Beaufort Real Estate Blog and Information

We are rounding turn one and racing into what is typically the most active time of year for the residential real estate market.  The next 3 months are going to be an interesting ride. The industry is experiencing a historic moment as we have a market that has low prices AND low interest rates for home loans.  This is THE TIME for buyers to jump in! 

Since the downturn many agents have trimmed back on advertising and holding public open houses.  In my market there has been a noticeable void in the Saturday and Sunday papers as the local agencies have turtled up their advertising budgets which, in turn, makes it difficult to hold a productive open house if any at all.

Last fall I began traveling to other markets and studying how affective thier advertised open house events were.  I was estounded!  They were crawling with suspects, prospects, and buyers with other agents in tow!  However, not all of the open houses in the neighboring market were enjoying the same traffic.  Actually, in some of the homes all you could hear were crickets.  Why?

I studied the successful and unsuccessful open houses to understand the differences and learn from them.  Times have changed.  In the frantic market any schmo could toss a sign out in a yard on any given Sunday and get foot traffic.  No more!

On my tours I noticed the open houses that catered to the crickets were poorly organized.  Yes they ran an ad in the paper, but they were they only home being held open in the community on that day.  The agents were isolated and had only 1 item on the menu.

In contrast the action packed open houses were well organized.  Even between competing agencies.  They seemed to have coordinated which community to hold open and had offerings across all price points.  The open houses were "Events" that were well advertised, well managed and well signed.  The result?  Lots of traffic!!

I brought this information back to the managing partners at my agency, (Lowcountry Real Estate) and while they were hesitant at first we have recently had 2 very successful open house events.  We have concentrated in communities where we have a lot of listings, ran a Sunday ad and people have come out.  Each event has yielded several prospects and at least one buyer.  We're going to do another one in 2 weeks in a part of town we have not hit yet.  The agents are actually showing interest and even eager to be involved and get their listing in on the party. 

So, "If you host it will they come?".  This question has 2 answers.  1)- If you just stick a sign out in the yard and go "lone wolf" with the event don't expect much.  2)- If you plan the event, advertise it, have multiple offerings to show in a condensed area...Yes!  They will come!

So, what are you doing next Sunday between 1:00 and 3:30 PM?    

WELCOME TO BEAUFORT "THE LOWCOUNTRY" OF SOUTH CAROLINA

Surrounded by pristine water, miles of undisturbed marsh and woodlands abounding with wildlife, the South Carolina Lowcountry has long drawn many to its shores and inland communities.

Beaufort, (considered by many as a "mini-Charleston") is the second oldest city in South Carolina and is the center of beautiful Lowcountry historic homes and mansions dating from as early as 1717. Beaufort's downtown neighborhood is on the National Historic Register and several homes have been designated as National Historic Landmarks.

People are drawn to Beaufort South Carolina to see our historic Downtown shopping district accented by a beautiful waterfront park and many unique and independent shops, art galleries and restaurants. "The Point" historic homes draw interest for their historic architecture as well as being film sites for movies such as, "The Big Chill", "The Prince of Tides", and "Forrest Gump". Quite often visitors fall in love with this special place. Occasionally, Pat Conroy, (a local resident) can be seen conducting book signings at local book stores.

The military is also an important part of this South Carolina community with the Parris Island training facility and Marine Corp Air Station which is home to many F-18 squadrons.

In Beaufort, (as with Bluffton and Hilton Head) golf, fishing, and other water sports are key elements to the year round recreation. Even though this is the area of the "Sea Islands" it is abundant with wild life such as Deer, Osprey, Owls, and even American Bald Eagles not to mention Alligators, Sea Turtles, Dolphin and other sea life.

Many types of properties are available here. Contemporary ocean front mansions worth millions, Waterfront properties with private docks, Golf communities, Equestrian properties with acreage, Land, Luxury downtown waterfront lofts, Historic Lowcountry "Plantation Style" homes from the 1700's, New starter home communities that are excellent for first time buyers, Townhomes, Condos, Planned communities with amenities such as golf, swimming pools, playgrounds, lakes, marinas, yacht clubs and more!

Beaufort, Bluffton and Hilton Head offer much more than one expects from a county with approximately 86,425 residents. The exciting and varied opportunities offered by the area's economy provide a variety of lifestyles for both the permanent and part-time resident.

The yearly climate average is 65 degrees - temperate to semi-tropical. We have 64 major islands and hundreds of smaller, uninhabited islands covering a stretch along the Atlantic Ocean of nearly 30 miles.

Lowcountry Real Estate experience and expertise shines through year after year as we continue to be the volume leader in Beaufort area Real Estate. As a Lowcountry Real Estate agent I am dedicated to assisting each buyer and seller in making the most intelligent real estate decisions that will meet their needs. Please contact me with any questions regarding a selling or buying opportunity.