And it is often overlooked (and looked down upon) by long-time PHX residentsBut once again, I am not giving advice just observing with a seasoned eye....see what others think....

After initial discussions, observe how quickly they respond to follow-up emails.

First, its best to identify a strategy, choose a market that aligns with it, and establish your Core 4.The main challenge I observed is that individuals often lack a clear end goal or strategy, or they select a market that doesn't align with it. 

Being from Beaufort as well, I completely agree with your observations about the challenges here.

Pros/cons each way, it's not expected in my industry that we niche down that far so it's not an "either/or" question I personally have to answer, the above observations are just from working with both groups. 

He asked if he could go with me and “observe”.  

From what I have observed, often claims of big appreciation are related to LISTINGS and not SALES, and cashflow claims may be one-off outliers vs averages.3. 

This is my observation, I may be wrong and would appreciate corrections.

I didn't conduct a deep dive in to the neighborhood comps but this initial observation points to a pricing issue.

Are you just looking for permit ready plans, custom design, and/or full services that include construction observation?