Realtor Diane Bell's Hilton Head and Bluffton Real Estate Blog

A fairy godmother is described in Wikkipedia as a female character who has magical powers and can bring unexpected good fortune to the hero or heroine .  This week, my fairy godmother decided to visit me in Hilton Head and brought the absolute perfect buyers along with her.  Now, I've been communicating with this delightful couple for awhile via internet and phone calls.  Prior to their visit, they selected 12 homes in their price range and divided them into 3 tiers of interest.  Yesterday, we viewed most of them, while today we went back and reviewed two of their favorites.  I met with them this evening for about 30 minutes.  They wrote a full-price offer  for a home located in Hilton Head Plantation, www.hiltonheadplantation. 

MY WISH FOR YOU IS THAT YOUR FAIRY GODMOTHER VISITS EACH AND EVERYONE OF YOU VERY SOON!

This will definitely be one of my shorter posts here.  I think I may have uncovered a little glitch at AR today.  Since this morning, I've responded to blogs here for a total of 10x but none (not even 1) of my points have been added to my point scores.  I'm not sure why this is happening but wondered if anyone else has had the same problem.  Hope it isn't just me!

While out showing properties today, I discovered a message on my cell phone from a lovely gentleman who asked me to call him.  At the end of the day, I finally caught my breath and gave him a call.  After chatting with him a moment, I was totally befuddled when he told me he had done a search for best agents in Bluffton, SC and I came up as number 1.  Now, that made me very pleased but I couldn't figure out how he came to that conclusion ........UNTIL, I realized he found me on ACTIVE RAIN. 

The morale to this story?  It's quite simple, I have a listing appointment on Friday plus the lead is free, gratis to me from the wonderul Active Rain site.  Folks, this is how it is SUPPOSED TO WORK! 

I sincerely hope you all get a call like this soon.  I guarantee you, it will brighten your day. 

Whew--it's Memorial Day Weekend already---time for families to arrive for their annual trek to Hilton Head Island.  For those of you looking for some unusual activities during your vacation, I'm listing below some great ideas. 

• The Art Cafe  (843) 785-5525 --Located at Coligny Plaza.  This is the perfect place to create pottery that can be hand painted. 
• Enviro Tours of Hilton Head     www.h2osportsonline.com
• Dafuskie Island Excursions     www.outsidehiltonhead.com
• C-Katx Watersportz   www.hhjetskis.com
• Dolphin Discoveries     www.dolphindiscoverieshiltonhead.com
• H2O Parasailing     www.h2osportsonline.com
• Lowcountry Nature Tours    www.lowcountrynaturetours.com
• Spirit of Harbourtown Cruises   vagabondcruise.com
• Carolina Morning Fishing Charters    www.carolinamorningcharters@gmail.com
• Island Golf School    www.islandgolfschool.com
• Kayak Hilton Head   www.kayakhiltonhead.com
• Van Der Meer Tennis    www.vandermeertennis.com
• Arts Center of Coastal Carolina    www.artshhi.com
• Old Town Bluffton   www.oldtownbluffton.com

Realtor Diane Bell

Charter I Real Estate and Marketing

www.dianebell.com

This weekend marks the beginning of the summer season on Hilton Head Island with tourists flocking to the island.  Since I get asked the proverbial "Where's the best place to eat?" question, I decided to list some of my favorites.  So here goes---------

• Alexander's Restaurant in Palmetto Dunes   www.alexandersrestaurant.com
• Aqua Grill and Lounge at Forest Beach    www.aquagrilleandlounge.com
• Black Marlin Bayside Grill at Palmetto Bay Marina    www.blackmarlinbaysidegrill.com
• Frankie Bones Restaurant at Main Street Village    www.frankiebonesrestaurant.com
• Marleys Island Grille   www.marleysislandgrille.com
• Old Oyster Factory at Marshland Road   www.oldoysterfactory.com
• Red Fish at Palmetto Bay Road    www.redfishofhiltonhead.com
• British Open Pub at the Village at Wexford
• Frosty Dog Cafe Daiquiri Bar    www.frostyfrog.com
• Longhorn Steakhouse    www.longhornsteakhouse.com
• Spice Lounge and Restaurant at The Village at Wexford   www.spicehhi.com
• Catch 22 for Seafood at New Orleans Road
• Ocean Grill at Shelter Cove Marina
• Charleys Crab  www.muer.com

Just a few of my favorites--Wishing you HAPPY DINING!

Realtor Diane Bell

Charter I Real Estate and Marketing

www.dianebell.com

Kudos to Hilton Head High School---for the second straight year, the high school has been ranked by Newsweek Magazine as one of the best American Secondary Schools.  For a school to rank in this list, it must place in the top 5% of US high schools in terms of student participation in advanced placement and international baccalaureate tests.

This year Hilton Head High ranked 556 up from last year's rank of 868.  This makes the high school the 6th highest ranked school in the entire state of South Carolina. Certainly, this is a tremendous tribute to the educators and students and highlights their accomplishements. 

The link for Beaufort County Schools is:  http://web.beaufort.k12.sc.us/education/district/district.php?sectionid=1 

Today, in Hilton Head, I attended an awesome symposioum that was sponsored by some of our top Realtors. 
To say it had a positive effect on me would be an understatement.  As the old adage goes, We are what We Think!  Ain't that the truth now?  Because I came away so inspired, I wanted to share some of the truths that came out of this event.  Folks, if you're in a down or not so up market, below are some thoughts to ponder.

• Here in Hilton Head, we are at the bottom of the market.  We have no where to go but up.  Do you have buyers who want to time the market and get in at the absolute bottom? You might want to ask them if they're expecting an EMAIL from GOD  or  if they might want to rely on our data and history to guide them to a wise purchase.

• Tell your buyers to get on the merry-go-round and stay for the ride instead or playing musical chairs where the music stops and there's no where to sit.  Those buyers who consistently stay in the market are the happiest and richest.

• Donald Trump always says he makes more money in a down market than any other.  Translate this for your buyers, educate them and make sure you know all of your market statistics.  Check back 5 years instead of 1 year and you will find very rewarding statistics.  Take for example, villas on Hilton Head---those prices have appreciated an average of 160% over 10 years.  Not bad, is it.

• We need to start an epidemic ourselves.  Spread the GOOD NEWS--heaven knows, your newspapers AND local media won't

• Be a MISSIONARY of your markets--Call people, educate them--sell the lifestyle not the investment.  Sell the family experience first and everything else will follow.  Help those buyers to create family memories.

• Remind yourselves that the majority of wealth in our country has been born out of real estate and this will be lasting.  On our beautiful island, they aren't growing land anymore.  It's in very SHORT SUPPLY.

• If you're selling in an area where baby boomers will want to retire, keep reminding yourself that 78 MILLION  bodies are out there waiting to retire in paradise. 

• Focusing on the stock market for a moment, the REALLY SMART MONEY IS ALREADY STARTING TO DIVERSIFY OUT OF THE MARKET.  Investors are far too enthusiastic about what's happening in the stock market--you probably can imagine what will follow in the near future, not that I'm any expert. 

For myself, I'll keep reminding myself that Hilton Head enjoys over 2 million visitors each year.  All I have to do is get to know those visitors and the rest will be golden.   As Realtors, don't let your buyers belong to the I Coulda,  I Shoulda, I Woulda, I Didn't Club.

This lovely home has just been listed in Victoria Square, a gated commnity located at the north end of Hilton Head Island, convenient to all ameneties.  Built in 2003, this home has many upgrades including a superb cook's kitchen with upgraded stainless appliances, crown mouldings and wainscoting, lots of storage plus the much desired 4 bedroom configuration on the island at a great price point of $449,000.  Visit my website, www.dianebell. for additional information on this listing and others both on and off island.

It's been a busy week here in the Hilton Head Real Estate market (thankfully, for me).  My buyer finally got the house he wanted and will now enjoy the rest of his vacation enjoying the best of the island. 

Something happened during the negotiation that I'm going to ask my fellow Active Rainers to comment about. 

 Let me give you some background.  Here in Hilton Head, we get BIG earnest money deposits---it's the tradition and has been for a long while.  My buyers came from an area where it is very UNCOMMON to give a large deposit.  Herein is where the negotiations got tricky.  They told me it was the norm in their area to only put up 1%.  That was when my chin dropped.  I knew we would never come to a consensus with a 1% deposit.  Eventually, both buyer and seller shifted gears and we came to a consensus. 

So, AR friends, let me hear what is traditional and customary in your areas. 

Back by popular demand, Big Band Exctement returns this month to Hilton Head Island.  The Stardust Orchestra, presented by the Hilton Head Lions Club, will perform at Hilton Head High School's Visual Performing Arts Center on Thursday, May 24th @ 7 PM. 

For those of you who love the sounds of big bands from years past, you'll be able to enjoy the music of Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, Count Basie, Duke Ellington plus many others.   Surely this evening will be a memorable event!

Tickets can be purchased for $20 and are available at various retail establishments on the island.  For information, please call 843-681-7680.

Proceeds from this worthy event will benefit Camp Leo, various community scholarships, community eyeglass and hearing programs and the South Carolina Lions Eye Research Foundation.