By: Barbara Chartier, Century21 Coastal Lifestyles
Cell: 843-902-0204; Email: barbara.chartier@century21.com

“Sellers need to get realistic in pricing, and buyers have to realize they can’t wait forever for good deals. There are definitely good deals out there.” Tom Maeser, president of the Fortune Academy of Real Estate.

INVESTORS MAKE THEIR MONEY WHEN THEY BUY: they do their research… recognize value when they see it… have their financing lined up… and make offers.

Here are seven great buying opportunities at Myrtlewood Golf… all with recent price cuts and motivated sellers.

• Six are in Magnolia Pointe: all new, unfurnished, never lived in or rented, being offered at, or below, owner’s purchase price.

• One is a fixer upper at Magnolia North: golf course view, 1st floor end unit plus private garage… but it needs work.

REMEMBER: If you’re not making offers, you’re not making money. Check out the MLS links below and call me at 843-902-0204. Buy them right, now… and they’ll pay off later, when the market turns around.

Magnolia Pointe: All New, Unfurnished, with Recent Price Cuts and Motivated Sellers

1 – MLS # 631480 – 2 Br / 2 Ba, 4th fl, lake view – asking $184,900… $2K under owner’s purchase price. Make an offer.

2 – MLS # 716900 – 3 Br / 2 Ba, 3rd fl unit, lake view – asking $197,244… $10.6K under owner’s purchase price. Make an offer.

3 – MLS # 701067 – 3 Br / 2 Ba, 2nd fl end unit, lake view, close to pool - asking $199,900… $19K under owner’s purchase price. Make an offer.

4 – MLS # 716697 – 3 Br / 2 Ba, 1st fl end unit, lake view – asking 199,900… $10K under owner’s purchase price. Make an offer.

5 – MLS # 631488 – 3 Br / 2 Ba, 4th fl end unit, lake view – asking $199,900… $6K under owner’s purchase price. Make an offer.

6 – MLS # 716696 – 3 Br / 2 Ba, 1st fl end unit, lake view – asking $199,900… at owner’s purchase price. Make an offer.

Magnolia North: Fixer with Recent Price Cut and Motivated Seller.

7 – MLS # 702784 – 3 Br / 2 Ba, 1st fl end unit, golf course view, plus private garage – asking $229,000. Rental unit needs work – paint, re-carpeting, some re-furnishing / re-decorating. Calculate your fix-up costs and make an offer.

CALL ME at 843-902-0204 for more information and / or to make offers. I’ll look out for you.

BARBARA CHARTIER, Century21 Coastal Lifestyles
Cell: 843-902-0204; Email: barbara.chartier@century21.com

Three courses managed by the Legends Group will be reopening in the next few weeks following renovations that include the installation of new grasses on all greens.

• The Legends Resort Heathland Course is the first to reopen today, and now has Champions ultra-dwarf Bermudagrass greens.

• Heritage Club will reopen Thursday with Champions as well, and the TPC of Myrtle Beach will reopen either later this month or in early September with Mini-Verde ultra-dwarf Bermuda, which is new to the area.

Heathland closed on June 25, and in addition to the green renovations, the tee boxes on the par-3 third and eighth holes were rebuilt to add more teeing ground, work on bunkers included replacing or adding sand and drainage, and drainage work was completed in front of greens.

Beautification work included the trimming and cleaning of underbrush from wax myrtle trees, adding ornamental plants, pinestraw and mulch, and plugging native grasses into bunker faces to create more of a Scottish links look on the Tom Doak design.

Heritage Club closed on June 18 and will reopen with more length and four sets of tees rather than three.

The clubhouse was power washed and received new bathrooms and carpet, and the outdoor bathrooms were renovated.

Ornamental plant beds were added, bulkheads bordering water hazards fronting greens on the par-3 13th and 18th holes were replaced, and the severe greens on holes 4, 6 and 13 had their undulations lessened. “They mellowed those greens out a little bit because going to Champions, you’ll be able to get them faster once they mature and that will make them more playable,” said Heritage superintendent Hans Sapochak.

Source: Alan Blondin, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, SC

Developers have submitted plans to redevelop the entire 18 holes of Crown Park Golf Club in Longs with single-family and multifamily homes.

If the rezoning to a planned development district is approved, the golf course would become the 18th since January 2005 to be closed for development or proposed redevelopment on the Grand Strand. It would be the newest to close, having opened in 2001.

The proposed plan calls for 414 single-family homes and 244 multifamily homes on the 191 acres, said Lou Conklin, land planner with Castles Engineering, who’s working for the developer, Lexon Homes.

The entire 18 holes will eventually go away under the plan.

Lexon Homes is already developing a separate nine holes of the property with 200 single-family homes called Calabay at Crown Park.

Source: Jenny Burns - The Sun News

A ruling by a bankruptcy court judge has stopped a developer from turning at least part of a North Myrtle Beach golf course into condominiums.

Eastport Golf Club homeowners have been fighting the redevelopment for close to two years. Their lawyer said the ruling sets a precedent along the Grand Strand and should be a lesson to homeowners to check covenants and restrictions when faced with possible redevelopment.

“It’s an important decision as far as I’m concerned. The only other community that attempted to stop (redevelopment of a golf course) is Deertrack. All other golf courses have just closed in our area,” attorney Patrick O’Dea said.

Judge John E. Waites said residential redevelopment is not allowed by the homeowners’ deed restrictions, which say the property is for “golf course use only.”

The golf course is owned by Eastport Golf Club, Inc., which is owned by Charlotte, N.C., businessman Mel Graham. He is disappointed with the ruling.

Now that he can’t redevelop, Graham said he will attempt to sell the course. “Unfortunately, we do not know of any potential buyers at this time,” he said.

An oversupply of golf courses has contributed to the closing of 16 other Strand courses for planned redevelopment since January 2005. Three courses at Bay Tree Plantation have closed within a few miles of Eastport, and at least two others intend to close nearby.

Source: Associated Press, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, SC

Barefoot Resort & Golf in North Myrtle Beach, S.C., has added a golf school and a yacht club with a marina and dockside restaurant to its array of amenities. Centex Homes Myrtle Beach Division is the primary developer of the 2,300-acre resort and residential community.

Barefoot Resort property owners can purchase memberships in the new Barefoot Resort Yacht Club, which opened earlier this year.

• The facility, located on the eastern side of Barefoot Resort along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, has 142 slips as well as 1,000 feet of transient dockage.

• The club features concrete floating docks, Ship’s Store, private showers, laundry facilities, DockSider’s Grille, gas and diesel fuel service, two pump-out locations, a swimming pool with spa, and short- and long-term slip leasing to the general public.

The Nick Bradley Golf School, which also opened this year, is located near the marina.

• Bradley, a former member of the European PGA Tour, offers individualized instruction.

• The $1.2 million complex includes a wood-fired pizza sports bar and grill, and a 30-acre practice facility.

• The school offers a Nike Pro Shop and a Henry Griffitts custom club-fitting center.

Other facilities for residents include an eight-acre residents’ club with a swimming pool, fitness center, and tennis facilities. Centex Homes also offers its property owners exclusive use of a beach cabana overlooking the Atlantic oceanfront.

Barefoot Resort features four golf courses designed by Greg Norman, Pete Dye, Davis Love III and Tom Fazio. Golf Digest’s list of “America’s Greatest Public Courses” ranks the Love Course at No. 38 and the Fazio Course at No. 81.

The Barefoot Resort & Golf is accessible via a swing bridge that leads residents and guests across the Intracoastal Waterway.

• The resort is located near shopping, dining, and entertainment venues just across the bridge at Barefoot Landing.

• There, the House of Blues and Alabama Theatre host some of the biggest names in music. Greg Norman’s Australian Grille is one of the restaurants, and boutique shops and factory outlets line Barefoot Landing’s lakes and the Intracoastal Waterway.

Contact Barbara Chartier (843-902-0204) to register with Centex Homes at Barefoot Resort to receive new pricing and “Best Buy” information.

Total Rounds Down

The number of golf rounds played on the Grand Strand fell 3.1 percent in 2006 compared to 2005, leaving the Strand shy for the second straight year of the 4 million milestone that has been the area’s benchmark.

• Rounds played totaled 3.86 million and fell more than 3 percent for the second consecutive year. More than 4 millions rounds were played on the Strand every year from 1997 through 2004, according to figures compiled monthly for marketing cooperative Myrtle Beach Golf Holiday.

• Total paid rounds - consisting of walk-on, package, member and replay rounds - also fell more than 3 percent for the second straight year to 3.72 million rounds.

Average Rounds Up

Because of the closing of 11 courses since November 2005, the average rounds per golf course increased 6.5 percent in 2006 for an eight-year high of 41,664 rounds per layout. That number is up 10.6 percent from 2004 totals.

• Average paid rounds increased 6.5 percent to 40,267 per course.

Golf Holiday president Mickey McCamish said the rounds were hurt by the loss of 105,109 airline seats on incoming commercial flights to Myrtle Beach - mostly attributed to the elimination of Hooters Air. Two new airlines are expected to add seats this year.

Source: Alan Blondin, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, SC

Southern Skyways is coming to Myrtle Beach. Formed in 2004, with the intent of offering flights to and from Gulf Coast cities, Hurricane Katrina came along and the plan never got off the ground.

So now, the airline is coming to the Grand Strand instead, offering $99 flights on Boeing 737’s from Myrtle Beach to Charleston, West Virginia, Cincinnati, Ohio, and Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Southern Skyways picked up one of the most successful Hooters Air routes and hopes to “pick up where they left off.”

Southern Skyways chose Myrtle Beach, because it’s a leisure market that’s under served by other carriers. The new airline will offer flights two days a week, starting next spring, though the airline may add flights on more days if the demand is there.

All Southern Skyways flights will be non-stop, a big deal for golfers who like to head straight from the airport to the golf course.

For now, Southern Skyways will only fly from March through August, though they might add months next fall if they do well. The airline chose 737’s over smaller regional jets, because the bigger planes can haul more people, and even better, more golf clubs.

Source: WPDE News

Myrtle Beach Direct Air and Tours is finalizing plans to open direct routes to Pittsburgh; Newark, N.J.; and Niagara Falls, N.Y., starting March 7 and running until Nov. 1.

The new Myrtle Beach company plans to offer direct flights to the three Northeastern cities, as well as golf, hotel and entertainment packages, starting this spring.

The company will offer a range of products, from tee times and flights to complete hotel and travel packages with golf course owners and operators such as the Legends Group and Myrtle Beach National.

Source: Grant Jackson, thestate.com

Carolina Forest is the newest battleground in the countywide struggle with golf course redevelopments.

• The plan to redevelop the entire Wizard golf course would create 651 new homes and condos and thousands of daily vehicle trips in an already fast-growing area that’s struggling with traffic congestion.

• Homeowners, especially in neighboring Windsor Green, say redevelopment would not only intensify traffic snarls, but it would also take away the golf course that enticed many to buy their homes.

• The Wizard is one of seven golf courses that have redevelopment plans filed with the county.

The once-booming Grand Strand golf industry caused a glut of courses and as profits flounder, owners are turning to more lucrative businesses, mainly housing construction.

• That hasn’t been much consolation to many golf course neighbors, who say they will lose property value and quality of life if their backyard fairways are replaced by condos or single-family homes.

• Residents in Spring Lake and Waterford Plantation have similar concerns over their property and traffic.

Source: Travis Tritten, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, SC

No matter what happens regarding rezoning and litigation with the two golf courses at Deer Track Golf Resort, it’s highly unlikely either course will ever reopen.

McCray Smith, a principal in the company that owns the North Course, has a more than 400-unit development planned and said Thursday he is not interested in operating it as a course. Though he eventually would like to own and operate a course on the Grand Strand.

Jeff Farrell, Myrtle Beach Division President of Bill Clark Homes, said in September his company has a contract to buy the South Course from the Schaad family of Tennessee and intends to build as soon as possible. Ferrell said the contract is pending the outcome of a lawsuit.

Residents on both courses have sued course owners attempting to halt redevelopment. But even if they were to win one or both suits, someone would have to operate and manage the courses.

While the courses are still in relatively good shape considering they’ve been closed for nearly two months, that’s not likely to be the case for long and it would take an initial investment to make them playable.

Gary Schaal, an owner of the Leading Edge Golf company that had operated both courses before they closed within a week of each other, said it’s doubtful his company would operate the courses again.

Source: Alan Blondin, The Sun News, Myrtle beach, SC

Property owners of the Beachwood and Azalea Sands golf courses have made additional changes to a project they hope to bring to North Myrtle Beach, including reducing the number of units, lowering building heights, and reserving space for future development.

Beachwood Golf Corporation, Azalea Sands Golf Corporation and The Hartford Group LLC are proposing that the city annex and zone, as a planned unit development, about 313 acres of the Beachwood and Azalea Sands golf courses to redevelop the land.

Plans call for residential units, a mixed-use town center, featuring a regional shopping center, a resort hotel, office space, and marina and resort amenities on the site between U.S. 17 and the Grand Strand Regional Airport.

The owners reduced the number of units and reconsidered their design of the traffic patterns in the area at the council’s request.

Source: Janelle Frost, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach

Less than a week after the sudden closure of the Toski Links North Course at Deer Track Golf Resort, the remaining 18 holes on the property have also been shut down.

The 25-year-old South Course closed abruptly Monday afternoon and there was no play on the layout Tuesday.

Deer Track has more than 400 homes and many course members who are now displaced in the midst of paid memberships. Island Green Golf Club and Indigo Creek Golf Club have agreed to offer Deer Track members special rates through September.

A lawsuit was filed Friday by two Deerfield Plantation homeowners in an attempt to keep the North Course from being redeveloped, according to Deerfield Plantation Property Owners Association president Gary Loftus.

The lawsuit could potentially become a class action suit representing all property owners in the DPPOA.

Source: Alan Blondin, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, SC

Bay Tree Golf Plantation’s three golf courses will soon become a neighborhood village as Centex Homes released its plans to build 900 homes including a town center, six-acre park and outdoor ampitheater.

The Grand Strand’s largest builder will break ground in January on the development, now called RiverGrand.

The 529-acre property will be redeveloped in the architecture of the College of Charleston and include a retirement center and shopping center, developers said at a press conference annoucing its plans.

Small retail like specialty shops and eateries will line the first floor of the town center at RiverGrand. Condos will line the top floors, with 500 multi-family units surrounding the center and 900 single family homes.

“We are going to build something that is totally new for the Little River area,” said Ken Balogh, Myrtle Beach division president for Centex Homes. “In fact, there is nothing else like it in this part of Horry County.”

Source: Jenny Burns, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, SC

For more information on RiverGrand, contact Barbara Chartier at 843-902-0204.

A Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association outing today will be the last tournament held at the Toski Links North Course at Deer Track Golf Resort. The course will become the 14th Grand Strand course in the past 21 months to close for apparent redevelopment into a housing community.

North Carolina businessman and developer McCray Smith and a partner purchased Toski Links under the company Deer Track Investors, LLC. Smith had no comment Tuesday night regarding his plans for the course, which is zoned R-7 and General Residential. But his company Web site has previously included information on a planned development.

Leading Edge will continue to operate the South Course at the 36-hole Deer Track facility. Bill Clark Homes has been attempting to buy the South Course for redevelopment, but negotiations have stalled.

Source: Alan Blondin, The Sun News, Myrtle Beach, SC

The Grand Strand has added a third course this year - Barefoot Resort, Love Course - to the Golf Magazine rankings of “Top 100 You Can Play” public courses in the United States.

• Caledonia Golf & Fish Club – No. 25
• The Dunes Golf and Beach Club – No. 46
• The Love Course at Barefoot Resort – No. 95

Beware of the Bears!

The Department of Natural Resources has set two bear traps in the residential area of Barefoot Landing… in response to encounters with bears last week that indicate the animals may be getting more aggressive toward residents.