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With increasing threats from heavy rains and winds from hurricanes, one of my subscribers suggested these helpful links. I felt they were worthy of sharing - I hope you agree.

Click Here For Helpful Links

The decorating begins at Brookgreen Gardens in Pawleys Island in preparation for the Holidays. A beautiful and special place.

When I woke up this morning around 7 am, the sky was pink, as if the sun was trying to come out. As of this post, the rain has stopped and the radar shows the storm moving east to west, south of Pawleys Island, Murrells Inlet - coming on shore directly over Charleston.

Weather Update: It's been raining non stop for over 12 hours. The storm drains cannot handle the amount of rain and run off from a small lake nearby. Yesterday, my neighbor and I cleared debris from the drains so the streets could clear. Hoping the rain subsides soon.

The Real Estate Market in Pawleys Island and Murrells Inlet show strong performance as inventory levels decline and demand shows a slight increase. Most of the Realtors I speak with daily agree the market continues to show signs of improvement as is evidenced by new residential and commercial development.

Take a look at a quick one page synopsis of the Pawleys Island, Murrells Inlet Real Estate Market Performance comparing August 2014 to August 2015 and Year To Date Comparisons 2014 vs. 2015. This information is provided by SiteTech and the Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors.

Pawleys Island/Litchfield

Murrells Inelt/Garden City

The Colony is a new low to medium density single family planned development located just south of Pawleys Plantation and north of Prince George Ocean on the east side of Highway 17. Infrastructure is underway and although it's not certain, it is believed that the builder is Lennar. Pricing was not available at the time of this post.

For serious, ready, willing and able home buyers looking in the Pawleys Island, Murrells Inlet area - get a jump on the rest of the buyers by checking regularly under the "search" tab at the top navigation bar on the home page. Select the first category "new listings coming soon."

Another frequently asked question is "what direction does the house, lot face?" The answer is right on my iPhone. We sometimes forget about the handy tools that are available and the compass is one of those tools.

It's a good thing to know which way a house faces because sometimes the position of the home is a must have.

A high percentage of Buyers looking to purchase property here at the coast live out of the area. I have found that "live tours" utilizing the FaceTime technology in my iPhone has proven to be extremely helpful.

This gives the Buyer a better idea of the overall space as opposed to a still photograph or a virtual tour. The FaceTime tour is live and more personalized because the consumer can ask questions with immediate responses and the broker can zoom in and show close ups of mechanical systems like HVAC, water heaters, etc., colors and more.

I receive many calls daily about properties that consumers see on my site. Some of the customers believe that I, Steve Gruenwald, am the Listing Agent for every property on my site - when in reality, I am not the Listing Agent for all properties.

I provide current market data, at a cost, as a courtesy to consumers. This market data is updated several times daily and is tied directly to the local Multiple Listing System of Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors. The information you receive is the most detailed, current and accurate information available in reference to our local real estate market area.

In order to display this information, I am required to show which brokerage fir...

Some big changes in mortgage lending will be implemented on October 3, 2015. TILA-RESPA Integrated Disclosure (TRID). Click the link below to find out more.

http://www.consumerfinance.gov/regulatory-implementation/tila-respa/

Thanks to the hard work of many media and web experts, my new site launched today 9/21/15. It's basically the same great website as before but with, for lack of a better term, it's gotten a fresh paint job.

All of the powerful property search features still function as always. Some of the links moved to the Search and Resources tabs located in the top navigation of the home page.

I consider websites as works in progress - daily tweaks, content and navigation improvements continue. Helpful links and forms related to home buying are available as well.

Whether you've reached out to me or engaged the services of other brokers, thanks to all who have visited, registered and found useful inf...

The Bridges at Litchfield has been announced as a new single family home development in Pawleys Island South Carolina. The property is on the south side of HealthPoint and was originally called Summergate, but that developer was not able to continue after the infrasturcture was complete.
Sales and Marketing for Bridges at Litchfield is D.R. Horton.

Click here for map and more information

Since November of 2011, I have seen an improvement in the real estate market in the Grand Strand. I believe, 2012 is our breakout year with home sales improving further.

After about 2 years, Consalvi's announced that they will close their business this Wednesday, November 30, 2011. It is sad to see these nice people close and to lose another small business in this world of big box franchises. There is some hope that they may reopen in the future in a new location. Best wishes, Lisa and Gary. You're the best!

Nosh, formerly Pawleys Island Inn, Tyler's Cove, Louis's at Pawleys and the Fish Camp Bar, High Hammock The Maverick, is now open and I hear good things about their food. The former owner/chef of the Community House in Pawleys Island, David Bardari, recently opened Nosh. The Community House was a locals favorite for many years before closing around 2004.

I have not yet dined at Nosh.

Click Here for More Information About Nosh

This Mortgage Market Press Release was received on April 27, 2011 from First Home Mortgage, compliments of Kathy Barnes and Ryan Heinemann:

"The Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) concluded their two day meeting today. In a statement released just after the meeting, the Fed pledged to maintain the status quo of exceptionally low interest rates and follow through on their treasury purchase program which will end in June. Chairman Bernanke also spoke after the meeting in a press conference and answered questions. Bernanke said the Fed is committed to keeping monetary policy accommodative until job growth accelerates and the economic recovery is strong enough to withstand tighter credi...

A few years ago, we stayed in a Bed and Breakfast in Jacksonville, Florida where one of their breakfast choices was granola. It is by far, the best I've ever had. The B&B owner was kind enough to share the recipe. It's loaded with flavor, fiber and goes with milk or yogurt. Give it a try, I am sure you'll enjoy it.

Homemade Granola

Pawleys Island's most popular golf courses, True Blue and Caledonia announce their spring golf, travel specials.

True Blue and Caledonia Golf Specials

Have you ever wondered what the home of the future might look like? Most may think that future homes will have solar energy as an energy conservation feature. That may be true, but take a look at what might be considered the next generation of high tech homes. This video is made possible by Corning. Amazing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cf7IL_eZ38

There's a buzz in the Pawleys Island community about Sanford's Smokehouse, which recently opened at 251 Willbrook Blvd., in Mingo. The owners have done some market research and discovered that what is not needed is more of the same in Pawleys Island. Sanford's specialty is gourmet, smoked meat...a first for this area.

Since I come from the BBQ Capitol, Memphis, Tennessee, I've been looking for a place nearby that reminds me of Tennessee Q.

Although I have not tried Sanford's, based on what I am hearing, Chef Rob Doerr has got it goin on! Yep, they are smoking beef brisket, salmon, prime rib over real hickory.

Check back in a few days, cause I'm headin to Sanford's for a little taste. I'll le...