The other evening, I attended a meeting in Carolina Forest to listen and learn about the proposed plans of this area.  Being a resident, and a Realtor in this community, it is extremely important to find out exactly what lies ahead for this growing part of the beach.  While we have certainly experienced growth beyond most everyone's wildest dreams, the infrastructure of Carolina Forest most certainly needs some attention.   Unfortunately, the roads in Carolina Forest did not receive priority when it came time for the funding of roads for the Riding on a Penny Program in Horry County. Ms. Gilliand and Mr. Gosnell stated to those in attendance that Postal Way should be completed by November 1st, which would definitely alleviate some traffic.  They also showed a plan for proposed widening ... 09/25/2008

Myrtle Beach and surrounding communities continue to struggle in this unusual market.  Hopefully, the news that Fannie and Freddie are under new management with the government at the helm, will change the real estate market for all of us. Total Listings       21,314 Residential Listings      6713 Land                           5983 Condos/Townhomes      7574 Commercial                   882 Multi Family                   162 Expired year to date      7745 Withdrawn                    8306 August Data: The number of homes closed    809 The number of condo/townhomes closed   223 Expired listings were  1485 Median sales     $207,000 Avg Days on the Market   232     09/10/2008

Is your closet overflowing with never-worn clothing, the price tags still waving in the breeze? Is your attic bulging with boxes and boxes of shoes that have never touched pavement? Do you buy new makeup weekly or compact discs by the fistful?You might be a shopaholic.Studies estimate that as many as 17 million Americans, better than one in 20 of us, can't control our urge to shop, even at the expense of our job, our marriage, our family and our finances.  Although men and women alike suffer from this affliction, women seem to be the ones more scrutinized for this. Unlike the previous generation, today's young women spend their money on themselves, not their families.  And increasingly, these spending habits are getting more and more out of control.  The irony is that often, it is women... 08/05/2008

Business Cards... Why not take this wonderful tool to the next level?    Here are mine:  the front promotes me and my Business, the back of my card promotes one of my listings via a picture of the property and the website I've created specifically for that property.  My Sellers love them and these business cards have helped me garner even more listings. Read on for how you can do the same for under $ 40. Is your picture on your card? Is your correct e-mail address on your card?  Is your address a professional address, reflecting your business or some funky brunettecutie1041@aol.com?  Is your website on your card?  Is your blog site on your card? Are you using your card to advertise your listings?  Does your card reflect your territory?  If your card is something you pieced together on t... 07/12/2008

  Carolina Forest is one of, if not the most rapidly growing community in the Myrtle Beach, SC area.  My wife and I are residents of the community, and we are extremely happy to be living here! At this time, there are about 20+ fabulous developments to choose from.  Even with the growth, property in this area is still extremely affordable.  Whether you are in the market for a simple condo on the golf course, or looking for a high-end home, Carolina Forest has you covered.  There are several advantages to living in the Carolina Forest area.  Quite possibly the best thing about living in the Carolina Forest area is the convenience of having everything at your fingertips!  There are plenty of restaurants, stores, golf courses, banks, and businesses of all kind.  The Carolina Forest School ... 06/26/2008

Make Lemonade! This morning at the office meeting, I started saying this, and my entire team completed my sentence.  "I guess I've said that before", I asked.  They all nodded "yes" in unison.  "What other things do I say frequently", I asked.    Apparently, I have plenty of favorite sayings.  Here is a list of "the Mirela'isms" they came up with: "You can't make chicken soup out of chicken s__t!" "We're in deep doo-doo." "Under-promise and Over-deliver!" "You can lose the deal, but don't lose the client!" "Never, never, never give up!" "If they throw you out the door, come back through the window." "Liars can figure, but figures don't lie." "You can't be a little bit pregnant or a little bit of a liar." What are your "ISMS" ?   (Mirela'ism, Michael'ism, Liz'ism...  you get the message.... 04/30/2008

  At almost $ 4.00 per gallon, the cost of "petrol" has "grounded" many  gas guzzlers.   At  10 mpg, the Hummer, the quintessential "hungry" one is seen mostly parked these days.  The Smart car, at 69 mpg, has made its debut in the US, largely unnoticed.  The Europeans have embraced it wholeheartedly; mostly because of its ease of parking (you can "perpendicular" park it, for it's as long as most vehicles' width).   What about you?  Do you think twice about taking out buyers, or are you embracing a more "eco-friendly" mode of transportation?       Hummer or Smart Car?  What's your choice? Which car says: "Smart Realtor Driving"?     Join The Optimist Group!   Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection, Mirela Monte 04/23/2008

I'm sure you've encountered it.  It's a classic problem:  Sellers are all packed up; the movers are coming in the morning and the deal falls through.  How do you avert this problem? As a standard procedure in my practice, in an owner occupied home, I contractually always ask for the sellers to rent back the home for a week after closing.   Once the loan package is in at the attorney's office, I give them the green light to go to "stage one packing" (start putting away the seldom used items).  Once we actually record, I give them the full green light for packing & moving.  They have a week at their disposal and it usually works out well.  That way I've never had to deal with this problem.  I learnt by watching other agents' mistakes. How about you?  How do you deal with this issue?  Ple... 04/08/2008

"Mom, you really need a boyfriend!" said my son, after seeing the pictures I had taken on our trip through Europe.  Whatever did he mean?   What's a lonely American girl to do on her European vacation, but take pictures of the places and people of those lovely countries...  Here are some good examples of my observations captured on film: This fine building houses the headquarters for the Water Company in Barcelona, Spain...                         This was the changing of the guard at Schonbrunne Palace, in Vienna, Austria.   It was an "exciting" event!       These anatomically correct  piggies, were in the store window of a fine porcelain shop in Venice, Italy.                                                            Geneva, Switzerland, with it's famous fountain...           This wa... 03/07/2008

Some Agents don't realize just how important being well liked is, in this business.  We all know of agents who are difficult to deal with and their career is adversely impacted by not having their listings shown as often...  In this business we all need each other.  Being kind, professional, courteous and supporting each other goes a long way in this business.  I know that when there is so much inventory to show, and the Buyer's agent has to make a decision between my listing and another agent's, my listing WILL get shown.  Being well known as the "easy to work with" Agent scores major kudos within our Real Estate Community.  Just follow my rules:  1.  NEVER bad mouth another agent!  If you have nothing good to say about the other agent, just don't say anything.   2.  Always return othe... 01/08/2008

1.  It's sleek, modern, compact, smooth, sexy.  One touch and I get an instant glimpse of my most favorite image (whichever one I put there), along with the time & date;  it's quicker than looking at my watch.  I even like the typestyle of the words: simple, easy to read, modern.2.  One flicker of my finger and I enter the main screen of the 16 icons.  Each one is a cute little picture indicating an ability of this "nano computer".  3.  My calendar.  One touch on the calendar icon gets me into this month, with today highlighted and today's appointments neatly organized on the second half of the screen.   Everything is at a glance, exactly the way I like it.  To enter or change an appointment, I just touch the plus sign and another screen pops up .  One touch on the location tag, and out... 10/03/2007

          Carolina Forest is the fastest growing area of Myrtle Beach and the entire Grand Strand.  At this time, Carolina Forest is not incorporated as a town.  Instead, it is an unincorporated community located between Myrtle Beach, SC and Conway, SC.  The community is located approximately 10 miles from the shores of Myrtle Beach.  The thought is that Carolina Forest will eventually be incorporated to become a town on it's own with it's own zip code.       The Carolina Forest community has it's own Horry County Fire Station, post office, grocery stores, and many other businesses that make the community pretty self sufficient.       Did I hear someone say golf?  There are two golf courses located in Carolina Forest as well..Man O' War and The Wizard.  Dan Maples designed both of these... 08/29/2007

2BR/2BA fully furnished condominium in Little River, South Carolina.   Two master suites, both with private patios and large closets - ready to move into!  $144,000Brand new 3BR/2BA condominiums in the heart of Carolina Forest.  Walk to shops, grocery stores, banks, post office, school, and more!  Starting at $144,900Furnished 3BR/2BA top floor, end unit condominium at the Fairways at River Oaks.  Beautiful views of the golf course and close to everything in Myrtle Beach!  $179,900Call 843-272-1266 or click here to visit our website for more information, and to search the entire MLS!  Now is the perfect time to acquire properties on the Grand Strand - take advantage of this Buyer's Market! 08/28/2007

I would like some feedback on building a team! I'm getting rather busy. I need time to put in my ads and other things. I have more leads now than ever. What should my contract say? Do we split all transactions? Do we split all costs? I just don't want to go at this in the blind. Anyone with a team, please respond!     Feel free to contact me via email info@myrtlebeachhomeandloan.com Chris Webster Island Palms Realty 1091 Redi Mix Road Ste C Little River, SC 29566 Cell Phone: (843) 450-1915                http://www.myrtlebeachhomeandloan.com    http://www.myrtlebeachhomeandland.com    http://www.islandpalmsrealty.com 04/22/2007