A full Carolina moon lit up the sky over Hilton Head Island going into November. It bathed haunted hayrides, painted pumpkins and fuzzy, white-blooming swamp myrtle in a soft glow.
Island living is never better than in early fall when red pyracantha berries decorate the landscape and white camellia petals litter still-green lawns.
This is the beginning of the holiday season, opened in early November by the highly regarded Hilton Head Island Motoring Festival and Concours d’Elegance held at beautiful Honey Horn Plantation. The honorary chairman, Bob Lutz, former vice-chairman of General Motors as well as former executive vice-president of sales for BMW, head of Chrysler’s global production development and a member of the board of directors at Ford Motor Company, added to the excitement.
Driving his 1971 Monteverdi, a car made in Switzerland with an Italian body and American mechanicals , he joined thousands who came to the event from 47 states and 10 countries. Commenting on the antique cars he said, “It’s basically, to me, an historical preservation event for one of the most important artifacts of any society. . .a manifestation of folk art, of the period in question and its reflection of the economy of the time and the psychology of the time.” He likened cars to rolling sculptures that are artifacts from history.
Concours Judge John Carlson said, “Hilton Head has become one of the truly unique Concours in the U.S.A.; in my view it has become a benchmark for other Concours throughout North America.” It was recently named to the Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 events list.
Another signature event is the annual Hilton Head Heroes gala, held this year at the elegant TidePoiinte retirement and assisted living community on the island. The date is November 9th from 6 p.m.-9 p.m. with an exquisite array of fine food prepared by Chef Stephens Steward. Wine tasting and a silent auction will highlight the evening.
The organization was formed by popular singer Gregg Russell and his wife Lindy Ellison Russell in 1998. The mission is to bring children between the ages of four and eighteen suffering from life-threatening illnesses to Hilton Head for a resort vacation.
To that end a home in Sea Pines was purchased in March of 2005 where families can stay. Hilton Head Heroes is in the business of helping children gracefully become angels, while unselfish acts of love and kindness help everyday people become heroes. The organization was honored by the Chamber of Commerce as the Organization of the Year in 2009. Over the years Hilton Head Heroes has had hundreds of families as guests. (www.HHHeroes.com).
Long known for his concerts under the Liberty Oak in Harbour Town, Gregg arrived in Sea Pines from Disney World in 1976. Gregg Russell has traveled around the globe for the past 35 years, entertaining. He has experienced over 1,000 cruises and has been asked such questions as “What time is the midnight buffet?” and “What do they do with the ice carvings after they melt?” He and Lindy are caring, contributing members of our unique island community.
The fall season on-island revved up not only with a wide variety of festivals, the Concours d’Elegance, and the 31st season of the 2012-2013 Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra’s opening performance on November 12th at 8 p.m. featuring three masterworks of Bach’s orchestral oeuvre led at the harpsichord by one of North America’s foremost specialist in Baroque music (www.hhso.org), The South Carolina Repertory Company offered a production of “RED.”
When the play went from London’s West End to Broadway it won six Tony Awards, including Best Play and Best Direction. In this group’s intimate theatre on Beach City Road, it gives unusual insight into the abstract-expressionist artist Mark Rothko and his color-field work.
2013 is looking very positive for housing and overall economic growth, which should lead to rising home prices and possibly rising mortgage lending rates. On the island NFL star Chris Canty’s new 13,000 square foot waterfront home is still getting a lot of attention. There is another waterfront lot available for sale nearby with 183-feet of water frontage as well as an expansive dock with a covered pier. From this site it is an easy walk to the club, tennis, golf and pool.
Agents are talking about an unusually good buy on Twin Pines Court in Sea Pines. The house has over 4,000 heated square feet with 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 2 half-baths, a spacious living room with double-sided fireplace, and lofted ceiling. The eat-in-kitchen is open to a large great room. The rear deck is huge and has a heated swimming pool. There is a sizeable 5th bedroom or office over the 2-car garage. Rental income this year has been around $46,000. It is priced at $849,000 F.
On Sandhill Crane there is an oceanfront home for sale for only $3,745,000 UF. This home has 5 bedrooms, 5 full bathrooms and 1 half-bath. It has over 5,000 square feet, a private, heated oceanfront pool, hardwood flooring and a dramatic wrought iron staircase in the foyer. In the front courtyard there is a grapefruit tree, laden with golden fruit. Nearby are blue plumbago and miniature rose bushes where yellow butterflies flutter. It is an idyllic setting.
Financial guru Warren Buffet is the most bullish indicator for U.S. housing. He is buying up real-estate brokerages around the country, betting on a housing turnaround. He has partnered with Brookfield Asset Management, a Canadian real-estate investor, which more than doubles the size of his brokerage business.
Berkshire’s Home Services of America, Inc. unit will be the majority owner of the venture. It will manage a U.S. residential real-estate affiliate network. A press release said the brokerages that will make up the new company did a combined $72 billion in sales in 2011. That is more than twice the $32 billion in sales that Berkshire did in 2011 without the new brokerages.
