I've been working in Real Estate for years, and was here in Myrtle Beach to witness the boom in 2005, as well as the steady downward spiral which occured in 2007. In our local real estate market, I have seen the prices finally hit bottom this year. Beginning in January and February, some of the national builders steadily stopped dropping their prices in our area, and this Spring most of the big guys have stopped negotiating and have bottomed out their pricing. I have even sold a few ocean front condos recently that are cash flowing. My friends in the business and I have noticed how it seems that our market has finally begun to settle.
Nationally, the same trend is occuring. After months and months of headlines declaring the gloom and doom of real estate, the Wall Street Journal published an article on May 6, proclaiming "The Housing Crisis is Over". While the article does state that housing prices will not be returning to those experienced in 2005 for many years to come, the important fact is that the current downward trend is over!
Horry County Council held a ribbon cutting yesterday inaugurating the long awaited continuation of Postal Way in Carolina Forest. The road, which runs between the BB&T and the Post Office, will connect Carolina Forest Parkway to Gardner Lacy Road somewhere close to Carolina Forest Middle and High Schools. The new road is slated to open by August 1, alleviating the majority of the school traffic on Highway 501 which has increasingly plagued local commuters over the last five years. The road is also certain to bring more housing and commercial development to this growing area.
The Market Common has opened with a bang! My wife and I were meeting a group of friends for dinner and arrived early just to walk around. We were first amazed with the ease of parking! Easy access to to the parking garage, and it was well pointed out. The complex itself was very nice! The beautifully landscaped street centers, fountains, and interesting building facades kept us walking. Wide walkways made it easy for us to walk at our own pace, without feeling trapped behind slow people or feeling as though we were hindering other shoppers. A breath of fresh air in contrast to the concrete jungle of the outlet malls! We popped into several stores, all of which were full of smiling staff ready and eager to help. The well known anchor stores such as Williams-Sonoma set the tone for smaller boutique style shops like Copper Penny Shooz, as well as national brands like Banana Republic, all blended together. We noticed that P.F. Chang's was already open as well as Travania's, but we opted for Gordon Biersch Brewery. The atmosphere was fantastic, and the patio was packed with tons of people meeting for happy hour. Our food was very good and the beer was satisfying also. Each of us mentioned how nice it was to be somewhere new instead of always going to the same places. We anxiously await what other stores and restaurants will be coming to the complex - and my wife is busy shopping.
Excitement continues to build around the world's first Rock & Roll Theme Park in Myrtle Beach, SC. The highly anticipated Hard Rock Theme Park will begin it's "Sound Check", a three week dress rehearsal, on April 15th. For these three weeks, visitors will be able to sample rides, attractions, and shows that will be part of the Parks' main line up after the Grand Opening! During the Sound Check, the park will be open daily from 4pm to 7pm, and admission will be $40 - including a $10 meal voucher! On the weekends of April 26-27 and May 2-4, the park will be open 10am - 10pm for full day access, and the price of admissin will be $50. Anytime that you attend the Sound Check, your ticket price can be applied toward the cost of a Season Pass! Brace yourself for wild rides and excitement! See you at Hard Rock!
If you are interested in buying investment property near the Hard Rock Theme Park please contact me today at 843-424-6900 or email Jeff@JeffCasterline.com. To search for properties visit my Myrtle Beach Real Estate website.
Directions: Take Carolina Farms Blvd. to Scarecrow Way. Make a left onto Scarecrow and then a right onto Fieldstone St. House will be on the left.
This beautiful Rosewood plan has it all. Home features hardwood floors throughout first floor, stainless steel appliances, huge bonus room, large walk up attic, formal dining room, sitting room, oversized laundry room, covered patio, and more. First floor master bedroom features tray ceilings, large walk in closet, separate garden tub & shower, and double sinks. Great onsite amenities including two pools, a fitness center, a basketball court, & community clubhouse, and security. The Farm at Carolina Forest offers easy access to Grissom Parkway & Highway 31, and is also within walking distance to the new Ocean Bay Elementary & Middle schools.
The Annual Can-Am Days continue this week with events all over the Myrtle Beach area. A few of the festivities you may want to check out this weekend include a Southern Style Cook-Out at Seabrook Plantation, Fireworks at Broadway At The Beach, or the Can-Am Junior Team Golf Matches at Wachesaw Plantation. Tons of things to do for locals and visitors alike carry on through March 16th. For an entire list of events and festivities, visit the following link:
Before gearing up for the huge summer season here on The Grand Strand, local retailers, restaurants, and hotels are preparing for Spring Breakers! The Spring Break season begins the last week in March and continues through the week after Easter. During those weeks, families, high schoolers, and college students flock to Myrtle Beach for sun, fun, and memory making.
To find out more information about investing in a vacation home visit my Myrtle Beach Real Estate website.
Acoustic ceilings, otherwise known as a "popcorn ceiling" or "cottage cheese ceiling", are ugly! They cause a home to look dated, and may even contain asbestos! Even the most up to date remodels are incomplete with these bumpy and unsightly ceilings. They are known to collect dust and to be difficult to maintain, and in the end, will drive the value of your home down. So, how can you get rid of it? Before removing the material from your ceiling, you will first need to find out if it contains asbestos. Homes built before 1979 primarily used acoustic ceilings containing asbestos. Even some ceilings in homes built in the 1980’s were installed with acoustic ceilings containing asbestos, as manufacturers were able to utilize all existing inventory prior to the 1979 ban. You aren’t required to test for asbestos, but The Environmental Protection Agency does strongly urge testing. The cost of testing is minimal, and you can find a laboratory to send your sample to in the local yellow pages under "Asbestos – Consulting & Testing". Use the steps below to obtain a sample of your ceiling.
* Thoroughly wet three or four small ceiling areas with a mixture of water and a few drops of liquid detergent using a spray bottle.
* Use a putty knife to carefully scrape about one square inch of the material from each of the areas into a sealable plastic bag.
If your results are positive for asbestos, consult a certified asbestos-abatement company for your removal options. If your results are negative, you may proceed with removing the material yourself. The process is hard and messy, but the benefits are worth the work! Follow the steps below to update your home, room by room!
* Remove everything from the room. Hanging fixtures, furniture, everything. Cover any exposed wires with wire nuts and turn off these fixtures at the breaker to avoid an electrical shock.
* Cover the floor and the walls with a lightweight dropcloth, covered with 6 mm plastic sheeting.
* Using a spray bottle, or even a pump garden sprayer, wet the acoustic material with a light water spray. Scrape the popcorn material off with a wide-blade taping knife.
* Once the material is removed, the drywall will still be wet. Let the drywall air-dry overnight. The following day, repair any damages with drywall joint compound, then sand the area.
* Apply texture to match the wall finish.
* Seal the ceiling with drywall primer and then paint with a flat latex.
For the second year, the City of Myrtle Beach sent out a letter offering parking decals that allow will allow residents to avoid feeding the parking meters during the area’s peak season, March 15 – September 15. City residents who have a car registered with a City address and are current on City property taxes are eligible to receive the decals. For each vehicle a resident owns, they are eligible for a decal. By returning a postage-paid postcard that came with each letter, residents can receive a decal. The City of Myrtle Beach is planning to reinstall parking meters March 15 and wants to make sure residents don't have to worry about where to park when they hit the beach this summer.
Decals are not a required purchase. People with handicap tags or license plates, or Purple Heart or Disabled American Veterans plates, will not need the decals because state law already allows them to park for free. In 2007, the City of Myrtle Beach sent out only 4800 decals.
The decals are free to residents, but they are issued with a bar code from which a parking ambassador can verify the decal is on the vehicle it was issued for.
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Open House in The Farm at Carolina Forest
