Happy Thanksgiving! From all of us at Collins Group Realty, we warmly wish you and yours a very happy, festive and safe Thanksgiving holiday! As always, in our business we are most thankful for the terrific support that we receive from our customers, clients and their referrals. It is our goal to provide terrific service in each transaction, and we thank you for the opportunity to serve as your real estate connection for Hilton Head Island and Greater Bluffton. All the best…and happy reading!


148 North Sea Pines Drive
$975,000
This is a fantastic opportunity to own a beautiful beach-oriented home in Sea Pines for under $1 Million!

This 1994/95-built custom home features 4,000 heated-square-feet with 6 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms on a 2-story elevated floorplan. The low-country style home features dormer windows, a full-width front porch, an oversized screened porch, plus a large rear deck overlooking the extensive rear grounds and lagoon view beyond. Located within just a 6-minute walk to the beach, this centrally located home also enjoys convenient access to the Ocean Gate, South Beach, Plantation Club, the Sea Pines Beach Club and the Sea Pines Forest Preserve.

As a means of exposing you to different areas of Hilton Head Island / Bluffton, we present this interesting and entertaining section of our email newsletter. Below, you will see photographs taken of a very specific location in our area...and all you have to do is guess where it is! Well, actually, we tell you at THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE NEWSLETTER, so don't get too frustrated if you can't figure it out. Have fun with it...and good guessing!)

Market Conditions
We have experienced a slight uptick in the market over the past 4 weeks, with a generous increase in the amount of buyer viewings and contracts. While the Fall market is generally a good one, this year has proven to be somewhat unpredictable. As a result, this uptick may be simply a function of quality buyers being present on the Island, or it may be representative of a general pick-up in the market that could prove to be the beginning of the end of the buyer’s market we have been experiencing all year long. Either way, we cannot emphasize enough that this is an absolutely IDEAL TIME to be buying property in
this area. Historical trends demonstrate strong periods of growth after slight-lulls (as we are experiencing this year), including in the early 1990’s, after the dot-com crash and after 9/11. Don’t miss a great opportunity…call us today!

Land
Whether you look in new developments in Greater Bluffton or you focus on resale lots on the Island, land may prove to be one of the best investments to pursue. The combination of limited inventory of lots and the large anticipated boost to our year-round population presents an attractive equation for value-growth in vacant homesites. We have a variety of homesites currently listed for sale…see our Active Listings page for more information on www.CollinsGroupRealty.com.

We hope that you find the following tip on home maintenance, etc. to be helpful. If so, feel free to pass it along to a friend.

This Month's Tip
This one comes to us from Brickkicker Home Inspectors, and we cannot verify its accuracy, but it certainly caught our attention. The common solvent, degreaser and lubricant called WD-40 was invented in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rock Chemical Company as they undertook a project to search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. They were successful with their fortieth formulation of a “water displacement” compound – ergo WD-40. With about 2.5 million gallons of WD-40 manufactured each year, it is clearly a winning formula, but we were most intrigued by its “alternative” uses:

•Gives floors that “just-waxed” sheen without making them slippery.
•Keeps flies off of cows.
•Restores and cleans chalkboards.
•Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.
•Keeps glass shower doors free from water spots.
•Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.
•Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles.
•Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.
•Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).
•Use it for fire ant bites – it removes the sting immediately.
•Removes scuff marks from the kitchen floor.
•A little on live bait or lures and you will catch the big one in no time.

If anyone is adventurous enough to explore these uses of WD-40, please be sure to write us and let us know how it goes. We will feature you in our next email newsletter!!!! Thanks.

Across the Country
In order to help put our local market into perspective, we have provided some nationwide real estate news that we hope you will find interesting. Just click on the USA map to the right to access this section of our newsletter...and be sure to let us know if you have any questions or comments.


New Commercial Division
Collins Group Realty is extremely excited and proud to announce the launch of our new Commercial Real Estate Division. This new division will be headed up by Realtor Kevin Farruggio, who brings years of outstanding commercial real estate experience to the Team. “This newest expansion of our firm provides great depth to our service-offering. We now have the capability to meet the needs of commercial developers and investors like never before, creating a dynamic cross-over of one-stop shopping for those who have interest in both residential and commercial real estate,” says Chip Collins, Broker-in-Charge. The Commercial Real Estate Division will be operated out of the Team’s Bluffton Office at Suite 101 Professional Center, 14 Westbury Park Way. Kevin Farruggio can be contacted directly at 800-823-7516.

Birthday
Joe Mazzei celebrates his birthday this month! Joe is our Team’s “Supreme Master of Signs and Lockboxes” – others might call him our Courier – either way, Joe helps us stay on top of daily errands for our sellers, agents and business. Happy Birthday, Joe!

Leadership University
Chip Collins attended a Leadership University by Star Power Systems in Kansas City 3 weeks ago. This 2.5 day event was presented by top-producing agents across the country, and the seminar focused on leadership skills, team development, and business growth. As a “Star” within the Star Power Systems network, Collins Group Realty has access to top-quality agents throughout the United States and Canada – so please let us know if you need an agent referral for your area!

Award Winner
Juan Andricain Wins Toll Brothers Sales Award – Bluffton Specialist Juan Andricain recently was presented with a sales performance award for the highest volume of sales by an individual agent in a year for Toll Brothers’ local developments. Congratulations Juan!

Hilton Head Island Honored with Vienna Boys Choir Concert
This world-renowned choir consists of 100 boys and they are divided into 4 groups off 25 who perform a total of only 300 concerts per year worldwide. They are from many different countries including the US (their main base is Vienna, Austria) and they travel with two tutors, leading a very disciplined life. The November 3rd concert on Hilton Head Island, held at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina, was both magnificent and incredibly impressive. What a terrific cultural coup for our Island!

New Restaurant - Spice
Speaking of cultural expansion, check out this new restaurant named Spice located in the Village of Wexford. This “New York style” upscale restaurant commands a more formal attire while offering a fantastic menu of spicy Indian food. Check it out.

A Feel for Bluffton
On the 3rd Friday of each month, popular Calhoun Street is blocked off from vehicle traffic to accommodate a festival-type atmosphere that is ideal for adults and children alike to take part in activities, shop in stores, eat local-favorite food, etc.. This runs from 5:00-8:00 p.m. and is a great way to feel right at home in old-town Bluffton.

Hudson's Thanksgiving Community Dinner
Hudson’s Seafood House on the Docks is preparing for its eighth annual Thanksgiving meal on Thursday. Each year, 200-300 volunteers work hard for months or organize and cook the largest meal on Hilton Head Island. The dinner is a joint venture of the restaurant, St. Andrew By-the-Sea United Methodist Church and The Deep Well Project. Hudson’s expects to feed upwards of 1,500 people this year alone, offering hundreds of pies, 600 to 800 pounds of turkey, hams, stuffing, sweet potatoes, rolls, mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce. Way to go Hudson’s!

Congratulations are in order for our October E-mail
Newsletter Drawing Winner

Lisa Medford, Hilton Head Island

As a recipient of this e-mail newsletter, you are automatically entered into our drawing for next month's giveaway. Good Luck...and don't forget to pass this along to a friend so they can sign up to be a recipient of the newsletter and an entry in our drawing! Thanks! Simply click here to enter.

Alljoy Boat Landing in Bluffton. This popular point of access for locals is a perfectly convenient way to launch directly onto the May River for a day of fishing – or just a quick trip over the the popular sandbar.