Real Estate Blog for the Golden Isles of GA including St. Simons Island, Jekyll Island, Sea Island, and Brunswick, GA.

• Jul. 24, 2008 - The Credit Score Mystery

Certainly a credit score is becoming increasingly more important today with credit availability tightening. Credit information doesn’t seem to be an “exact” science and depends a lot on who pulls it up, i.e., (auto dealer, bank, credit card company, etc.) But basically a score of at least 720 is needed to get a viable interest rate for a home mortgage in today’s market.

Many people are under the mistaken impression that credit scores are largely tied to your income, but that isn’t accurate. Your credit score is a number assigned to how well you have repaid your debts to indicate your creditworthiness for new debt. Certainly we need to take care with credit cards and not max out credit limits, but interestingly enough an individual with no credit cards is rated as a higher risk than someone who has a history of managing their credit cards responsibly. Your credit score can definitely be increased given some time and making your payments on time, every time. Your diligent handling of your current debts will pay off with better rates on future debts.

You can easily obtain a credit report from https://www.annualcreditreport.com and also go to http://www.myfico.com to read more information about your credit score and for tips and other resources available. I would encourage you to be apprised of where you stand and keep a watchful eye on the credit information others may have their eyes on when you apply for credit.

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• Jul. 10, 2008 - Jekyll Island's 2008 Beach Music Festival Coming Up!

I would be remiss if I didn’t make mention of this annual event coming up August 15-16^th. For 25 years running, beach music fans have flocked to enjoy great music and camaraderie on Jekyll Island in Southeast GA. A long running headliner is the group known as The Swingin’ Medallions which have been belting out beach music favorites like “A Double Shot of My Baby’s Love” for decades. Friday’s activities kick off with a Golf Tournament and then on Saturday afternoon the tradition of a FREE concert on the beach with live music performances, delicious food from various venders and probably quite a bit of liquid refreshments!

If you love beach music and shag dancing, plan on a visit to the Golden Isles. If you would care to purchase tickets for evening concerts or register for the Golf Tournament, you can go to the Jekyll Island website below:

www.jekyllisland.com/beachmusicfestival

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• Jul. 3, 2008 - Fear can Truly Paralyze Agents and their Clients

I attended a Local Brokers Council Meeting several days ago and came away from that gathering in a sober mindset. In our State of Georgia which has 159 counties, only ONE county is not considered a declining market by the Georgia Association of Appraisers! A local broker of one of the largest real estate companies in our area shared that they had four transactions fall through just recently by the appraisals coming in too low to make the contract work. We also have other challenges to address such as:

Higher credit scores needed to obtain a loan

Anxiety of Sellers facing stiff competition with the plethora of inventory and not enough equity to sell at a profit

Cautious Buyers who are hoping that prices will continue to be reduced and inundated with the number of homes on the market that meet their search criteria

The frequent media coverage painting a picture of recession, gloom and doom

Rampant foreclosures

All that said, my personal preference has always been working with buyers and now is such a fantastic time for individuals or investors to benefit from today’s prices. We as REALTORS® must break out of our own paralysis and keep advertising, promoting and selling OURSELVES and our SERVICE. We cannot allow anxiety to get in the way of staying in the game and always striving for new and creative ways to be successful.

If there ever was a time in the last couple of decades to separate the “MEN from the BOYS” so to speak, I would say this may very well be it! The old saying “When times are tough, the tough get going” may be trite but definitely appropriate.

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• Jun. 24, 2008 - Calling All Fishermen!

If salt water fishing is your thing, allow me to introduce you to St. Simons Island, GA. Whether you want to charter a boat, crab, fish from a pier or bridge, or just explore our vast estuary system-the Golden Isles is just the ticket.

Right off the Torras Causeway coming on to St. Simons Island, you will find the Golden Isles Marina which is a full service facility offering dry dock storage or wet slips, marine supplies, gas and oil, laundry facilities and plenty of dock space for transient traffic. Service to the local airport in Brunswick and courtesy cars are available for overnight guests. Local businesses are located there to aid you in exploring the wonderful fishing and tour opportunities our area has to offer. The marina is adjacent to the Inter Coastal Waterway, making it a perfect location for all boaters.

Adjacent to the Marina is a condo complex called Riverwatch where I have a gorgeous unit listed for sale. This unit even comes with 2 Schwinn scooters, so if you arrive by boat, you don't need to keep a car here! Your scooters will be available to take you where you need to go, and at 117 mpg, you can go quite a ways!

I have included below a link to view this phenomenal unit that boasts a separate lock-out unit for additional rental flexibility and potential. Come visit our delightful locale and try it on for size. You just may want to purchase your own Island retreat.

Click Riverwatch Condo to see this great property.

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• Jun. 20, 2008 - Many Thanks for your Comments and Interest in Jekyll Island

My post of 6/18/08 received numerous comments that I would like to respond to and follow up on:

As you so rightly pointed out, I should have included both urls. As I stated in my initial post, personally, I think Jekyll Island is overdue for a face lift. I was initially opposed to the Linger Longer Development until I attended a presentation and saw the plans. I must admit, I was impressed by their commitment to the environment. All parking lots, sidewalks, etc. will be made of porous materials to allow for natural drainage. That was just one thing that sold me.

Last spring, I attended a conference at Lake Oconnee. During the evenings, I drove around the area and marveled in how beautifully it was being developed. I remember thinking that it was too bad that St. Simons had undergone such an onslaught of unplanned and unregulated development as opposed to this beautiful area that retained so much of its natural beauty. Then I found out that the developer of Reynolds Plantation was Linger Longer. If you haven't gone to that area, I encourage you to check it out.

The reality is that if we don't do something, Jekyll Island will be beyond repair. I am not in 100% agreement with this proposal (I'm very much opposed to the construction of time shares on Jekyll Island). But over all, I personally think that Linger Longer has put together a solid plan for the island as can be seen at www.RediscoverJekyll.com. I have no problem with opposing viewpoints as can be seen at www.SaveJekyllIsland.org. Discussion is good; it is important for the public to be aware and involved.

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