Sea Trail Plantation, the huge complex north of Myrtle Beach, will open a new section of townhomes in their Eastwood Bluff section June 29 - July 1. The amply sized Eastwood units, at 2,300 square feet and up, have a few interesting features, including three suites and location on the complex's Willard Byrd golf course.  Included in the developer's list of incentives is free initiation for Sea Trail's three golf courses (the other two were designed by Rees Jones and Dan Maples).  For more on the golf courses, click here for Sea Trail's web site.

   A little further south, Grande Dunes in Myrtle Beach has been pulling out the stops to showcase the high-end community.  With single-family homes beginning in the $800s, the developers are stressing the quality of the amenities in the community.  They recently hosted a tour of all the facilities that included stops at the 27,000 square-foot private Members Club, the Resort Club, beachfront Ocean Club, Tennis & Fitness Club, Grand Dunes' two golf courses and the 130-slip, full-service marina on the Intra-Coastal Waterway.  Twenty-five houses in the community's 13 neighborhoods were opened for inspection during the tour.

    We've played both the resort course and the private Members Club and prefer the older resort course, which provided more memorable holes and a better overall challenge.  Still, the two form a wonderful tandem for those with the capacity to live in Myrtle Beach's most exclusive community.

    Further south yet, a few miles below Georgetown, SC, Harmony Township is practicing something called "New Urbanism."  If you are looking to live within walking distance of a town center with shopping, restaurants, and services, Harmony is one of those communities worth checking. The area has been slow to take off, with strong competition from similar concepts in the Charleston area, like Daniel Island, which has two good golf courses, and I'on, but that could spell buying opportunity at Harmony if the concept appeals to you.  The large community along the river does not include a golf course but is within a half hour drive of some darn good ones in Pawleys Island.  Experience Harmony packages, including lodging in one of their cottages, is currently $79 for 3 days and 2 nights.  Of course, you will need to take the tour, but you can't beat the price.  For more info, go to HarmonyTownship.com.  And if you want to read a good short piece on New Urbanism, click here for an article at CarolinaLiving.com .

    We are hearing from real estate agents that homes at the top of the market are lingering longer on the MLS (multiple listing service) and fetching a smaller percentage of their asking prices than down-market homes. 

    Wilmington, NC, is one example of the phenomenon.  In April, homes in the Hampstead area just north of the city, in zip code 28443, took an average 133 days to sell at an average price of $369,000, 89% of the asking price.  In the Wilmington zip code of 28405, where homes were listed at an average $293,000, they sold in April in 73 days and at an impressive 98% of their asking price.

    With the stock market remaining strong, at least for now, there is not too much downward pressure on pricing for owners of higher end homes.  But a stock market correction could certainly change that.

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    Our friend Adam Ney is a leading exponent of green businesses and lifestyles in the state of Connecticut.  He maintains an interesting web site called Building Connecticut Green.  Last month Adam masterminded a clean-up of the road that runs alongside his town golf course, Wintonbury Hills in Bloomfield. 

    Wintonbury Hills is not your average muni; it was designed by Pete Dye for the princely sum of $1 as a favor to friends of his in town, and it is the equal -- in layout and condition -- of most local private courses.  Adam arranged for a few of his fellow club members to help pick up trash along the road, and then played the course.  This might be a day of fun and productivity you can organize at your own course, whether it is private or public.  For Adam's article, click here .