Chris and Maria Skrip~843-252-4218~Military Relocation

The Beaufort Gullah Festival is held annually during Memorial Day weekend.

It is a celebration of the African American heritage where folkways and food brings visiting churches and family groups from many states.

If you are visiting the Beaufort South Carolina area this weekend (Memorial Day Weekend), make sure to check out The Beaufort Gullah Festival.

All buyers and sellers interested in Royal Pines - Lady's Island Country Club on Lady's Island near Beaufort South Carolina should take a moment to read the proposed new convenants at:

http://royalpineshomeowners.com/

They are in PDF format, so I had to send you a link. Once you are on the HOA website, there is a link in red at the top that will take you to a PDF of the proposed convenants. The next meeting to discuss the new convenants is 6/3/09, so make sure to attend if you have any questions/comments/concerns.

Working hard to be your Royal Pines Realtor of Choice! My wife Maria and I own 2 homes in Royal Pines, 8 Royal Pines Blvd. and 85 James F. Byrnes, so we have a vested interest in everything related to Royal Pines and in helping assure our property values remain steady through this downturn in the real estate market. We are here to help you in any way and to answer any questions you may have related to Royal Pines real estate.

Chris Skrip, Broker-in-Charge and Owner of RE/MAX Sea Island Realty in Beaufort SC.

This is our pool at the clubhouse of Lady's Island Country Club.

There are 24 homes for sale in Telfair (to include Telfair Manor and Rosewalk). The median home price is $216,000 with 110 days on the market.

Looking at solds since the beginning of 2009, only 7 homes have sold in Telfair (to include Telfair Manor and Rosewalk). Based on these statistics, there is a 3.5 month supply of homes in Telfair and that is if no additional homes come on the market in Telfair.

Some advice to homeowners in Telfair, consider offering your home for sale, rent, or lease purchase. If you have questions about the Telfair real estate market, please give Chris Skrip a call at RE/MAX Sea Island Realty.

The Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP) has expanded to help military members hurt financially during the mortgage crisis by PCS moves. HAP is now accepting applications, "but not processing them until procedures, regulations and funding are in place." The eastern United States is covered by an office as close as Savannah:

HAP Field Office, Savannah
U.S. Army Engineer District, Savannah
Attn: RE-AH
P.O. Box 889
Savannah, GA 31402-0889
912-652-5580
800-861-8144

Their phone lines are extremely busy, but their website is very thorough: http://hap.usace.army.mil/EP_PCS.html. Under the big title on the home page, there are 4 branches of the program. Under "Service Member Homeowners on PCS," here is what it says about eligibility:

Members of the Armed Forces permanently reassigned during the mortgage crisis Military Personnel Only

1. Permanent reassignment requires move of more than 50 miles.

2. Reassignment ordered between 1 February 2006 and 30 September 2012 (or earlier date designated by Secretary of Defense).

3. Property purchased (or contract to purchase signed) before 1 July 2006.

4. Property sold by owner between 1 July 2006 and 30 September 2012, or earlier date designated by Sec. Def.

5. Property was the primary residence of the owner

6. Owner has not previously received these benefit payments.

7. If you are a member of the Armed Forces who is PCSing or has PCSed, download the application packet and complete the application. Carefully read all instructions, and mail your completed application to the USACE district responsible for the area in which your home is. Once DoD implementing guidance is received the district will contact you concerning your eligibility and benefits.

The website also has links to actual applications and explains the whole application process.
For more information, please contact the Homeowners Assistance Program at 912-652-5580 or http://hap.usace.army.mil/EP_PCS.html.