August 3rd Mortgage Minute

Posted in News You Can Use on Aug 03, 2011

August 3rd Mortgage Minute

Wilmington, NC: A Pictorial History

Posted in News You Can Use, Wilmington NC Real Estate on Feb 21, 2011

Wilmington, NC: A Pictorial History

I will be the first to admit that I was born and raised in Wilmington, NC. My childhood is filled with memories of walking down Front Street and watching it change as I grew up. I remember when the Ice House downtown was closed and torn down much to my dismay at losing a popular nightspot and history focal point. I have seen photographs taken by my grandfather when he worked as a photographer, both freelance and for the local paper, as a young man. Seeing the city through his eyes has always been a joy, much like seeing my mother's photographs of the city fr...

Buying Verses Renting Debate

Posted in News You Can Use on Feb 01, 2011

On January 24, 2011 The Huffington Post ran an article entitled “Buying A Home Cheaper In Nearly Three Quarters Of Big U.S. Cities: Trulia” where they discussed whether or not renting is still cheaper than buying in the US. Obviously according to the title, it is not. As an avid renter myself, I decided to see if this was true in Wilmington, NC.

Life on the Cape Fear Coast

Posted in News You Can Use on Jan 18, 2011

Answering the question "Why live in Wilmington, NC?"

Insurance increases for non-owner occupied property

Posted in News You Can Use on Jan 11, 2011

On January 4, 2011 the North Carolina Department of Insurance issued a release stating that property insurance companies have asked for a 20.9% rate hike state wide for 2011.

Going Green Without Turning Green

Posted in Buyer Tips, News You Can Use, Seller Tips on Dec 21, 2010

Ever feel like you are overwhelmed by all the “green” products being shoved in your face? Or worse, feel a case of “green fatigue” coming on, forcing you to tune out all the information? I rarely pay attention anymore to “green” hype, suffering from my own self-induced permanent case of “green fatigue.” However, I recently came across a website that let me calculate my carbon footprint. Since I don’t pay the bills in my house and don’t know how many miles each car gets to the gallon or is driven per year, it was mostly guesstimation on my part but I am right there around the national average. OK, a little above it really, but can I help the fact I work a good 20 minutes from home or that a summer with 100% humidity and 90 degree days equals a constant need for AC?

NCAR's 10 Things You Should Know About Today's North Carolina Real Estate Markets

Posted in News You Can Use on Oct 04, 2009

1-THERE’S NO SUCH THING AS A NATIONAL REAL ESTATE MARKET. If you read the newspapers, it’s easy to get the idea that real estate markets are the same everywhere. If conditions are bad in Orlando or Los Angeles or Chicago, they must be bad every­where, right? Wrong. All real estate is local. When you’re looking to buy or sell, pay attention first to sales price trends, volume and inventory in your target market or region, rather than to misleading headlines about national sales trends.

2-NORTH CAROLINA HOME VALUES ARE STABLE. In 2007, the average sales price of a North Carolina home grew by 4 p...

U.S. new home sales rise sharply in June

Posted in News You Can Use on Jul 27, 2009

Sales of new single-family homes in the United States rose more than expected in June, while the inventory of homes for sale fell to a more than 11-year low, government data showed on Monday.

Rise in sales points to U.S. housing bottom

Posted in Market Reports, News You Can Use on Apr 15, 2009

The national housing market continues to rebound. Wilmington, NC continues to mirror these trends, but has the additional benefit of being a place where so many people want to relocate.