Real Estate Glossary

Buying real estate can be both exciting and confusing. But it doesn’t have to be that way. The Realtors at the Dunes Marketing Group will do everything we can to help eliminate the jargon and industry acronyms.

An excellent place to start is the Federal Trade Commission's The Real Estate Marketplace Glossary:  How to Talk the Talk: http://www.ftc.gov/bc/realestate/resources/realestateglossary.pdf

We’ve provided our own list of terms to help you shop for a home on Hilton Head Island and the surrounding areas:

Beachfront — Located adjacent to the sandy strip of beach and offering ocean views and access. Beachfront homes on Hilton Head Island are highly desirable (beachfront homes almost anywhere are desirable, but on Hilton Head we stress “highly”). And those beaches? They’re widely considered some of the finest beaches in the world.

Beach Property — Beaches themselves are public property and cannot be owned by individuals. The next best thing to owning the beach is to own a property immediately adjacent to it.

Beaufort — Hilton Head Island is located in Beaufort County. Beaufort is also the name of the county seat and a lovely small coastal waterfront town.

Belfair — Five miles to the North West of Hilton Head Island you’ll find this quiet private community with its magnificent “Avenue of Oaks,” and fantastic golf along side the Colleton River

Berkeley Hall — Stately, elegant, exclusive. Not a private estate, but a private world, with two “Core Golf” courses by Tom Fazio, a park along the pristine Okatie river, and on-site concierge service.

Bluffton — Another beautiful small town in Beaufort County, currently one of the fastest growing towns in South Carolina and is known as the gateway to Hilton Head Island

Charleston — South Carolina’s 2^nd largest city. Charleston is a short drive from Hilton Head Island. While scenic, historic, and beautiful, Charleston is also recognized as the “best-mannered city in the U.S.” [link: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-01-15-cities-manners_x.htm]

Colleton River — surrounded on three sides by water, seven miles of scenic shoreline, a private 1,200 acre nature conservancy, and just minutes from Hilton Head Island. Colleton River has two award winning golf courses, a Stan Smith tennis facility, and deepwater docks for boating.

Condo — A condo, short for condominium, is a home or property that is individually owned but as part of a corporate holding. On Hilton Head condo means “care free living.” Condos on Hilton Head are also called “villas.”

Daufuskie Island — Just eight square miles of beautiful, South Carolina living in between Hilton Head Island and Savannah, Georgia. You can only get here by boat. Quiet, exclusive, simply beautiful.

Golf Course — For many, Hilton Head Island is considered to be a golf and beach mecca. There’s much, much more to Hilton Head, but they’re not far from wrong. Hilton Head Island is considered one of the greatest golfing destinations in the world. If you consider Hilton Head and the immediate surrounding area you have literally dozens of courses, many of them the most beautiful, challenging, and renounced courses in the United States.

Hilton Head Island — If you look at Hilton Head Island from space it looks like a shoe. It’s located just a short drive from Savannah, Georgia and not far from Charleston. The island itself is one of the most popular vacation locations on the planet and yet has avoided many of the “touristy” features that dominate other places. It has a delightful combination of the scenic and natural with the sophisticated, cultural, and historic. Almost 40,000 people call Hilton Head their year round home. At the vacation season’s peak over 275,000 make Hilton Head Island their seasonal home.

Hilton Head Plantation — 4,000 acres of residential community. Within this gated community you’ll find four outstanding golf courses, tennis, boating, biking and walking trails, all just a outside your door.

Indigo Run — A private community in the heart of Hilton Head Island centered on an outstanding golf course and practice facility designed by Jack Nicklaus and his son.

Leamington — Quiet, private oceanfront community with a beachfront pavilion and waterfront recreation center. The location of the award-winning Arthur Hills Golf Course and the Island’s first lighthouse.

Long Cove — A community of elegant single-family homes set amongst the natural lowcountry beauty of Hilton Head Island.

Lowcountry — It’s one word here. The South Carolina lowcountry is the southern and coastal region of the state. All of Beaufort County and Hilton Head Island are considered lowcountry. Lowcountry also means a style of design, a cuisine, and an overall lifestyle. Yes, it’s Southern living, but with a touch of the Caribbean. Most find it refined and relaxed.

MLS Listing — The Multiple Listing Service is one of the prime real estate tools, the first stop for many home shoppers. MLS lists individual properties and provides extensive details. MLS was once only used and accessed by real estate professionals, but now in the Internet age anyone can access the basic MLS features, often through sites like the Dunes Marketing Group’s that provide additional features and services. [link: property listings]

Moss Creek — Known as “Mother Nature’s hole in one.” This beautiful and private community is just minutes from Hilton Head Island and includes two members only Tom Fazio golf courses, tennis, biking and hiking trails, nature preserves, and a deep water marina.

Oceanside — On Hilton Head Island you can have a waterfront home, but “oceanside” refers to homes with views to the South East. Properties at the northern end of the island are considered “sound side”, facing the Port Royal Sound. Properties on the South Western sided of the island are also sound side with views of the Calibogue Sound. Portions of the North Western island have views of the intracoastal waterways. All of the views are simply amazing.

Palmetto Dunes — Palmetto Dunes is an oceanfront resort on Hilton Head Island. Travel & Leisure, Forbes, Fodors, and many other publications list Palmetto Dunes as one of the top resorts for families, golf, and tennis in the United States. It covers 2,000 acres along three miles of the most stunning ocean beachfront, has three world-class golf courses, and an award-winning tennis center.

Palmetto Hall — Not all gated communities on Hilton Head Island are resorts. Palmetto Hall is a true community, a beautiful place to live or vacation. There’s golf, of course (in fact, two terrific courses).

Plantation — Elsewhere, a plantation would be a large and historic farm, forest, or estate. The Hilton Head Island Plantation uses the more informal sense of the word, meaning, a luxurious gated community along the oceanfront, Intracostal Waterway and Port Royal Sound.

Realtor — A real estate professional and a member of the National Association of Realtors. Your partner in finding your Hilton Head dream home from the Dunes Marketing Group.

Real Estate Listings — The “listings” are the public catalog of currently available properties that are for sale. These listings contain the basic information, but may not tell the whole story. For that, you’ll need to find a partner with the inside information. Homes that are not yet available for sale will not appear on this list, but your Dunes Marketing Group Realtor may know about them and other pending properties.

Resort  — A resort is a choice. Some talk of “last resorts.” But a resort can also be somewhere you choose to go. Both definitions fit many Hilton Head Island destinations: you can choose to go there, but it may also be the last one you ever visit (because you may never leave or look for any other resort, anywhere.)

Rose Hill Plantation — Just West of Hilton Head Island this two thousand acre plantation has room for not quite a thousand private homes, golf, fishing and boating, tennis, horses, and miles of riding and hiking trails.

Savannah — A beautiful and historic city in Georgia, largely untouched by the Civil War and only a short drive from Hilton Head Island.

Sea Pines — What do you call a 5,000-acre oceanfront retreat on Hilton Head Island, home of the PGA tournament, The Heritage, and world-class luxury? You call it home.

Shelter Cove — A Mediterranean-style village and host to the Island’s largest deep-water marina. A bustling yacht basin filled with charming shops, exciting restaurants and cafes, art galleries and very fashionable waterfront villas.

Shipyard Plantation — Eight hundred acres of gated resort. Beautiful homes, check. Golf, check. Tennis, check. Crown Plaza hotel, check. Private Beach Club, check. Yes, the Shipyard has it all.

Spanish Wells — A small tranquil spot drenched in history and natural beauty. Residents enjoy spectacular waterfront living on Hilton Head Island with views of the Intracoastal Waterway, Calibogue Sound and Broad Creek.

Sun City — Almost six thousand acres of retirement living. Restricted to residents fifty-five and older. Now you really have something to look forward to. Yes, there’s golf, too (two championship courses and an executive course).

Villa — If you lived in ancient Rome, you’d call a beautiful country home a Villa. It’s pretty much the same thing on Hilton Head Island, except here on Hilton Head Island when we say “villa,” we’re talking about condominiums.

Vacation Home — Not everyone can live year round in paradise. A vacation home on Hilton Head Island can be a retreat for annual trips and vacations, perhaps many times a year. Warning: many vacationers become permanent residents.

Vacation Property — On Hilton Head Island a vacation property can be a beachfront home, an Oceanside resort, a villa, condo, plantation, or estate.

Vacation Rental — A property that is available for short or long-term rental. Many properties are purchased as vacation homes and are rented when the owners are not in residence, turning a vacation home into an income-producing property.

Wexford — a resort that feels like a village, a quiet and genteel place to golf, play tennis, and set sail on your yacht.