Early Vision of Sea Pines

Sea Pines Company in 1967 hired Callister and Payne Architects and Land Planners from Tiburn California to come up with a number of home designs that would make nice cottages on the ocean or along the tidal creeks of Hilton Head . Featured here are a couple of the designs that came from their firm in 1967. Although I am not positive but I don’t believe any of these designs were actually built by Sea Pines Home Builders.

I am sure that these designs did influence some of our earlier architects like Pete McGinty, Doug Corkern, and Jackie Lee.

My uncle Charles was trying to find that unique style for the island, and he was a ferious researcher into new and innovative ideas.

Charles Warren Callister was a leading architect in the Bay area in the 40’s through the 60’s and his vision of designing a home to the property, and not designing a home and then clearing the property. This was the core to Charles Fraser’s vision of instilling Land Covenants and strict
Architectural guidelines for any home that was to be built in Sea Pines. That is why a tree survey needed to be done, and a stake out of how the home would sit on the lot, and what colors the exterior were going to be. It all had to do with blending into the natural setting surrounding the home. It’s not a coincidence that Charles hired Mr. Callister. They were both searching for the same harmony. Charles Fraser was searching for a community to have the harmony and Mr. Callister was doing it on an individual basis. Mr. Callister is 84 today and is still designing.

I can see my uncle sitting in his living room in his 1st home in Sea Pines on Green Heron. He
loved to have late meetings at his home to discuss matters about what he was planning and
to get feedback from those who were with him. I can see him spending time with Mr. Callister
discussing their perspective visions of land planning and architecture.

These were the meetings and the research that went into developing Sea Pines and the many communities that Sea Pines Company was involved in and the employees who went on to work for others or start their own development companies.

As Bluffton and the Town of Hilton Head search for their vision of what their perspective communities style is, it is always good to look back and think from which it came. Hilton Head Island has matured over fifty years into a community. Their were a lot of people who helped shape the way the island is today.

It is a style that we have come to call the “Island Lifestyle” !!

Property of Charlie B Fraser 2008

Click on Drawings to see a larger image

Architectural Drawings Copyright Callister and Payne 1967

Hilton Head Island Real Estate For Sale

This is a great “BRAND NEW” home located centrally on the island. A spectacular home with over 9000 square feet of decks, garages and heated space. Easy access to the beach and all the amenities the island and Lowcountry have to offer. The home has six bedrooms and six & half bathrooms. The main feature of the home is the nice transition between outdoor decks, balconies, pool area, and the indoor living area. There are decks or balconies on all levels front and back, and a heated swimming pool. The home features two master suites, four bedrooms, and play room or den.

HOME FEATURES

• six bedrooms and six & half baths
• gourmet kitchen, granite counter tops
• stainless appliances: refrigerator, dishwasher, appliance center.
• hardwood , tile and carpet floors
• dramatic entry foyer
• formal dining and living room
• three car garage
• Elevator
• entertainment room or bedroom
• wired for stereo system throughout home
• crown molding
• fireplace, ceiling fans, cable TV, smoke alarm
• whirlpool tub
• outdoor shower
  
  
  

Real Estate Trends in Sea Pines Plantation

I am not a firm believer in average on homes that are not similar. However, they do serve a purpose n spotting trends in the market place.

Sea Pines plantation is located on Hilton Head Island and considerred the premier residential resort destination on the island and else where. The develpment guidelines that were established by Sea Pines Company are copied all over the world. Numerous employees of Sea Pines have gone on to develope world class residental and resort communities. So, when it comes to real estate on the island Sea Pines tends to lead the way in sales, appreciation and rebounding from down turns in the market.

The number of new listings peked in March 2008 and the number of homes going under contract had two strong months: February and July 2008. September had a good month for new contracts, but October was dismall.

The month of October was by far the worst month for our economy in a long time, and hopefully we will begin to rebound over the next year.

2008 YTD we have had 322 new listing, 120 go under contract, 119 close, 170 DOM and the CP was 92% of LP.

2007 YTD had 389 new listing, 151 go under contract, 143 close, 141 DOM and the CP was 93% of LP

2006 YTD had 343 new listings, 134 go under contract, 137 close, 101 DOM and the CP was 94% of LP

Hilton Head Land Buying Program

Do we really want the Town of Hilton Head buying more properties on and off the island? I for one don’t believe we need to buy more land. Let me tell you why!

Bullet Points from Island Packet Opinion Nov 2, 2008

Here's a compilation of what's been accomplished since the land-buying program began in earnest in 1990:

• 127 parcels, totaling 1,171.7 acres, purchased. That represents 5.1 percent of land within town limits and 19.24 percent of develop able land outside gated communities.
• 4.3 million square feet of commercial space taken out of potential development. That figure represents 62 percent of the 7 million square feet of commercial development that has been built.
• 1,365 hotel rooms taken out of potential development. That represents 45 percent of the 3,010 hotel rooms that have been built.
• 4,210 residential and time-share units taken out of potential development. That represents 30 percent of the 15,031 existing multifamily and time-share units.
• 36,070 potential peak-hour vehicle trips prevented.

The Town’s land buying program has had a very good impact on our quality of life, taken commercial and residential property out of the hands of developers, created parks, passive parks, and wildlife habitat. They have achieved their goal and do not need to continue it. The negatives of the program have been the controversies with their transactions. Private Citizens have flipped properties for big profits. The Town’s buying program has inflated the price of commercial and residential properties; it has in essence along with the LMO destroyed the commercial business on Hilton Head. The LMO is too stringent on renovation of a property. I’m sorry but an acre lot that has had a property on it for twenty years does not need a wetlands survey.

The town wants a corridor between the beach and Palmetto Bay, but the LMO does not allow properties that currently exist be renovated to the existing square footage, and when it does the hoops an owner must go through virtually make the project too expensive for development.

A thriving and well designed commercial district is important to our quality of life on the island. What we currently have are numerous properties in various stages of deterioration, and a LMO that makes it hard to make the necessary changes to the property or change the zoning to stay in tune with the changing market place. A sapling tree twenty years ago near a building, along a golf course, on a vacant lot, cannot be removed today because of the LMO. This was not the intent of the LMO. Our island does not suffer from a lack of trees we suffer from a progressive thinking government about what is good for the quality of life and property values.

If we don’t have the thriving commercial districts with activities that are in tune with today’s market our major economic engine will dwindle annually. We currently are in a economic down turn and many business will not survey through the off season. As our quality of life is brought down by lack of quality commercial activities so will the demand for tourist to come to the island.

All the commercial growth has moved to Bluffton, and today we have to virtually travel off the island once again to get our daily supplies. So what do we have on the island, not much? What new or renovated island commercial properties have been built lately?

• Renovations
• Coligny Exxon got a face lift.
• Truffles Grill
• Coastal States Bank
• Old Kinghorn Insurance Building
• Old Linen Store Palmetto Bay Rd.
• Sea Pines Center
• New Construction:
  o Joni Bank’s Design Group
  o (2)New buildings on New Orleans Rd.
  o Adventure Cove, Caraba’s, & Adventure Cove Plaza

So, do I want the Town to buy more property to take off the market and over inflate the value; NO. The article below references Charles Fraser’s vision for the island and pioneering land covenants. He also believed that parks and commercial activities were an important part of any community. He was a strong believer of passive parks and active parks in and around commercial activities. He lamented the fact that he did not put more small passive parks around the commercial areas. Our Town has tried to do this, but they do it in areas that have Town owned land all around it, and no viable commercial activity. The two play off each other and that is the vision our Town is lacking. The Shelter Cove Community Park, Chaplin Park, Jarvis Creek park are all nice, but they are near any significant commercial activity. If they were in easy walking distance of commercial activities they would be thriving parks.

If you build it they don't always come! If we pass this new referendum the Town needs to have dynamic focus groups study what is needed and what we should buy. The focus group should be made up of land planners, business people, real estate agents, environmentalist and citizens concerned for the quality of life on the island.

Some will read this and say that I am just a real estate agent and I want more homes and condos to sell. They are wrong, I want to sell what we have and to do that I sell our "Quality of Life" and I am worried that the Town is not thinking in a progressive matter at what is is our "Quality of Life". We need to make sure our Town elected officials get it!

Property of Charlie B Fraser 2008 All Rights Reserved
Below is an Opinion Piece Published in the Island Packet on Nov 2, 2008

http://www.hiltonheadislandsc.gov/Maps/TownProperty.pdf

Vote 'yes' on referendum to support land purchases
Published Sunday, November 2, 2008
Opinion of The Island Packet

Hilton Head Island voters have the opportunity Tuesday to support a program that has done almost as much to shape the island we know today as the land-use covenants pioneered by Charles Fraser.

There is no better growth-control mechanism for the town than to own property and control how it is used. That ability to purchase key parcels, including the town's centerpiece Honey Horn tract, has made all the difference in reducing overall development and protecting environmentally sensitive land despite intense economic pressures.

Voters are being asked Tuesday whether they want the town to borrow $17 million for the town's land-buying program. It would mean a 1 mill increase in property taxes ($8 for an owner-occupied home valued at $200,000), but the town has demonstrated over the years that the program is well worth this investment. We ask you to vote "yes" in the advisory referendum.

Here's a compilation of what's been accomplished since the land-buying program began in earnest in 1990:
• 127 parcels, totaling 1,171.7 acres, purchased. That represents 5.1 percent of land within town limits and 19.24 percent of develop able land outside gated communities.
• 4.3 million square feet of commercial space taken out of potential development. That figure represents 62 percent of the
7 million square feet of commercial development that has been built.
• 1,365 hotel rooms taken out of potential development. That represents 45 percent of the 3,010 hotel rooms that have been built.
• 4,210 residential and time-share units taken out of potential development. That represents 30 percent of the 15,031 existing multifamily and time-share units.
• 36,070 potential peak-hour vehicle trips prevented.

In addition to its growth control contributions, the land-buying program has added significantly to the quality of life on Hilton Head. It has provided land for passive and recreational parks; preserved scenic vistas, historically significant sites and wildlife habitat; and provided access to public beaches and waterways. It also has provided land for the public library, Volunteers in Medicine Clinic, and fire stations and storm water control projects.

In recent years, the town has expanded its reach to the mainland, providing $7.4 million in funding to purchase conservation easements on property near the bridges to Hilton Head. Those purchases have helped Hilton Head as much as Beaufort County and Bluffton. They've eliminated development pressures and thousands of vehicle trips on busy U.S. 278.
Hilton Head voters have long supported the land-buying program, saying "yes" to referendums in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2003. This is no time to stop. No one likes the thought of a tax increase in these difficult economic times. But we'd hate to see the town miss a strategic opportunity because the money was not there. The town's real estate transfer fee -- a 0.25 percent charge on all property sales -- brought in about $3 million last year, down from the salad days of 2005 and 2006 when it brought in about $6 million.

It's a tough time to raise money through real estate sales, but it's also a great time to buy property at very good prices. Supporting this program through a slight property tax increase could ensure that happens. Please vote "yes" to extending this valuable program.

Hilton Head Real Estate YTD Market Trends

I am not a firm believer in lumping all sales into a single category and coming up with an average price of homes or the average price of sold homes. The only thing it does do is spot trends in a market.

• The number of NEW LISTINGS coming on the market a month hit a peak in April 2008 with 187 new homes being listed, and has been trending down since.
• The number of homes going under contract or PENDING peaked in February 2008, and October was the worst month almost 75% down from Februbary.
• The number of CLOSED home sales has been steady, but does not set a trend. It does create the market price. A market price cannot be established based on the broad based average of all sales. That is why you should hire a professional Realtor to help you establish what the value of your home is.
• TOTAL SALES VOLUME for the year is just over $324 million.
• Some other interesting trend in our market that can be extrapolated from the generic blend of all homes sales on the island. The AVG DOM (Days on Market) for the year is 178.
• The average percentage of SALE PRICE TO LIST PRICE is 92.45%.

In summary our market has slowed down in the last two months. On the eve of the Presidential election I sure hope that people will feel good about getting the election over. Some of us will not like the results and others will. No matter what you politics are, life will go on. It has been my experience that elections tend to slow the economy down and buyers wanting to wait until the results are in.

The banks will start to lend over the next six months and our real estate prices are below the 2004 levels. It is my opinion if you are interested in owning a second home or investment property we have good deals currently, and as the credit pendulum starts to balance mortgages will be available.

Please refer to the chart above for individual monthly activity, and if you would like more specific information regarding a specific community on the island please contact me.

http://www.fraserrealty.net

Property of Charlie B Fraser 2008 All Rights Reserved

Statistical information obtained from Hilton Head island MLS