Waterfront Property Help Spur Master Planned

Kiawah Island, SC: Waterfront homes pace recovery.

Recent traffic trends on the GolfCourseHome Network show that golf communities that also offer waterfront homes, waterfront property and waterfront real estate are enjoying a resurgence in sales.

The 2012 surge in waterfront sales has been heralded by the rise in searches on Google for ‘waterfront homes’ and ‘waterfront property,’ according to Google Insights. No doubt this rising tide of interest has lifted water-oriented communities and their sales teams to new levels of hope for a real estate recovery.

Communities in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia, especially, have been active in celebrating their 2012 activity which has shown a healthy rebound in general along with excellent sales numbers versus 2011. See below for sales activity trends and reports based on information supplied by the communities and their agents.

> Kiawah Island, SC Kiawah Island Real Estate (KIRE) reports that that the company has closed on more than $50 million in sales in 2012—a 52% increase over 2011. More than 50 buyers took part.

In addition, 14 of 21 single-family homes that closed during this time period closed for $1 million or more. Increased sales means fewer homes for sale and as a result, interest in homesites has risen with 14 homesite sales in 2012–a 75 percent jump from the same time last year.

> St. James Plantation, Southport NC has recorded 50 closings on homes and lots in 2012 for a total property value of $8,328,504. The sales represent a 92 percent increase in real estate sales versus the first quarter of 2011. All sales activity was independently verified through the MORE Report, a market analysis firm.

> Daniel Island, Charleston, SC April was a busy month at Daniel Island Real Estate between the Family Circle Cup, great weather and eager buyers. Sales activity was strong with 13 single-family homes going under contract during the month. Since the beginning of the year, Daniel Island Real Estate participated in either the listing or the selling side on all seven sales on the island that were above $1 million.

The active 2012 follows an improving 2011 in which sales were up 20 percent over the previous year. Inventory of available properties also returned to healthy levels. Condominium sales were up 30 percent in 2011 with 26 new units sold.

> Hampton Lake, Bluffton SC registered a strong 2011 in the face of the sluggish economy with 123 transactions overall, including 43 new housing starts. Thirty homes are currently under construction, creating a pent-up demand for newly developed homesites.

In response the community “is releasing 19 estate-sized homesites, plus 36 ideally-located 80’ homesites,” says Pratt Reed, Hampton Lake’s sales manager.

The half-acre estate-sized lots are mostly lakeside with excellent water views and are the largest homesites ever offered
at the community,” says Reed. They are priced from $159,000 and up depending on specific location and views.

The new 80’ homesites start at $66,000 and will be adjacent to the community’s Lakeside Amenity Village. Pratt noted that neither group of homesites will have a time requirement of when a buyer must build.

> The Landings on Skidaway Island, GA, which is marking its 40th anniversary this year, has a lot to celebrate. The Georgia waterfront community’s closed-real-estate transactions for the first four months of 2012 jumped 60 percent in dollar volume over the same period last year. According to Savannah Board of Realtors data, the community closed 67 home transactions between Jan. 1 and April 30.

“The half-acre, estate-sized lots are mostly lakeside with excellent water views and are the largest homesites ever offered in our community.” They are being priced from $159,000 and up depending on specific location and views. The 80-foot homesites, start at $66,000 will be adjacent to the community’s Lakeside Amenity Village.