Hilton Head Island make USA Today for a second time click on link below

May 3rd, 2008

http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/housing/2008-04-24-second-homes_N.htm

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Hilton Head makes Delta In Flight Magazine

December 6th, 2007

Thank you Delta airlines for the 42 page spread on Hilton Head and Daufuskie Island. We couldn’t be happier for the publicity “WORLDWIDE”!!! So come on if there was ever a time to buy it is Now!!  Before the word gets out worldwide now is the time to get the pick of the crop. If I can be of any help or service by all means email or call me! www.maureenhouston.com

Click here to read all about the Delta in flight magazine spread : http://delta-sky.com/2007_12/portrait/hilton_head_island/index.php

Happy Reading!!

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Absorption Rate Key to Successful Pricing

November 17th, 2007

Daily Real Estate News  |  November 14, 2007 

Telling sellers the price they want to hear may get you the listing, but it won’t sell the home, Zan Monroe, ABR®, CRB, CRS®, said during a presentation at the 2007 REALTORS® Conference & Expo on Tuesday.
Only pricing the listing right will do that, said

Monroe, whose comic presentation style had the audience in stitches. And the right price depends in large part on the current absorption rate in your market. Here’s how you find that:

  • First, determine the number of homes closed in your market over a specific period — say, 12 months. You can get this data from the MLS.
  • Next, divide the number of homes by the number of months in the period — in this case, 12. This calculation gives a per month absorption rate.
  • Last, divide the rate into the number of current listings. This yields the months’ supply of homes.


Six months’ supply is considered a balanced market — when the number of listings roughly equals the number of buyers, says

Monroe. Numbers over six represent a buyers’ market and those below a sellers’ market.

To assess sales trends, you can also calculate supply over shorter six- and three-month periods. “Price in real estate is mostly a matter of supply and demand, just like in every other industry,” said

Monroe.

Once you have these basic calculations down pat, you can focus on absorption in particular neighborhoods or price ranges, says

Monroe. Showing clients local absorption rates will give sellers the information they need to price their homes to sell. “Once they’ve arrived at a price, you can decide whether you want to spend your marketing dollars selling it,” says

Monroe. If they don’t price it realistically, he concluded, then seriously consider taking a pass on the listing.

Monroe also explained how to calculate the odds of selling any one home. “Even in a hot market, it’s rare for more than 50 percent of homes to sell,” he said. To make this calculation:

  • Search the MLS to determine how many transactions have closed in the last six months.
  • Divide that number by the number of new listing that came onto the market during the same six months. (Don’t include listings that expired and then were relisted.)


This equation gives you the percentage of homes entering the market that actually sold. For example, if 100 homes sold and 200 were listed, the odds of selling are 50 percent.

— REALTOR® Magazine Online

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Hampton Lake

November 6th, 2007

I have to say, Hampton Lake is shaping up very nicely!! For those of you who have not heard the buzz about Hampton Lake it is a new John Reed development (the same guy who did Belfair, Berkley Hall, Hampton Hall). This new developement is planned around a 165 acre lake with kayaking and dayboating available. The ammenities center is Fantastic to say the least. A state of the art fitness center with a 1st class spa two pools one with a lazy river, wi-fi out by the adult pool, a sandy beach on the lake, outdoor bars, casual restaurant, free kayak rentals and it goes on and on.

Prices start in the mid $300’s for a villa and high $300’s for a carriage home to mid $500’s for a coach home and up from there for the estate custom built homes.

There is truley no other place in the Low Country like this. This one is definetely worth checking out.  If you would like more information on what’s available please shoot me a email or give me a call, I will be more than happy to get the info to you right away.

Until then, I wish you Sunny Days and Happy Memories!!

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Hilton Head/Bluffton Couple getting Great Reviews on New easy to read Childrens Books

October 29th, 2007

I have had the pleasure of getting to know Andy and Bernice and becoming friends. There books are just terrific They make a great gift for a child, grandchild, niece, nephew or any young child. 

Authors Tell Story of Diversity in New Children’s Book

BLUFFTON, S.C. July , — Husband-and-wife team Bernice and Andy Tate have brought to print the delightful story of a family of worms in their new book, “The Wormleys” (published by AuthorHouse - http://www.authorhouse.com/).

An original work with a timely and universal message, “The Wormleys” is written in plain, easy-to-read language for children of all ages. Accompanied by bright, cheerful illustrations, this original work is sure to capture the attention of the young and young at heart.

The Wormleys are a family of earthworms comprised of a father, mother and son. They travel back and forth from their home to town in their red convertible, but sometimes they feel misunderstood. Since they are so small, even the stars seem farther away from them than the rest of the world.

In the world of the Wormleys, there are many kinds of people and each is different. There are inchworms, bookworms, flatworms, roundworms and even tongue-worms! Each has a message about diversity and what it means to accept others’ differences.

 What the Elephant Forgot
South Carolina Author’s New Colorful, Illustrated Children’s Book Imparts Lesson About Forgiveness

BLUFFTON, S.C. - Follow the story of Adar, the pink elephant who throws his weight around a little too much and learns a valuable lesson in Bernice and Andy Tate’s latest illustrated children’s book, What the Elephant Forgot (published by AuthorHouse).

Easy to read and accompanied by bright, cheerful illustrations, What the Elephant Forgot is an original story with a universal message that children everywhere can understand. It imparts a very practical life lesson, forgiveness.

It’s the end of the rainy season, and all of the wild creatures have gathered for a party. The lion, the monkey, the zebra, the flamingo, the rhino and others are having a great time when giant, pink Adar rumbles onto the scene, casting a shadow over everything.

When Adar forgets his manners, he pushes everyone away. Adar realizes that he is wrong and apologizes to the other animals, who forgive him.

What the Elephant Forgot is sure to capture the imagination of the young and young at heart. Its publication follows the

success of their first book, The Wormleys (also published by AuthorHouse).

Bernice Mitchell-Tate, a native of Sheldon, S.C., is a gifted, self-taught folk artist who has a passion for enlightening and empowering young children. Andy Tate, the illustrator, shares and supports Bernice’s passion. He is a multi-talented digital design graphic artist, with significant theatrical production and television writing talent. The Tates are best known for their behind-the-scenes work in educational television and children’s theater. Bernice and Andy have been married for nearly 40 years. They live in Bluffton, S.C.

More information is available at www.storybooks4kids.com.

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Hello and Welcome to my Blog!

September 18th, 2007

Hello everybody and welcome to my blog! Please feel free to join in and tell me your thoughts and ideas. I hope you have fun looking around! Happy Blogging

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