Direct Air has announced airfares to Myrtle Beach from every destination they serve for just $140.00 total round trip. They call it “Family Ties” but we call it, “Hurry up and grab ahold of this deal right now before they sell them all!”

Family Ties avoids the airline nonsense we all hate but have learned to live with:

1. You don’t have to pick your travel dates now.

2. You don’t have to pick your traveling companions now.

3. In fact, you don’t even have to be the one who travels at all.

You can purchase up to twenty round-trip certificates which are valid from November 1, 2008 through October 31, 2009.  Choose your travel dates and travel buddies later.

Check out the details (including the fine print) here, or call them at 1-877-432-DIRECT (3473).

If you’re coming to Myrtle Beach to check out real estate deals, or check in on your real estate portfolio, this is the deal you’ve been waiting for.  For qualified buyers, Price & Company Realty might even cover some of your travel expenses. Ask for details!

Tropical Storm Hanna came ashore at about 3:30am Saturday, right over my house in Little River.  The winds were coming out of the northeast, then died down somewhat, and then half an hour later, began blowing from the opposite direction.

By 10am the sun was out and it was a beautiful day!

We on the Grand Strand are fortunate to have escaped any major damage. There were plenty of tree limbs down and some minor beach erosion, but no reports of significant damage to Myrtle Beach real estate.

The media coverage chased a lot of tourists away in fear, but many folks who were planning on arriving today simply delayed their arrival a day, and we expect normal traffic this week.

For those of you who own property here and live elsewhere, we know that it can be emotionally trying, wondering what’s really going on, and not knowing if your property suffered damage.  If we may be of service in this regard, please don’t hesitate to be in touch.

But just so there’s no question - Myrtle Beach is A-OK, and business is back to normal.

Now that the political conventions are over, there just isn’t much news out there to report. I know this because my mother-in-law (who lives 3,000 miles away in Vancouver, BC) called in a panic because Hurricane Hanna is apparently about to take all of South Carolina off the map.

When I lived in Atlanta during the mid-1990’s, and my not-yet wife was still living outside Los Angeles during the wildfires, I was quite sure that most of southern California was facing imminent incineration, based on what I was reading and hearing on the news.  She assured me that the wildfires were limited to a few specific areas and that in fact, few houses were in danger at all.  One of her good friends emailed her from Australia, because the news media there insisted that the entire state was doomed to perish!

These days, whenever a storm threatens, we can predict the phone calls (and the callers’ level of panic) with amazing accuracy.

In reality, Tropical Storm Hanna will likely be little more than a strong breeze and some much-needed rain.  Nevertheless, schools are closed today, and you can be sure that the national news media will run some story about a local grocery store running out of bread and milk.  But as I found out many years ago, the farther away you are from the news source, the more dramatic the news media portrays the situation.

Long-time residents of coastal areas keep a wary eye on the situation but most of us don’t panic.  My family has a hurricane supply box (which, in nine years, we’ve only opened once) and we brought in all our outdoor furniture.  My wife likens the situation today to the first snowfall of the winter up north… if you know what to expect, there is no reason to panic.  Many people welcome this excuse to stay inside, make hot chocolate and play board games!  Like the first big winter storm of the season, however, the news media overstates the threat in order to sell more newspapers and ad time on television.

Me?  I am going to head home early today, and play board games with my kids.  Nothing like a change in the weather to remind us what is really important in life!

“Myrtle Beach has so much affordable inventory in new and existing homes and condos that you’re likely to feel like a kid in a candy store.”

Thus begins Carole Jacobs’ write-up of Myrtle Beach in this month’s edition of Where to Retire magazine.

The article quotes our very own Chris Price discussing current trends in Myrtle Beach real estate, including what retirees from New Jersey and New York are finding here - and why they’re putting down roots immediately.

Pick up this month’s Where To Retire to see the whole thing. Carole’s article is entitled, “8 Popular Spots With Home Bargains Now.”

Once again, Broadway at the Beach has announced its list of merchants offering a discount to locals, effective today and running through May 24, 2009.  Merchants typically feature a 10% discount with valid local ID, but it’s always best to ask - sometimes you’ll get a bigger discount if you ask nicely!