It’s back to school time, and I just had to share a cute and current (from this morning) story about Sallie, my 5 year old daughter who headed off to her first day of Kindergarten at the Sea Pines Montessori School. With some distance between our bedrooms, we have a sound monitor, and we could here her pop-up this morning from her good-night’s sleep. She is a quick riser and gets moving and talking right away, and this morning the first word’s out of her mouth (to herself, mind you) were: “La, la, la, la, la, la….It’s a happy day for me!” She then ran across the house and into our room, announcing “It’s school time!” Clearly an enthusiastic scholar in the making, Sallie reminded us of how attitude is a choice we make every day. Here’s hoping you have as good a day as Sallie does, remembering to obey rules, play well with others, make good friends, and smile all the while.

7 Roma Court
$1,049,000
An oasis, a sanctuary, an island to itself – 7 Roma Court enjoys one of the most unique and fabulous locations on all of Hilton Head Island, and the incredible marsh and deepwater views speak for themselves!

Tucked away in the charming Ashton Cove neighborhood on the south end of Hilton Head Island, this newly renovated Lowcountry-style home enjoys the best of all worlds – gorgeous vistas, amazing privacy, terrific sense of neighborhood, convenient location – all wrapped up in a wonderful offering in today’s market.

Divide & Conquer
As prices have escalated so sharply over the past many years, buying something “affordable” on Hilton Head Island has become a challenge. Homes and villas can be costly to carry financially, especially when they are just used as second-homes. And, as is always the case in real estate, you always want something bigger or with a better view than often the market prices will allow within your budget. So, many people often settle for something less or they buy nothing at all. Given how beautiful the Hilton Head area and properties are, it seems a shame to lose buyers to a less-attractive area, and we are aiming to
create an alternative option: Co-ownership! What we would like to know is – would you be interested in the concept of owning a property in partnership with other people that are in the same position as you? Second-home, resort properties are ideally suited for this type of ownership arrangement. We often hear from people that they sell because they don’t use the property often enough to justify the expenses. Well, with a rotating schedule of use, shared expenses, etc.., a co-ownership arrangement might be the answer. WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU…Email us your thoughts and possible level of interest. If we can pair you up with just the right match of co-owners, it might make for the ideal arrangement for owning property on beautiful Hilton Head Island!

Growing in Popularity
The combined Hilton Head Island and Beaufort regime had a population spike of 12.5% to almost 160,000 between 2000-2005. This represents the 70th fastest growing area in the country. While Hilton Head Island continues to maintain its charm and allure, it is all the more becoming a vibrant full-time community, and it is exciting to see so many new residents who are truly grateful to call Hilton Head home.

We hope that you find the following tip on home maintenance, etc. to be helpful. If so, feel free to pass it along to a friend.

This Month's Tip
As we prepare to move from one home to another in Sea Pines, I am reminded at how we all accumulate so much during our lives. I had a client tell me this week that she was chagrined about moving into a bigger house because she knew it would ultimately result in an increase in “stuff.” So, what to do? If you have stuff you don’t use or need or want, consider ways to “make lemonade out of lemons.” Garage sales can be fun, but also a lot of work. Our community has an annual collective-garage-sale, where tables are sold for displaying your items for a one-day free-for-all for buyers. Or, perhaps better yet, donate your items to churches and other charities that host their own “garage sales” or have their own re-sale shops. Of course, nowadays, the use of on-line selling tools like Ebay is very popular, and possibly profitable. No matter what route you take, remember, one man’s trash is another man’s treasure… So, consider relieving yourself of some “baggage”…on your next move, you’ll be glad you did!

Across the Country
In order to help put our local market into perspective, we have provided some nationwide real estate news that we hope you will find interesting. Just click on the USA map to the right to access this section of our newsletter...and be sure to let us know if you have any questions or comments.


A New Baby
Heather and Juan Andricain are the proud new parents of Abigail Grace Andricain, who is now 5 weeks old. Mother and daughter are both doing great, and we all love having Abigail as the newest member of our Team family. Congratulations Heather and Juan!

Hilton Head Named One of the Best Places to Live
Hilton Head Island and the surrounding area sit in the #19 position out of 577 “micropolitan” areas nationwide as the best places to live in America, according to a recent study performed by bizjournals.com, the Internet presence of American City Business Journals. The Island (and Beaufort County) ranked 3rd overall in the South. According to the study, “micropolitan” areas (between 10-50,000 residents) are the hot spots for places to live, demonstrated by some 2 million people who move to them from metropolitan areas every year. Some of the key factors in the ranking for Hilton Head Island, included per-capita income, small-business growth, concentration of professional jobs, college-degree concentration, and great amenities such as dining, entertainment, the beach, etc.. This simply backs up our opinion that Hilton Head is a great place to live, and that is why we are fully confident that more and more baby-boomers are headed our way!

Sea Pines Celebrates 50 Years
The original resort on Hilton Head Island, Sea Pines, turns 50 this year, and the anniversary is being marked with a series of events in late-August and early-September. The kick-off is a dedication of the new Compass Rose Park (located at the corner of Pope Avenue and New Orleans Road) on Friday, September 1 at 10:00 a.m. The event will include remarks from Mayor Tom Peeples and a look at the new park's design, which will feature several art installations honoring Sea Pines. (Free). Other events that weekend include:

• 6 p.m.: Welcome party at the Inn at Harbour Town for all attendees.

Saturday, Sept. 2

• 10 a.m.: Tennis exhibition with tennis legend Stan Smith.

• 10 a.m.: Golf tournament.

• 11:30 a.m.: Walk through the Sea Pines Forest Preserve with Rob Bender, recreation manager.

• 1 p.m.: Trolley tour of resort.

• 6 p.m.: Cocktails and dinner at Harbour Town Conference Center ballroom, hosted by former Sea Pines executive Jim Chaffin, featuring a video program.

Sunday, Sept. 3

• 9 a.m.: Continental breakfast featuring a tribute to Paul Franks, retiring sales manager for Sea Pines Real Estate Co.

If you go

To register for the events, call Catherine Burrison: 888-607-2966, ext. 2. Cost for anyone not staying in Sea Pines lodging: $125 per person (not including golf tournament). For guests staying in Sea Pines, prices range from $265-$550.

On the Web The Sea Pines Resort: www.seapines.com.

Bluffton Parkway
There are pro’s and con’s to everything, and the proposed path of the extensions/completion of the Bluffton Parkway is no exception. While resolving major traffic woes will be a welcomed development, it may come at a high cost to some. A recent review of the proposed path has some property owners in Heritage Lakes concerned that their properties may end up very close to the parkway, if not actually taken away by way of eminent domain. The county engineers are taking this feedback into consideration as they work over the next 9 months to fully design where the parkway will go. When complete, the parkway will run parallel with Hwy 278 in Bluffton from Hwy 170 (near Sun City) all the way to Buckingham Landing near the main bridge to Hilton Head Island. More news to follow.

Ohio-HHI Air Shuttle
Attention Buckeyes, there is a new option for you for your trips back and forth to HHI…Destination One, a Cleveland-based air taxi. The company uses Embraer 120 turbo-prop planes, which can seat 30 people. But weight and runway restrictions on the island likely will limit flights to 16 passengers. One-way tickets between Cleveland and HHI are $395 and are the only way to buy seats. For more info, go online to www.flydestinationone.com.

Congratulations are in order for our August, Part I E-mail
Newsletter Drawing Winner

Victoria Prostko of Pittsburgh, PA

As a recipient of this e-mail newsletter, you are automatically entered into our drawing for next month's giveaway. Good Luck...and don't forget to pass this along to a friend so they can sign up to be a recipient of the newsletter and an entry in our drawing! Thanks! Simply click here to enter.