Hilton Head Real Estate

Call the premier brokerage
in the lowcountry

Hilton Head Office

(843) 341-5660

WSCGA Ladies Championship was hosted at Belfair's West Course

Published on 16 May 2013

Belfair’s own Jennifer Adams was victorious on Wednesday, May 15, 2013 winning the 31^st WSCGA Senior Ladies Championship. This year’s Championship was hosted at Belfair with 90 of South Carolina’s best senior players competing in 36 holes of stroke play for this coveted title. Jennifer shot an impressive score of three over par 147 (71-76) to win by five shots over the nearest competitor, carding the only under-par score of the entire field.
Congratulations again to Mrs. Adams on a fantastic performance!

Written by Diane Datz

Category: Agents' Blog

Belfair - So much more than just great golf!

Published on 22 April 2013

As a long time resident of Belfair I must applaud our General Manager, David Porter and his staff for making Belfair’s 2013 Easter Extravaganza the best we have ever experienced! Over 600 Belfair members and their families attended the annual celebration complete with fireworks over the Colleton River. Other activities that weekend included a Movie Night at the Belfair Fitness & Sports Center, a Dolphin Cruise, traditional Easter Brunch, Family Golf Scramble and so much more. With so many new guests attending the celebration, I feel this will definitely revitalize the Real Estate activity moving forward. Enjoy the video of the entire weekend!

Written by Diane Datz

Category: Agents' Blog

BEST REALTOR - Michael Broadhurst (Readers’ Choice Awards 2012)

Published on 29 June 2012

A Special Thanks to All of You! Your vote of recognition and confidence is received with heartfelt gratitude by me and Yvonne, my wife and partner.

As 20-year residents of the Lowcountry we’ve come to appreciate that the true beauty of this place is more than the weather, the beach, or even the lifestyle; it is in the people who make up this great community. The opportunity to serve you has been, and will continue to be a blessing to us.

The other day some folks asked me about Carolina Realty Group and I described it as “the best place possible to be successful in the Hilton Head Island and Bluffton Areas.”

There are lots of real estate companies in the Lowcountry with great Realtors. However, our group of 18 Realtors is different in that everyone is kind, courteous, committed and professional. The business that we do and the reputation that proceeds from that is a byproduct of our joint cooperation and success as a company; thus, we say thank you to the Realtors and the great support staff at Carolina Realty Group.

Again, a BIG Thank You to our clients and friends for the vote of recognition and confidence. See the Island Packet Award right here.

WHEN the time is right for you to buy or sell real estate … Call Mike & Yvonne Broadhurst for RESULTS you can count on!

(843) 384-61234 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Written by Mike Broadhurst

Category: Agents' Blog

The 44th annual RBC Heritage PGA Golf Tournament is right around the corner!

Published on 15 March 2013

Sea Pines Resort is hosting the RBC Heritage Golf Tournament April 15^ththrough the 21^st. This event is a favorite for PGA Tour pros for its tremendous golf course at Harbourtown Golf Links, and for its relaxing family environment - especially for those who are coming off the first major of the year, The Masters.

RBC Heritage tickets are available at the HHI Chamber of Commerce, located at 1 Chamber of Commerce Drive, or the Chamber's Bluffton office, located at 216 Bluffton Road at the corner of May River Road and Highway 46. For more information please call 843-785-3673. Tickets can also be purchased on line at http://www.rbcheritage.com/

Practice Round: $35
Access to the practice rounds and Pro-Am, Monday through Wednesday. Autographs and cameras are welcome.

Daily Tickets
Thursday & Sunday: $50 per day
Friday & Saturday: $60 per day
Daily access to the tournament grounds. Available each day, Thursday to Sunday. Only a limited number of tickets will be sold for each day! Prices increase by $10 during tournament week.

Grounds Badge: $150

Access to the tournament grounds for all seven days of the event.

Clubhouse Badge: $190

Access to the tournament grounds for all seven days of the event. Includes admission to the Clubhouse, featuring private restrooms and the Heritage Pavilion. Access to two on-course hospitality venues, presented by Hargray, with great golf views and food & beverage for purchase.

Arnold Palmer Pass: $395
Enjoy access to the tournament grounds and Clubhouse for all seven days of the event. Admission to two climate controlled venues with exceptional views on holes 15 and 18, Thursday through Sunday. A daily buffet, draft beer, wine and soft drinks are included at both venues. Spirits are available for purchase.

NOTE: There is a $10.00 service charge for each order.
Children 15 and under are admitted free with a ticketed adult.

If you can't be here, see beautiful Hilton Head Island and Sea Pines Resort on The Golf Channel (Thursday & Friday) and on CBS (Saturday & Sunday). Hilton Head looks spectacular on TV and even better in person!

Written by Bob Bentrup

Category: Agents' Blog

Boeing plans Dreamliner flyover Friday at Heritage

Published on 13 April 2012

Boeing will showcase its 787 Dreamliner during a low-altitude flyover Friday during the second round of the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing. The new jetliner will drop to 1,000 feet and fly over the 18th fairway at noon, according to a company representative. Players have been told about the flyover and will pause as it buzzes the course, a tournament spokeswoman said. Boeing opened a 787 assembly plant last summer in North Charleston. "The RBC Heritage offers the perfect spot to showcase the 787 Dreamliner in South Carolina," Boeing South Carolina vice president and general manager Jack Jones said at Monday's Heritage opening ceremonies. (Island Packet, 4-10-12)

Written by Yvonne Broadhurst

Category: Agents' Blog

IRS Material Participation Rules: Active Participation vs. Material Participation

Published on 21 February 2013

In most cases, you must include in your gross income all amounts you receive as rents. In most cases, expenses of renting your property, such as maintenance, insurance, taxes and interest, can be deducted from your rental income. However, there are limits to the deduction of losses. In most cases all rental real estate activities are passive activities. For this purpose, rental activity is an activity from which you receive income mainly for the use of tangible property, rather than for services. Loss limitations are imposed on passive activities and generally you cannot offset taxes on income, other than passive income, with losses from passive activities.

The exception to the rule provided that certain real estate professionals and material participants in the rental and management of their own property are treated as active participants. A business activity is not passive for someone who materially participates. This avoids the passive activity limitation for deducting losses.

Taxpayers and their spouses with a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of $100,000 or less who actively participate in rental real estate are entitled to a deduction of up to $25,000 per year against ordinary non-passive income. If your MAGI is more than $100,000, your special allowance is limited to 50% of the difference between $150,000 and your MAGI. Generally, if your MAGI is over $150,000 there is no special allowance. Keep in mind that any losses not currently deductible may be carried forward and used against passive income.

There are several tests for active material participation. A taxpayer qualifies by meeting any one of the qualifications. A material participant must either contribute 500 hours per year to the business activity or substantially all of the participation for anyone involved in the business. Another way to qualify is by participating at least 100 hours during the year when this constitutes as much as any other participant in the activity.

The IRS also has latitude for judging someone as materially participating in an activity if the circumstances indicate a regular, continuous and substantial contribution. This judgment only applies for involvement of at least 100 hours during the year. Management time in a business doesn’t count if someone else receives the majority of the compensation as manager or someone other than the taxpayer spends more time managing the business.

Investors are not treated as materially participating unless they are involved in routine operations of the business. Time spent analyzing the business as a financial investment rather than for management purposes is not material participation. Note from Realtor Bob Bentrup, I have several clients who have passed the guidelines imposed by the IRS on an unrelated audit with only one property on Hilton Head Island. Just some of the activities include answering VRBO inquires, emails, reservation agreements, collecting money, paying rental taxes, travel to Hilton Head for “HOA Meetings”, arranging maintenance, repairs, housekeeping, upgrades during visits, sending out check-in packages to name a few. All qualify towards the 500 hours. If you are doing over 50% of the bookings on your property (or properties), and can substantiate 500 hours a year, then you will pass the test.

Participation in an activity includes the time of a spouse. This applies even if the spouse doesn’t own any part of the business as well as when a joint tax return is not filed.

Proof of participation. You can use any reasonable method to prove your participation in an activity for the year. You do not have to keep contemporaneous daily time reports, logs, or similar documents if you can establish your participation in some other way. For example, you can show the services you performed and the approximate number of hours spent by using an appointment book, calendar, or narrative summary.

Following the rules to the letter, keep your favored tax status. Accurate records of material participation offers significant tax advantages that are preserved if challenged. The rules are complex because there are so many opportunities to qualify for material participation.

Most individuals can avoid passive activity rules by satisfying one of the following seven criteria:

1. Individual spends over 500 hours in the activity.

2. Individual is the only one participating in the activity. Minor services by others do not count. (Note from Realtor Bob Bentrup; one of my clients uses a rental company as a matter of convenience for check-in and scheduling, however they book well over 50% of the reservations themselves on VRBO / HomeAway / Etc. – thus making the rental company a “minor service” as mentioned above for IRS purposes)

3. Individual spends over 100 hours and no one else spends more time than 100 hours.

4. Activity qualifies as a significant participation activity (over 100 hours) and all significant participation activities aggregated exceed 500 hours.

5. Individual meets material participation in any 5 of the last 10 years.

6. Activity is a personal service activity, such as: law, accounting, health, performing art, or consulting, and individual had material participation in any of three prior years.

7. Facts and circumstances determine the individual participated on a regular, continuous, and substantial basis. Participation must exceed 100 hours.

Pursuant to the requirements of the Internal Revenue Service Circular 230, we inform you that, to the extent any advice relating to a Federal tax issue is contained in this communication, including in any attachments, it was not written or intended to be used, and cannot be used, for the purpose of (a) avoiding any tax related penalties that may be imposed on you or any other person under the Internal Revenue Code, or (b) promoting, marketing or recommending to another person any transaction or matter addressed in this communication.

I would like to thank my Accountant & Tax Advisor Al Graham for his contribution to this article.
Al Graham - Graham Financial - Tax & Accounting Services, LLC
200 Main Street, Ste. 102D - Hilton Head Island, South Carolina 29926
Telephone 843.342.3000 - Web: www.grahamfin.com
Internal Revenue Service Designated - Registered Tax Return Preparer
National Society of Accountants, National Association of Tax Professionals
Association of Tax Professionals

Written by Bob Bentrup

Category: Agents' Blog

Welcome to RBC Heritage Golf Tournament

Published on 13 April 2012

Hilton Head Island is home to one of golf's greatest traditions and the tradition continues! South Carolina's only PGA TOUR event is back to its traditional spot - the week after the Masters - April 9-15, 2012 and tickets are still available for sale. This 43 year old tradition is now the RBC Heritage. Royal Bank of Canada, along with Boeing, "stepped up to the tee box" to invest in what has become one of golf's most notable tournaments.

Hilton Head Island is a world-class golf destination and the tournament has played host to some of the greatest names in golf. Golf legends like Nicklaus, Palmer, Tiger, and Greg Norman, as well as today's top golfers from around the globe, have all been challenged by the fairways of the Harbour Town Golf Links.

The brainchild of the late Charles Fraser, developer of Sea Pines, the first Heritage Classic golf tournament was held in 1969 as a means of establishing Hilton Head Island as a household name. The tournament took place at the Harbour Town Golf Links, which was newly designed by course architect Pete Dye with assistance from legendary golfer Jack Nicklaus. Another golf icon, Arnold Palmer, clinched the title and $20,000 of the inaugural competition's $100,000 purse, and Hilton Head Island was well on its way to becoming one of the world's ultimate resort destinations. Over the past 40 years, the Heritage has grown from an innovative marketing strategy to one of the most beloved, most respected and most charitable stops on the PGA TOUR. -- Check Out: theheritage.com.

Written by Mike Broadhurst

Category: Agents' Blog

Hilton Head Real Estate Foreclosure Activity

Published on 03 January 2013

There was a very interesting article about foreclosures in the Island Packet today. Here is a link to read the article. Anyone interested in Real Estate on Hilton Head Island should understand the impact of foreclosure on the market. The article begins by reporting good news - foreclosure rates in Beaufort County are declining, but keep reading……

Daren Blomquist, VP at Realty Trac predicts an increase in foreclosed homes in several states, including South Carolina. I agree with Mr. Blomquist's prediction and have been pointing out the same issue to my clients for at least the past 12 months.

As of today, the number of foreclosed bank owned properties currently listed with a Realtor is in fact very low. But as stated in the Island Packet, properties in the foreclosure pipeline are way up. The Packet uses November of 2011 vs. November of 2012 as an example. November 2012 shows a 134% increase in the number of properties being foreclosed upon over November 2011. The Packet goes on to report that November 2012 was the seventh consecutive month where the number of foreclosed properties increased when compared to the same month the previous year.

The Island Packet is correct in pointing to the 2011 moratorium (this was the second of 2 moratoriums in the past 5 years) as the reason why South Carolina has another wave of foreclosures coming. You can click here to read about the 2011 foreclosure moratorium.

What impact will this latest round of foreclosures have on the Hilton Head Real Estate Market - specifically prices? No one knows for sure, but I believe everyone would agree foreclosures have a negative impact on prices.

Written by Dan Prud'homme

Category: Agents' Blog

Pickball Growing by leaps and Bounds on HHI!!!!!!

Published on 30 March 2012

Pickleball is now being played five times a week at the Island Recreation Center at 20 Wilborn Road. We are chalking pickleball lines on the basketball courts located outside of the gymnasium and use 3 portable nets. We play five days a week with Monday and Wednesday designated as novice and intermediate, Tuesday and Thursday designated as intermediate and advanced and Friday open to everybody. Note to visitors: We do not maintain a "pickleball police" unit so you are actually welcome to play anytime. Play begins at 9:00 a.m. and goes until 11 or 12. We have an average of 10-15 people showing up every day. Frank Soule, Executive Director of the facility, has promised that we will get pickleball lines painted on the courts when they resurface the courts in 2013! There are rest rooms available in the gym, and cool drinking water.

The tennis courts at Hilton Head Park will be kept chalked for anyone that might want to use them for pickleball. The county insists that we cannot "schedule" our playing time there because they have been designated as "first come first served" courts.

A new group of "picklers" has started on the tennis courts at Palmetto Hall. They have laid down painters' tape on the tennis courts and adjust the nets to 34". Play is currently scheduled there on Wednesday evening at 6:00 pm. with the very first session being held on Wednesday, March 14. They had about 15 people show up for their first session!! Palmetto Hall is a private gated community and the courts are open only to residents. However, this is evidence of increased interest in pickleball.

What started out as a pickleball club in Hilton Head Plantation, expanded to include residents of other plantations. Because HHP does not have anywhere to play pickleball, the group gladly welcomed others to join in the games on the public courts. Using the Hilton Head Plantation newsletter for scheduling pickleball playing times, and other news, was technically in violation of rules for HHP clubs when others are part of the club. They did not use any facilities on the plantation for the pickleball festivities, but rather than risk upsetting the apple cart they voluntarily decided not to use the newsletter for club notifications. Diane Dunning, resident of HHP, has volunteered to continue the club as an HHP residents only unit and will continue to present articles in the newsletter. She has some new ideas that will keep the club going and there may even be somewhere to play in HHP in the future. How long is anybody's guess, but stay tuned!! Diane will be scheduling a pickleball 101 course in the near future. I look forward to hearing from you!!!

Note: National Pickleball Week is April 16 through April 21, 2012.

Special thanks to Don Wheeler for all his work in promoting the sport here on the island. He is the reason for the remarkable interest we are having!!

Jeff Hunt
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Written by Dan Prud'homme

Category: Agents' Blog

Carolina Realty Group Wins National ROI Competition

Published on 16 July 2012

Recently, NucleusResearch.com evaluated Carolina Realty Group's 2011 decision to move our Information Technology services from on-premisis servers to Microsoft's Office 365 Cloud Service. This extensive case study has resulted in Carolina Realty Group being named winner of the 2012 ROI Award.

At Carolina Realty Group, we leverage the latest technology to provide our clients with effective and efficient service. If you are considering buying or selling a home, villa or homesite on Hilton Head Island or Bluffton we'd appreciate the opportunity to exceed your expectations!

Written by Dan Prud'homme

Category: Agents' Blog

An Investment in Happiness

Published on 15 March 2012

I have had several clients in the past couple of years that have come to our wonderful island to look for property and for a great place to retire and start making memories. Many of these clients, two or more years ago, would say to me that they thought prices would drop a little more and that maybe they should wait to buy their dream home, as there might be better INVESTMENTS. I thought about this recently when some clients, who had been looking for a while, mentioned that there might be better investments for their money. However, they decided to make an offer on a home. As negotiations got closer and closer and tension was high they decided to make the ultimate investment- the investment that could pay the highest dividends for them.

You see, prior to all of this, they had faced some pretty scary health issues and were very fortunate that they'd made good investments over the years and were able to pay all the medical bills without too much financial strain. It was then that they realized that - yes - their wise investment had paid off but now they were at a point in life where they needed a much greater return. They invested in their happiness. That is right, they invested in what they had dreamed about for years. They invested in all the late night conversations they had about coming to Hilton Head and all of the memories they were going to make with their family. They realized they were not going to let a few dollars here or there stop them from achieving such a great return. They were no longer going to wait until that "perfect time."

They wanted to start making those memories and enjoying the fruits of their labor. So often we go through life knowing the COST of everything and the VALUE of nothing. They recognized that they should have done this a long time ago and that the cost relative to the VALUE turned out to be very minimal. I guess we can all learn from this. Life is short . Do something to invest in YOUR happiness!!

Let me know your thoughts or share your own story with me.

Jeff

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 843-422-5933.

Written by Gerry Prud'homme

Category: Agents' Blog