Jan Chilton - Real Estate Marketing and SEO

This is going to be a little off-topic, but I know there are a lot of single women in AR, and probably plenty of mechanically "challenged" men as well. I wanted to tell you all about a national company that everyone has heard of, but many people don't realize what a godsend they can be - Advance Auto Parts Store.

Most people think of Advance Auto as a vague place to go buy a headlight or a carburator if you want to save a bit of money and not shop at the car dealer. But this store and these people are SO MUCH MORE.

I've been using AAP since I first moved to Myrtle Beach about 17 years ago. For several years I was living on practically minimum wage, driving a 10 year old Pontiac Fiero, and eating bologna sandwiches more often than I like to think about.

North Myrtle Beach in many ways is like the usual small town. Back in those days, more so than now, if you lived here, you eventually met the business owners, the police, the restaurant waittresses and others that seemed to help each other as much as the residents of Mayberry. One of the earliest things I learned from men that I met along the way (men LOVE to advise single women about car stuff) was that AAP was the place to buy things like windshield wipers, antennas (antennae?) and lights for the car.

There is a local garage in Cherry Grove that was so kind to me as to let me buy parts from AAP and bring them up there to install and repair my car. Now this is not something most garages will do, but in "North Mayberry Beach", so many people go out of their way to help people who work at hotels and restaurants. Most grew up here and worked at these jobs as teenagers, so they know what it's like to get by on $5.00 an hour.

Anyway, I've always known you could save money by shopping at AAP. And I quickly learned that when you buy windshield wipers from them, THEY will come out of the store and put them on for you - FREE! Now it's customary to tip the boy who does this. He's probably living on $8-9 an hour himself. But if any of you women have ever tried to put wipers on yourself, you know that it's worth every bit of $3-5 to let somebody else get their hands black.

I suppose most of you have boyfriends or husbands that do this for you. But for those of us who don't, little things like this mean so much. Is your car running funny? Before you go drop it off to the GM dealership and spend a fortune, run it by AAP and let them hook you up to their diagnostic machine that might just save you a bundle. Buy a new battery there for about as much as you'd pay at Walmart...and these guys will install it for you, right in the parking lot. Got a headlight out? In most cases they will put it in for you at no charge and with no wait. Where else in the world can you expect service like that? Granted, they probably do more for a woman than they'd be inclined to do for a man, but I don't really know this for a fact either. They may well do it for every customer that walks in the door.

But today, this company amazed me beyond anything that's happened since I moved here.

Last night I must have left something on in the car from the day before. I still haven't figured it out, but when I went to go grab a burger for dinner, my car was as dead as a doornail. No horn, no lights, remote doesn't work...just dead. And I'm thinking, CRAP. It's Saturday night. Tomorrow is Sunday. Will I have to call a tow-truck or maybe I can find a neighbor to jump me off....which I hate to ask. People are funny about giving you a jump with today's new cars. I'm thinking on Sunday everything will be closed...what if I have to buy a battery? I went to bed just beside myself worrying about it. I can't stand to be without transportation.

This morning about 8am I decide to call AAP and ask if (A) they are open, which I doubt...and (B) will they loan me one of those battery chargers if I can find a ride up there.

First amazement, they answered the phone. The LADY manager (that's pretty amazing too) explains to me that they don't open until 9am, but yes, they are open. And yes, if I want to leave them a charge card or something as a deposit, they will give me a battery jumper.

BUT...she says, why not just let me send my guy to your house to help you and jump the car? I ask her how much that will cost and she tells me NOTHING. "It's our customer service", she says.

Can you imagine in this day and time (and gas prices) that any company would do this? I might add that this is a new Advance Auto that just recently opened about 3 miles from me in Little River. I've always dealt with the one in North Myrtle Beach before. These people did not know me, nor did she ask my name.

She goes on to say that since it's Sunday, they won't be busy, so as soon as they open, she'll send one of the boys to help me. And if I want to tip him something, that's up to me, but there is no charge for the service.

About an hour later, a very nice older man rides up in a yellow truck, jumps me off, and then because I'm smart, I follow him back to the store to have the diagnostic done. It shows my alternator is fine, and the battery is just low but good, and advises to recharge. This has taken about 6 miles of driving, maybe an hour of their time, and they don't charge me a dime or sell me a thing. AND ARE HAPPY TO DO IT!

Yes, I tipped the man...and well. I saved a tow-truck fee, possibly being sold a battery I didn't need, and received the kind of service most people just dream of. So girls, (and guys too!) the next time you have a car problem, remember there is a company out there that wrote the book on customer service. Advance Auto Parts is the BOMB. I can't brag on them enough.

And to the home office AAP, I hope you give the manager and all the employees at 1661 Highway 17, Little River, SC a RAISE. They do more to brand your store as a winner than all the advertising in the world.

Northern retirees looking for warmer weather and easy living are finding that other southern communities provide gated, carefree housing, cultural activities, and a lifestyle that rivals any beach, without the high prices, humidity, and tourism traffic.

Greenville, SC (PRWEB) October 10, 2008 --

Greenville, South Carolina is quickly becoming a bright spot on the map for many Americans looking to relocate for retirement or employment. Relocate-America.com's recent national survey named Greenville as the fourth best destination city in its top 100, and described it as, "Where the Old South meets the New South".

Greenville, South Carolina homes are a lower cost alternative to beachfront retirement, with all the benefits - including exciting riverfront attractions and scenic Greenville golf course homes. There are many reasons that visitors fall in love with the Upstate of South Carolina, but quality of life is probably the primary driving force.

MORE from press release on Greenville SC Real Estate-

I just got this in an email, and had to share. I had to LOL when I read it, so you can too...:-) We ought to think up one for "that's a Realtor"...haha.

1. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to
her and say: "I am very rich.
"Marry me!" - "That's Direct Marketing..."

________________________________________

2. You're at a party with a bunch of friends and see a
gorgeous girl. One of your friends goes up to her and
pointing at you says: "He's very rich.
"Marry him." -That's Advertising..."

________________________________________

3. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to
her and get her telephone number. The next day, you
call and say: "Hi, I'm very rich.
"Marry me" - "That's Telemarketing..."

________________________________________

4. You're at a party and see gorgeous girl. You get up
and straighten your tie, you walk up to her and pour
her a drink, you open the door (of the car)"Marry Me?" -

"That's Public Relations..."

________________________________________

5. You're at a party and see gorgeous girl. She walks
up to you and says:"You are very rich!
"Can you marry ! me?" - "That's Brand Recognition..."

________________________________________

6. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to
her and say: "I am very rich. Marry me!" She gives you
a nice hard slap on your face. - "That's Customer Feedback..."

________________________________________

7. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to
her and say: "I am very rich. Marry me!" And she
introduces you to her husband. - "That's demand and supply gap..."

________________________________________

8. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to
her and before you say anything, another person comes
and tells her: "I'm rich. Will you marry me?" and she
goes with him - "That's competition eating into your market share..."

________________________________________

9. You see a gorgeous girl at a party. You go up to
her and before you say: "I'm rich, Marry me!" your
wife arrives. - "That's restriction for entering new markets..."

*******************************************************************************

Kirsten Valle from the Charlotte Observer called my friend David O'Connell for some quotes the other day to pen an article about the risks and problems associated with preconstruction buying.

I think Charlotte came in late on this concept, long after Myrtle Beach real estate had fizzled out with it. We've had our share of nightmares here, what with the ill-fated Bahama Island Resort fiasco - for those not familiar - the developers allegedly have absconded with millions of dollars of loan monies and customer deposits, and the resort was never built. Anyway, for the most part, in South Carolina and I think most of Florida, the preconstruction condo market has slowed to a stop.

Kirsten's article begins telling a story of a NASCAR team manager named Michael Landis who invested over $30,000 in a preconstruction highrise in Charlotte...the 210 Trade in the Epicentre. He had planned to move into it by December of this year, however work on it ceased in February, and now he is stuck.

One of the reasons the preconstruction boom ended so badly was construction costs. Here in Myrtle Beach, the developers (and buyers!) who got into it early on...about 2003-2004 made a boatload of money. It was not uncommon to purchase an oceanfront condo in Myrtle Beach for $200,000 preconstruction priced, and flip it a year later for $500,000. One of the guys I did work for bought 9 units at a resort called Crescent Shores, and flipped 5 of them the first year, making double-plus on every one. He held on to 4 of them, on advice from his tax guy. I'm not sure if he held them too long and got stuck, or if he moved them the next year. But he's in the condo rental management business anyway, so it's not too bad of a loss for him either way, as long as he was able to find the money to close on and hold them.

The Causes of the Bubble Bursting

As the builders saw all this money being made here and in other resort areas, they started going up on their charges, trying to cash in on the gold rush too. This began to create problems because the developers had worked a certain cost into the budget for these multi-million dollar projects. The condos were price-pointed to give everybody involved their cut. When the builders reneged on their agreed-upon costs, that threw a monkey wrench into the project - who was going to absorb the extra cost? The original land/hotel owner? The Developers? The commissioned Realtors who were selling the units?

In cases where the deal had gone so far as to require the first 10% down payment and contract with the customers buying the condo, these buyers were protected from price increases. The costs had to come from the development teams. The beginning of the end started there. Many couldn't or wouldn't take a cut out of their profits, and building completion stalled...as the parties involved argued over who was going to ante-up. Sometimes the actual buyers weren't aware of this. Months went by that saw no work on the property, and the Realtors who sold the units had no answers to give the buyers either.

Projects began to fall apart. Sometimes the buyer got his deposit back, (with no interest) after a year or more of investing anywhere from $25,000 to $100,000 in the down payment.

Sometimes the deposits were not so forth-coming. If the developers had spent it, they were hard pressed to find the cash to refund the buyer, and stalled for time as long as possible.

Some of the resorts got built and the ones that took the loss were the developers. And eventually even the real estate agents suffered, who ended up with only half of the commissions they should have received.

Sometimes the developers walked away and said, "Sue me". And many DID get sued. And a few of the projects are still sitting around half-finished, still hoping to find buyers. We have a handful like that now...I probably better not name names.

Anyway, it all came crashing to a halt, and for as many of the people who got in early and made enormous profit from them, there are those that got burnt in one way or the other. Greed destroys all good things, no matter who the greedy party is.

Back to the article... Kirsten reports that experts say preconstruction investing can be a good thing, "especially in Charlotte, where the market has remained strong - but that it's always a risk."

Quoting the article:

"Preconstruction sales have come to a halt in other cities, said David O'Connell, a Myrtle Beach, S.C. real estate agent and developer who owns a website called PreconstructionCondos.com." (one of our used-to-be-hot sites!)

"Preconstruction condos hit their peak nationally about two years ago, costing close to $600 per square foot, he said. The prices have been dropping since then, and developers are hard-pressed to pay off their debt, let alone make a profit. In harder-hit areas such as Las Vegas, people are finding foreclosed properties more attractive to buy than preconstruction condos. The risk simply is, you don't know what the price is going to be when it's finished. Those who bought at the peak are finding out that the market can go down."

The article continues to say that the 210 Trade has stalled, and offered the buyers a refund, now citing its completion date at 2010. Another project called "The Park" is going into foreclosure, and looks eerily similar to our Bahama Island nightmare. The developers owe the bank more than $27 million on it, and the foreclosure auction has only acquired a bid of $17.9 million. It goes without saying that the bank gets theirs first.

They report two other high-rise towers at a stall, and one called "The Catalyst" still selling well and in good order.

"O'Connell, the Myrtle Beach developer, said the market will turn around across the country by late next year.", she quotes David as being confident.

I agree. And if anyone should know, it's David O'Connell. He has lived, eaten, and breathed condos for the past 8-10 years. More than 3 of those years had me right along with him...:-)

Post-note: According to my two newest clients, Greenville SC homes and condos are still very popular and the market there is stable and good. Greenville never really went through the resort boom, however. And Jack Ragsdale, a Denton, Frisco and Flower Mound Texas real estate agent reports his sales of retirement and golf course condos are doing well too.

In an effort to offset the higher gas prices and boost vacation sales for Myrtle Beach condos and resorts, several are taking advantage of "gas rebates".

The Myrtle Beach Chamber of Commerce sent out a newsletter today that mentions some nice discounts and rebates being offered by Ocean Creek Resort, Grande Dunes, and others.

Like the old-time marketing of timeshares, this would be an ideal way for anyone interested in looking at Myrtle Beach real estate to take advantage of the discounts to visit for a few days and view some properties.

Here are some of the vacation deals they mention in the newsletter:

Litchfield Real Estate Company is offering a $50 dining card to their vacation guests. Pawleys Island condos and Surfside Beach vacation homes would benefit from this nice offering.

The Marina Inn at Grande Dunes says they will give a 10 cents per mile rebate to vacationers booking this elegant luxury resort. If you're coming from far away, this would be the one to take advantage of!

Sea Watch Resort will accept a gasoline receipt for 24 hours prior to arrival, and refund up to $75 for a 3 night stay, or $100 for 4 nights or longer. That is a great discount!

The beautiful Ocean Creek Resort is offering 25% off on stays of 4 nights or longer. Depending on the type and price of these North Myrtle Beach condos that you choose, this could mount up to a great discount package as well.

If you have been thinking of coming down to look at the best deals on real estate available in Myrtle Beach, this is an excellent opportunity to combine a wonderful vacation on the Grand Strand with your trip to look at some of our condos and homes. Prices are at rock bottom lows right now, and you couldn't pick a better time to buy.

If you Contact The Myrtle Beach Condo Store, we'll be glad to help you with finding a place to stay, and show you the best deals on Myrtle Beach vacation real estate to be found! You can also call us toll-free at 1-877-839-0005 and let us help you find that perfect vacation home of your own.

See our other blog - Myrtle Beach Real Estate News

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