Hilton Head Island FAQ's

FAQ's

• What are the price-ranges for Condos/Villas?
• What are the popular Homes & Home Sites?
• What about public/private beach access?
• About Location
• About Areas and Lifestyles
• About Building Costs

Condo and Villa prices have declined 25 to 45% from the highs of 2005, so 20o10 presents an attractive buying opportunity in the premier east-coast location of Hilton Head Island. Considering a permanent move, second home or investment in rental villas that appreciate in value? Hilton Head Island is the place to own.

For more information, please Contact Larry Meyers or call 1-843-338-9543.

Hilton Head Island, and Bluffton property owners generally realize 90% - 97% of list price.

VILLAS AND CONDOMINIUMS 2010

Villas vs. Condos…What's the Difference? While all villas are legally condominiums, most people refer to five story structures as "condos" On the other hand, "villas" are often thought of as more relaxed town home-type properties, usually along a golf course and just a short walk or bike ride to the beach. Both condos and villas have a monthly fee (regime fee) which vary and may cover exterior maintenance, landscaping, pool. Taxes run about $800 for every $100,000 in value. Rental revenues range from $10K to $60K for the season from April through September, depending on the location.

VILLA PRICES 2010

Prices for Palmetto Dunes SC real estate and Sea Pines SC real estate go up as you get near the beach. Two bedroom condos with a decent ocean view begin at about $550,000 at Villamare, two bedroom villas in newer properties (Windsor, Hampton Place) will run in the $750,000-$1.999 million range. Hilton Head Island golf oriented villas in Palmetto Dunes, Sea Pines are priced from $350K and up. Off plantation prices are less. You can still buy a 2- bedroom villa a few blocks from the ocean in a price range of $175K to $300K on Hilton Head Island's Forest Beach area.

LIFESTYLES

Is the area you vacationed in for years necessarily the area you want to live in year-round? Remember, Hilton Head has numerous communities, all with different personalities. Some areas are strictly residential (Hilton Head Plantation, Palmetto Hall, Long Cove) while others offer combinations of resort and residential living (Palmetto Dunes, Shipyard, and Sea Pines). Before you start to look at homes or lots, try to eliminate some areas and focus on others. We will do this by establishing price parameters and discussing "quality of living" issues such as amenities, beach access, and overall "feel" of the community.

LOCATION

Keep an open mind about location. Of course, everyone wants to be "on or near" the beach but many of us can't (or don't want to) go into the $600K-$750K range to accomplish this. Examine your vacation habits closely. Certainly, while the beach is a big part of the picture but it is only one of several things to do (sports, shopping, dining, etc,). There are plenty of good public parking and access points at Burkes Beach, Singleton Park, Folly Field and Coligny Beach Park. All beaches are public. Finally, remember that near ocean prices are less in other island areas so these might be worth investigating as well.

WHAT'S RIGHT FOR YOU!

(Develop and follow a financial plan) One question I ask potential second home buyers is how many weeks they would use their vacation property. My experience has been that if people use a property three weeks or less, then it may make more sense to continue renting and possibly consider a home site for future building. Secondly, to what extent would rental income be important? Most properties have rental histories so you can get a good idea of how the numbers look before you purchase. It is very unusual for a vacation property to realize a "positive cash flow" but there are properties where rental income is significant enough that out of pocket expense each month are minimized.

Professional rental agencies charge a percentage of the weekly income and they advertize, do bookkeeping, handle small maintenance and facilitate housekeeping services. Many of owners combine what the rental agency does by renting directly through vacation rentals by owenr VRBO . and save the rental commissions. Many owners have no interest in renting to others and use the home or condo as a 2nd home or vacation get-away. In 2006, my group sold more villlas then any other company and we had total sales in excess of $375 million.

HOMES AND HOMESITES

If you are only able to visit the island a couple of weeks a year then renting probably makes more sense than buying a vacation type home or condo.

Where and what life-style do you envision for yourself 5, 10 or 15 years from now? Buying a home or home-site in the Bluffton, Hilton Head area is a great way to prepare for your future.

BEACHES

One of the biggest questions to consider is the importance of the beach. If it is essential that you be within walking or biking distance to the beach then you can eliminate much of the island and focus on ocean-oriented areas such as Palmetto Dunes, Sea Pines, Port Royal, and Shipyard. If you are comfortable with a 10 or 15 minute drive to the beach, you can get much more house for the dollar in river or sound area such as Hilton Head Plantation, Palmetto Hall and Indigo Run. Sun City Hilton Head and Bluffton residents enjoy a brief 2o-30 min. ride to the beaches.

BUILDING COSTS

The cost of building on Hilton Head is in a range between $145 and $250 per square foot. The wide variance is due largely to the number of features that you include into the home.