The local housing market statistics came out today and here we go AGAIN!  Sales are way UP year over year...20.2% increase.  Inventory is way DOWN (finally) year over year...14.9% decrease.   Prices slipped just 4.5%.   The lower supply and bigger demand is the natural formula to evening out our prices and turning back in a steady, albeit slow, upward direction again.  If you're thinking of buying, call or text me at (843)422-6448..you'll be glad you did.

See full market reports here.
 
 
5th row beach walkway, turn key opportunity, hard to find newer Sea Pines home in pristine condition. Open great room floor plan with 2 master suites, stone floors throughout, gourmet kitchen with granite countertops. Private pool. Follow the stone steps from your back porch to oceanfront in Sea Pines in under 2 minutes. Tons of recent upgrades including all new Carrier Infinity HVAC with high eff. filters, rigid foam insulation full attic, new ss fridge, built ins and more! Solid rental history.
 
 
The Island Packet confirms today what we realtors ahv

From the Island Packet today:
The Hilton Head Island area had the most improved real estate market in the state last year, according to an annual report released Wednesday by S.C. Realtors.
The area reported more than 2,700 sales in 2011 -- a 9.4 percent increase over 2010 and more than 11 points higher than a statewide decline of 1.7 percent.
That improvement rate was the highest of the state's 15 regions by a margin of about four points.
The area's 15.4 percent increase in pending sales from 2010 was more than double that of any of the regions.
"That shows just how much people want to move here," said John Robinson, president of the Hilton Head Realtors Association.
"I'm not saying we've gotten through the tough times at all," Robinson quickly added. "More short sales and foreclosures could be around the corner. But this is definitely a 'thumbs up' for now."
Only 19.6 percent of homes sold in the Hilton Head area in 2011 were for $100,000 or less, the lowest rate in the state for that category of homes. Beaufort placed third-lowest, with a 26.6 percent rate.
Beaufort's 0.5 percent improvement in total sales over 2010, to 979 units, remained above the state average.
But Beaufort homes stayed on the market for an average of 202 days in 2011, the second-highest in the state. By comparison, Hilton Head area homes stayed on the market an average of 139 days.
"I think that number just reflects the unrealistic expectations of sellers here," said Carl Joye, a Realtor in Beaufort. "Property tends to stay on the market when buyers are looking for the bloody and the beaten."
Joye also believes Beaufort's relative stability bodes well for the future.
"I'm a little surprised there weren't more closed sales here last year, but we've come to a stable point," he said. "We're not going down any more, and that inspires confidence."
Joye said the statistical disparity between Beaufort and the Hilton Head area is somewhat misleading.
"The market fell quicker there than it did here, and so it makes sense that they're recovering quicker," he said.
Beaufort Realtor Edward Dukes agreed.
"There are a lot of second and third homes in Hilton Head, and that's what the bad market hit first," he said.
"Hilton Head fell a little further than us," Dukes added. "But now they're coming back, and that's encouraging for the whole region."

Read more here: http://www.islandpacket.com/2012/01/25/1941292/annual-real-estate-report-hilton.html#storylink=cpy

 
 
Yes, it's true.  The links at Harbour Town rank a stunning #2 on the list!!!!   

The Golf World Survey says....

“My favorite Pete Dye course” and the “best course we play” were common

statements for this PGA Tour mainstay because of its “great shot

values.” Opened in 1969 by Dye in his more restrained days and with

design assistance from Jack Nicklaus, “every shot requires something”

at this short-by-modern-standards course. Harbour Town proves

architects “don’t need length for a great golf course,” and “it’s not 7,600

yards—you have to hit golf shots there.” Another, on the 3,700 squarefoot

greens: “It’s a 10 because of great greens.” However, the towering

pines lining this idyllic resort course are not as beloved: “It’s OK, but they

need to lose trees.” Another found them less annoying, but still a reason

to downgrade the 6,973-yard design: “Really good course to play,” he

said, noting that the “overhanging trees are frustrating at times.” Most

players, however, love Harbour Town because “you have to shape the ball

on almost every hole.”

 
 
From the Island Packet 1/13/2012
An investment group is making plans to build what would be the state's first casino near Hardeeville, but it's already meeting resistance from Gov. Nikki Haley's office.
The project, which would be owned by Cherokee Indians, would include a 400-room luxury hotel, dining, an events center and access to a golf course. It's would employ 2,250 and create $92 million in wages, salaries and benefits in jobs-poor Jasper County, according to a consulting firm hired by the investment group.
The gambling resort would be within Hilton Head Lakes, a residential development on U.S. 278 -- 18 miles from Hilton Head Island and three miles from Exit 8 on I-95. The United Keetoowa Band of the Cherokee Indians in Tahlequah, Okla., would own it.
Jasper County and city of Hardeeville councils passed resolutions endorsing the project Thursday and asked the state and federal government for support. The local leaders hailed it as a boon to Lowcountry tourism that could help cure chronic unemployment.
"I will push to support any big business that wants to come here to add jobs and take some tax burden off of our residents," said the Rev. Samuel Gregory, chairman of the Jasper County Council. "It's a great idea and sell for Jasper County at a time when we're all fighting for jobs."
Significantly, one of the people involved in trying to bring the casino resort to the Lowcountry is a well-connected Columbia attorney who has been involved in successful business recruiting deals in the past. Dwight Drake, who is with the Columbia-based law firm Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough, was a key player in paving the way for BMW to build an assembly plant in the Upstate. Drake ran for governor as a Democrat in the 2010 election.
GUBERNATORIAL, FEDERAL OK NEEDED
The U.K. Band of Cherokee Indians is a federally recognized tribe that traces its history and ancestral territory to South Carolina, according to Drake. The casino would require approval from Gov. Haley and the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Under the federal Indian Gaming Regulatory Act, before a tribe can request that "off-reservation" land be taken into trust by the U.S. government for gaming purposes, the bureau must determine that doing so is in the tribe's best interest and not detrimental to the surrounding community. The state's governor must also agree.
"The governor has no intention of signing any memorandum of understanding that would enable casino gambling," said Rob Godfrey, a spokesman for the first-term Republican.
Bill Miles, president and CEO of the Hilton Head Island-Bluffton Chamber of Commerce, said he was unfamiliar with the project and remains to be seen whether it will benefit the area.
A principal with firm that is pushing the casino resort said he's in no hurry.
Ralph Teal of Myrtle Beach -- managing partner of SB Investment/Development, which is representing the tribe and owns Hilton Head Lakes with Stratford Land -- said the group plans to make its case to Haley in the next few months.
"This is not a sprint, but a marathon. We're in the first steps," Teal told Jasper County officials Thursday. "It could be 12 to 24 months until construction ... but we are 100 percent dedicated to working with the community to make it possible as soon as possible. We are full-steam ahead."
Teal also said the investment group and tribe do not plan to seek tax incentives for the project.
"We have the wherewithal to do it ourselves," he told the local leaders.
SUBHED
The casino would not require legislative approval. State law prohibits casino gambling, but federal law supersedes when it comes to regulating gaming on Indian lands, according to the Interior Department.
Congress passed the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act in 1988, "as a means of promoting tribal economic development, self-sufficiency and strong tribal governments." Proceeds are used to pay for tribal government, health care, education and housing.
South Carolina lawmakers banned video poker in 2000 after years of debate and legal wrangling but approved a lottery to fund education that began in 2002. Since then, some legislators have occasionally called for other forms of legalized gambling.
At its height, video poker was in 37,000 establishments and did nearly $3 billion a year in business, bringing $60 million into the state treasury. But opponents argue it came at a price that included addiction, crime, lost work time, bankruptcies and financial hardship.
Every year, thousands of visitors flock to the docks of Little River north of Myrtle Beach to board one of two casino gambling boats that travel to international waters, beyond the state's territorial limit, allowing passengers to gamble legally. Since their arrival more than a decade ago, the boats have been steeped in controversy but survived court challenges and lawmakers' efforts to ban them.
The General Assembly later passed a bill allowing local governments to ban or regulate the gambling cruises. North Charleston approved casino boats in 2010, but financing issues have postponed their launch, according to The (Charleston) Post and Courier.
CONSULTANT: AREA AN 'UNTAPPED MARKET'
Indian gaming held steady in 2010, providing a bright spot in a U.S. economy that continued to slide into a deeper slump, according to most recent figures from the National Indian Gaming Commission.
The industry enjoyed gross revenue of $26.5 billion in 2010, roughly matching revenue a year earlier, according to the commission.
"You have an untapped market," said Brent E. Wittenberg, vice president of Marquette Advisors. "Tribal casinos out-performed commercial (ones) because U.S. gamers are trading down from more expensive trips to Las Vegas (and) Atlantic City, and many tribal casinos are now offering a similar experience closer to home."
The nearest are in Cherokee, N.C., Tampa, Fla., and Wetumpka and Montgomery, Ala.
The economic-impact analysis of the gambling resort proposed for the Lowcountry estimates it will attract more than 4 million visitors a year, with 70 percent from outside the state.
"We are talking about a tremendous economic surge for the entire area," Teal said. "People from out of state who normally bypass South Carolina will bring their money here, which will benefit businesses and individuals throughout the Lowcountry and (state)."
Other findings from the analysis claim the resort will generate $20.3 million in statewide sales tax, including $14.2 million in the Lowcountry. The casino would be exempt from property taxes but still subject to other state and local laws, Drake said.
In total, the investment group claims the project will create 4,700 new jobs with $185 million in employee compensation. This includes the impact of casino purchases for goods and services and spending by employees and guests in the state.
"A rising tide floats all ships, and that's exactly what will happen with this venture," Hardeeville City Manager Bob Nanni said. "To turn your back on this type of opportunity, you don't have the best interests of the region at heart."
Hardeeville Mayor Bronco Bostick agreed.
"It's one of the biggest things that can happen in our state other than BMW," Bostick said. "It's going to change this whole territory and that's what we need. We need jobs."
Follow reporter Tom Barton at twitter.com/EyeOnHiltonHead

Read more here: http://www.lowcountrynewspapers.net/archive/2012/01/13/story/jasper-county-hoping-hit-jackpot-tribal-casino-hotel#storylink=cpy



 
 
And why wouldn't you want to?  The "it" resort on the island, the one that started it all.  Home of the famed candy striped lighthouse, Harbourtown and the RBC Heritage Golf Tournament.  Check out two featured listings on the featured properties page..20 Oyster Landing and 1 Beach Lagoon.  20 Oyster Landing for a lovely, peaceful setting on the site of the lawton plantation ruins...and 1 Beach Lagoon for smack dab ocean front with long views of the wide open Atlantic.
 
Sea Pines Action 01/12/2012
 
Year over year numbers for December 2011 vs. 2010 were released yesterday.  It's hard to argue with recovery though I think everyone still eeks out that word in a "whisper".  The facts don't lie.  Sales up 20%, prices off just 2% and...wait for it...inventory down 16%.  Most of us can remember, vaguely, being taught about the natural effects of supply and demand.  As buyers start coming back, the inventory shrinks, the prices stabilze and the market begins to tighten. 
These stats hold true throughout the Hilton Head real estate market.   Call/text 843-422-6448 or email me lorrilewis@yahoo.com to get in on the action.  You know you want to...
 
 
Reuters announced today that "pending sales of existing US home surged to a 1 and 1/2 YEAR high in November, and industry group said on Thursday, offering more signs of a tentative recovery in the housing market".

As a realtor for nearly 12 years, I've seen it good and I've seen it bad.  Unlike 2009/2010, this year has been more positive over all.  The phone is ringing, the banks are qualifying, and many buyers are tip toeing out to see if they are in time to catch some bargains.  

2012 is shaping up to be lovely.

I looking forward to helping
 
 
I have four kids...so Christmas, at the least, is entertaining.  As the kids get older (15,13,13 & 8) they are getting craftier at trying to "guess" what is wrapped under the tree.  While I'd like them NOT to do this, their curiousity gets the best of them and they like to touch, feel and guess out loud what is behind the paper.
This year, I decided I had to find a way around this.  So, instead of labeling gifts with their names...I labeled them with names I made up.  Zerkelschmidt, Farfenglitz, Dopplejinger and Narkelboom.  Each kid had no idea what their name was...and therefore, no idea which presents were theirs to guess at.  They were completely frustrated.  It was GREAT!
On Christmas morning, I announced their "names" and they were able to open their gifts without saying "I KNEW what was in there"!  It was more fun for them...and definitely more fun for me and my husband!!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!
 
607 Pine Arbor 12/21/2011
 
Check out this great new listing.  If you're looking for a beautiful, newer home on nearly 3 acres without the confines of a planned community (read: do your own thing without someone saying NO!)...this place is for YOU.  www.607pinearbor.com