October storm got you down? Get up for a weekend of golf and real estate in Savannah

     November 1 is the annual signal to hundreds of thousands of “snowbirds” that it is time to close up their houses up north and head to warmer climes before ol’ man winter blows in.

        This year, they waited too long.

        A freak late October snowstorm has brought more trick than treat for those who waited. Could this finally be the tipping point for all those northerners beaten down by the weather?

        Okay, no one wants to overreact to one freak snowstorm, but we also have memories of last winter when we actually had to rake snow off our roof in Connecticut lest the melting snow refreeze at night and send streams of water through the seams in skylights and windows.  Some homeowners went so far as to take their snow blowers up on the roof. This is crazy, no?

        While we were digging out from this snowstorm in Connecticut,

friends in South Carolina were playing golf in sunshine and 60-degree temperatures.  That sure sounded good.  Now we understand that some consider it risky business to move to the Carolina or Georgia coast because of the chance of hurricane damage, but we recall that the remnants of Hurricane Irene just two months ago caused a loss of power throughout the northeast rivaled only by this latest storm.  And today 700,000 of us who were left in the dark (and cold) in Connecticut found out that our utility company, Connecticut Power & Light, hadn’t yet paid the out of state utilities that provided crews to help fix things in August.  Those providers aren’t exactly rushing in crews this time.  Who needs this?

        Long sad story short: It is warmer in the south, it is cheaper to live in the south, the chances of a storm that affects your home life seems more remote in the south -– in short, what are those of us who are ready to move to a golf community waiting for?

        If you need a bit more convincing, we have an idea: Join us for the first ever Home On The Course “discovery weekend” at The Landings, just 15 minutes from downtown Savannah, December 1 to 4.  The weekend includes golf, dinners, a tour of the 4,800-acre community and its six golf courses and, at your option, a personal visit to homes for sale that fit your requirements and price range. (The Landings features homes from the $300s to the millions.)  For more information, please click here.

        Note: The Landings and Savannah are about as close to hurricane proof as you can get on the eastern seaboard, with only one storm that included winds of more than 80 mph in the last 100 years.  As for snow, it is almost as rare.

Your editor and his wife lost a dozen trees in the freak October storm.  It is enough to make a couple want to move south, and quickly.