THE EPITOME OF BLISS

The Symphony Under the Stars, presented by the Hilton Head Symphony Orchestra, was over by the time the 44th RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing began on the Harbour Town Golf Links in Sea Pines.

The venerable golf tournament began with the usual boom of canon fire across Calibogue Sound, kicking off the pageantry and excitement long associated with the tournament. It brought some of the finest weather ever for this event: cool, fresh, gentle breezes, low humidity, no bugs, sparkling sunshine, the air touched by fragrances from blooming magnolia, gardenias, Sweet Ligustrum - the epitome of bliss on a subtropical barrier Island where 125,000 fans watched the pros play.

The Harbour Town course has long been known as a difficult test for players. Furman Bisher, an iconic sports editor for the Atlanta Journal, called the Harbour Town Golf Links "Purgatory with 18 holes." He wrote about the opening tournament in 1969, calling it "the last word in outdoor torture chambers. When you are in trouble here, you may be in need of last rites..it is likely to be one of the most talked-about golf courses in the world." The beloved sports writer passed away at the age of 93 in March 2012.

While 34 year old Swede Carl Pettersson focused on winning the Heritage by five strokes and a purse of $1,026,000, yachts glistened in the harbour, sailboats and motor launches dotted Calibogue Sound; many residents who live along the golf course hosted Heritage parties that featured gourmet edibles and open bars as flowers floated in swimming pools.

A highlight of the tournament was the thrill of seeing Boeing's sleek and gorgeous new 787 Dreamliner fly low over the 18th fairway, then turn its wings toward the sun and fly away, its GE and Rolls Royce engines as silent as a gliding raptor.

Despite golf tournaments and symphonies, commerce flowed on, causing great rejoicing in the real estate world as word spread: "The market is moving! The market is moving!" Excitement is palpable as the up-tick in sales continues and grows. The upper-end market is moving again; villa sales island-wide are up 21% with a 20% reduction in inventory. Three oceanfront homes in Sea Pines have sold in the past three months; the average price of a home in Sea Pines in March was $1,135,561 (this number is probably a bit skewed  by the oceanfront sales). Island-wide the average home price was $682,406 in March.

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) reported a surge in sales of investment and vacation homes in 2011, a trend that continues today. NAR says nearly half of all investors and 42% of vacation homebuyers were cash buyers who indicated they will use their home as a primary residence in the future. Rentals in our area are in great demand which makes a purchase even more inviting.