“The blue-chip market consists of a handful of spots where prices have stabilized and could soon rebound as sales pick up. Some, such as Hilton Head, have benefitted from tough restrictions on building, which kept inventories manageable during the bust. Prices there have risen by 4% during the past year.”

Buyers can now pick up a deep water homesite with a dock (and/or a dock permit) at huge reductions from market peaks for anywhere from $275,000 to north of $1M between Beaufort, Bluffton, and Hilton Head.

While the market is showing positive signs of momentum there are a few communities in particular that are really heating up.

While there are certainly macroeconomic forces at play, it’s is undeniable that all real estate is local; and in certain segments of our home market we can clearly identify the bottom in our rear view mirror.

A unique opportunity became available yesterday in one of Oldfield’s riverfront cottages. Not only is it’s riverfront location spectacular and rare on its own terms… but the cottage is one of only 3 riverfront cottages in all of Oldfield. With respect to real estate, this is nearly the definition of scarcity.

Today’s picks for some of the best values in the Lowcountry: deep water homesite in Beaufort, a 5,000 sq ft home in Berkeley Hall, a Palmetto Bluff foreclosure, and a Spanish Wells deep water home reduced from $7.9M to $3.9M.

Price trends in real estate are largely a reflection of supply and demand dynamics at work. As a result, you CAN predict the future of values in a given community.

While value and price are inextricably related, anticipation of long term upside requires an analysis that digs far deeper than just price.

Home sales fell behind last year’s pace across much of South Carolina in July, but the Hilton Head Island and Beaufort areas bucked the trend. The two local markets were among only three in the state where more homes sold in July than during the same month a year ago, according to the latest figures from the S.C. Realtors association. The other was the southern Midlands area.