Relocation - Relocation & Real Estate
Savannah is a popular relocation destination. Retirees come here, drawn by the weather, the availability of military benefits resources, the golf. Military discharges often opt to stay. Vacationers get hooked on what they see and come back year after year, finally pulling up stakes elsewhere and putting down roots here. And, in a phenomenon we probably couldn’t document but which we would vouch for after 20-plus years of anecdotal observation, people who are reared here return to live here, despite the appeals of better-paved career paths, larger cities, and lower humidity. See a Savannah girl marry a beau from college in the Northeast and then strike out for California? Sure. Give her a few years—she and that husband will be back here to raise their kids.
If you are looking to relocate yourself, you want an area that has shown up on relocation radar. It’s not that you are looking to follow the rest of the migrating herd—it’s just that when you look at an area with a tradition of welcoming in new populations, you find a relocation industry already in place. The banks are all going to have packets welcoming you to the community; everyone from the voter registration folks to the library is going to be versed in helping newcomers; and chances are your kid won’t be the only new face to turn up in class this year.
Overview
When you are starting out on a relocation quest, the first thing you want is information—lots of it. That’s what this chapter is all about, and we’ll refer you to the other chapters of this book that have details of particular information to newcomers (Education, Media, etc.), but for some other sources, consider these.
1. Savannah Area Chamber Of Commerce
City: Savannah, GA
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (912) 644-6400
Address: 101 East Bay St.
Description: The chamber can provide you with its standard relocation packet via mail and free of charge. No one ever accused a chamber of being excessively unbiased, but this is still a good starting point. Materials and references will largely be restricted to chamber members, but with a few exceptions that doesn’t lead to major omissions. Be sure to stress, when making your request by telephone, that you are looking for relocation info, not just tourist material, since the chamber’s Convention and Visitors Bureau handles tourism materials, too.
2. Savannah Morning News
City: Savannah, GA
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (912) 236-9511
Address: 1375 Chatham Pkwy.
Description: We wouldn’t even think of relocating to a town without reading the daily newspaper for a period of time. You could take out a mail subscription by calling the above number. The website offers essentially the full local news content of each day’s paper, and it’s free and available with no sign-up hassles. But with just the Web version, you miss the community flavor that goes with all the “other” stuff—wedding announcements, the neighborhood-oriented Closeup sections, and above all, the ads. Whichever form you choose, we recommend this information source as a reality check, since you can usually assume a daily newspaper wasn’t put together with any thought of luring in visitors or new residents.
3. Barroll And Barroll Realty Company
City: Savannah, GA
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (912) 235-5665
Address: 101 West Liberty St.
Description: Since returning to Savannah from Philadelphia in 1981, Margery and Larry Barroll have formed a family real-estate business that includes their two sons. Together the husband-and-wife team has been in the real-estate business since 1975. Although the Barrolls live in Ardsley Park and, in fact, have purchased many homes there themselves, they don’t limit their business to that area—but it is one of their areas of expertise. Their listings are throughout Savannah and include Tybee.
4. Celia Dunn Realty Company
City: Savannah, GA
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (912) 234-3323
Description: Celia Dunn has been selling real estate in the Historic Downtown for more than 20 years. In fact, her offices take up the bottom floor of a beautifully restored three-story home overlooking Madison Square. Besides specializing in the historic area, she and her agents sell in several other areas of Savannah, including Ardsley Park, Habersham Woods, Tybee, and Thunderbolt, and branched out into neighboring areas of South Carolina. The firm is associated with Sotheby’s International Realty.
5. Coldwell Banker Platinum Partners
City: Savannah, GA
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (912) 352-1222
Address: 6349 Abercorn St.
Description: This high-volume real estate firm is owned by Connie Farmer Ray. It handles property of all types in the Coastal Empire and neighboring South Carolina. The firm has six offices (that’s the main address listed here) and more than 150 agents. It’s hard to point to a neighborhood or price point specialty—these folks are everywhere in the residential market.
6. Cora Bett Thomas Realty
City: Savannah, GA
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (912) 233-6000
Address: 24 East Oglethorpe Ave.
Description: Cora Bett Thomas Realty is a deluxe, high-powered real estate firm. This office specializes in prestige and historic properties, and the clientele includes discreetly unconfirmed celebrities. Thomas is affiliated with the real-estate arm of Christies Great Estates, of British fame, for the marketing of unusual and high-end properties. The firm specializes in upscale properties, including new condo developments in the Historic District and on the waterfront. It has also expanded into planned developments in neighboring South Carolina.
7. David Byck Realty Company
City: Savannah, GA
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (912) 233-1276, ext. 76
Address: 13 East York St.
Description: Commercial and residential sales and property management are what this 25-plus-year-old company concentrates on. Although its commercial and residential departments often specialize in the Historic Downtown, its rental apartments and homes are located throughout the city, including the Southside. The company’s commercial department is affiliated with a national network specializing in commercial and industrial leasing. They also work with a national relocation group with more than 900 agents throughout the country. According to owner David Byck, who has been selling real estate for more than 40 years, the company’s agents strive to meet all the needs of someone relocating to Savannah, whether the person requires rental property or wants to buy a home.
8. Judy Nease Realty
City: Savannah, GA
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (912) 354-9966
Address: 924 Wilmington Island Rd.
Description: Judy Nease’s specialty is her own backyard: She has called Savannah’s eastern islands home for more than 30 years. This is also where she sells the majority of her real estate. Nease has been in the business since 1978 and started her own company around the beginning of 1996. There are seven agents in the office, all of whom have been selling real estate for many years and have built up their own areas of expertise. The company also offers relocation services for people moving to the area.
9. Keller Williams
City: Savannah, GA
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (912) 232-8580
Address: 329 Commercial Dr.
Description: This busy Savannah real estate company handles property from marshfront lots to historic homes. Located in a central part of the city, the company was founded in 1983 in Savannah and has increased in popularity, Realtors, and properties through the years.
10. Konter Realty
City: Savannah, GA
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (912) 354-9314
Address: 22 Commerce Place
Description: Konter Realty is one of Savannah’s largest real estate companies, with 30 to 50 agents selling throughout the city and surrounding counties. It is also one of the oldest. The husband-and-wife team of the late Lawrence and Harriet Konter founded the company in 1971 in a small, two-room office in the Historic Downtown. There are six individual divisions under the corporate umbrella of Konter Realty, including real estate, construction, and property management. The company also manages more than 500 residential units, along with 600,000 square feet of commercial/office space. Konter builds between 50 and 60 homes each year and is also involved in light commercial development including apartments, offices, and retail buildings.
11. The Landings Company
City: Savannah, GA
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (912) 598-0500, (800) 841-7011
Address: 1 Landings Way
Description: This real estate company is part of the Landings on Skidaway Island—Savannah’s largest development and one of its most exclusive. Up to 20 agents are in the office, which, of course, specializes in selling homes, lots, and condos at the Landings. But you’ll find their other listings all over town, too.
12. Mopper-Stapen Realtors
City: Savannah, GA
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (912) 238-0874
Address: 31 West Congress St.
Description: Mopper-Stapen has been in downtown Savannah for over 20 years. During this time, the company has been involved with many properties requiring renovation—sometimes entire neighborhoods with dozens of vacant houses. Besides specializing in historic properties, the company also concentrates on commercial real estate and property management.
13. The Prudential Southeast
City: Savannah, GA
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (912) 355-4171
Address: 1 Diamond Causeway
Description: There are 28 agents in this office, which is the only Prudential affiliate in Savannah. Reva and Bob Laramy started the company in 1982 and offer many services, including relocation, property management, short- and long-term rentals, and commercial sales. The company sells real estate throughout the city from West Chatham to the Southside. However, one of their main areas of expertise is the Landings on Skidaway Island.
14. Re/Max Professionals
City: Savannah, GA
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (912) 897-1955
Address: 6813 Johnny Mercer Blvd.
Description: RE/MAX Professionals has 10 agents specializing in Wilmington, Tybee, and other islands. Owner Lynda Werntz has been in real estate since 1978. The office is one of three RE/MAX offices in Savannah, each with its own area of expertise and services.
15. Shore, Bell & Seyles Realty
City: Savannah, GA
Category: Relocation
Telephone: (912) 356-1653
Address: 401 Mall Blvd., Suite 102B
Description: Relocation is the specialty of Shore, Bell & Seyles Realty. As part of their relocation efforts, owners Carey Shore, Nick Bell, and Charles Seyles, who each have more than 30 years of real-estate experience, will send you a relocation packet, give you a tour of Savannah, and even pick you up at the airport if you need a lift. They handle individual and corporate moves involving several employees. The company’s main areas of concentration are Dutch Island and Long Point, two high-end island developments with properties ranging in price from $200,000 to $750,000.