• If you are going to live in the home full time, then you may have to go about insuring it against the usual factors like theft, damage and destruction caused by the elements of nature, and of course, accidental destruction because of human negligence or carelessness.
  
  
  
• Homes near the coast may be more prone to damage and destruction because of hurricanes or tsunamis (if you live in an area that is prone to huge waves or earthquakes), so ensure that your policy takes care of all these details as well.
  
  
  
• Ensure that your policy is detailed and includes every kind of damage possible. To give you an example, someone I know took out a policy insuring their home against damage from a storm. Unfortunately, the insurance company refused to pay up because even though there was a storm, the damage was caused by rising flood water. So be very specific in order to avoid both having to pay for insurance and not being able to make use of it. Be as conscientious about insuring your home as you are about your own health when buying a health insurance policy.
  
  
  
• If your home on the coast is more like vacation property that you visit once in a while, your homeowners policy may need more coverage to safeguard your home from theft and vandalism as well as the usual perils. An unguarded, empty home is a haven for miscreants who are looking for easy money. Some insurance companies insist on insuring your primary home as well if you want to buy a policy for your seasonal or vacation home, so discuss this with your agent before you sign up.
  
  

Speak to a reliable insurance agent and know all your options before you decide on a policy. Our Myrtle Beach Allstate agent, Scott Todd is one of the best. Visit his website at http://www.carolinapolicies.com/ and take advantage of his "Ask an Insurance Expert" service. You can find the answer to many of your questions about South Carolina Homeowners Insurance, HO6 insurance, or Renters Insurance in SC.

Our thanks to Elizabeth for her great article!

What bothered me was that I had an older car. I was driving a Chevy Cavalier at the time...probably the most innocuous car that exists. It was worth about $6000. I kept collision on it. But instead of going down on the premium each year, it seemed to increase.

In approximately 2005, I started checking other companies. Geico was even higher! State Farm was the worst. I checked several independents, and then one day I called Allstate and spoke to Scott. THEY CUT MY PREMIUM IN HALF! I kid you not. Allstate was able to take me on as a brand new customer at one-half the premium of being with Nationwide for twenty-plus years with a spotless driving record. Needless to say, I switched. Some 4 years later, I'm driving a Ford Thunderbird and still very pleased with my car insurance premiums.

If you have a perfect driving record, you can get North and South Carolina auto insurance at a SUBSTANTIAL SAVINGS with Allstate. I did it. I know it first hand.

Recently I inquired about HO6 or H06 condo insurance with Allstate. I was able to get $26,000 in contents insurance for $170 a year. Again, that is about half what a normal HO6 policy costs. $10,000 is only $117 a year! But there is a trick to this.



Allstate is very choosy about insuring condos and homes on the coast. In fact, they stopped writing it after Katrina and several other hurricanes wiped out so many homes. They are once again writing condo insurance, BUT ONLY IF YOU ALREADY HAVE YOUR CAR OR OTHER INSURANCE WITH ALLSTATE.

If you are a new customer inquiring about HO6 or rental insurance, you will be quoted a price from another independent agency that Allstate agents carry. There is only one other company that Allstate allows them to use. The policy is higher than almost any other company - around $500 minimum. However, it does include wind and hail insurance, which a regular contents policy does not include.

Starting this year, if your condo or home is outside the federal wind/hail limits (west of the Intracoastal Waterway) then you have to spend another minimum of $250-300 to be covered for hurricanes and storms that include wind. Basically this non-Allstate policy is about $100 higher than Allstate's policy when you figure this in. If you don't understand this, you may just write the quote off as being too high. Instead, consider moving your other insurance to Allstate!

That is the point to all of this. Allstate gives you a multi-policy discount. By having your car, homeowner or condo insurances with them, they discount even more off the premiums. Plus if you have your North Carolina or South Carolina car insurance with Allstate, then you can get a super cheap policy for your home or condo...and get wind and hail coverage separately. They already charge about one-half the premium of other auto insurance companies. Are you ready to save money on your insurance?

I believe in Allstate so much that I convinced Scott to let me handle his website. I'm learning more as I go along. But this is just simple math. If you want the cheapest South Carolina car insurance, visit www.carolinapolicies.com and get a quote.

You'll be in good hands...:-)

Condolux of North Myrtle Beach is having one of the best years in a long time with golf packages and vacation rentals up around 10% from last year.  I've spoken with Martin Brown several times a month since the beginning of January, and he's been happy with business since the last part of December.  I'm at a loss to understand why the newspapers are still full of doom and gloom about our tourism industry.

At any rate, here's our latest press release about Myrtle Beach Golf, and some new pictures to go with it.  Myrtle Beach real estate sales are also REALLY doing well now, and at least in our little corner of the world, things are looking up.  Spring and sun and warm weather are on the way, too, so Myrtle Beach is coming back to the paradise we all enjoy so much!

It's just been announced that Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, is donating some of his marvelous profits from the world famous search engine to create a new study on Parkinson's Disease.

Sergey's wife, Ann Wojcicki, (the news media reported the name as Ann Wojcocki) co-owns a company for genome study called 23andMe. Her company, Sergey, the Michael J. Fox Foundation, and the Parkinson's Institute of California will fund a DNA type test for Parkinson's sufferers to mail in. Referred to as a "spit kit", the genetic test usually costs around $400. Sergey will pay the difference and offer it to the members of these charities for $25, in hopes that more information can be used with the internet to speed up the treatment or cure for the disease.

This is one more reason that I have to love Google and the two boys who created it. My mother suffered from the disease and finally died from it after about 15 years. It is a horrible, crippling, and humiliating way to end your life...in some ways worse than Alzheimers. The medication taken for Parkinson's causes schizophrenic symptoms eventually, and creates a phenomenon called the on-off syndrome, in which you are either wired and jerking from the medication being so high, or frozen like stone as it has worn off. Tolerance to the medication "Sinemet" builds up until the dosage is too high for the body to handle. The worst part is that for most of the years the patient is fully aware of everything, yet cannot control his body - or even his senses - as hallucinations, uncontrollable movements, and freezing come and go.

The book taught ME a few things, and I thought I was pretty savvy about real estate now.

With as few words as possible to explain things, and an adorable comic to illustrate and occasionally poke fun at the system, this book is a must-read for a first time home buyer, and would be a very good checklist reminder for the average person who may not understand the pitfalls of making a home purchase the lazy way.

Randel's website tells about the book, and explains it further like this:

The Skinny On™ The Housing Crisis takes the reader through Billy and Beth’s experiences dealing with real estate agents, house inspectors, appraisers, mortgage brokers, lenders and attorneys. Each of these encounters is a lesson for any person considering the purchase or sale of a home, investing in real estate or, just taking out a mortgage. After Billy and Beth close on their home, The Skinny On™ The Housing Crisis follows the story of their mortgage from lender to investment bank to investor in Europe. We learn how mortgage sales and securitizations became a trillion dollar
business, disconnecting the American borrower from the lender and de-humanizing the process.

The Skinny On™ The Housing Crisis can be purchased on his website, or through Amazon.com for $12.95 for a paperback or $9.95 for an E-Book. If you are the parents of a young couple just starting out, this would be a wonderful gift to give. But everyone will learn something from it, and I don't think you'll be disappointed.

************

If you want to learn more about Myrtle Beach real estate, visit any of our websites listed on the right!

Richard Brooks - Myrtle Beach Real Estate Agent with Condolux
I have lived in the North Myrtle Beach area off and on for over thirty years. Each time I have moved away, it hasn’t taken long to realize that North Myrtle Beach is my home and I come running back. I love the weather here! It never gets too cold for too long and the Spring/Summer/Fall season brings us warm days, cool nights and tons of activity.

From golfing, swimming, boating, to beaching, there is something for every taste! The choices here are limitless. You can have a great meal at Joe’s Bar & Grill dining on the freshest seafood while you watch the raccoon walk overlooking the majestic White Swash. Or you can watch the gentle surf with a cold beer at Molly Darcy’s on their oceanfront deck. Living here is “being Southern at its best”…so come on down, run barefoot on the sand, and fix yourself a glass of sweet iced tea. It’s time to relax…

Mit Tressler - Works at Home for a Travel Agency

I love the winters in Myrtle Beach. One of my favorite things to do is take my dog for a walk on the beach and have a cup of coffee. It gets cold here, but if you layer a bit, it's just perfect. The beach is almost deserted and I like listening to ocean. When I get home, I always feel relaxed and like I had a good workout from walking in the sand.

Right now, I would love to have a 2nd floor condo in Market Common. Having everything within walking distance would suit me to a T, and the park across the street is amazing. I love the boardwalk in Virginia Beach. Myrtle Beach is planning
one, but it doesn't look like it will cater to people on bikes and inline skates. A boardwalk should promote all types of healthy lifestyles. I recommend Myrtle Beach to people all the time. I wish my entire family would move here.

Scott Todd - Todd Insurance Agency (Allstate)
Except for college, I have lived in the Myrtle Beach area my entire life. Over the years, I have had the opportunity to travel to almost every state and several foreign countries. I've been able to enjoy many beaches from the west coast of California and white sands of Maui to the rocky shores of Ireland and beautiful coast of Portugal.

Honestly, I have yet to find a more beautiful stretch of beach than right here in Myrtle Beach, SC. When you think of it, Myrtle Beach has a lot to
offer. It is big enough to have many of the conveniences of a much larger city but small enough to have a "hometown feel". I also find it really nice to live in an area that is still actually growing and moving forward. I wouldn't live anywhere else.

Jeremy Lenkowski - Myrtle Beach Web Designer- Web Hosting Provider
Myrtle Beach is a beautiful place. Millions of people visit here yearly. Thousands decide to stay. I am a transplant from New Jersey, right across the river from Philadelphia. I am in the IT field, and never had any issues landing a high paying position. I figured, like so many others, that I could move here, land a decent paying position, and enjoy the beach and temperate climate. It was in 2001 I decided to finally move here. I was fortunate; my sister had transplanted here with a local 3 years before, and allowed me to stay with them until I found a job.

Myrtle Beach and the surrounding areas are vacation destinations. As a result, most of the businesses operating in this area are geared toward the tourism / service industry. Much to my dismay, there is winter here. When I moved here in January, it wasn't what I expected. Myrtle Beach shut down! Anyone who has lived in a resort town can tell you, the winters are long. After the vacationers leave, and before the snowbirds arrive, there is a three to four month period where time slows down, and a transformation takes place. Myrtle Beach belongs to the locals again.

The number of people who actually reside here year round is relatively small. Some grew up here, and some like me are transplants. Like any small town, most of us know each other, or at least know of one another. If we don't directly, a call to a friend can fill in any information you need. After living here for two years, performing odd jobs, etc, in 2003 I received a call from a large local company offering me a position. A position I never applied for, and not listed in any paper. They had heard of me, and based on a recommendation offered me the position on my reputation alone. Finally, this was my breakthrough.

Five years later and I am still here. I decided to start providing small business websites in Myrtle Beach, and hosting for them at a great rate. I have many clients whom have been with me for years and others who hear about me by word of mouth. I don't advertise here; treating people right and providing an honest service is advertising enough.

In short, Myrtle Beach is a beautiful place. The people are great. There are lots of opportunities here, even now. My advice to anyone looking to move here: Treat people right, it will come back to you!

For myself, I love being able to go to the grocery store or a restauarant at midnight. I love having live theatre, gambling boats, cruises, the beach, and other entertainment you could only find in a big city, WITHOUT that big city. I could never be happy living in Atlanta or even Charlotte. I hate snow and ice, so further north is not an option. You can live well in Myrtle Beach on an average salary, too, unlike Florida and other areas. I found my niche with the web industry in Myrtle Beach real estate and Myrtle Beach vacation rentals. I moved here nearly 20 years ago, and have loved every minute of it. I often stop and reflect on just how lucky I really am to live in paradise!

I don't see many people leave once they've come here. One of my friends is a 60-something year old lady from New Jersey whose husband died several years ago. She left her kids and grandkids up there and moved down here all by herself. Her family didn't want her to do it, but she wanted to spend her remaining years in the place she loved best. And so she bought a condo, which she couldn't have done in New Jersey on her modest income. She lives where I do in Little River, for the most part safely and in a crime-free neighborhood... close to the beach and in the middle of everything. You couldn't pay her to move back. Myrtle Beach may not be for everyone, but there aren't many who would not be happy in our beautiful town!

See the Home Buyers Top 10 Trends

1. Don't start with a higher price. Negotiating back and forth over price does not work in this market. Mr. Remley advises that you should price your home towards the lower end of the comparable homes for sale in the neighborhood. Real estate agents that may show your home will pay the most attention to a new listing. Once the home has been listed for a while, you miss this initial attention, and they probably will not even bother to show an overpriced house at all. He also advises you to recheck comparable asking prices every several weeks if the house does not sell. If you do have to lower the price, make it a LARGE reduction so that it will attract notice and even be a "best buy" in the category. **Note: Do not even THINK about what homes in the neighborhood sold for a year or so back. The market was entirely different and prices were also. If your home is listed and isn't being shown, the problem is more than likely the price.



2. Repair and fix up the home before you offer it for sale. In this market, fixer-uppers are most often ignored. Do all important repairs before listing.



3. Beautify your home's face. Remley advises to spend the money for landscaping, flowers, exterior repainting, outdoor lighting, the sidewalk, and even new doorknobs. Buying a home is an emotional purchase, and these small things will make a buyer "fall in love".



4. Refresh the inside, and especially when it comes to any odors. New paint, carpet, tiles, or hardwood floors can help, but if a smoker or pet owner lived there, it may be necessary to hire a "building restoration company" to do whatever it takes to remove all the smells that linger behind.



5. Think of any special amenities that your home can boast, and include it in the MLS listing, SPELLED OUT. Remley suggests rather than saying "inground pool" your agent should write it up as "inground pool with waterfall and hot tub".




6. Offer incentives to buyers. There are many home sales made by "bribing" the buyers with cash, cars, tv's or a plethora of other offers. Of the most effective, Remley says that helping with closing costs, or paying to buy down the interest rate (purchasing points with the mortgage) work the best. Be sure these are listed on the MLS as well as any advertising that you do for the potential sale. *In florida, helping with home or condo insurance would be a good incentive!



7. Offer incentives to brokers and sales agents. Mention the bonus in the MLS listing (not the original commissions) and be sure to disclose it on the sales contract. A lender could possibly claim fraud in the sales price if anything is hidden in cash negotiations.



8. Don't play the negotiation game this time. If the buyer offers a reasonable price, consider accepting it without making a counter-offer. Better to take an offer you can live with then to take a chance of the buyer making an offer elsewhere. If you are getting lots of offers, this may not be in issue, but losing a sale over a few thousand dollars is not worth the chance.

These tips are particularly important with resort areas like Florida, and real estate in Myrtle Beach SC. Areas such as Greenville SC real estate markets, and small town areas like real estate in Flower Mound Texas may not have the glut of foreclosure homes that trendier areas suffer from. All oceanfront property will benefit from attention to the tips that Remley suggested, and if you are trying to sell this type of real estate, his book could prove invaluable.

In 1972, the innocent part of the Age of Aquarius was fading. The sweet bubble-gum music of the early Beatles and the Monkees had changed into hard, drug-promoting, disillusioned songs like "Taxi" and "A Horse With No Name". The Beatles had broken up, Nixon was elected as President, the war in Vietnam was still raging, and it seemed like half the young people were either dead, bombed out their minds, or disgusted with everything society had to offer.

I was only 16 years old, but I considered myself an adult and a "hippie". I revelled in the same anger that the older kids who had been so affected by the war were feeling. I never fit in with the popular group - the cheerleaders, athletes and rich kids that seemed to be immune to the world outside of Ragsdale High School and the society that we hippies loved to hate.

The "Socs" actually produced at least one progidy - Pat McCrory. Anyone remember the movie called The Outsiders and Ponyboy? Even in the south, much of that movie was truly the way it was in those days! Anyway, the present Mayor of Charlotte, NC and soon to be Governor of North Carolina (bless his heart) was one of the untarnished ones. Pat and a few of his friends were squeaky clean, unfailingly sweet and optimistic, and went through their high school years seemingly oblivious to the drugs, protest marching, and anarchy that the Woodstock generation was going through.

Anyway, a huge influence in my life entered the scene that year. Mrs. Maggie Mileski, teacher of English, Grammar, and Literature. She was about 5 ft tall, had a bit of an accent, brooked no nonsense, but had a sparkle in her eyes and loved her chosen profession. She may have even loved those rebellious teenagers that sulked into her class with huge bell-bottoms, fringed vests, bells tinkling, and often glazed-over eyes. She didn't seem to distinguish between the rich ones with the Izod labels and the misfits, either. She was determined we were going to learn how to spell and write, and she was going to teach us.

And I think I can honestly say that even the worst kids that came through her class did learn. I would bet that any kid who spent a year or so with Mrs. Mileski has better English skills to this day than half the population.

I was good at all things language anyway. My mother did huge crossword puzzles everyday for fun, and my father was a math whiz. Unfortunately I inherited NONE of his skills, but I did get hers. So having the best English teacher in the US was exciting and inspiring for me. She was as tough as nails and even the meanest overgrown young hulks came to respect her very quickly. She was also extremely smart, and you knew it and felt it. And her non-discriminating interest in her students presented us with an adult authority figure that we couldn't complain about or dislike!

An entire generation of kids that attended Ragsdale High School in Jamestown, North Carolina learned how to spell, how to speak less like a typical southerner, how to diagram sentences, and how to write better during the years that this tiny little ball of fire taught English in high school. I give her credit for most of the skills that gave me a better life, and calmed my rebellious spirit with self-respect and a sense of accomplishment.

I recently had an email correspondence with a rather famous lady.
Jane Straus is the "Miss Manners" of grammar and punctuation in America. A life coach as well as an English teacher, Jane wrote the "Blue Book of Grammar", one of the best reference books a writer can have. She's been interviewed on many television shows and also puts out a great free newsletter with tips and rules about punctuation, word usage, and common spelling errors. I would recommend anyone who blogs or works with a professional website to sign up for that newsletter. In several back and forth emails with Jane, I mentioned Mrs. Mileski. This prompted me to Google her and perhaps find a way to show her this article I am now writing.

Much to my sorrow and disappointment, the first thing I found was her Eulogy, written by a Catholic Priest that was also one of her students in the 80's, and came to love her as I did. His tribute to Maggie Mileski made me cry, but also made me see how truly fortunate I was to have been one of the privileged ones who knew this amazing lady.

There's no telling how many lives she touched, and she may well have been part of the reason that Pat McCrory found his success in politics. I wouldn't be surprised to find him running for President one day, while Mrs. Mileski looks down on him with those sparkling brown eyes in pride for having done her job well and making a difference in so many lives.

By Michael Perl, from the Bottom Line Newsletter
Equity Res-Q

Rising interest rates and the proliferation of high-risk variable-rate mortgages have pushed foreclosures to record levels.

Opportunity: Agile investors can buy foreclosed homes for as little as 80% or even 70% of fair market value (the price the home might normally sell for) from home owners seeking to avoid a public auction... from lenders wanting to get foreclosed properties off their books fast... or at a public auction.

A careful study of the foreclosure process can lead to great bargains, whether you are seeking a home to live in... to rent out... or to sell quickly for a profit.

Danger: Foreclosed homes are not always a good deal. A buyer who moves too fast can end up with a money pit.

Among the questions to consider...

*How much will it cost to fix up and maintain the home, including insurance and taxes?
*How long will it take to find a new buyer if you view the home as a short-term investment?

If you still want to buy a foreclosure property once you have considered the challenges, here's how to get the best deal...

UNDERSTAND THE FORECLOSURE PROCESS
It is important to know the steps leading to foreclosure...
The home owner “defaults” on mortgage payments, typically after falling 90 days behind.
The lender serves the home owner with a summons, and the property enters “preforeclosure.” Attorneys for the lender detail the debt owed in court.
A “final judgment” hearing is held, and an auction date is set.

The owner can sell the property at any point before it is sold at auction. Or the lender could take ownership, either through an agreement with the owner during preforeclosure or by winning the auction. The property is then known as an REO property (real estate owned by the lender).

GETTING STARTED
Consult with your bank or a mortgage broker to determine how much of a loan you could comfortably handle, and look for properties in that price range. If the home is an investment that you intend to sell, the most profitable neighborhoods often are up-and-coming areas, where about 80% of residents are renters.

Check foreclosure filings. Ask for the most recent foreclosure filings at the county courthouse. In many counties, there will be dozens or even hundreds of listings every week or two. You also could use a foreclosure tracking service, such as First American CoreLogic (800-345-7334. Typical cost: $100 to $150 per month per county.

After spotting a potential bargain, check recent sale prices of homes in the same neighborhood, making sure that the houses are comparable based on such factors as size and condition. The free Website is a useful resource.

Contact us for Myrtle Beach Foreclosures.

BEST TIME IS BEFORE AUCTION
Some of the best foreclosure bargains are found before the auction removes the sales decision from the home owner. Contact home owners of prospective properties as soon as a notice of foreclosure appears. You might send a letter to introduce yourself and express interest, but don't expect the average home owner in foreclosure to respond to your letter until about a month before a public auction would take place. By then, the owner may welcome an offer to buy the property quickly for a price that allows him/her to pay off the mortgage and perhaps end up with a little extra cash. That might mean 75% of the property’s fair market value.

If the home owner doesn't agree to sell until less than a month remains before the auction, you might not have time to arrange a mortgage. In that case, both you and the home owner should file a motion with the court for an emergency hearing (possible court fee: about $50) and a delay of the auction so you can secure financing.

Even if you can't work out a deal with the home owner, approaching him prior to the auction might give you an opportunity to inspect the house -- which may no longer be possible once a lender takes possession.

If you decide to take this route...
Be ultrasensitive to the home owner's situation. Don’t use the word “foreclosure.” Say you're interested in buying if the owner “decides” to sell.

Ask if the owner has looked into “forbearance” from the mortgage lender. Home owners sometimes can bring their loans up-to-date by making a relatively small forbearance payment to the lender. You will lose out on the house if the home owner does get forbearance, but your helpful suggestion should build some goodwill and raise your chances of a purchase if forbearance is not granted, as is usually the case.

Many home owners in foreclosure these days owe lenders more money on properties than the properties would be worth if sold. To get a great deal, you could arrange something called a “short sale” -- the bank agrees to take less for the property than is owed. In the current real estate market, banks often are willing to accept as little as 60% to 75% of the amount owed, particularly in states such as Florida, where home values have fallen substantially.

AUCTIONS ARE TRICKY
It is not easy for a buyer to get a great deal at a foreclosure auction. There are experienced real estate investors at most auctions, ready to snap up any bargains. At most auctions, the lender will bid the amount owed on the property to keep the sale price from going too low. If no one bids more, the lender -- which does not yet own the property -- will end up buying it at auction.

Auction winners generally must pay with cash or by certified check before the close of the business day -- leaving no time to arrange financing. There may not be much time before an auction to research the title and arrange a professional inspection, and auctioned homes are sold “as is,” so once you buy the property, you get it in whatever condition it is in. It's a good idea to attend a few auctions, just as an observer. I would not recommend auction bidding for the novice foreclosure buyer.

BUYING FROM THE BANK
If the bank ends up owning the home, it will try to sell it as quickly as possible, especially in today's depressed real estate market. A bank won’t give you a great deal, but it might give you a very good deal, perhaps as little as 80% to 85% of fair market value. The bank typically will make sure the title is clear of liens (which use the property as collateral) and other barriers to transfer and do some basic repairs to make the property more appealing to prospective buyers.

To find REO properties in your area, call real estate agencies and ask if any of their agents specialize in REO homes. The bank will pay the agent's commission if you eventually buy a property through him. Or call area banks and say you're interested in seeing their lists of foreclosed properties.

GREATEST DANGERS

Liens. The buyer of a foreclosed home may not know that it carries one or more liens. Some liens, such as those filed by tradespeople, are wiped away by the foreclosure process, but when it's a government agency, such as the IRS, or a home owner’s association that is owed money, the debt typically passes to the new owner. A title search performed after the foreclosure or an attorney with experience in this field can tell you what liens remain.

Cost: A title company might charge $100 to $150 to search a title for liens... a real estate attorney costs a bit more.

Condition. The property you buy might be in worse shape than you realized. Example: The previous occupants trashed the inside of the home to get back at the bank for the eviction. Try to inspect before you buy.
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Bottom Line/Personal interviewed Michael Perl, owner of Equity Res-Q, West Palm Beach, Florida. The company has bought and sold more than 400 foreclosures and preforeclosures over a six-year period.