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 other tips on preparing your home for sale, or information on Myrtle Beach Real Estate, please contact me via my website, email me, or by phone, 843.424.6900.
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.
I read an interesting article in the Sun News a couple of days ago. It talks about South Carolina and North Carolina being two of the top relocation spots in the country. The Carolinas are very popular to families and retirees because of the warm climate, low taxes, and job growth coming to the area. With all the exciting things going on in the Myrtle Beach area right now including the Market Common and Hard Rock Theme Park it is a great time to buy property here. If you are interested in buying property anywhere in Horry County visit my Myrtle Beach Real Estate website to search the MLS for all available properties.
Contact me at 843-424-6900 or email me for additional information.
Schumacher Homes, a home builder new to the Myrtle Beach area, is offering an exciting new program to all of their new home buyers.
When you buy a Schumacher Home they will pay all of the construction draw interest, plus all the principal and interest payments for a combined total of twelve months! The offer is contingent on a 30 year mortgage, with the use of their preferred mortgage lender, Triad Mortgage. They do require 10% down in money or land equity to qualify.
For information on new construction here in the Myrtle Beach area please visit my New Homes Myrtle Beach website today! Please call 843-424-6900 or email me for additional information.
Each year, the City of Myrtle Beach comes alive with the Sun Fun Festival. The Festival spans the entire summer and is highlighted by several events. The Miss Hawaiian Tropic contest opens the summer season, and the residents and tourists alike flock to Ocean Boulevard to get into the action. The concert series brings artists of all kinds to locations all over the City, and the Fishing Rodeo runs from April 1st to October 31st. The annual Beach Boogie & BBQ is top on the list for Memorial Day Weekend, August 29-30th, being the official South Carolina BBQ Contest. There is live music, games for all ages including a BBQ Sandwich Eating Contest, a car show, boat rides, and of course all the BBQ you can eat!
Hosted by the Congressional Black Caucus, CNN, and the Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce, the Democratic Presidential Debate will take place tonight at 8pm, at the famous Myrtle Beach landmark, The Palace Theatre. Welcoming the debate participants and attendees is a massive sand sculpture bearing the likeness of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John Edwards, and Jim Clyburn. The national political focus has been on our area this month with the Republican Presidential Debate being held at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center just last week. The Democratic Primary is on Saturday, January 26th, and will wrap up the Primary Campaigns for South Carolina. The City of Myrtle Beach and its residents are proud that events of this magnitude are being held here!
The 47th Annual Canadian-American Days Festival is quickly approaching! March 6-18, 2008, the Festival is scheduled for the same week as Ontario’s school break, and draws Canadian families to Myrtle Beach to indulge in our sun and sand! Events are scheduled throughout the Festival, including the Can-Am Kickoff Celebration on March 10th, concerts, tours, riverboat rides, beach combing, barbecues, parades, fireworks, and more!
By showcasing all that our fantastic city has to offer and providing a chance for Canadians to enjoy our mild climate, the Can-Am Days lure many visitors to purchase a vacation property or make the permanent move to Myrtle Beach. For all your real estate needs, contact Jeff Casterline at 843-424-6900 or visit my Myrtle Beach Real Estate website to search the entire MLS.
The 47th Annual Canadian-American Days Festival is quickly approaching! March 6-18, 2008, the Festival is scheduled for the same week as Ontario’s school break, and draws Canadian families to Myrtle Beach to indulge in our sun and sand! Events are scheduled throughout the Festival, including the Can-Am Kickoff Celebration on March 10th, concerts, tours, riverboat rides, beach combing, barbecues, parades, fireworks, and more!