Who better than to kick-off the opening of the first and only rock-n-roll theme park than the one and only rock-n-roll band the Eagles?
"The Eagles are just a total class act," said Jon Binkowski, Hard Rock Park Chief Creative Officer.
Binkowski helped create Hard Rock Park, where 50 rides will cover more than 50 acres, and a pavilion will hold 7,000 fans June 2nd, waiting for the Eagles to take the stage.
Perhaps what may excite music lovers more than the Eagles performing in Horry County are the future bands to come.
"Music from different ages, different styles, I mean, that's what Hard Rock Park is all about," said Binkowski.
"It's like a little something for everybody."
Anticipation grows as construction crews work to make a little city come to life. Binkowski says first will be a soft opening -- aka -- dress rehearsal, and then a public opening, and then a grand opening because it's time to have a party!
A music party that will last day after day.
Hard Rock Park opens to the public May 9th. The two day grand opening extravaganza starts June 2nd with the Eagles concert. The Moody Blues play June 3rd. There will also be a celebrity golf tournament with big name musicians.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Friday, February 29, 2008
builders are seeing greater traffic of prospective
“While home builders are reporting some glimmers of buyer interest starting to develop, many consumers are still firmly planted on the fence, waiting for just the right incentive to make their move,” said Sandy Dunn, president of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and a home builder from Point Pleasant, West Virginia. “Clearly, now would be an ideal time for Congress to follow up on its recently enacted economic stimulus program by passing legislation such as a home buyer tax credit that would help push those who are on the edge of a home buying decision off that fence and into the home of their dreams. Such action would reduce the inventory of units on the market and help restore housing to its historic role as a primary engine of economic growth.”
“Our latest surveys reveal that builders are seeing greater traffic of prospective buyers through their model homes than in previous months, yet this has yet to translate to any improvement in actual sales activity,” noted NAHB Chief Economist David Seiders. “It stands to reason that policy measures to stimulate housing demand could be a powerful force and help bring about a housing and economic recovery.”
Three out of four regions posted lower new-home sales in January, with a 10.3% decline reported in the Northeast, a 7.6% decline reported in the Midwest and a 2.4% decline reported in the South. The West posted a 2.2% gain for the month, following a large decline in December.
While the inventory of new homes for sale was down 2.2% to 482,000 units in January, the supply of units at the current sales pace edged up to 9.9 months, its highest level since April of 1982.
The median length of time that completed homes were on the market was 6.7 months in January, up from 6.2 months in December and 4.8 months a year earlier.
“Our latest surveys reveal that builders are seeing greater traffic of prospective buyers through their model homes than in previous months, yet this has yet to translate to any improvement in actual sales activity,” noted NAHB Chief Economist David Seiders. “It stands to reason that policy measures to stimulate housing demand could be a powerful force and help bring about a housing and economic recovery.”
Three out of four regions posted lower new-home sales in January, with a 10.3% decline reported in the Northeast, a 7.6% decline reported in the Midwest and a 2.4% decline reported in the South. The West posted a 2.2% gain for the month, following a large decline in December.
While the inventory of new homes for sale was down 2.2% to 482,000 units in January, the supply of units at the current sales pace edged up to 9.9 months, its highest level since April of 1982.
The median length of time that completed homes were on the market was 6.7 months in January, up from 6.2 months in December and 4.8 months a year earlier.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Fed will cut rates again at its next meeting on March 18?
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned Congress that the nation is in for a period of sluggish business growth and sent a fresh signal Wednesday that interest rates will again be lowered to steady the teetering economy.
"The economic situation has become distinctly less favorable" since the summer, the Fed chief told the House Financial Services Committee.
Since Bernanke's last such comprehensive assessment last summer, the housing slump has worsened, credit problems have intensified and the job market has deteriorated. Bernanke said that the confluence of these factors has turned people and businesses alike toward a more cautious attitude toward spending and investment. This, he said, has further weakened the economy.
Incoming barometers continue to "suggest sluggish economic activity in the near term," Bernanke told lawmakers. At the same time, he added, the Fed must keep a close eye on inflation given the recent run-up in energy and other prices paid by consumers and businesses.
Were energy prices to continue to rise at a sharp clip -- which the Fed doesn't anticipate -- it would "create a very difficult problem" for the economy. It would spread inflation and would put another damper on growth, Bernanke said. If that happened, he added, it would be a "very tough situation."
For now though, the No. 1 battle is shoring up the economy.
Bernanke pledged anew to slice a key interest rate to help the wobbly economy, which many fear is on the verge of a recession -- or possibly has already toppled into one.
The Fed "will act in a timely manner as needed to support growth and to provide adequate insurance against downside risks," Bernanke said, hewing closely to assurances he offered earlier this month.
The central bank, which started lowering a key interest rate in September, has recently turned much more aggressive. Over the span of just eight days in January, it slashed rates by 1.25 percentage points -- the biggest one-month reduction in a quarter century. Economists and Wall Street investors predict the Fed will cut rates again at its next meeting on March 18.
There are dangers that the economy will weaken even further. "The risks include the possibilities that the housing market or labor market may deteriorate more than is currently anticipated and that credit conditions may tighten substantially further," Bernanke cautioned.
As Bernanke began his first day of back-to-back appearances on Capitol Hill to discuss the economy, there was more bad news on the housing and manufacturing fronts.
-- Sales of new homes fell in January for a third straight month, pushing activity down to the slowest pace in nearly 13 years, the Commerce Department reported. The median price of a new home dropped to the lowest level in more than three years.
-- And, orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods dropped in January by the largest amount in five months.
On Wall Street, stocks fluctuated at first, then moved higher after the release of Bernanke's prepared comments.
The Fed chief was hopeful that previous rate reductions along with a $168 billion stimulus package of tax rebates for people and tax breaks for business will energize the economy in the second half of this year.
Bernanke has come under some criticism for not acting sooner in cutting rates to respond to the economy's problems. However, Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., offered the Fed chief some sympathy. "There is perhaps no other public figure in American who has been subjected to as much Monday morning quarterbacking as you have over the past six months," Bachus said.
The panel's chairman, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., suggested that the economy is not suffering through a garden-variety slowdown.
"I don't want to appeal to you to use the word recession, because I'm not going to be responsible for the nervous people at the stock market who overreact when you twitch your nose," Frank told Bernanke. "But the problems we now have are different."
Even as the Fed tries to shore up the economy, it must remain mindful of inflation pressures, Bernanke said.
Record high oil prices -- topping $100 a barrel -- are pushing consumer prices upward. That's shrinking paychecks, and with people feeling less well off because the values of their homes have dropped, consumer spending "slowed significantly" toward the end of the year, the Fed chief said.
The Fed forecasts that inflation will moderate this year compared with last year. But the Fed's recently revised inflation projection of an increase between 2.1 percent and 2.4 percent is higher than its old forecast from the fall.
Bernanke said there are "slightly greater upside risks" that inflation could turn out to be higher than the Fed currently anticipates, given the recent run-up in energy and food prices.
"Should high rates of overall inflation persist, the possibility also exists that inflation expectations could become less well anchored," Bernanke warned. If people, companies and investors think inflation will move higher, they will act in ways that could turn inflation even worse, a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. And Bernanke said that could complicate the Fed's job of trying to nurture economic growth while also keeping inflation under control.
With the economy slowing and prices rising, fears are growing that the country could be headed for a bout of stagflation, a dangerous economic brew not seen since the 1970s.
The Fed for now is focused on bolstering the economy through interest rate reductions. To combat inflation, the Fed would raise rates.
At some point over the course of this year, the Fed will need to "assess whether the stance of monetary policy is properly calibrated" to foster the Fed's objectives of price stability "in an environment of downside risks to growth," Bernanke said.
With home foreclosures at record highs, the Fed has proposed rules to crack down on a range of shady lending practices that has burned many of the nation's riskiest "subprime" borrowers -- those with spotty credit or low incomes -- who have been hardest hit by the housing and credit debacles. The rules also would curtail misleading ads for many types of mortgages and bolster financial disclosures to borrowers.
The effectiveness of the regulations will depend on strong enforcement, Bernanke said. To that end, the Fed is working with other federal and state regulators.
Bernanke said consumers need to be financially savvy -- understanding mortgages, credit cards and other financial products.
"Well they certainly need to know the interest rate and how it varies over time and what that means to them in terms of payments," Bernanke said.
"The economic situation has become distinctly less favorable" since the summer, the Fed chief told the House Financial Services Committee.
Since Bernanke's last such comprehensive assessment last summer, the housing slump has worsened, credit problems have intensified and the job market has deteriorated. Bernanke said that the confluence of these factors has turned people and businesses alike toward a more cautious attitude toward spending and investment. This, he said, has further weakened the economy.
Incoming barometers continue to "suggest sluggish economic activity in the near term," Bernanke told lawmakers. At the same time, he added, the Fed must keep a close eye on inflation given the recent run-up in energy and other prices paid by consumers and businesses.
Were energy prices to continue to rise at a sharp clip -- which the Fed doesn't anticipate -- it would "create a very difficult problem" for the economy. It would spread inflation and would put another damper on growth, Bernanke said. If that happened, he added, it would be a "very tough situation."
For now though, the No. 1 battle is shoring up the economy.
Bernanke pledged anew to slice a key interest rate to help the wobbly economy, which many fear is on the verge of a recession -- or possibly has already toppled into one.
The Fed "will act in a timely manner as needed to support growth and to provide adequate insurance against downside risks," Bernanke said, hewing closely to assurances he offered earlier this month.
The central bank, which started lowering a key interest rate in September, has recently turned much more aggressive. Over the span of just eight days in January, it slashed rates by 1.25 percentage points -- the biggest one-month reduction in a quarter century. Economists and Wall Street investors predict the Fed will cut rates again at its next meeting on March 18.
There are dangers that the economy will weaken even further. "The risks include the possibilities that the housing market or labor market may deteriorate more than is currently anticipated and that credit conditions may tighten substantially further," Bernanke cautioned.
As Bernanke began his first day of back-to-back appearances on Capitol Hill to discuss the economy, there was more bad news on the housing and manufacturing fronts.
-- Sales of new homes fell in January for a third straight month, pushing activity down to the slowest pace in nearly 13 years, the Commerce Department reported. The median price of a new home dropped to the lowest level in more than three years.
-- And, orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods dropped in January by the largest amount in five months.
On Wall Street, stocks fluctuated at first, then moved higher after the release of Bernanke's prepared comments.
The Fed chief was hopeful that previous rate reductions along with a $168 billion stimulus package of tax rebates for people and tax breaks for business will energize the economy in the second half of this year.
Bernanke has come under some criticism for not acting sooner in cutting rates to respond to the economy's problems. However, Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., offered the Fed chief some sympathy. "There is perhaps no other public figure in American who has been subjected to as much Monday morning quarterbacking as you have over the past six months," Bachus said.
The panel's chairman, Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., suggested that the economy is not suffering through a garden-variety slowdown.
"I don't want to appeal to you to use the word recession, because I'm not going to be responsible for the nervous people at the stock market who overreact when you twitch your nose," Frank told Bernanke. "But the problems we now have are different."
Even as the Fed tries to shore up the economy, it must remain mindful of inflation pressures, Bernanke said.
Record high oil prices -- topping $100 a barrel -- are pushing consumer prices upward. That's shrinking paychecks, and with people feeling less well off because the values of their homes have dropped, consumer spending "slowed significantly" toward the end of the year, the Fed chief said.
The Fed forecasts that inflation will moderate this year compared with last year. But the Fed's recently revised inflation projection of an increase between 2.1 percent and 2.4 percent is higher than its old forecast from the fall.
Bernanke said there are "slightly greater upside risks" that inflation could turn out to be higher than the Fed currently anticipates, given the recent run-up in energy and food prices.
"Should high rates of overall inflation persist, the possibility also exists that inflation expectations could become less well anchored," Bernanke warned. If people, companies and investors think inflation will move higher, they will act in ways that could turn inflation even worse, a sort of self-fulfilling prophecy. And Bernanke said that could complicate the Fed's job of trying to nurture economic growth while also keeping inflation under control.
With the economy slowing and prices rising, fears are growing that the country could be headed for a bout of stagflation, a dangerous economic brew not seen since the 1970s.
The Fed for now is focused on bolstering the economy through interest rate reductions. To combat inflation, the Fed would raise rates.
At some point over the course of this year, the Fed will need to "assess whether the stance of monetary policy is properly calibrated" to foster the Fed's objectives of price stability "in an environment of downside risks to growth," Bernanke said.
With home foreclosures at record highs, the Fed has proposed rules to crack down on a range of shady lending practices that has burned many of the nation's riskiest "subprime" borrowers -- those with spotty credit or low incomes -- who have been hardest hit by the housing and credit debacles. The rules also would curtail misleading ads for many types of mortgages and bolster financial disclosures to borrowers.
The effectiveness of the regulations will depend on strong enforcement, Bernanke said. To that end, the Fed is working with other federal and state regulators.
Bernanke said consumers need to be financially savvy -- understanding mortgages, credit cards and other financial products.
"Well they certainly need to know the interest rate and how it varies over time and what that means to them in terms of payments," Bernanke said.
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
10 Ways to Be More Energy Efficient - and Green - in 2008
Here are the Alliance to Save Energy’s Top 10 Ways to be More Energy Efficient and Green in 2008:
10) Remember when your mom would ask, “Do you think we own stock in the electric company?!” Take her sage advice and turn off lights, computers, TVs, stereos, etc. when you are done using them.
9) Green means clean - air filters, that is. Clean or replace HVAC filters regularly, whether you have a central heating and/or cooling system or window air conditioners.
8) Don’t let “vampire energy use” - AKA “standby power” - suck your wallet dry. Instead, look for the ENERGY STAR label on electronics - TVs, VCRs, CD players, DVD players, cordless telephones, and more that continue to use less electricity in the “off” mode to keep display clocks lit and memory chips and remote controls working.
7) Keep on rolling - efficiently - down the highway. Keep your tires properly inflated to improve gas mileage by about 3.3%. You could save more than 20 gallons of gasoline per year, which amounts to about $60 per car annually and about $120 per typical two-vehicle U.S. household with gasoline at $3/gallon. Added benefits: Extended tire life and avoidance of more than 390 pounds of CO2 production per vehicle yearly.
6) “Show the love” to your car by keeping it in good working order. Fixing a car that is noticeably “out of tune” or has failed an emissions test can improve gas mileage by an average of 4%. That amounts to nearly 25 gallons of gasoline per year, or savings of about $80 per vehicle per year or about $160 per household. Added benefit: Savings of nearly 500 pounds of C02 per vehicle, or 1,000 pounds per household.
5) Generate light, not heat, with ENERGY STAR qualified lighting such as compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Energy-efficient lighting products use 3/4 less energy than standard incandescent lighting and last up to 10 times longer. So despite their higher up-front cost, they yield lifetime savings of up to $50 per bulb. Added benefit: CFLs generate 70% less heat than incandescents, so they don’t add to the summer heating load that your AC needs to cool down.
4) Don’t waste money and pollution by heating or cooling an empty house. When installed and properly programmed to follow your daily and weekly patterns, a programmable thermostat can cut heating and cooling costs by about 10% - enough, in most cases, to pay for the device within one season and then yield home energy savings of about $150 a year. Added benefit: When the thermostat “remembers for you” to adjust the temperature when no one is home, you come home to a comfortable house yet have not wasted money or polluted unnecessarily.
3) Reach for the stars - the ENERGY STARs, that is. ENERGY STAR qualified products can cut related electricity costs by up to 30%. More than 50 categories of products are now labeled with this government “seal of approval” for energy efficiency. In addition to electronics and lighting (see tip numbers 8 and 5), they also include appliances, HVAC systems, windows, and more (see www.energystar.gov for a complete rundown).
2) Don’t waste money and energy heating and cooling the great outdoors, either! Make sure you have the proper amount of insulation for your climate, and seal leaks around doors and windows to cut your heating and cooling bills by up to 20%. With home energy costs estimated at $2,200 for the average U.S. household in 2008, and just over half of that going for heating and cooling, those savings can amount to about $225. Added benefit: Eliminate drafts and hot and cold spots for greater indoor comfort.
1) Slow down and save! Each 5 miles per hour you drive over 60 mph costs you about 20 cents more per gallon of gasoline. And aggressive driving habits - speeding, rapid acceleration and braking - can lower gas mileage by a whopping 33% at highway speeds and 5% around town. But driving sensibly can save up to 200 gallons of gasoline per year at highway speeds, or about $600 per car and about $1,200 per household with gasoline prices at $3/gallon. Added benefit: Avoiding up to 4,000 pounds of CO2 per car/8,000 per household.
10) Remember when your mom would ask, “Do you think we own stock in the electric company?!” Take her sage advice and turn off lights, computers, TVs, stereos, etc. when you are done using them.
9) Green means clean - air filters, that is. Clean or replace HVAC filters regularly, whether you have a central heating and/or cooling system or window air conditioners.
8) Don’t let “vampire energy use” - AKA “standby power” - suck your wallet dry. Instead, look for the ENERGY STAR label on electronics - TVs, VCRs, CD players, DVD players, cordless telephones, and more that continue to use less electricity in the “off” mode to keep display clocks lit and memory chips and remote controls working.
7) Keep on rolling - efficiently - down the highway. Keep your tires properly inflated to improve gas mileage by about 3.3%. You could save more than 20 gallons of gasoline per year, which amounts to about $60 per car annually and about $120 per typical two-vehicle U.S. household with gasoline at $3/gallon. Added benefits: Extended tire life and avoidance of more than 390 pounds of CO2 production per vehicle yearly.
6) “Show the love” to your car by keeping it in good working order. Fixing a car that is noticeably “out of tune” or has failed an emissions test can improve gas mileage by an average of 4%. That amounts to nearly 25 gallons of gasoline per year, or savings of about $80 per vehicle per year or about $160 per household. Added benefit: Savings of nearly 500 pounds of C02 per vehicle, or 1,000 pounds per household.
5) Generate light, not heat, with ENERGY STAR qualified lighting such as compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs). Energy-efficient lighting products use 3/4 less energy than standard incandescent lighting and last up to 10 times longer. So despite their higher up-front cost, they yield lifetime savings of up to $50 per bulb. Added benefit: CFLs generate 70% less heat than incandescents, so they don’t add to the summer heating load that your AC needs to cool down.
4) Don’t waste money and pollution by heating or cooling an empty house. When installed and properly programmed to follow your daily and weekly patterns, a programmable thermostat can cut heating and cooling costs by about 10% - enough, in most cases, to pay for the device within one season and then yield home energy savings of about $150 a year. Added benefit: When the thermostat “remembers for you” to adjust the temperature when no one is home, you come home to a comfortable house yet have not wasted money or polluted unnecessarily.
3) Reach for the stars - the ENERGY STARs, that is. ENERGY STAR qualified products can cut related electricity costs by up to 30%. More than 50 categories of products are now labeled with this government “seal of approval” for energy efficiency. In addition to electronics and lighting (see tip numbers 8 and 5), they also include appliances, HVAC systems, windows, and more (see www.energystar.gov for a complete rundown).
2) Don’t waste money and energy heating and cooling the great outdoors, either! Make sure you have the proper amount of insulation for your climate, and seal leaks around doors and windows to cut your heating and cooling bills by up to 20%. With home energy costs estimated at $2,200 for the average U.S. household in 2008, and just over half of that going for heating and cooling, those savings can amount to about $225. Added benefit: Eliminate drafts and hot and cold spots for greater indoor comfort.
1) Slow down and save! Each 5 miles per hour you drive over 60 mph costs you about 20 cents more per gallon of gasoline. And aggressive driving habits - speeding, rapid acceleration and braking - can lower gas mileage by a whopping 33% at highway speeds and 5% around town. But driving sensibly can save up to 200 gallons of gasoline per year at highway speeds, or about $600 per car and about $1,200 per household with gasoline prices at $3/gallon. Added benefit: Avoiding up to 4,000 pounds of CO2 per car/8,000 per household.
Monday, February 25, 2008
4 million rounds of golf are played on Myrtle Beach area courses each year.
A new report shows that the number of people playing golf nationwide is flat or declining. That would be bad news for the Grand Strand. But local golf industry leaders remain optimistic about the future of the game.
A recent New York Times article quotes statistics that show the number of people playing golf nationwide has declined since 2000.
But the president of the Myrtle Beach Golf Course Owners Association isn't as concerned. He says he's seen numbers that show the number of golfers nationwide has actually gone up about 2 percent over the past five years and Myrtle Beach is in a good position to take advantage of that.
"We've held our own here, as well as anybody across the country," said George Hilliard of the MB Golf Course Owners Association.
Hilliard says we may see more Grand Strand golf courses go out of business, but that's mostly due to changes in property values.
Both men say the future is bright for golf in Myrtle Beach, but one key will be attracting young people to the game.
"We have our summer family golf tournaments," McCamish said. "We know that people are here during the summer months, primarily for the beach, but we ask them, don't forget your golf clubs."
McCamish says there should also be a greater focus on the importance of exercise, getting kids off the couch and onto the course.
About 4 million rounds of golf are played on Myrtle Beach area courses each year.
A recent New York Times article quotes statistics that show the number of people playing golf nationwide has declined since 2000.
But the president of the Myrtle Beach Golf Course Owners Association isn't as concerned. He says he's seen numbers that show the number of golfers nationwide has actually gone up about 2 percent over the past five years and Myrtle Beach is in a good position to take advantage of that.
"We've held our own here, as well as anybody across the country," said George Hilliard of the MB Golf Course Owners Association.
Hilliard says we may see more Grand Strand golf courses go out of business, but that's mostly due to changes in property values.
Both men say the future is bright for golf in Myrtle Beach, but one key will be attracting young people to the game.
"We have our summer family golf tournaments," McCamish said. "We know that people are here during the summer months, primarily for the beach, but we ask them, don't forget your golf clubs."
McCamish says there should also be a greater focus on the importance of exercise, getting kids off the couch and onto the course.
About 4 million rounds of golf are played on Myrtle Beach area courses each year.
Sunday, February 24, 2008
A savvy Realtor who understands today´s marketing needs
Things are changing in the real estate marketing world. But how is it changing and is the REALTOR you are about to select to sell your home really "up" on what it takes to get your home sold in today´s much rougher and internet based real estate selling environment?
If the REALTOR you are thinking of hiring is not up on things here are the things you will here during your real estate listing presentation.
Your home will be listed in the MLS
Lots of Open HousesYour home advertised in the newspaper real estate section
Real estate brokers open house
A savvy Realtor who understands today´s marketing needs will tell you
that more than 80% of home buyers spend 6 months or more researching real estate online before they even contact a REALTOR.
They also look at an average of 7 homes before they select the one they want to buy. (Statistics from the National Association of REALTORS)
Here are some additional things you will hear from an Internet savvy REALTOR:
Great Google placement for the REALTOR´s website which your home will be marketed on.
Full MLS search on the REALTOR´s website to ensure that there is always a high number of home buyers coming to that site to search for homes.
Featured placement of your home in places like REALTOR.com
Individual website with your homes address as the web address, containing a full virtual tour of your home.
In the changing world of real estate marketing, hire a REALTOR who is prepared for this new world. After all, if you are reading this posting, it means that you found it on the internet.
You probably even used a search engine such as Google, the same place where 80% of buyers begin their search for their next house.
www.843Realtor.com
If the REALTOR you are thinking of hiring is not up on things here are the things you will here during your real estate listing presentation.
Your home will be listed in the MLS
Lots of Open HousesYour home advertised in the newspaper real estate section
Real estate brokers open house
A savvy Realtor who understands today´s marketing needs will tell you
that more than 80% of home buyers spend 6 months or more researching real estate online before they even contact a REALTOR.
They also look at an average of 7 homes before they select the one they want to buy. (Statistics from the National Association of REALTORS)
Here are some additional things you will hear from an Internet savvy REALTOR:
Great Google placement for the REALTOR´s website which your home will be marketed on.
Full MLS search on the REALTOR´s website to ensure that there is always a high number of home buyers coming to that site to search for homes.
Featured placement of your home in places like REALTOR.com
Individual website with your homes address as the web address, containing a full virtual tour of your home.
In the changing world of real estate marketing, hire a REALTOR who is prepared for this new world. After all, if you are reading this posting, it means that you found it on the internet.
You probably even used a search engine such as Google, the same place where 80% of buyers begin their search for their next house.
www.843Realtor.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)