Robert Slick

If you live in Georgetown, S.C. and are waiting for some homes to sprout out of the ground at some of the local developments, this is good news! Lot 91 at Cravens Grant, a waterfront community and marina on Winyah Bay, has broken ground.

Marina and Waterfront living at its BEST! Planned amenities: Gated Entrance, pool, tennis courts, community boat dock, gazebos, walking trails and clubhouse. Georgetown, SC gives you proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, beaches, rivers, bay, golf, fishing, waterskiing, power and sail boating, shopping, fine dining, entertainment and the ultimate Lowcountry beauty with extraordinary sunrises and water views. Rare opportunity to own a deep water boat slip on Winyah Bay. The marina has been approved & phase 1 boat slips will be made available to lot owners in early 2008 at introductory pricing. You must own a lot to buy a boat slip.

Morgan Park in Georgetown, S.C. consists of 10 acres, 70% of which is high ground and the remaining 30% is marshlands. Morgan Park is adjacent to the 53 acre East Bay Park that currently accommodates recreational fields and a boat ramp not to mention that it is a gorgeous waterfront location. Since the city announced that the recreational facilities will be moved and the boat ramp will be made obsolete by the new Campbell Marine Complex on the Sampit River, many people are wondering how the land will be used? Although Morgan Park can never be sold by the city, East Bay Park could be sold.

What happens to the land at East Bay Park will be decided by City Council after they hear input from the public and the Keep Georgetown Beautiful Committee. The accessibility and landscape of Morgan Park will largely depend on what happens to its larger neighbor, East Bay Park.

Luckily this multi-million dollar beachfront home in Debordieu Colony, Georgetown, S.C. was vacant at the time of this conflagration last week. Imagine the heat that this fire generated. Several other homes in the area were damaged by heat and flying, burning debris. The cause of this fire is still under investigation. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the owners of this home and no amount of insurance can replace the beachfront memories that this home held. We are thankful that no owners, guests or emergency personnel were injured or killed in this Debordieu fire tragedy.

Market Common, built on the site of the old Air Force Base in Myrtle Beach, takes the best of the city and leaves the worst out. Parking meters will not be installed at least for one year. The "urban village" concept combines retail stores, restaurants, parks and residential housing in the same complex. It is a sight to see and is stunning. Fortunately the developers and the Myrtle Beach City Council decided to leave out the parking meters. If you want walking distance access to Market Common without living there look at Seagate Condominiums. These are the original Air Base houses converted into condos. Some are single, detached homes just like a regular neighborhood and some are duplexes. Condo fee covers all exterior maintenance including paint among other things.

Myrtle Beach State Park (think long walks on the beach) and a dog park are both within walking distance.

If you want to know where future growth will happen, follow your local infrastructure: Roads, Water, Sewer, Power. Here in Georgetown County, South Carolina we are watching the corridor of Highway 701 that runs north out of Georgetown, South Carolina to Conway, South Carolina. From the recent Plantersville zoning meetings to the continued speculation about where a future road will cross the Waccamaw River and Intracoastal Waterway to connect the Waccamaw Neck to Highway 701, this area is changing.

One entity to watch carefully is the Georgetown County Water and Sewer District (GWSD). Don't be fooled by the name, this is a private water company and must make a profit to survive. In other words, they expand in areas that promise a viable customer base. One such area is Plantersville, S.C.

GWSD has applied for financial assistance from the federal government to continue their public sewer system from Georgetown, north across the Black River and into an area encompassing most of Plantersville. An environmental assessment must be done for this project and copies of it have been made available to the public.

As real estate professionals it is our duty to constantly educate ourselves and discover material facts about areas, neighborhoods, and specific properties. Knowledge and experience are how we add value to a transaction, never stop learning.