreciate the little things. In Beaufort South Carolina, there are plenty of Docks, public, private, old, and new. Each has it's own way of promoting good health. If you haven't seen the Dock lately, it is time for you to come down, up, over or across to beautiful Beaufort, South Carolina. Walk ins are always welcomed. 12/08/2008

    Ron Lieber, the YOUR MONEY writer for the New York Times, did a NICE PIECE  Dec. 5 regarding the opportunities available for first-time buyers. In fact, Mr. Lieber went so far as to say we will one day regard this as a GOLDEN AGE for these young and first-time purchasers. It's nice to hear this from an objective source.  Let's be honest, a lot of us visiting Active Rain today are in the business of selling homes, so when we start talking about "historic" opportunities or "Golden Ages" of real estate, a lot of skeptics are just going to roll their eyes. "Golden Age? Sure," they might say, "You're a Realtor looking for the next sale."  I will let you read the ARTICLE yourselves, but the gist is that buyers who aren't also sellers are in a great position. He calls current real estate c... 12/08/2008

Where to Retire magazine, a publication aimed at helping people with retirement decisions, named Beaufort SC one of its top eight "cost-cutting, low-tax towns" in America in a recent issue. Where to Retire editor, Mary Lu Abbott, wrote that Beaufort has "ample access to water for boating, crabbing and other activities, as well as a strong art scene and volunteering opportunities." We are proud of our retiree population which comes from all over the US and abroad. As Mary Lu wrote in the article, we offer all the above in addition to a nice quality of life. Housing choices abound with something for everyone, whether that be golf, fishing, or boating. Beaufort is a quaint southern town, rich in history, enveloped in a gentle lifestyle that enjoys our environment. Visit for a weekend and s... 12/08/2008