Of course, whenever you go to festivals, you have to drag along some friends. So, my significant other, sister, her friend, and I all piled into my sister’s car and went to the Greek Festival on Sunday. We parked in the Kmart parking lot and took the free shuttle, a Wilmington Trolley, to the church, which greatly excited my sister who has always wanted to ride on one.

Access to the event was only $3 (that gave visitors access all three days – Friday through Sunday) . As soon as I entered the fence, I could tell that the food was the main highlight of the event. There was a large tent filled with eating tables and surrounded by multiple food tents were setup in front of the church. There were Greek spirits, Greek Pizza (not entirely sure how “Greek” this is), shish-kebobs, pastitsio, moussaka, spanakopita, tiropita, dolmathes, souvlaki…feeling a little lost with the Greek food names? I was too, but I already knew what I was getting before I got there – gyros! Lamb gyros (yee-ros) are my favorite Greek food, so we grabbed some (a chicken gyro for the non-lamb eater) and some Greek fries. They were delicious!

As we ate, we listened to Greek music performed by the band, Lazaros, and watched a wonderful dancing troupe performing traditional Greek dances. When they were done, all the little kids in the tent jumped up and danced in front of the stage. They were having a ball and the parents were getting a nice break!

Afterwards, we perused the booths of Greek collectibles and jewelry, and took a little tour of the interior of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, which is beautifully decorated with murals of Christ and the Saints, large red and gold chandeliers, and stained glass windows. We stopped to listen to a speaker sharing a history of the Church and some beautiful hymns sung by some young people from St. Nicholas.

We missed the cooking demonstrations being held in the church and the pastries were basically all sold out when we arrived (mental note for next year – get there early!), but it was very enjoyable. Everyone had good things to say about it on the way home. I recommend visiting next year. You can keep an eye out for the announcements for next year’s festival at the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church Greek Festival website.

Just another GREAT reason to live in Wilmington!

Economic news continues it's roller coaster ride. The S&P 500 and the DOW ended last week on a low note and the continued turmoil in Greece has investors continuing to worry. All that news coupled with the JP Morgan saga here, kept investors heavily vested in bonds which is good news for interest rates. Our local market continues to show signs of improvement. Unemployment is obviously still a concern but the low interest rates will hopefully continue to help the housing market both locally and nationally.

The Existing Home Sales report is due Tuesday followed by the New Home Sales report on Wednesday. We'll certainly be keeping an eye on those numbers.

The Spring/Summer season is in full swing. If you're considering a move. NOW, is definitely the time to do it. If you'd like a NO OBLIGATION consultation about your plans, just give us a call, 910-202-2546.

Have a great week!

1. It cuts your work in half. When you choose an agent to represent you in the buying process, you look for someone with experience negotiating, knowledge of the local real estate market, connections with vendors, and a communication style fit for you. Before choosing an agent, you talk to friends and family, receive some referrals, and thoroughly interview those agents to see if they meet your needs. If you need to list your home for sale, you have to go through that whole process again…that is, if you choose not to use your current agent, but why go through all the trouble? You could choose one agent (or team) that has all the traits you require to buy a new home and sell your current one.
2. Using the same agent allows for efficient planning. When you sell one home to buy another, you have to coordinate multiple deadlines, including: two due diligence dates, inspections, appraisals, underwriting deadlines, money transfers, closings, etc. By using one agent, you eliminate the potential for communication errors. Your real estate agent will have a clearer understanding of your needs and can plan accordingly to prevent delays in your closings.
3. There could be some financial benefits for you…especially if you agree upfront to use the agent for both transactions. Small charges occur throughout the real estate process and knowing that they’ll be helping you with two transactions makes it easier for the agent to be more lenient. Such financial benefits are case-by-case, but they do occur.

When interviewing real estate agents, be sure to discuss with them what they offer in terms of helping you buy AND sell, and try to choose the most aggressive agent. If you’re planning to sell in the Wilmington area, Melanie would love to take a look at your home and discuss your options. She can send you a FREE Market Analysis and sit down with you to explain her marketing plan. Give her a call at 910.202.2546 or send her a message through our Contact page.

“Half of the failures in life come from pulling one's horse when he is leaping.”-Thomas Hood

Featured Home for Sale

200 Inland Greens Circle, Inland Greens

This week’s featured listing is a well-maintained townhome on a golf course lot. It has great views and the community takes care of pest control and yard maintenance. This is definitely a property to check out if you’re interested in low-maintenance living.

Welcome home to Inland Greens! Enjoy the great location, in the heart of Wilmington, close to Wrightsville Beach, Mayfaire shopping and restaurants, and I-40. This open floor plan boasts 2 bedrooms and 2 baths, a home office, and tiled sunroom that overlooks the future golf course. The bright entry way with ceramic tile, leads to the kitchen, which includes all appliances and looks into the large living area with vaulted ceilings and skylights. The fenced in patio and covered porch is on an end unit that provides plenty of privacy, while the 2 car garage comes complete with a freezer. Inland Greens community comes complete with salt water swimming pool, tennis courts and storage area for your RV or Boat! Don't miss out.

Visit the listing page for a full description and more pictures – 200 Inland Greens.
View other homes for sale in Inland Greens.

Listing Info Courtesy of The Chris Baynes Team, Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage

In Case You Missed It

If you’re in Wilmington and noticed an increase in traffic last week, you may have wondered what was going on. Friday and Saturday were the graduations for the University of North Carolina – Wilmington. The university awarded 1,826 undergraduate degrees, 242 masters degrees and 6 doctoral degrees. So, traffic up and down College Road, and on adjoining streets became a bit of challenge as students, family, and friends attended ceremonies.

This past weekend was the first ever Battleship Splash, a dock diving competition for dogs held in Battleship Park. Over 60 pets and owners showed up to Battleship Splash to see which pups could jump the highest and furthest, and swim the fastest. This is a quickly growing sport in the U.S. and this particular event was organized by Jay Harris of Carolina DockDogs. All money made from the event went to dog charities.

On Tuesday, May 15, the development team of Flywheel, LLC and the Trask Land Company, Inc presented to Wilmington City Council a public and private financing proposal for a potential baseball stadium that would be built in Wilmington and be home to a minor league baseball team owned by the Atlanta Braves and managed by Mandalay Baseball Properties. The proposal projected a $33-36 million cost for building the stadium with the Atlanta Braves and Mandalay paying 1/3 of the debt. Flywheel and Trask would take out a 30 year loan to pay for the stadium with the city and Mandalay expected to pay on it. The development group would be fully responsible for the loan and be required to pay taxes on the land, which would be revenue for New Hanover County. After 30 years, ownership of the stadium would default to the city. The location of the stadium has not been announced and the council had little to say after the presentation, but National Sports Services, a third-party consulting company, is due to review the proposal and give their opinion on its viability for the city. Read more about the proposal at StarNews or WWAY 3.

Coming Up

5/17/12: Changing Lives through the Gift of Education - Schwartz Center
5/18/12 – 5/20/12: 2012 Greek Festival - St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church
5/18/12: Coastal Carolina Clay Guild Spring Show and Sale – Cameron Art Museum
5/18/12: Ladies of the Cape Fear 2012 – The Terraces on Sir Tyler
5/19/12: Big Print Block Party and Art Festival – Cape Fear Boulevard, Carolina Beach
5/19/12: The Cape Fear Chordsmen, barbershop group – UNCW Kenan Auditorium
5/22/12: Cape Fear Blues Jam – Rusty Nail
6/18/12-6/22/12: Model Train Camp - The Wilmington Railroad Museum

The Cameron Team

Melanie Cameron, Broker 910.233.2840

Susan Harkins, Buyer Specialist, 910.431.2362

Gina Martin, Buyer Specialist, 910.619.1987

Meghan Riley, Client Care Specialist, 910.202.2547

Diligently working to exceed real estate expectations in Wilmington, North Carolina, and surrounding areas including Ogden, Porters Neck, Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Castle Hayne, Leland, Burgaw, Rocky Point

If you are currently underwater and have a mortgage with Bank of America, you need to know about the new Bank of America relocation assistance program. Announced yesterday, Bank of America will provide between $2,500 and $30,000 in relocation assistance to homeowners who work with BoA to get a pre-approved short sale price. The money will be awarded after sale of the home and the amount will be calculated using the value of the home, amount owed, and other unspecified factors. In order to be eligible, the short sale must be initiated by the end of the year, BEFORE offers are received, and closed by September 26, 2013.

If you feel you qualify for this program or have any questions about the short sale process and what this announcement means, please contact The Cameron Team at (910)202-2546 or send us a message at our Contact page. Melanie is a Certified Short Sale Specialist with experience selling short sales. She would be happy to answer all your questions and help you sell your Wilmington area home.

*Please keep in mind that there are homes not listed in communities that are also selling well. The Cameron Team can help you find the home that best suites your needs, no matter if it's located inside or outside a community. Just Contact us and we'll use our expert knowledge of the local real estate market to help narrow your search.

Well, the numbers for April are in and we had a really strong month with numbers improving across the board in sold price, listings, sold units and median price. As of 5-11-12, our pending units was at 1,102 which means we have already exceeded 2011, 2010, 2009, and 2008 pending indexes. Definitely a good sign for our market. Our sold units (446) are up 1.1% from last month and up 13.8% over last April. The average sold price ($218,440) is up $12,428 from last month and the list to sale price ratio improved slightly over last month to 94.7%

Our current listing inventory has also seen an increase of 125 homes in our listing inventory. As of May 1st, we have 4,094 homes on the market which puts us at a 9.1 month supply of inventory, a slight increase from last month's 9 month supply.. We will probably continue to see the number of listings climb over the next couple of months over the summer selling season.

The average list price is $360,001 and our average days on the market decreased slightly to 156 days.

If you have particular questions about a home or neighborhood, just call or email and we're happy to check it out for you.

If you haven't already, check us out on Facebook, Google + and YouTube. Have a great week and remember The Cameron Team for all your real estate needs.

“Judge each day not by the harvest you reap but by the seeds you plant.”-Robert Louis Stevenson

Featured Home for Sale

325 Bradley Dr, Bradley Oak Condos

Our featured home this week is a 2300+ sqft condo in Bradley Oaks. Not only does it have some great features and amazing views of Bradley Creek, but it also has a 50 foot boat slip!

This is THE Premiere Bradley Oaks Condo. Sweeping views of Airlie Gardens and Bradley Creek offer a one of a kind view no other condo in the neighborhood enjoys. $147,000 has been invested in upgrades and maintenance inside and out making this condo a very well cared for home in move in condition. Compare the condition and view for the money and you will see why we think this is THE best waterfront value on the market! Many custom features including an expanded master suite w/Jacuzzi & separate shower. Open kitchen w/tile countertops & breakfast bar. Jenn Air appliances, Fabulous views of Bradley Creek from every room. The deep-water boat slip will accommodate a 50 ft boat, is located in a no wake zone and has double pilings. The patio has a beautiful Live Oak growing up through the deck and the Eastern exposure allows you to enjoy the hot summer afternoons looking out over the water in a shaded area with a breeze.

Visit the listing page for a full description and more pictures – 325 Bradley Drive.
View other homes for sale in Bradley Oak Condos.

Listing Info Courtesy of Sandy Monroe, Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage

In Case You Missed It

Whole Foods, located at 3804 Oleander Drive, has announced its opening date as May 23. Wilmington’s Twitter Hashtag, #ILM, was buzzing with the news this past week. Locals are very excited to have the new natural and organic foods store in Wilmington. #ILM was also excited to see ground breaking at the site of the future Trader Joes.

For those of you not closely following the minor league baseball stadium news, the city has hired National Sports Services to research the feasibility of a stadium being built in Wilmington. This past week, they narrowed down potentials “areas” for the stadium and last night had the first of three public meetings on these locations. One development, Autumn Hall, has already removed itself from the list of potential building locations, because a stadium does not fit into the original plan for the neighborhood. However, six areas remain, including: downtown, Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway corridor, 17th Street corridor, College Road corridor, Eastwood Road corridor, and Oleander Drive corridor. Attendees at the public meeting voiced concerns about traffic, environmental impact near the river, and area features needed to support a stadium. The main concern remains to be funding and National Sports plans on getting financial proposals together next week.

Wilmington’s Front Street Brewery won a gold medal at the World Beer Cup in the Belgian and French Style Ales category for its Spring Brew. Called the ‘Olympics’ of beer competitions, about 800 breweries from 54 countries entered. That amounted to 3,921 beers in 95 beer categories with 211 international judges evaluating an average of 41 beers in each category. Winners were announced Saturday in Boulder, Colorado. If you’re in Wilmington’s downtown area, stop by Front Street Brewery at 9 North Front Street and have a nice sit down meal and a beer. Sadly, if you’d like to try the Spring Brew, you’ll have about a 6 week wait while brewer, Kevin Kozak, creates a new batch, but all their beers are great to try!

Coming Up

5/10/12: YWCA Women of Achievement – Hilton Riverside
5/11/12: Eagle Island Cruise – Wilmington Water Tours
5/12/12: Skateboard Clinic for Beginners - Greenfield Grind Skatepark
5/12/12: National Train Day - The Wilmington Railroad Museum
5/12/12: Lester Bibbs – Nutt Street Comedy Room
5/15/12: Cape Fear Blues Jam – Rusty Nail
5/17/12: Changing Lives through the Gift of Education - Schwartz Center
6/18/12-6/22/12: Model Train Camp - The Wilmington Railroad Museum

The Cameron Team

Melanie Cameron, Broker 910.233.2840

Susan Harkins, Buyer Specialist, 910.431.2362

Gina Martin, Buyer Specialist, 910.619.1987

Meghan Riley, Client Care Specialist, 910.202.2547

Diligently working to exceed real estate expectations in Wilmington, North Carolina, and surrounding areas including Ogden, Porters Neck, Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Castle Hayne, Leland, Burgaw, Rocky Point

Stevens Fine Homes’ signature Craftsman style homes and their brand new European designs are the prizes of this community. Plans range from 1830 square feet to 3187 square feet and start at $199,900. Exterior features include low maintenance vinyl siding, double pane vinyl windows, 30 year shingles, and a concrete driveway. Interior features include chrome finished bathroom fixtures, brushed nickel and chrome finished light fixtures, ceiling fans in Master Bedroom and living area, vinyl and stain resistant carpet, hardwood flooring in entrance, wiring for security system, closet shelving, and a garage door opener. Rooms vary by plan. All homes are Stevens Energy Wise to conserve energy and help keep your utility bills low. Make an offer now and you can choose colors, options, and upgrades prior to build!

***The European Monticello plan featured in The Park at Willowick won the Gold Award during the 2012 Parade of Homes! If you would like to see why it won first place, just let us know! ***

View homes for sale in The Park at Willowick.

Please note that not all of the home sites are listed in the local MLS. If you would like more information about this community or are interested in viewing a property listed for sale, give us a call! We have sold many homes in the area and would be happy to help you find the perfect home or land for you. You can reach us at 910-202-2546 or you can email us through our Contact page.

Last week's weaker-than-expected jobs report helped bond prices and interest rates. The unemployment rate dropped to 8.1% which was more of a direct result of the labor force shrinking than jobs being added. Locally, we continue to see signs of growth in our market with the most active price ranges being in the $100,000-$200,000 range.

If you are seriously considering getting your home on the market, you need to understand that this market is a price war and a beauty contest. Not only does your home need to be priced well to attract buyers in this market but it also needs to be in better condition than the competition. These 2 elements combined will certainly increase your chances of a higher sales price and less time on the market. Want your homes current market value? Check us out www.WilmingtonHomeValuesOnline.com

If you're looking for a great home in a waterfront community, The Cameron Team has a great listing coming on the market in a few weeks. This 5 bedroom, 4.5 bath home with over 4400 sq. ft. is in the final stages of major renovations being completed. With a 25 ft. boat slip, 3 car garage and TONS of upgrades, you'll want to move right in! Aggressively priced at $575,000, this one won't last long. If you want to get in early, just give us a call and we'll get you more details.

Have a great week and give us a call for all your real estate needs!

“The essential thing is not knowledge, but character.” ~Joseph Le Conte

Featured Home for Sale

4 Forest Hills Dr, Forest Hills

Our featured home this week was chosen due to its character. It has many features that you don’t usually see rolled into a home in this price range.

This is the old EW Godwin home, which was owned by the local lumber and oil company.

Located in one of Wilmington's most desirable neighborhoods this elegant home has all of the charm and character of long ago but has been renovated to reflect today's lifestyle with a spacious open floor plan that is well designed for entertaining. Features include: 4000 sq ft all on one floor, 3 large bedrooms each with their own bathroom, oversized dining room with built in solid mahogany china cabinet, breakfast nook with butler's pantry, original hardwood floors throughout home, 10 ft. ceilings, extra-large mahogany doors, large floored attic for storage, large basement with bank size vault/safe, screened in porch, fiber glass pool, 3 car garage that is made of solid tongue and groove in thick furr with half bath and closet and an additional 50x16 RV garage, and a generator that has the ability to run the whole home, if needed.

Visit the listing page for a full description and more pictures – 4 Forest Hills.
View other homes for sale in Forest Hills.

Listing Info Courtesy of Jennifer Bullock, Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage

In Case You Missed It

The Wilmington area has a new food delivery service for our furry friends - The Dog Connection. Trish Papoulias, a Dunkin Donuts franchise owner for 20 years, gave up her three stores last year and started delivering food and treats this year. The selection is a wide variety, including some brands that are hard to get in large stores. It’s a one woman – one vehicle service that covers Wilmington, the beach towns, and North Brunswick, and has proven to be a real winner for pet owners that don’t have time or unable physically to make it to a store. You can learn more at the Dog Connection web site.

The StarNews reported on May 1 that the North Carolina film incentives, which were raised in January 2011, brought about 25 productions to the state last year amounting in $121 million and 10,500 jobs. Wilmington was a filming location for many of those films. The project that gained the most from the incentives was One Tree Hill. The next largest was Journey 2: The Mysterious Island. Currently, the area is in preparation for Iron Man 3. For the full story and the history of the state’s film incentives, visit the StarNewsOnline.

Laney High School has chosen a new head boys basketball coach. Nathan Faulk of South View will begin coaching this coming school year. He has previous ties with the program as he spent several years as assistant coach under Fred Lynch, who recently stepped down as head coach, but remains as the athletic director. Faulk has a history of improving troubled programs and currently coaches Flight 22 AAU, which incorporates kids from coastal North Carolina. In addition to coaching, he will teach physical education at Laney.

Coming Up

5/04/12: The Movement – The Brikhouse
5/04/12: Registration for the Wilmington Bulldogs Youth Football Association – Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center
5/05/12: Arts in the Park at Greenfield – Greenfield Lake Amphiteater
5/05/12: Lake Fest 2012 – Greenfield Lake Park
5/05/12: 26^th Annual Parade of Homes – Various
5/05/12: Great Strides Cystic Fibrosis Walk & 5K Run – Mayfaire Town Center Even Lawn
5/06/12: Swing N Sing Golf Tournament – Porters Neck Country Club
5/10/12: YWCA Women of Achievement – Hilton Riverside

The Cameron Team

Melanie Cameron, Broker 910.233.2840

Susan Harkins, Buyer Specialist, 910.431.2362

Gina Martin, Buyer Specialist, 910.619.1987

Meghan Riley, Client Care Specialist, 910.202.2547

Diligently working to exceed real estate expectations in Wilmington, North Carolina, and surrounding areas including Ogden, Porters Neck, Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Castle Hayne, Leland, Burgaw, Rocky Point

Nick Timiraos reports in this video from the Wall Street Journal that real estate bidding wars are on the rise. National pending home sales in March were the highest they've been since April 2010. That, combined with low interest rates and an inventory that is 30% lower than last year, has created prime conditions for generating bidding wars. However, the main key component is that the subject home needs to be priced right. If you would like to know the estimated selling price of your home, give us a call at 910-202-2546 or send us an email through our Contact page.

HomeZada

HomeZada is your home owner “digital hub” where you can plan all your remodeling projects, keep track of budgets, catalog researched products, and keep track of all purchases. It has a calendar where you can create a schedule for current home maintenance and receive notifications when new tasks are due for completion. You can keep track of warranties, manuals, receipts, permits, and your home inventory. Plus, they have mobile phone apps that let you do a lot of this on the go. The basic access is free and provides you with a home inventory and document database, maintenance tips, and seasonal checklists. The premium package is $9.95/month and gives you access to the home project planning, calendar, customization tools, budget planning, and tools for managing multiple houses. It’s a great way to keep everything you need for managing home maintenance in one place.

Other Home Inventory Databases

If your home burned down or was broken into, how would you prove what was in it? A home inventory can ease the claim process by providing all the proof you need to provide your insurance agent and local law enforcement. If you create your inventory online, it can also be a safe and secure way to create a digital backup of important documents, warranties, and purchase dates accessible from any computer that has an internet connection. There are many sites that offer this service, but here are two that have received good reviews:

1. StuffSafe – For $30/year, you get a secure website with easy drag and drop tools for pictures and documents, informational reports and graphs about your belongings, an iPhone/iPad app, and a restore function, so you don’t accidentally delete anything.
2. iKeepm – This site doesn’t have a drag and drop interface, smartphone app, or all the reports that StuffSafe has, but it’s free, secure, and does exactly what you need an online home inventory to do – log your belongings by room, and upload documents and photos.

If you prefer not to keep your inventory online, you can also download What You Own for FREE. It will centralize your inventory and keep it all on your computer. Then, you can either print it all off in a single report or put it on an external hard drive that’s easy to take with you.

Sherwin Williams Color Visualizer and Valspar’s Virtual Painter

Thinking of repainting? You may want to try out colors on the subject room(s) prior to purchasing paint. You can save money on samples and skip a trip to the paint store, by visiting Sherwin Williams Color Visualizer and Valspar’s Virtual Painter, two websites that let you upload a photo of your room and virtually paint it right in your browser. Both are great tools that allow you to mask off areas in the room, so you can focus on just the walls, molding, doors, etc.

While you’re at the Sherwin Williams web site, check out ColorSnap® for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry. This is a really neat app that lets you take a photo of a color and match it to their current inventory of samples. It’s especially helpful if you want to match your paint colors to current décor, like a sofa or pillow.

Progress Energy Customized Home Energy Report

If you are a current customer with Progress Energy, they have some great tools for helping you to save money on your home energy bill. At their website, you can receive a FREE home energy report customized for your home’s specific energy usage. It will give you a breakdown of how the energy in your home is being used, steps you can take to save energy according to that data, and what rebates are available to you if you would like to make energy-wise home improvements. Their tips for home owners include both no-cost and low-cost options.

While you’re at Progress Energy’s web site, also check out their 100 Ways to Save Energy at Home and their appliance recycling program with FREE pickup.

Energy Star Home Energy Yardstick

If you aren’t a Progress Energy customer, you can learn more about your home energy usage and how to improve it by visiting Energy Star’s Home Energy Yardstick. After you plug in a few numbers about your current home and the amount of electricity you use, you can compare your usage to that of other homes in the country and get tips on how to reduce your usage. It’s not as customized as Progress Energy’s tool, but it can certainly help you lower your energy bill.

If you have any experience with the online tools shared here or have any others that you would like to contribute, please share them in the comments section below.

Today, the Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors released their first quarter analysis of the six major zip codes in our area (28403, 28405, 28409, 28411, 28412 and 28451). This analysis revealed a few important facts:

1. The average sales price has decreased 8.6% since the fourth quarter of 2011.
2. Of the 594 homes sold in the first quarter, 30.3% of the home sellers provided a concession for the purchase of the home. This is down from 32.7% in the fourth quarter of 2011.
3. The list to sales price ratio for the first quarter was 95.64%, an increase from 94.60% for 4th Quarter 2011
4. The average sold price of the property was $220,815, down 10% from the fourth quarter of 2011.
5. The average days-on-the-market was 169, up from 147 in the fourth quarter of 2011.

While these numbers do not show a huge improvement, Lawrence Yun, National Association of Realtors chief economist, pointed out that home sales are fluctuating up and down in a rather narrow margin – a margin that is well above what the nation was seeing a year ago.

If you have any questions or desire assistance with your real estate needs, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We hope you have a great week!

The Cameron Team understands how important it is to feel comfortable in the neighborhood you’re buying in. We want to make it as easy as possible for our clients to learn everything they need to know to choose the best house for them. So, here are 4 topics real estate agents are required by law or ethics to avoid and the tools to help you make an informed decision.

Environment

Agents can provide clients with a wealth of information about homes, neighborhood amenities, selling trends, construction plans, and litigations. However, if you ask them about local environmental factors like air and water quality, they’ll leave the answers to the experts. If you’re interested in knowing about the surface water quality, health risks, and energy consumption in an area, visit the web site for the United States Environmental Protection Agency where you can search for information by zip code.

Demographics

As the fair housing laws state, an agent cannot steer a buyer toward or away from a property on the basis of demographics. For example, an agent cannot tell a buyer if people of a certain race or religion are more prominent in one area than another. This includes the location of centers of religion. If you ask your agent to look for homes near a specific church or synagogue, the agent cannot oblige. However, if you know what area a center of religion is located, like Historic Downtown Wilmington or Pine Valley Estates, you can ask to focus your home search on that area. So, do your homework beforehand and check some maps. You can also find many statistics on local demographics at the U.S. Census Bureau web site.

Schools

While many agents themselves have experiences with local school systems, the topic of schools is usually avoided. If an agent is asked about test scores or enrollment for certain schools, gives incorrect information, and the buyer doesn’t do further research, they could potentially be buying in the wrong school district. So, agents will refrain from answering questions about schools unless they have hard evidence in front of them. However, parents can always learn more about the quality of New Hanover, Pender, and Brunswick County schools by visiting NC School Report Cards or GreatSchools.

Crime Rate

The level of criminal activities in a neighborhood is very important to most buyers, but real estate agents can’t say if a property is or isn’t in a safe neighborhood, even if they whole heartedly believe that it is. Crime can happen anywhere, even in typically safe neighborhoods. That’s why, like the subject of schools, an agent can’t say one way or the other. However, websites like Spot Crime, StarNews Online (local), and Family Watchdog all provide information about area crimes and sex offenders.

We hope these web sites are helpful in your research of local areas. We want you to choose the best neighborhood and home for YOU. If you have any questions or concerns, let us know at our Contact page or give us a call at (910)202-2546.

“Affection is responsible for nine-tenths of whatever solid and durable happiness there is in our lives.” -C. S. Lewis

Featured Home for Sale

8706 Champion Hills Dr, Porters Neck Plantation

This beautiful home is in a water access community in a very sought-after area of Wilmington.

Lovely executive custom brick home located in one of the most prestigious sections of Porter's Neck Plantation. Home is situated only minutes from the ICWW with a community pier and boat ramp. Porter's Neck is a gated community featuring a Championship Fazio golf course. The country club, sports center for golf, tennis, pools, fitness gym, walking paths and club dining are just some of the reasons you will love this home in Porter's Neck. This luxury 5 BR 3.5 Bath home features a wonderful kitchen, custom cabinets, granite countertops and a large breakfast are. Enjoy entertaining for family and friends with spacious family areas, over-sized bonus room, open floor plan, formal dining room, screened porch and patio. Ask for list of special home features as there are too many to list.

Visit the listing page for a full description and more pictures – 8706 Champion Hills.
View other homes for sale in Porters Neck Plantation.

Listing Info Courtesy of Debi Byrd, Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage

In Case You Missed It

AAIPharma, a Wilmington-based research organization and drug maker, opened its new state of the art Technology Center lab on Tuesday. This is the first physical expansion for the company in the past ten years and it plans on expanding its pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities this business quarter. AAIPharma is a contract company and makes many top brand veterinary and pharmaceutical products. These expansions are a step toward competing better globally and the company is planning to add 40-50 new jobs by the end of the year. This is wonderful news for our area!

On a completely different (and slightly geeky) note, Iron Man 3 has started filming in Wilmington. There have been multiple sightings of Robert Downey Jr. around town and casting calls for extras were held last week at Independence Mall. This is super exciting for our local film industry and area movie buffs, but I’m also excited to see that the actors are visiting our local businesses. This is great for the owners and staff, who work very hard and many long hours.

This month, we are featuring a local business in our monthly newsletter’s trivia contest – Glynne’s Soaps. They are a great little company that sells all-natural, artificially-free soaps, lotion, lip balm, etc. They even have soap for our four-legged friends. I’ve purchased from them before and LOVE their stuff, especially their beer soap made with locally brewed beer. If you aren’t signed up for our newsletter, take a moment to fill out the form on our web site and you’ll have a chance to win our monthly trivia contest prize.

Coming Up

4/25/12: Scottish Rite Annual Fish Fry – Scottish Rite Temple
4/25/12: Lend Me a Tenor - Opera House Theatre Company – Thalian Hall
4/26/12 – 4/29/12: Cape Fear Independent Film Festival – Downtown Wilmington
4/28/12: Battleship Park Car & Truck Show – Battleship Park
4/28/12: Wilmington Hammerheads vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds – Legion Stadium
5/05/12: Arts in the Park at Greenfield – Greenfield Lake Amphiteater
5/10/12: YWCA Women of Achievement – Hilton Riverside

The Cameron Team

Melanie Cameron, Broker 910.233.2840

Susan Harkins, Buyer Specialist, 910.431.2362

Gina Martin, Buyer Specialist, 910.619.1987

Meghan Riley, Client Care Specialist, 910.202.2547

Diligently working to exceed real estate expectations in Wilmington, North Carolina, and surrounding areas including Ogden, Porters Neck, Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach, Castle Hayne, Leland, Burgaw, Rocky Point

The National Associations of Realtors (NAR) has reported recently that the housing affordability index is currently at the highest point since records began being kept in 1970. The historically low interest rates that we've been seeing for so long coupled with the decline in home values around the nation is most definitely the reason for this. The experts at NAR are also saying that they expect that the home affordability index will remain the same for at least the remainder of 2012. The lack or slow pace of job creation is the main issue holding back a surge in the national housing market. I think you'll see that in areas where job growth continues to improve, so will the housing market.

Bottom line is that now is a historically good time to buy a home! Let us know how we can help you.

Have a great week!

Porter’s Neck Plantation was established in 1989 at the outskirts of Wilmington before Hampstead. It features a variety of home plans, wooded preservation areas, lakes, ponds, and creeks spanning across 650 beautiful acres. It was named one of the “100 Best Master Planned Communities in America” by Where to Retire Magazine, but has proven to be a destination community for people of all age groups.

Located adjacent to the Intracoastal Waterway, it provides a special opportunity for sportsman of many kinds. Multiple piers and boat ramps reach out into the Intracoastal making it easy to reach local fishing spots and restaurants, shopping, and entertainment by boat. It has a Tom Fazio-designed 18-hole, par-72 golf course that was named “#1 Coastal Golf Course in North Carolina” by Golf Digest magazine and is located within 10 miles of multiple other courses that will please the avid golfer. Porter’s Neck Plantation has a sports complex with a lap pool, clay tennis courts, and a fitness center. Plus, the area marshes and walking trails allow for the enjoyment of nature by kayak or foot.

Porter’s Neck Plantation has a large, colonial-style clubhouse that provides many social opportunities with its restaurant, The Grill, a full-service pro shop, and several areas designed for events and receptions. There is a mixture of adult and family community planned events. Some of the events include: Wine Tasting, Ladies Bunco Groups, Dinner Theaters, a Kentucky Derby party, Luaus, a Fall Festival, and Sunday “Fun Day” by the pool. You can learn more about what’s happening at the club by visiting their web site.

There is a wide range of homes for sale in Porter’s Neck Plantation – golf course lots, pond front, Intracoastal front, and more!

View homes for sale in Porter’s Neck Plantation.
View land for sale in Porter’s Neck Plantation.

If you would like to view a property listed for sale in Porter’s Neck Plantation, give us a call! We have sold many homes in the area and would be happy to help you find the perfect home or land for you. You can reach us at 910-202-2546 or you can email us through our Contact page.

Starting June 15, 2012, home buyers who make offers on loans backed by Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae should see a response within 30-60 days. The Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs), financial service corporations created by the United States Congress, announced new response guidelines. This is a response to the largest complaints made about the short sale process – wait time and lack of communication.

In previous years, real estate agents have submitted offers on behalf of their clients only to spend several months to over a year waiting for a response from the financial institution. Many short sale contracts have fallen through due to wait time. Now, servicers of these loans must provide a response within 30 days of submission of a complete offer package. That includes the offer itself and any additional financial documents they need, including the homeowner’s financials and the buyer’s proof of funds. If they are unable to provide a response, as in more complicated cases involving private mortgage insurance, they must give the borrower a reason why before the 30 days is up and give them a weekly update until a decision is made. This must take no longer than 60 days.

If the servicer counters the offer, the borrower must respond in 5 business days. The servicer then must respond within 10 days. All communication with the borrower, including receipt of documents, must be recorded by the servicer.

This new timeline is intended to clarify the short sale process and improve communication. This is good news for both buyers, who often stall their move dates, and sellers, who need a completed sale. Short sales are a good alternative to foreclosure and help to stabilize local real estate markets.