39 Roads

Recent travels took me to the coastal Carolina areas around Myrtle Beach and Wilmington. 

The first stop was Myrtle Beach, land of outlet malls and golf courses and, of course, the beaches of the Grand Strand.  There’s much to do for the 14 million visitors who come to the area each year, from the Myrtle Beach Pelicans minor league baseball games to the shopping and entertainment of Broadway on the Beach to the many restaurants.  While current housing prices in the region are reasonable, the Myrtle Beach area continues to grow in size and popularity.  The world’s first Hard Rock Park is slated to open there in the spring of 2008 and will create approximately 3,000 jobs.  The almost $400 million 140-acre theme park will feature 40 attractions and is projected to host more 30,000 guests each day during the peak season.  The endeavor is being hailed as “the largest single investment in tourism infrastructure” in the history of South Carolina.  Needless to say, this will have a dramatic effect on the region in many ways.

Harmony Township, located in Georgetown, S.C., is conveniently situated halfway between Myrtle Beach and Charleston.  Georgetown has been named among Newsweek Showcase’s “Ten Small Towns that Make Great Places to Retire” and CNN Money’s “Best Places to Live Along the Coast”; the town is also currently being featured in a Nikon television ad.  With its riverfront, lake, marsh, and Town Center homesites and approach to neo-urbanism, one can enjoy a South Carolina Lowcountry lifestyle to the fullest in Harmony Township.  Within easy walking distance of the homes is Harmony’s deep-water marina on the Sampit River; from there one can access Georgetown, the Intracoastal Waterway, and the Atlantic Ocean.  In recreating the feel of a small Southern town, the community also will offer a swimming pool, tennis and basketball courts, fitness center, and community center for events of all types.  When completed, the Town Center will feature shops, businesses, and restaurants where the owners may live just above their establishments.  If you’re planning to visit Harmony Township, you’ll want to ask for Missy Toemmes for thorough insight and guidance on what the community has to offer those looking for property in the area.

Coming along Highway 17 into North Carolina’s Brunswick County, it’s remarkable how many communities in a variety of price ranges there are to choose from in this relatively small geographic area.  Again, golf seems to be a major draw, but beach clubs are popular as well.  The area markets itself based on easy access to the activities of Myrtle Beach and the resources of Wilmington.  Towns like Calabash, proclaimed to be the seafood capital of the world, Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, and Southport have much to offer, and some of the amenity communities provide enough seclusion to escape from even the activity of the smaller towns.  What seems to really be fueling what is now one of the fastest growing counties in the country is what is happening in northern Brunswick County.  Leland, just west of the Cape Fear River and downtown Wilmington, is booming.  Again, there are a number of unique housing possibilities in the area, and shopping and dining options are sprouting up to support the new residents flocking to these communities.  While I’m sure that many jobs are still linked to Wilmington, the area is coming into its own both economically and with its own identity.  Some of the neighborhoods will essentially become their own towns and are projected to be developed over the next twenty years.

Clearly, this entire coastal region is experiencing pronounced changes which will greatly alter the literal and proverbial landscape of this area.  I believe the extent and speed of these changes is as dramatic as you will find anywhere in the country.  I for one look forward to seeing how this stretch of the Mid-Atlantic develops over the next five to ten years.     

Upcoming events which you may find to be of interest include the following:

April 27-29-  St. James Plantation, Southport, N.C., is releasing new homesites for its newest neighborhood, Woodlands Park.  For $199 a couple will receive two nights accomodations, a tour of the community, and participation in other scheduled events.  St. James will also be featuring purchase incentives of up to $35,000 which will be available only during that weekend.  

May 4-6-  Grey Rock will host its Spring Event and is offering complimentary accommodations at The Crown Plaza with a reception dinner party at The Biltmore Estate.  Weekend entertainment will include music by country music star John Anderson, helicopter tours, and 2006 HGTV Dream Home Tours.

May 5-  Ocean Isle Palms in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. will be featuring its “island inspired living” as they celebrate their opening of Grace Bay at Savannah la Mar.  This one day sales event will offer purchasers two years of no payments, no property taxes, and no association dues.

May 25-27-  The Settings of Lake Rhodhiss, located near Hickory, N.C., will host its Grand Opening weekend when it will unveil its community on the shores of Lake Rhodhiss.  Lake Rhodhiss is known for its excellent fishing and for clear waters.  Due to the natural topography of the area, The Settings offers most of its homesites with views of the water.  The Settings of Lake Rhodhiss is conveniently situated approximately an hour’s drive from Asheville, Boone, and Charlotte.

May 31-June 2-  Wild Wing Plantation, Myrtle Beach, S.C., will be holding a Grand Opening for its Phase 2.  The weekend will offer tours of this lakefront golf community and a sales incentive of $5,000 off the price of any homesite for this weekend only.  The community features 180 acres of lakes and a 27-hole championship golf course.

June 1-3-  Roaring River, Fayetteville, WV, is hosting a Grand Opening of their newest neighborhood overlooking the New River Gorge.  The complimentary weekend will include two nights lodging and dinner with entertainment by Joe Diffie.  Activities will include helicopter tours and horseback riding.  Additionally, the first 50 reservation holders will also be treated to a whitewater rafting excursion on Sunday.

June 2-  The Coves of Smith Mountain Lake in Southern Virginia will offer a Community Discovery Event which they are billing as “a unique opportunity for families to get an enjoyable glimpse of mountain lake living”.

During the spring Harmony Township in Georgetown, South Carolina will be having a cookout at its marina every other Saturday afternoon.  They are making a arrangements for stays in their cottages.  Harmony Township is also offering private boat tours from Friendfield Marina to Winyah Bay.  Georgetown has been named among Newsweek Showcase’s “Ten Small Towns that Make Great Places to Retire” and CNN Money’s “Best Places to Live Along the Coast”.

If you are interested in getting more information on these communities or registering for one of the events this spring, please contact the Retirement Relocation office at 703-430-6411 or 877-55-RETIRE (877-557-3847) or by e-mail at info@RetireRelocateRelax.com.

Well, readers, recent travels took me to Southern Virginia and into West Virginia, with the first stop being Homestead Preserve in Hot Springs, Va.  There’s much to speak to with how special this place is and will become.  First it has a close relationship with the Homestead resort which traces its history to 1766.  This grand hotel not only serves as the “clubhouse” for the Homestead Preserve but was the original owner of the nearly 12,000 acres purchased for the development of this community.  The developers are tremendous stewards of this beautiful land and immediately sold 9,250 acres to The Nature Conservancy and placed another 935 acres into a conservation easement with the Virginia Outdoors Foundation.  They have created only 450 home sites on 3% of the original property which even then could have supported over 2,700 homes according to existing county zoning regulations.  Homestead Preserve offers home sites with views of mountains and beautiful meadows.  Touring the tranquil property called to mind what life must have been like in a simpler time.  Homestead Preserve taps into the rich history of the area and wants it to be a community where families gather for generations to come.  Lastly, in 2006 the Homestead Preserve was selected as the site for the 2007 Southern Accents Showhouse, and the 7,000 square foot Virginia Highlands Classical style home will be featured in the November/December 2007 issue of the magazine.

Lewisburg, West Virginia, about an hour’s drive southwest of Hot Springs, is the next destination on our tour.  Lewisburg is known for its Civil War history and antique shops and has a thriving downtown area.  In addition to its quaint shops and restaurants the town features live theatre and also has one of four Carnegie Halls still in use.  An article in a June 2006 edition of The New York Times highlighted the town as a vacation haven and referred to Lewisburg as “a country town with a cosmopolitan edge” and said that “it’s a place where you can start the day kayaking down the Greenbrier River and end it listening to a jazz concert.”  National Geographic called it one of its “Best Small Town Escapes” and Lewisburg has also received distinction as “One of the 100 Best Small Art Towns in America”.  An easy ten minute drive from downtown is The Retreat on White Rock Mountain, a gated community on 900 acres.  One is immediately greeted by a waterfall and trout pond at the entrance.  The Retreat has spectacular long range views of peaks and ridgelines, and most home sites are on the edge of the forest.  The Lodge which will soon be completed will have a steam room, sauna, and spa.  This gathering place for the community also will feature a heated infinity-edge pool where the water seems to go right into the mountains.  The grotto-style Jacuzzi also provides the same breath-taking views of the Allegheny Mountains.

I also visited the Four Seasons Charlottesville which is an active adult community from K. Hovnanian.  Located in Ruckersville, about 15 miles north of the city, Four Seasons Charlottesville launched in 2006 and currently has a number of model homes up for touring.  The community will have a 21,000 square foot clubhouse that will have a full-time lifestyle director and both indoor and outdoor pools and lighted tennis courts; it is slated to be completed in December 2007.  This gated, resort-style community features homes with base prices in the $300,000s and will have approximately 540 homesites.  As you know, this area is one of my favorites with the history, culture, and entertainment of Charlottesville, the University of Virginia and Monticello nearby.  Four Seasons Charlottesville will be having a Grand Opening on April 21st and 22nd.  All model homes will be open, and food will be catered.  They will also be having drawings for giveaways.

If you are interested in getting more information on these communities or registering for the Grand Opening of Four Seasons Charlottesville, please contact the Retirement Relocation office at 703-430-6411 or 877-55-RETIRE (877-557-3847) or by e-mail at info@RetireRelocateRelax.com.

Recently, Retirement Relocation hosted events in Northern Virginia with developers from North and South Carolina.  We secured special offers for our clients and friends who were in attendance.  We also have a limited number of these offers from the developers to extend to those who could not be at the receptions or who live outside the immediate area.  The first is from Grand Harbor and its six communities on Lake Greenwood in South Carolina.  They are offering a complimentary two night “Stay and Play” Package, including a round of golf for two people for those who visit before May 31, 2007. 

Vista also gave a presentation on two of its communities in the North Carolina mountains.  On its Bill’s Mountain properties, Vista will give purchasers 15% cash back at closing (this would cover approximately 18-24 months of payments) or 15% off the purchase price.  They are also offering $1500 travel reimbursement at closing.  For its Blacksmith Run properties, they have the same travel expenditures reimbursement at closing and are giving $10,000 off the purchase price and $10,000 toward upgrades.  They also have attractive leaseback options on two of their model homes.  Vista’s offers are good until April 30, 2007.

I’ve also gotten a number of attractive offers in the mail recently to go look at properties.  One came from Alabama Shoreline for their Goose Pond Island properties near Huntsville, Alabama.  They are hosting Discovery Weekends in March where for $99 two people receive round-trip airfare, ground transportation, two nights lodging, meals, and either golf, fishing, or boating.  Their promotional materials boast amenities including a spacious clubhouse, 84-slip covered marina, community dock, and gated entrance.  Alabama Shoreline is offering lake access lots from $59,900, lake view homesites from $124,900, and dockable waterfront from $199,900.  I have requested more information on this community and other developments from Alabama Shoreline.

I also received a mailer with a similar promotion from Florida Waterway Sales for their Water Ridge location which touts “Lakefront Luxury near a Thriving City”.  The community, positioning itself as a “short drive” from Orlando, is planning amenities to include a spa and fitness center, swimming pools, tennis courts, and walking trails and features three freshwater lakes.  They are having a preview event March 9th-11th where you would get round-trip airfare and two nights hotel accommodations for $99 per couple.  This Grand Opening Weekend will also have boat and helicopter tours, meals, entertainment and an offer on developer owned homesites of no payments for 12 months with 90% financing.  Homesites start around $150,000.

If you’re interested in any of these offers, please call Retirement Relocation at 703-430-6411 or 877-55-RETIRE (877-557-3847) or via e-mail at info@RetireRelocateRelax.com.  Also, if you know of similar offers that you think our readers and clients would be interested in, please let us know.

I attended the Live South Real Estate Show in Reston, Virginia in September. I had some very interesting and informative conversations with representatives from the 50 or so communities who participated during the three day event. Here are some of my notes:

The Settings of Black Mountain is promoting its “convenient seclusion”, just a mile and a half from the town of Black Mountain and 15 minutes from Asheville, N.C.
An “urban resort” can be found just across the river from Savannah, Georgia at The Reserve at Savannah Harbor.

Berkshire Forest, located in Myrtle Beach, offers a beach club, golf membership, and easy access to the attractions of this beach town. They also have a three day, two night discovery package to visit the area for $99.

Ocean Isle Palms has positioned itself as a Caribbean beach community in Ocean Isle Beach, N.C. They are conducting a property release October 6-8.
Platinum Properties establishes “Southern boutique” communities of 10-50 home sites in Southeastern North Carolina.

A “rural but upscale” development can be found in Hot Springs, VA at Homestead Preserve which boasts The Homestead and its 240-year history as its club. They take pride in the preservation of the land and have 11,500 acres, of which only 3% is being used for 450 home sites, park areas, and other aspects of development.

Oakhurst in Lewisburg, West Virginia has America’s oldest golf course in Oakhurst Links. The course is played with the period equipment from 1884.
Harmony Township in Georgetown, SC ” will become a southern coastal town where small businesses, shops, and family homes co-exist in a tranquil neighborhood.” The Town Center will be within walking distance of homes while both Charleston and Myrtle Beach are about an hour away.

At the Rarity Communities reception on Sunday afternoon, Fred McArthur, Executive Vice President, asked the gathering, “How many of you have dreamed your whole lives of living in East Tennessee?” Three hands went up. Fred went on to say that after asking that question in Boston, Connecticut, California, and other places that was the first time he had any hands raised. I should note that one of the hands that shot up is a woman named Dixie, a Reston resident, who is from East Tennessee. I’m not sure her response really counts, but, nonetheless, I thought it was interesting.