Belfair: One community, two of the most highly rated courses in South Carolina

    There are hundreds of golf communities in the southeastern U.S. and, contrary to what my wife and friends think, I have not visited all of them.  Those I have, I have reviewed in this space.  I don't like to offer any quality judgments on hearsay, but real estate professionals I have met and trust are often convincing in their praise of a particular community.  Belfair, in Bluffton, SC, fits that category.
    Belfair's 1,100 acres are nestled between marshland and a branch of the Colleton River just seven miles from the bridge to Hilton Head Island and a few miles from the charming little town of Beaufort and the charming big town of Savannah.  The community's own charms are obvious upon the drive under a ceiling of live oak branches along the half-mile entrance, the eponymous Avenue of Oaks.
    Home sites in Belfair start as low as $70,000, and a few with views of one of the community's two Tom Fazio golf courses are currently listed under $100,000.  In general, home prices start around $500,000.  Services in the area are excellent thanks to significant development on Hilton Head and just off the island in the past two decades.  Belfair, which offers the range of amenities you would expect, such as pools, tennis, fitness centers and fishing, combines the feeling of remoteness with the accessibility to Savannah, one of the most popular cities in the south.  And on returning from the occasional trip to Hilton Head for a day of beach or golf, you'll be thankful at Belfair that you don't have to hassle the annoying traffic to and from the island on a daily basis.
    The Fazio golf courses, called the East and West, are ranked in the top 40 of all layouts in the golf rich state of South Carolina.  Former PGA professional Jim Ferree runs a Learning Center at the site's 30-acre practice facility.  Initiation fees are $17,000 for the club with dues, homeowner fees and other charges running a little over $9,000 annually.  That is competitive with higher end golf communities in the southeast.
    The Wall Street Journal's MarketWatch interviewed husband and wife real estate agents who live and sell property in Belfair.  Of note is that although they are bullish on the community, they do indicate a few foreclosures that have tended to tamp down prices.  You can view the video tape here (you will have to sit through a few seconds of advertising).
    If you would like more info about Belfair or any of the communities in the Savannah, Hilton Head, Bluffton and Beaufort area, let me know and I will get on it for you.