Coastal Living Chronicles: Insights from a Saint Simons Island Realtor

We are all well on St. Simons Island!  That's the headline after Tropical Storm Beryl failed to land a punch on our beautiful Golden Isles.  Despite the overly excite weatherman from The Weather Channel, which I like to call The Liar's Channel, we had a fairly nice day on Saturday, same for Sunday and then quick periods of rain on Monday followed by sunshine.  Much to do about nothing much if you ask me.  Sadly, many people were convinced by news reports to cancel their plans for the Memorial Day weekend based on what appeared to by erroneous forecasts. Yes we had a few large dead limbs come down, plenty of Spanish Moss about the streets and my neighbors lost their cable for a few hours but being a bright side kind of guy, it was better than the alternative of being whomped by a frothy tropical storm.  And we, Georgia, really needed a good soaking to help with the minor drought we've been experiencing.  So this too shall pass and really it's just the p...

So you’ve seen your dream home listed on the Internet or in your local Real Estate guide.    You might be thinking, “I am interested in buying that house, why don’t I call the Listing Agent to make an offer?” Answer:  because the Listing Agent represents the Seller of the home and that means they only have the Seller’s best interest at heart.   The Seller’s Real Estate Agent is required to act in an honest and fair way with you, however, the Agent's loyalty, without other disclosure, is focused on obtaining the best deal for the Seller!   Using a Buyer's Broker (a separate Real Estate Agent), who has your best interest in mind, may help you shave thousands off a home's purchase price, mortgage or various other costs, and there is no fee to you the home buyer.   Typically, the Buyer’s Agent is paid with proceeds from the sale of the home at closing. When you, the Buyer, sign a contract with a Buyer's Broker, that Broker then works for you, they...

On what has to be some of the most valuable Real Estate along the Coast of Georgia, you'll find Summer Waves Water Park.  Located on Jekyll Island Georgia, the park is situated on a 'finger' of land, 11 acres worth, that overlooks the Intra Coastal Waterway and the marshes of Glynn County.  Summer Waves has nine attractions including six water slides, wave pool, lazy river, splash zone and a kiddie area.  Many organizations have their events at the waterpark along with the local schools and church groups.  Usually the park is open from Memorial Day through Labor Day but I know they have opened early this year because my daughters spent the day there yesterday.  Waterparks are a lot of fun and with the warm Summer's here in Georgia -a great way to spend the day! www.summerwaves.com Jeff Williams   Realtor ,  RSPS Resort & Second Home Markets Specialist Coastal Georgia Real Estate Associates 405 Mag...

Last night the local realtor association, Golden Isles Association of Realtors, hosted the annual Realtor Day dinner at the Brunswick Golf & Country Club.  The theme was a Luau.  I along with my Broker, Linda Runyan, my Dad and my beautiful girlfriend Mindy, enjoyed a fantastic evening of fun with my fellow Realtors.  Dinner consisted of Salmon with a chutney sauce, Mahi Mahi, BBQ, Spicy chicken, coconut shrimp, steak kabobs accompanied by wine and beer.  There was a terrific live band and plenty of people enjoying themselves.  I didn't think the event would necessarily be a networking event but I did run into a real estate closing attorney who I plan on using and also saw one of the mortgage bankers from Ameris Bank who I sent two prospective clients to for prequalifying last week.  I was glad to see her and had a chance to talk about the two prospective clients. I have attended several events at the Brunswick Country Club and am always happy ...

Everyone is always on the look out for a neighborhood Italian restaurant.  My favorite in Middletown Ohio was Schiavones Casa Mia.  According to their website  http://www.schiavones.com/ , the restaurant was sold in 2008 and renamed BUT you can still buy Schiavones Italian Sauce direct from the website.  The sauce was one of my Mother's favorite Italian sauces to cook with.  I can whole heartedly recommend the sauce. In Savannah I have two favorites - Corleone's on MLK down in the Historic District is fantastic and a place I found by accident New Year's Eve 2009. I was walking past the restaurant and stopped to ask a couple eating at one of the sidewalk tables if the food was good.  They said it was great and I should give it a try. I popped in and have been going back ever since.  After my Grandparent's wedding anniversary party, the family got together at Corleones for dinner.  The staff handled our table of 15+ people with...

The girls and I had the boat out on Saturday.  We anchored just off of Jekyll Island on the St. Simons Sound side.  The girls went swimming and walking along the beach.  Before too long, a group riding horses on the beach came strolling by.  I really love horses and have been riding them myself for many years - whenever possible.  I do a lot of fishing down around Cumberland Island which is well known as a Georgia island that still has a population of wild horses.  There are positive and negatives to this population of horses.  While they are protected from people, they are not allowed to be cared for at all whether it is food or vet needs.  I see lots of horses and new foals in the marshes munching on seagrass and walking along the beach.  It is always a real treat to see one of Cumberland Island's wild horses! Just another great part about living along Georgia's Coast. The next time you are visiting Jekyll Island, a great idea would be ...

It is always exciting to see a manatee or a sea turtle when out boating or in my case diving one of the wrecks.  On the Nettleton Liberty Ship, I saw two huge sea turtles, one swimming and watching me and another sleeping.  But this is the time of the year in Georgia’s coastal waters that boaters should be on the lookout for these big and rare animals.  I see them along the coast, far out to sea and all around the marshes and back rivers. Tips on what to watch for in the coast’s murky waters differ. A “footprint” of swirls may mark a 1-ton manatee underwater. A 300-pound loggerhead sea turtle may show only its head when it surfaces. On that note, dolphins seem to pop out of no where right in front of you anywhere from in front of the islands oceanside to the back rivers.  Very cool!  The best advice: Be aware, and be prepared to slow down or steer clear According to the Georgia DNR, more than 50 sea turtles have been found dead or in...

It's that time of the year again when many of us yank the cover from our boats and drop them in the water! One of the best ways to enjoy Coastal Georgia living is by having a boat.  You really don't need a large one either to get the best that St. Simons Island and the Golden Isles has to offer.  In 2004, I bought a 19 foot Center Console Seaboss.  I chose this boat because I wanted something that I could trailer behind my Jeep Wrangler and was able to pull into a regular car wash to clean up.  I bought my boat at Ellis Marine in Brunswick.  Any of the, so far, minor issues I have had with my boat, I have taken to Ellis Marine to be worked on.  I really cannot complain though. In the 8 years I have owned the boat, I have only need a few things repaired including the live well pump twice (my own fault for leaving it on), oil changes, a stearing linkage and the bearings replaced on the trailer.  Considering many believe BOAT stands for Bust Out Anoth...

I do consider myself a prolific lover of pizza and I have my favorites on St. Simons Island for sure.  Mindy and I have two that we frequent regularly.  Fox Pizza over in the Winn Dixie shopping center and CJ's Italian Restaurant on Mallory Street in The Village.  Sunday night we enjoyed a pie at CJ's and it was really good.  If you are visiting St. Simons Island, I can recommend both equally.  When we want to take all the kids - Mindy's two daughters and my two daughters - we usually go to Fox Pizza.  When it is just Mindy and I - we like to go to CJ's. Pepperoni, Onion, 1/2 Mushroom CJ's Italian Restaurant http://www.cjsitalianrestaurant.com/index.html 405 Mallory St, St Simons, GA 31522.