This is a great time of year for many reasons, but especially the weather. Not only do we have ideal temperatures and nice Autumn breezes in September on Hilton Head Island, but we hear from our second-home clients in the Midwest and Northeast that they are having “perfect” weather. Plus, with very minimal hurricane development so far this year, things are shaping up for an outstanding Fall. Hope all is well with you…and happy reading!

50 Sedge Fern Drive
$699,900
Consider this remarkably charming home situated on a beautiful lagoon-and-wooded view lot on one of Palmetto Hall’s nicest residential streets. A circular driveway leads to a Low-country-style entry with a traditional covered front porch. The leaded-glass door features 2 sidelights as well as an overhead transom, providing excellent lighting and appeal to the entry foyer.

The home opens up dramatically from the entry into wide-open living and dining spaces. The dining room features hardwood flooring, a distinctive column and 2 large double-hung divided light windows. The living room enjoys plush carpeting, custom built-in cabinetry, a two-way gas fireplace, ceiling fan and a spectacular wall of glass including 3 side-by-side palladium windows.

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!)

National Trends
Despite comparisons to the real estate boom of 2004-2005, 2006 is proving to be a very good year for South Carolina. According to the National Association of Realtors, South Carolina home sales are up 9% from the 2nd quarter of 2005 to the 2nd quarter of 2006. North Carolina saw an even greater jump of 11%, while Florida was down 27%, Virginia was down 24% and Maryland was down 17%. This supports the trend for baby-boomers who are focusing on the Carolinas for second-homes and retirement. Florida’s long run of hurricanes and high summer temperatures are taking a toll on its previous ranking as
a top retirement destination. Sometimes referred to as “half-backs”, more and more people who originally left the Northeast for Florida are now leaving Florida for the Carolinas (half way back up the coast). And with Hilton Head Island/Bluffton offering such incredible natural beauty and a dynamic, growing community, we fully expect that this trend will drive our market back to a very strong position in short order.

Buying Real Estate the "Easy" Way
I read recently about an on-line service for buying real estate with no local expert advice/council/input, and the article compared buying a house to buying a book on Amazon.com. While I admired the creativity of the pioneering service, I couldn’t imagine how anyone could realistically compare spending $500,000 to $25!?! My point is that buyer-agency in real estate is more popular than ever, placing an important responsibility for an agent to represent a buyer in their purchase of real estate, especially given the high amount of inventory in the marketplace right now. List prices are all over the board at this point, and there are so many intricate factors associated with market value that it is critically important to get the guidance of a local professional who has years of experience in the local market. Real estate is the most expensive and important investment that most people will make in their lives, and mistakes can be very costly. This is one of the main reasons that we pride ourselves on detailed service, discussion, input, experience, expertise in negotiating, etc. when we represent our buyer clients. Remember, there are no 30-day money-back guarantees in real estate – this is the real deal. Be smart – use a professional -and give us a call today!

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
Local Trash Solutions: Did you know that the public-use trash/recycling facility on Dillon Road is open 7 am to 7 pm everyday except holidays? This easy-to-use facility is open to the public for disposing of trash, cardboard, bulky items, recycled goods etc. and is a great resource that is well organized and operated by the on-site staff. No commercial or construction debris is accepted, though the Bluffton counterpart does allow residential construction debris as long as it is not through a commercial entity. So, if you have a do-it-yourself project going on and need a place to take some debris, consider heading out to the Bluffton Convenience Center located on Simmonsville Road.

Bonus Tip
Do you have an old shower-tub stall that is surrounded with dated tile? Does the thought of tearing it all out and starting over with new materials just about put you over the edge? Do you wish you could have an updated look in a matter of one day? Well, we may have the solution for you. I just recently used Refreshing Options (843-342-8827) to “coat” the shower/tub/tile in two bathrooms in my house, and they all literally look brand new. We chose a bright-white gloss finish, and it is absolutely amazing to see how this durable coating transformed the old, dated finishes into fresh, clean, “new” appointments to our bathrooms. As a bonus, the coating is easy to clean and actually covers/seals the grout lines so there is infinitely less work in addressing mildew and soap build-up. Email Chip@mayercollins.com if you want to see the finish in person or via photos…you may swear it is all brand new!

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.


Chip Collins' Birthday
Chip celebrated his 38th birthday this past week, giving the Team a great excuse to fill up on some delicious Giuseppi’s Pizza. However, rightfully so, the birthday was overshadowed by Chip and Carrie’s celebration of their 11th wedding anniversary on the 16th.

New Website Offerings
We have a few new features on our website at www.MayerCollins.com that we hope
may be of some help. First, for anyone who may be visiting the Island sometime soon, we are pleased to hand-deliver a current real estate package to your local residence/hotel/villa/etc. – just email us using the on-line request form found on our main page at the bright yellow starburst.

Second, we have a convenient Hilton Head Island/Bluffton Street Map (Google-based) that is easy to Zoom, Pan, etc. for a quick and comprehensive reference to the streets in our areas. This feature is located on our main intro page at www.mayercollins.com.

Third, we have a new locator map that spots the specific locations of our property listings at any given time. Each locator spot has a “mouse-over” that brings up info on the property right on your screen – very cool! We hope you find these new features to be both informative and helpful.

New Mexican Restaurant
May 5th or Cinco de Mayo is a terrific new Mexican restaurant on the south-end of Hilton Head Island. Located adjacent to the old college campus building off of Pope Avenue, this small restaurant is tucked into a ground floor location on the back side of the Sapelo building (located on Office Park Road). The authentic cuisine is both unique and delicious, and the presentation is beautiful. Check it out for lunch or dinner and let us know what you think.

Hilton Head Island Featured in USAToday
There was a great article in the USA Today at the start of the month about the 50th anniversary of Sea Pines Plantation. The article honored the late Charles Fraser and his vision for an environmentally-friendly resort development, referencing how he has changed the whole configuration of the Harbour Town marina just to save the incredible “Liberty Oak” tree. The article is still on www.USAToday.com and is available by searching for Hilton Head Island at the top of the main page of the paper’s website.

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

Cindy Koonz of Sullivans Island, SC

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.

Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge – Situated between the current and “old” Intracoastal Waterways, this natural preserve represents what Hilton Head Island looked like before any development. Peppered with specimen Oaks, stately Pines, and all the natural habitat and wildlife that make the Lowcountry so beautiful and unique. The park is accessed from Highway 278 on the landing between the 2 spans of the bridge to Hilton Head Island. This is a great place for nature walks, bike trail rides, bird-watching and more.