Page 148 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2019

REAL PEOPLE of real estate
BILOXI-OCEAN SPRINGS
ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS
SAYS IT’S TIME TO BUY story by Lynn Lofton photo courtesy of Biloxi-Ocean Springs Association of Realtors
Made up of 221 members, the Biloxi- Ocean Springs Association of Realtors (BOSAR) was organized in 1925 and was chartered the following year. In 1962 it was chartered by the National Association of Realtors.
The members are seeing a thriving market at this time as expressed
by President Darin King with Exit Shoreline Realty in Ocean Springs. “It’s pretty much a sellers market,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot of movement with medium price homes in the $100,000-$175,000 range, plus a lot of new construction.”
He lists some of the hot spots
as Woolmarket, Ocean Springs, D’Iberville and St. Martin. “Anything north of the interstate is good and definitely Ocean Springs — downtown if you can get it. Gulf Park, Ocean Springs Estates and St. Andrews
are good locations too. There are
little neighborhoods springing up
in D’Iberville and St. Martin and
the commercial market is good in Moss Point as we see car dealerships opening there.”
The push for tourism and vacation rentals near the beach is forcing more
homeowners to locate farther north, King feels.
The trend to buy older homes, repair them and flip them is increasing, according to King. “That’s picked up over the past year and made the market slim pickings for those houses,” he said. “Another trend we’re seeing is that smaller developers start a project and larger builders — sometimes national chains — buy them and finish them.”
The word is that there’s an adequate inventory of homes and
it’s a good time to buy. “The season
is starting earlier and we didn’t see
as much of a slow down during the holidays as usual,” King says. “There are enough houses for everyone, partly due to the new construction. We’re also seeing more interest in people wanting to become a realtor, which is a good sign.”
In this year’s session of the state legislature, BOSAR members are pleased that House Bill 366 passed.
This new law is the Mississippi Broadband Enabling Act that will bring internet service to rural areas.
Darin King, president of the Biloxi- Ocean Springs Association of Realtors
148 SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living • March 2019
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Biloxi-Ocean Springs Association of Realtors 228.875.0779 www.bosar.org