This blog has moved

This blog is now located at http://davidwilliamsrealtor.blogspot.com/.
You will be automatically redirected in 30 seconds, or you may click here.

For feed subscribers, please update your feed subscriptions to
http://davidwilliamsrealtor.blogspot.com/feeds/posts/default.

WaterWays Township . . . Wow!

On Tuesday, some of my fellow RE/MAX Accent agents and I were treated to a private tour of the new WaterWays Township site in Richmond Hill. If I had to sum up the visit in just a few words, I'd say, "Get ready Richmond Hill, this one's going to be truly amazing!"

I'll give you just a bit of background on this incredible new community. Fletcher Management Company (the developer) based in Ponte Vedra, FL, is run by a gentleman named Paul Fletcher. I had the opportunity of hearing him speak a few months ago at a Home Builder's Association meeting in Savannah and it didn't take me long to get excited about WaterWays Township. Mr. Fletcher told a story about how, many years ago, he was struggling to develop a piece of land in FL during a difficult real estate market. He knew he wanted a golf course on the property, so he came up with the idea of selling part of the land to the PGA for just $1.00, and then developing a residential community around the golf course to be built on the property. Well, he had a bit of trouble convincing the front-line bankers he was dealing with that it was a good idea to sell so much land for so little money. But when he flew to New York and met with the bank's top brass, it was a done deal. The plan worked, and you've most likely heard of this community, now known as the TPC at Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra, FL...Excited yet?

Well the story goes that since that great success, Fletcher Management Company receives literally hundreds of fliers each week about some piece of land somewhere that somebody thinks should be developed. Understandably, most get "filed" in the trash can...but something stood out to Mr. Fletcher about a small, modest flier he received a few years ago concerning a certain piece of real estate in Richmond Hill, GA. So, he decided to drive up to Richmond Hill one weekend and see this land for himself. After an hour or so driving around Richmond Hill, he found it, parked his car, hopped a fence and started walking. Then, five hours later, he was ready to start his next development...welcome to WaterWays Township.

Now scheduled to go into its Grand Opening phase in mid 2010, WaterWays Township will feature top-notch amenities including:

• A Tom Fazio signature golf course.
  
  
• A 25,000 square foot swim and fitness club located in the Village Center featuring multi-level pools, and a waterfall. This will all be built approximately 50 feet above grade, setting the stage for a spectacular view of the golf course and surrounding area.
  
  
• A Grand Lagoon sprawling over 170 acres and providing 3 miles of continuous canoeing and kayaking throughout the community.
  
  
• Multiple lagoons enhanced by TV host and fisherman, Bill Dance providing tournament quality fishing.
  
  
• A Tennis Club.
  
  
• 6 ½ miles of breathtaking marsh-front scenery.
  
  
• Multiple nature trails, pedestrian paths, and community parks.

So with all of this situated on about 2300 acres, with approximately 3000 new homes, and with the possibility of hotel and retail space, WaterWays Township is clearly shaping up to be a superb addition to Richmond Hill, GA. Stay tuned...more information to come!

Below are some pictures of the progress at WaterWays Township.

The Future is Bright for the Richmond Hill, GA Real Estate Market

With all the bad news you hear these days, you might think we're never going to get out of this Real Estate Market mess. But I remain optimistic and am certain that we will see a vast improvement in the coming months...and I'm not alone.

Richmond Hill real estate developers are salivating at the projected growth in this area. The Ft Stewart brigade addition alone will bring literally thousands of new people to Richmond Hill and the surrounding area. Not to mention the forecasted influx of retiring Baby Boomers from around the country expected to plant roots along the Southeastern coast in the next few years...we're talking about thousands more. In addition, we've seen hundreds of families who are tired of the crime, high taxes, and struggling schools in Savannah make the short move South to Richmond Hill...and it's expected to increase. Real Estate in Richmond Hill, GA is a potential gold mine, and developers around the country have taken note.

Currently, there are several new Richmond Hill real estate developments in the works. The master plans of three communities alone (Waterways Township, the Terra Pointe project, and another still unnamed project near Genesis Point) call for approximately 18,000 new homes! Think about it, this doesn't even include the new homes already being constructed in our newest communities like Richmond Hill Plantation, Dunham Marsh, The Bluffs, White Oak Village, and Live Oak. When you factor all these in, the numbers are staggering.

So, turn off the news...hearing the reports about sales and home prices on a national level is about like listening to a weather forecast for the entire US as a whole. If they were to report that the average temperature in the US tomorrow will be 65 degrees, what would you wear to work? Real Estate is the same way...it's a local market. While things are a bit slow at the moment, the Richmond Hill, GA real estate market has a lot to look forward to in the coming months and years!

The Real Estate Market - How Bad Is It?

Now, that's a question I hear 3 or 4 times a day...and the answer I usually give is, "It depends on who you are..."

Unfortunately, there's no clear-cut way to answer it. Obviously the market conditions look much different to a builder trying to sell a large inventory of homes than they do to a buyer with good credit and no property to sell. To the builder, the market couldn't be much worse, but to the buyer, the market is outstanding. So the answer for most of us is probably that it's somewhere in between.

Of course, it's impossible to ignore the fact that so many houses are on the market. As of July 17th, 2008 there were 496 single-family homes listed for sale in Richmond Hill...and only 72 (or about 15%) of them were under contract. With that kind of competition for buyers, prices will undoubtedly fall. However, it should make us all feel a little better to know that we're homeowners in Buckhead. As of the same date, there were 25 homes listed for sale in Buckhead and 8 (or about 32%) of them were under contract...over twice the success rate of Richmond Hill as a whole. In addition, home prices in Buckhead have remained somewhat steady this year-to-date as compared to the same period in 2006 when the market was considered to be "booming" (an average of $134/square foot in 2006 as compared to an average of $127/square foot so far this year).

So, let all that soak in, and combine it with the fact that Richmond Hill was just ranked in the top 3 places to buy in the U.S. by Real Estate analyst Dr. Danielle Babb on Fox News, and you have to admit...things may not be so bad after all.

Things Really Aren't That Bad (If You Have the Right REALTOR)

If you're like most people, watching the news each night can be depressing. All the "gloom & doom" reports that are aired each and every day will obviously have an effect on anybody who continues to tune in. What's important to realize is that these negative reports are most likely having more of an adverse effect on the economy, and more specifically the housing market, than the actual economic factors that are cited as the cause for concern.

So for those of us in the Richmond Hill, GA Real Estate Market (and all home-owners are "in" the Real Estate Market), we have to accept the fact that potential buyers are watching the news and that these reports are, in fact having an impact on their decision making process. However, the reality is that now is a great time to buy a home. Interest rates are low, home prices are lower than they were a year ago, and there's an abundance of homes on the market to choose from. Unfortunately, most buyers either don't realize this, or are too nervous about the market to try to sell their current home.

Coincidentally, this shortage of buyers doesn't necessarily mean that it is a bad time to try to sell your home. There are still people out there buying Richmond Hill Real Estate, so it's important to get your home to stand out above the rest. It's vital to choose a REALTOR who understands how to do this, who will come up with a realistic asking price, and who will use the most effective marketing tools available. You need a REALTOR who will proactively try to sell your home, as opposed to simply adding it to the list of the countless other Richmond Hill Real Estate listings they may have.

If you are currently thinking of putting your home on the market, I encourage you to consider my services. I assure you that your home will not simply be added to "the list," but it will be marketed in a way that will make it stand out above the rest. It's estimated that 90% of potential buyers start their search for Richmond Hill Real Estate on the Internet. So, I invite you to tour the rest of my website at www.davidwilliamsrealtor.com. I believe you will agree that this is where you want the marketing of your home to begin.

Welcome to David Williams Richmond Hill Real Estate Blog

Welcome to my new real estate blog. Please check back often as I will be posting regular updates.

Sincerely,
David Williams
Richmond Hill, GA