Welcoming Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Bay Street Realty Group alongside ERA Evergreen

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 5, 2019
CONTACT: Laura McCarthy, Director of Marketing & Communications
[email protected]


Dataw Island is pleased to announce our partnership with Berkshire Hathaway Home Services Bay Street Realty Group! BHHS Bay Street Realty Group will be joining the Joint Marketing Agreement as an equal partner alongside our valued longstanding partner, ERA Evergreen, beginning in March. The two teams will work cooperatively to promote Dataw Island, a private, lifestyle community in northern Beaufort County that features world-class golf, tennis, boating, and dining.

Dataw Marketing along with both Boards have been evaluating options for the Dataw Island Sales & Welcome Center and in the fall, Marketing reached out to all the qualified agencies with an RFP to invite conversation and begin the search for an outfit that would best serve the interests of Dataw Island owners.

“We received several proposals from area agencies who were all well-qualified,” said Dataw’s Marketing Director Laura McCarthy, “but the Berkshire Hathaway Home Services brand, combined with the dynamic marketing program and sophisticated lead management in place at BHHS Bay Street Realty Group really set them apart from the rest. Plus, their agents have a proven track record in successfully selling lifestyle communities, which was an absolute must for us during our review process.”

To facilitate the search process, McCarthy and General Manager Ted Bartlett formed a subcommittee comprised of themselves plus the Marketing Committee Co-Chairs and the Presidents and Vice Presidents of each board. The subcommittee was integral to the search, including defining key criteria (such as the ability to man the Sales Center with five qualified agents and the use of a suitable CRM) and in the entire process of proposal review, interviews, and contract review/negotiation.

BHHS Bay Street Realty Group is a relatively new name in town, although they comprise a team of seasoned real estate professionals deeply rooted in Beaufort and the surrounding Sea Islands. With two local offices, one on Sea Island Parkway on Harbor Island and the other in town on corner of Bay and Carteret streets, they are staffed by a team of experienced agents and seasoned leadership team with over 100 years combined experience in lifestyle-based community home sales and development experience, most notably on Fripp Island and Harbor Island (where they have consistently ranked #1 in sales), Pleasant Point, Cat Island, and Coosaw Point, as well as several communities south of the Broad and in Savannah.

In 2017, Bay Street Realty Group acquired Island Realty, and in 2018, Bay Street Realty Group affiliated with the second largest brokerage in the U.S., Berkshire Hathaway Home Services. With 1400 offices throughout the U.S. and Europe, BHHS has a tremendous referral network that they are actively working, visiting other affiliate offices in areas that are traditionally good feeder markets for Beaufort. They are also expanding regionally and are building relationships and referral networks with similar communities throughout the area.

GM Ted Bartlett added, “We were very impressed with the professionalism of BHHS Bay Street Realty Group and especially with their extensive marketing program which will include print ads, digital marketing, a newsletter, and a host of other tactics. Combining our efforts with theirs, along with ERA’s strong sales track record, we believe that Dataw Island will be positioned for success in what some are forecasting may be a couple of rocky years in real estate for our country. While we hope that is not the case, partnering with these two agencies should position us for the best possible outcome.”

The enthusiasm from BHHS Bay Street Realty Group is mutual, “Dataw Island is one of the finest, if not the finest, lifestyle communities in the Beaufort area, and really in all of the Lowcountry,” stated Ken Willis, Principal. “We are just thrilled for this opportunity to showcase Dataw Island to the rest of the world!”

Agent training will commence this month, with uptime at the Sales Center beginning duty in March. Please join us in welcoming our new partner to the Dataw Island team!

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Dataw Island is a gated golf, tennis and boating lifestyle community located fifteen minutes outside of historic downtown Beaufort. The island features two recently-renovated golf courses by designers Tom Fazio and Arthur Hills, a tennis center, a community center with workout and massage facilities, three restaurants world class croquet lawns, bocce, kayaking, and more. The community has also been ranked the number one best retirement destination in South Carolina by Best Retirement Destinations and is the recipient of the 2017 Bliss Award for “Happiest South Carolina Community” as well as the “2018 Club of the Year” (South Carolina Golf Association) and one of four private clubs named a USTA “Outstanding Tennis Facility.”

www.dataw.com