If you remodel-PLAN to keep your PLANSSo, this is such an interesting circumstance that happened to my seller - and obviously to me a few weeks ago. You see below my lovely listing - or at least the pretty mirrored dining room with views to Broad Creek and the Tuesday evening fireworks - but it's now pending so not really my point..............My sellers purchased this stunning townhome knowing that it had been remodeled quite extensively - no problem, they acquired a bit of a smaller 3rd bedroom on the 2nd floor but also gained a laundry room. Problem - and the subject of this rambling - is that when the appraiser looked up the master deed, it noted that this particular villa was built as a FULL 3 BEDROOM 3 BATH villa. So what you may say? Well big what. Though my sellers didn't  make ... 08/11/2015

Hilton Head July 4, 2015 Fireworks LocationsIt's here again - another excuse to crane our necks up into the sky and cover our ears to celebrate our nation's birthday! Here's a rundown on where you can go for the evening: HARBOURTOWN in Sea Pines Resort: Located on the south end of the island, the best way to get there so that you aren't overwhelmed by the traffic - and by the way the guards at the gate will enforce this anyway - is to go through the gate, not sure at this writing whether the normal $6 entry fee is waived for the festivities, then proceed to the lot then take one of the Sea Pines Trolleys or a bus down to Harbourtown. Fireworks start around 9:15P.HINTS: If you come early, the restaurants will be very crowded later, you might get a seat at a table, otherwise, you can brin... 07/02/2015

HHI Gets Award for one of the "Best Bicycling Communities"This award was given to the Town of Hilton Head by the League of American Bicyclists and we're the ONLY Gold Level recipient in the Southeast and only one of two on the east coast! WOW! How did we get this honor? Well, not only did the Town and the Chamber and the Bicycle Advisory Committee get together, but as usual we had loads of volunteers from local bicycling groups who served as "bicycling ambassadors" and really got the word out. We were Silver Status and moved on up to GOLD which we'll hold from 2015-2019! Wonder if there's a Platinum level????Everyone loves getting feathers in their cap and this one is well deserved. The Town of Hilton Head has spent a great deal of time and monies researching how best to update the whol... 06/10/2015

Anti-Dieters Rejoice - May 6th is OUR DAY!Whether we admit it or not, it seems that we are all watching what we eat! YUCK and YUCK and more YUCK! Yes, I realize that we are all being non-GMO'd, gluten-freed etc. to death and yes, I have no doubt that for some people it's extremely important - I believe in the non-GMO movement by the way. HOWEVER, every day that my Fitbit doesn't buzz notifying me that I haven't done enough steps, every day that I realize that the parking way out in the parking lot to get in more steps to begin with just isn't enough, my frustration increases. It seems that every single conversation begins with food! My clients ask where the best restaurants are and then want blow by blow accounts of what the menu items are and why they're delicious. Our admins often wil... 05/05/2015

FEMA FLOOD INFORMATION UPDATE April 1, 2015 The potential for a catastrophic storm in the nature of a hurricane always remains in the back of the minds of both Realtors® and new homeowners in our beautiful area of South Carolina. What we try to emphasize is that flooding can happen anywhere in the country where there's water - and that's in most places. As more and more of us choose to live on the coasts or by our beautiful rivers and streams, it's always a good thing to understand that with that beauty comes inherent concern. Statewide, we Realtors® have worked hard to ensure that our clients have many options of companies from which to choose; however, in the end, it all comes down to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) which is basically trying to stave off what seemed to ... 04/01/2015

Hilton Head WING FEST March 20-21,2015 If it's March it's definitely festival time and this weekend is the 20th annual HILTON HEAD WING FEST presented by Hargray Telecommunicationsorganized by the Hilton Head Island  Recreation Center! THE BASICS ADMISSION: $6.00 each day for adults - kids free Event location: Shelter Cove Community Park-39 Shelter Cove Lane, HHI Friday March 20th from 5:00PM to 9:00 PM Saturday March 21st from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM WHAT TO EXPECT Wings and wings and more wings! From the restaurants famous for their wings like The Smokehouse, the perennial favorite One Hot Mamas, Wild Wings, to the amateurs with their variations on the theme, mexican wings, oriental style wings, barbeque wings, dry rubbed wings, you get the picture! You'll purchase tickets to present to t... 03/17/2015

2015 Hilton Head Wine Fest WEEK! Where: Venues throughout Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head IslandHours: Depending on the eventCost: Public Tasting 3/14/15 - $60pp   What makes this one special? There are plenty of events on Hilton Head and plenty of them that have food and beer and wine - but this one is really the grand-daddy of them all. From its small beginnings of a one day event in a small area in Shelter Cove, to the open fields of Honey Horn Plantation adding the waiter's race, food, a silent auction, and some vendors, it's now a week long extravaganza with events for all levels of desire and experience. At the festival's basis is the International Wine Competition. In January, Certified Wine Educators and Advance Sommeliers taste over 850 wines and gold and silver medals are awa... 03/08/2015

2015 Hilton Head Dance Theatre Presenting Terpsichore Where: Arts Center of Coastal CarolinaWhen: March 19 & 20, 2015Time: 7:30PM both eveningsCost: $30 adults $20 children and students Contact Arts Center Box Office 843-842-2787 terp sikere (noun): the Muse of lyric poetry and dance The annual presentation of Terpsichore by the Hilton Head Dance Theatre is an eagerly awaited event. The dance company uses this Muse to present both classical and contemporary dance pieces. This year the company will present Act II of Swan Lake as well as a one-act version of Alice in Wonderland. Two new selections also were created by choreographer Kathleen Watkins; "Blackbird", and "Dancin' Dan." Hilton Head Dance School instructor and choreographer Jamal Edwards will also have two pieces featured durin... 03/07/2015

2015 Hilton Head International Piano Competition Where: Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, All Saints Episcopal Church, First Presbyterian ChurchWhen: March 9-14, 2015 What: International Piano CompetitionCost: $10-$65                                                                   (See full list of prices and performance schedule) Contact: Hilton Head OrchestraPhone: 843-842-5880 Premier Music Event on Hilton Head Island With competitors from the U.S., Puerto Rico, China, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Tajikistan, and ages from 13 to 17, attendees will be treated to amazing performances. Contestants will present selections ranging by Baroque pieces from Bach or Scarlatti to a complete classical sonata by Haydn, Beethoven or Schubert.  Steinway & Sons is the official piano of the Inte... 03/06/2015

March 2015 Hilton Head Island, SC Seafood Festival Where: Various Island VenuesWhen: Schedules throughout the weekWhat: Seafood FestivalCost: CLICK FOR PRICES   It's time - the 8th time! There are seafood festivals all around at this time of year and this is one of the more fun ones since there are so many choices of venues, prices, and styles! From a fun evening at Hudson's on the Docks with wonderful 'fiddlin' to a more elgant meal prepared by Clayton Rollison chef at Lucky Rooster creating along with famed Tyler Lane- named one of Zagat's 30 under 30 chefs, you'll have loads from which to choose. What's MY favorite? I'll have to admit that I tend to be a purist and really enjoy just enjoying the smoky fragrance of the fire as the oysters are steaming, then the buckets piled high wit... 03/02/2015

Enjoying Pinckney Island near Hilton Head Island, SC On an unseasonably warm day on Hilton Head Island I headed to one of my favorite peaceful places: Pinckney Island. This is a national wildlife refuge managed by the U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service. In total it's over 4,000 acres and includes Pinckney Island as well as Corn Island, Big and Little Harry Island, and Buzzard Island. There are other small 'hammocks' but Pinckney is the only one open to public. The beautiful maritime forests, salt marshes, grasslands, freshwater ponds, and tidal creeks. Its name omes from one of the owners; Charles Pinckney, father of General Charles Cotesworth Pinckney - a commander during the Revolutionary war, as well as a signer of the U. S. Constitution and a presidential candidate. The Pinckney family a... 02/08/2015

Where can you get the best WINGS on Hilton Head Oh boy, I realize this is a loaded question! But since we're on the verge of the Super Bowl XLIX I think it's a good idea to review the choices! Here are your options: ONE HOT MAMA'S I have to admit that I'm partial to these! I know Orchid Paulmeier, the chef/owner of this place and she's great - and her recipes for this popular option are terrific. My favorite are the wings in the Hot Asian sauce - of course I also love the Maui Wowi Sauce - both of these sauces/wings won awards at the annual Hilton Head Island Wing fest. WILD WINGS Obviously a staple and a franchise, Wild Wings is still a really good choice. I love the standard wings but am also partial to the teriyaki wings. POSEIDON You might be surprised that I'm mentioning this, the ... 01/30/2015

2015 Gullah Celebration on Hilton Head Island There're are plenty of other things to do besides listen to the type for the Super Bowl this weekend - lots of fun, terrific opportunities to learn and beautiful art to see!  WHEN:        February 1-28, 2015 WHERE:       Various venues around Hilton Head Island HOW MUCH:Depends on which event you choose! The celebration kicks off Friday, January 30 with a reception at the Hilton Head Art League's Gallery at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina. This event is $15pp and you'll have plenty of opportunity to not only experience the beautiful and colorful art but to also purchase a piece for your own home! This is not just about amazing artwork but the festival also has plenty of days where you can taste food, watch crafts being created, dancing ... 01/26/2015

  20,000 leagues OVER the sea - Poseidon new restaurant on Hilton Head Anyone who has visited Hilton Head Island knows that one of the pre-eminent organizations here is the Serg Group. With already nine wildly popular themed style restaurants, Steve Carb (the mostly invisible mastermind) has in the last month started yet another adventure. Poseidon is poised to become another favorite and another conundrum for those of us who live here to decide which ones of his creations to choose for the evening! (Especially for my friend Donna and I!) I obviously don't know the budgets of the other members of this group, but the creation of Poseidon is rumored to have cost over $3million. Located in the new Shelter Cove Town Center, Poseidon was initially described as 'the most upscale dining on the... 01/21/2015

2015 Hilton Head Island SC Speaker Series We are so lucky to have two organizations on the island that really devote themselves to hosting various presentations throughout the year. The Heritage Library and The Coastal Discovery Museum get together to provide just that. Tonight's speaker was Marc Frey, local media entrepreneur and publisher of the Hilton Head Monthly. His given topic was "Risks and Opportunities in the Next Decade for an Island Community". It may seem that this would be covered by a stated 10 or 20 year plan by the Town of Hilton Head but you'd be wrong. It was fascinating to hear Frey outline some potential risks and rewards. Frey talked about identifying what is so unique about Hilton Head. He talked about the need to create additional soft industries to enhance econ... 01/20/2015

PLEASE let me help you - Hilton Head Property Search Tips First let me say that I totally appreciate and respect the fact that you have TONS of information (which is part of the problem) and that on our restrictive island where there are gated communities and you can't get in, AND even in those areas that aren't gated there are no signs, and you just want to explore on your own......I understand! Any Realtor(R) that is truly a professional got into the business because we are problem-solvers, we LOVE people, we want to help, we are friendly, and don't automatically assume that you'll write the contract today - we'd love it if you did :-) but we don't expect it. There are ins and outs in every location in the country. Little nuances, little quirks (we're very quirky around here on Hilto... 01/15/2015

    Palmetto Dunes Villa Prices for early 2015 Real estate market data for Palmetto Dunes Villas provided by Susan Jacobsen of Carolina Real Estate Group using Hilton Head MLS statistics.   Palmetto Dunes Villas   Because there are so many options in Palmetto Dunes, for this report we'll address primarily the golf villas and those in Shelter Cove as opposed to those with ocean orientation. We continue to see much fluctuation on both listing prices and sales prices on villa prices in Palmetto Dunes and Shelter Cove  and as the spring market approaches I don't expect for things to stabilize any time soon.  If you are considering buying a villa you can still find deals in Palmetto Dunes is absolutely an opportunity but having a good real estate agent who understands the market is a must.  ... 01/13/2015

  Time Warp at the Coastal Discovery Museum on Hilton Head Located on the north end of Hilton Head Island, the Coastal Discovery Museum is a source of information about the early days of the island, a working museum with livestock, a butterfly garden, and the first stop on a tour for information about the Gullah culture. ABOUT THE LAND The myriad ecosystems are explored by tours of Pinckney Island. Named after General Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, a signer of the United States Constitution, the tours of Pinckney explore salt marshes and lagoons. There are quiet places to listen to the screams of the osprey searching for fish in the Intracoastal Waterway, and as you pedal your bicycle past open fields you can see the bluebirds darting among the grasses nabbing tiny insects. The cute ibis ... 01/12/2015

  The World's a Stage on Hilton Head Island   For an island community of only 37,000 permanent residents at the last census, you'd be surprised to learn that there are many opportunities for enjoying the arts. One very popular venue is The Arts Center of Coastal Carolina which opened in 1996. It is a delight and offers everything from independently created and staged plays, to renditions of Broadway classics, to music performances - currently from the likes of Mary Wilson formerly of The Supremes - to the Martha Graham Dance Company. Located at 14 Shelter Cove Lane, The Arts Center is a focal point for all of the activities.   The Arts Center, formerly the Self Family Arts Center, was constructed on land donated by the Self Family from Greenwood South Carolina. The Elizabeth Wallace The... 01/11/2015

Six great things to enjoy at Island Rec Center Hilton Head IslandThe Island Rec Center is located at 20 Wilborn Road on Hilton Head Island - convenient to the north end of the island and the Hilton Head School campus. They have a simple yet over-arching mission statement to "address the needs and concerns of the community." To that end they require coaches, administrators, students and all participants to abide by certain standards. The Golden Rule is in full force and effect at Island Rec Center and all their facilities and the feeling of warmth and caring is always evident.FUN THING 1SWIM! all year round either to do laps or just to splash around! There are masters classes for folks who may be training for an ironman triathalon, or the local high school students training for their swi... 01/10/2015