As the Turtle Crawls

Buying a house at the beach used to be a life-long dream for many people - when you make it, when your ship comes in, when you come into your inheritance, when you retire.  I'm finding that while the first part of this decade was all about building, buying, and maybe flipping the biggest, fancies...

OK, I'll open this up the group...As my customers keep asking me.... where are all the foreclosures?  Homes are definitely being foreclosed on in our area.  They are advertised as being available on the courthouse steps, the date comes and goes, and the foreclosed properties dissolve into ???  Th...

It's like falling off a log, right?  Just pick something, anything, you can't go wrong with today's market!! No, really it is definitely NOT that simple.  A buyer's job has gotten HARDER, not easier, in the buyer's market we have going on now.  Here are the five stages or steps leading to a succe...

Buying real estate on St George Island is just about a totally discretionary process.  No one *needs* to move to St. George Island for their job, or because it has better schools, or to be nearer their kids.  It's where you *want* be, where you *want* to have a place of your own to escape to, or ...

Seems like we can't resist "bargain shopping" - and in real estate, that often means foreclosures and short sales.  On St. George Island, we've got some offerings of both types, but honestly, the some of the better deals are going begging while buyers buzz around short sale listings, and it's a s...

I had an email yesterday from a buyer, ready to buy on St. George Island, who had picked the house he wanted to buy, the price he wanted to offer, everything.  But, he is hesitating making an offer due to worrying that financing is not available.  Well, if you listen to the news, it's hard not to...

The end of the year is bringing a really nice market on St. George Island for buyers.  We typically see buyers who have been shopping during the year finally settling on exactly what they want, and sellers ready to end up the year with a sale, making deals.  Some of the nicer ones right now are.....

The sleeper deals on St. George Island right now are vacant lots. Why? Well, for one thing, the list prices are at a 4-5 year low, and asking prices are still soft in many cases.  And, supply is excellent - we currently have 114 lots for sale on St. George Island, from bay front to beach front, f...

Everyone comes to St. George Island to be ON the beach, right?  Well, not so fast.  We also have a gorgeous bay front on this island, and if you are into boating and fishing, the bay side might be even more desirable than the beach side of the island, and your real estate dollar goes a LOT furthe...

The price of beach front properties seems to be the calibrating factor in comparing one beach area to another and deciding how pricey or affordable it is.  St. George Island is a little different because we have only two small condo/townhome developments, and everything else residential on the is...