During your stroll along the Marsh Walk in Murrells Inlet please stop by the Tiki Bar at Crazy Sister Marina and view Rotary's "King of Murrells Inlet Fishing Challenge" plaque with the winners names. Mark your calenders for next years event the first weekend in June. Maybe you'll be the 2011 "King of Murrells Inlet"  

Breaking a lease hold interest can cost you plenty. A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be chosen on a jury in Georgetown. The case was extremely difficult to preside over because of all the dates associated with it. The Plaintiff's case was looking to settle a lease hold dispute dating back to 1994 and extended through 2014.

After the closing arguments were complete it became clear the the Plaintiff was seeking almost $500,000 in damages. Inside the jury room it was evident most jurors were looking to give him the farm (so to speak). After four long hours of bickering we settled close to $300,000 in favor of the Plaintiff. Please be advised to your lease hold obligations bef...

Friday afternoon I got a call from a buddy saying that his wife couldn’t go to the Darlington race on Saturday night and wanted to know if I could go. After consulting my beautiful wife I decided what the heck I’m going. I absolutely love last minute road trips and it has been a long time sense I’ve had one.

We had a blast, everyone around us was from the Myrtle Beach area and it was fun talking with them and discovering mutual friends. After a brief stint in our seats we decided standing might be more enjoyable. Guess what, the people standing beside us were from the beach area and his brother was from Pennsylvania and looking to purchase a home here at the beach.  This road trip might ...

Murrells Inlet was the place to be this past weekend and what a great weekend to enjoy the blessing of the inlet. If you haven’t been mark you calendars for the first Saturday in May for next year.

Belin United Methodist Church was host to hundreds of people who come for the fun, food and fellowship displayed throughout the day. Whether you like crafts, face painting, mountain climbing, games of chance, there’s something for everyone from the youngest to the youngest at heart.  During the actual blessing of the inlet Rev. Mike Alexander asked that our beautiful estuary be blessed and that all in attendance do their part to keep it beautiful for generations to come.

We had a very informative speaker at Rotary this week, Mr. Dan Stacy. Mr. Stacy is an Attorney in the area and was talking about the economic impact regarding the Port of Georgetown. The port is in dire need of dredging to accommodate the shift from bulk and break-bulk shipping to containerized shipping.

At its peak the port received 1.8 million tons of cargo compared to just 107 thousand tons in 2009. They predict that for every 500,000 tons shipped there annually an economic impact to the local economy would be.

A total of 42 new jobs for the area. A total of $1.3 million annually in new local household income. A total of $4.4 million in total local economic output

This inform...

Had a great weekend last week, me and a few friends put the boat in at Wacca Wache Marina and headed up the river to Bucksport. Just an absolutely beautiful day and all of the wildlife were as happy to be enjoying the day as we were.

After putting around at Bucksport for a while I received a phone call from a local FBI agent that I'd offered a ride to earlier. We picked him up at Wacca Wache and proceed toward Sandy Island where he was amazed to see a South Carolina School Boat, yes a School Boat. Sandy Island is the only place that I am aware of in South Carolina that has a School Boat. The scenery along the way is truly one of the Grand Strands hidden secrets, uninhibited views without...

Ocean Front Condo Foreclosures and short sales; don’t be fooled into thinking it a great deal. Buyers beware; the sharks are lurking and want to stack up the offers. While analyzing the Ocean Front Condo sales along the Grand Strand I have noticed an alarming trend. Some of the listing agents handling the bulk of the foreclosures are enticing multiple offers by holding what I would describe as an Auction.

They are starting out the asking price lower that the Banks are willing to take (I believe with the blessing of the Banks) with hope of enticing multiple offers. Several of the sold units are going for more than the asking price because the listing agents are holding offers until they h...

The entire Coastal region of South Carolina has been hard hit by the downturn in the Real Estate market. One of the main reasons is due to the high number of second homes that exist here along with the high cost of insurance premiums.  Looking forward I am encouraged at what I see as a slight uptick in the sale of Single family and Condominium’s.

The Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors MLS data shows Single-family home sales were up in February about 17 percent over the same month last year, along with a huge 54 percent rise in Condo purchases over last year. One factor contributing to the surge in the Condo sales were the median sales price was down 15 percent, $127,700 in 2009 to ...

The first time homeowner tax credit and the previously owned homeowner tax credit are set to expire April 30th. The purchase contract must be signed on or before April 30th but you will have until June 30th to close. I would recommend anyone looking to purchase to act fast. My contacts are telling me they believe the tax credits will not be renewed after this term.

These type of incentives are propping up the fragile Real Estate market but they are also creation some of the uncertainty. Banks are reluctant to lend because they are not sure what the true value of a property is. What impact are the tax credits doing to stabilize the industry?

Have you heard the expression “suck it up”? Th...

During this week’s Rotary Club luncheon at Capt Dave’s Dockside Restaurant in Murrells Inlet I was happy to present my old roommate and owner of Sweet Tea Fishing Charters Mr. Fred Rourk to the group.

Mr. Rourk was there to speak to us in regard to our upcoming fishing tournament. This year we have decided to take our annual Flounder tournament to the next level. We’ll be introducing a King Mackerel Inshore tournament that will run simultaneously with the Flounder Tournament. Fred was a member of a fishing team that fished the SKA King Mackerel Tournament Schedule for several years. Throughout the different tournaments he said two things were always important to a successful tournament, ...

One of the great things about living on the Grand Strand is being able to visit Charleston on short notice. Last weekend my wife and I drove the short 90 minutes to enjoy the South Eastern Wildlife Expo in Downtown Charleston. Upon our arrival we were fortunate to be able to park our car at the hotel on Meeting Street, parking is at a premium. Bus service was provided to the venues which were spread throughout the downtown area. Luckily we were just a few blocks to the main exhibit hall where most of the sculptors and artist have their wares displayed.

Walking around I was amazed at the artistry on display, soon I discovered artists as far away as Colorado, California, and Oregon. Mark y...

At Murrells Inlet Rotary luncheon this week we were happy to welcome the new CEO of the Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors, Laura Crowther. Mrs. Crowthers’ speech was centered on the Myrtle Beach, Georgetown, and Brunswick Real Estate Markets. During the 2007 fiscal year there were approximately 4,500 real estate agents licensed with the CCAR. This number has presently dropped by half. During the last couple quarters that number has slowly started to move upward most likely due to the high number of unemployed people seeking a lifeline.

She went on to say that our market is still attractive to second home buyers and investors. The Grand Strand area leads the State of South Carolina...

Selling in this market will take creative thinking. Buyers are looking to purchase homes in this market, problem is they can’t qualify for financing. Sellers should offer as many incentives to lure potential buyers as possible. Many buyers are asking, will the owner consider financing. This can potentially be a great way to procure a sell. Banks are turning willing and most times able buyers away at the door steps because of numerous issues; number one, no comparable sales. With a lease option agreement the buyer can prove to the bank over a relative short period of time (usually 12-18 months) they are able to afford the property and the seller can put part of the rental proceeds toward b...

Many people in this market are asking themselves can they afford to sell. Real Estate Professionals look at the market activity to set an asking price for your home; it's called a CMA, Comparative Market Analysis. Researching to see what if any properties have sold in your general area then comparing them to the properties that are currently on the market. This gives us a basic understanding as to the overall value of your home. For a free valuation, CMA, of your home or property, don't hesitate, give us a call.

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