Betsy N. Robinson, ABR, CNS

35 Martin Drive is a new listing in the Whispering Woods Subdivision of the Village of Whispering Pines, North Carolina. The asking price is $334,900. The following is a representative floor plan of the main level of the home. There is also a partially finished tempered lower level of approximatgely 425 SF.

It is not often that one can find such an accommodating floor plan for a variety of lifestyles ranging from a large family with children to an active retired couple with many interests. As you can see, the +/- 2600 SF of finished space in this home includes a split bedroom plan with up to three guest bedrooms, a spacious kitchen with many amenities, a Carolina Room for informal living, an attached Workshop/Recreation Room, and a Screened-In Porch for outdoor enjoyment. Two lower level tempered areas currently used for storage could easily be converted to additional living space, if desired.

Additional amenities include a stool seating area with a wet bar and pass through window to the kitchen from the Carolina Room, a Master Walk-In Closet large enough to double as a Dressing Room, an Office Nook and Informal Dining Area located in the open and airy Kitchen with its center cook island, pantry, two cooktops and double ovens, a whole house central vacuum system, an 80 gallon hot water heater, a garage utility sink, and a concrete driveway with a turnout.

35 Martin Drive is located at the tee boxes of the 9th hole of the Whispering Woods Golf Course whose Golf Club serves lunch every day and dinner five nights a week. Residents and their guests may also use the boating, swimming and picnic areas associated with the eight lakes located within the Village of Whispering Pines. Twenty four hour police, fire and EMS protection is provided throughout the community.

Whispering Woods resides within the coveted Sandhills Farm Life School District, and is just two miles from the renowned Sandhills Community College with its extensive academic and continuing education and guest speaker programs. The 385 bed Moore Regional Hospital, known for its outstanding medical and support facilities, is located within seven miles of the Village of Whispering Pines.

To view more pictures and access an interactive floor plan, please visit
http://www.AreaRealEstatePartners.com.
Both Betsy N. Robinson and Anita M. Emery, residents of Whispering Woods, would be delighted to answer any questions you may have about this home or the community in which it is located.

This is the fifth installment about the charming Village of Whispering Pines, prepared by resident Betsy N. Robinson of Area Real Estate Partners, Inc. In this article we will feature the exceptional recreational facilities located in this area.

Whenever you speak of the Village of Whispering Pines, North Carolina, you cannot forget about Golf! While there are more than forty courses to play within the surrounding area, at Whispering Pines you have two choices right in the Village. The Country Club of Whispering Pines (http://www.whisperingpinesnc.com/index.html) is the home of two outstanding 18-hole Ellis Maples designed golf courses rated among the best in the Carolinas. Both courses have Bermuda fairways and Pencross bent grass greens. It is a privately-owned semi-private club that offers preferences to its members yet accessibility to the public. A variety of affordable memberships designed to satisfy differing interests are available. Residents may still choose to own their own golf carts and may travel the quiet streets of the Village to get to the Club House.

Another option also right in the Village is the 18 hole Whispering Woods Golf Club. Also privately owned with a range of attractive memberships available, the course was designed with the average player in mind, but good players won't find it a pushover. The well-groomed condition of the course enhances the design and complements the roll of the land. And a wonderful casual restaurant with stunning golf and water views serves residents and visitors five nights a week in addition to its every day lunch.

If you wish to have more information about the golf options for both residents and visitors to the Village of Whispering Pines, NC, please contact Betsy N. Robinson of Area Real Estate Partners, Inc. at 910-639-0695.

This is the fourth installment about the charming Village of Whispering Pines,prepared by resident Betsy N. Robinson of Area Real Estate Partners, Inc. In this article we will feature the exceptional medical facilities located in this area.

Seven miles from the Village of Whispering Pines, North Carolina is Moore Regional Hospital, a member of the First Health network. Moore Regional, a 385-bed, acute care, not-for-profit hospital that serves as the referral

ter for a 15-county region in the Carolinas, is a modern, full service facility that is rated in the top 100 cardiac care centers nation-wide. A recently completed oncology wing has opened and is affiliated with Duke University Hospital. Offices and clinics of a variety of board-certified medical specialists are part of the broad spectrum of medical care within the Moore Regional area that includes an active medical staff of nearly 230 physicians, a professional staff of more than 2,700 and a dedicated group of approximately 725 volunteers. The sophisticated medical capabilities available at Moore Regional are usually found only in much larger metropolitan areas, and is a major reason why this location is attractive to many retirees.

Some of the specific innovative capabilities of interest to local residents are:

FirstHealth Center for Health & Fitness - Pinehurst

As a medical fitness center, the FirstHealth Center for Health & Fitness - Pinehurst is more than just a gym. With more than 63,000 square feet, this flagship facility offers the region's largest free-weight area, innovative group exercise programs, an aquatic center, swimming lessons, numerous children's programs, nutrition lectures and on-site spa services. All of its programs are medically based and under the supervision of a medical doctor. Every personal trainer and fitness coach has a college degree in the fitness field. A licensed dietitian is on staff to assist in formulating healthy eating patterns.

Center for Inpatient Rehabilitation

The FirstHealth Center for Inpatient Rehabilitation consistently ranks among the top rehabilitation facilities in both the region and nation for the percentage of patients who are able to return home after receiving rehabilitation services.

Centers for Outpatient Rehabilitation

There are specialized outpatient rehabilitation programs including physical therapy, aquatic therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and therapy for foot drop, to name just a few.

For more information regarding our medical facilities, please contact Betsy N. Robinson at Area Real Estate Partners, Inc. at 910-639-0695.

This is the third installment about the charming Village of Whispering Pines, North Carolina prepared by resident Betsy N. Robinson of Area Real Estate Partners, Inc. In this article we will feature the wonderful educational faciliities located in this area.

While Whispering Pines was originally developed as a retirement community, the 2000 Census reported that 28.4% of the population in the Village is now 44 years of age or younger. This number will certainly increase with the information being collected in the 2010 Census, as many of the buyers of recent homes are younger families with children. Parents of elementary school age children are particularly attracted to the quality of education offered by the Farm Life School System (http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/achievement/nc/1359). The New Century Middle School also lives up to its reputation of being a quality school, [http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/achievement/nc/1367)and high school age students have the choice of attending the local Union Pines High School (http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/achievement/nc/1362 or the larger Pinecrest High School located in Pinehurst. (http://www.greatschools.net/modperl/achievement/nc/1356)

Those families who chose private schooling will find the noted O'Neal School http://www.onealschool.org/ located just two miles from the Village. There are other options also available, such as the Episcopal Day School http://www.episcopalday.org/ as well as the public charter school known as the Sandhills Theater Arts Renaissance School http://www.sandhillsrenaissance.com/about.htm.

High school graduates who wish to start their college training at the very successful Sandhills Community College http://www.sandhills.cc.nc.us/ will find that campus also located within two miles of the Village just across the street from the O'Neal School. This Community College was chartered in 1963, officially opened October 1, 1965, and was the first comprehensive (i.e., offering a college transfer degree) community college in North Carolina.

The Sandhills Community College is not just for the recent high school graduate. Numerous classroom and on-line classes at reduced rates or free are available for Moore County retirees. In 2001, the Center for Creative Retirement was established at the college to provide programs and resources to enhance the intellectual, physical and personal well being of the large number of active seniors in the Sandhills area. There is no excuse not to be proficient on the computer, in the garden, or with a camera and/or many other creative fine arts given all the programs available here. The classes and activities are too numerous to mention so here is the link to access the catalog yourself at http://www.sandhills.edu/ced/sccr.html.

The College also offers a wide variety of lectures and concerts, including the free Ruth Pauley Lecture Series (www.sandhills.edu/news/pauley.html.), and various exhibits such as the popular 27 acre Horticultural Gardens that includes a formal English design, collections of conifers and holly, a native wetland trail, a fruit and vegetable garden, roses, azaleas, rhododendrons, and a xeriscape devoted to cacti, yuccas, and other succulents.

Please stay tuned for more information about this wonderful diversified community. Should you have any questions please call Betsy N. Robinson @ 910-639-0695 or Anita M. Emery @ 910-639-1751 to explore what you can expect if you were to choose to live in the Village of Whispering Pines, North Carolina.

In our last article on septic systems in Whispering Pines, North Carolina we mentioned how critical it is to maintain our septic systems properly. This is both for the health and safety of the individual homeowner as well as assuring the purity of one of our most treasured natural resources, the eight community lakes that make Whispering Pines, North Carolina so beautiful and sought after as a place to live.

Water Use

Proper maintenance of septic systems in Whispering Pines, North Carolina begins with understanding the importance of water use. Realizing that drain fields do not have unlimited capacity is the most basic lesson. The typical rule of thumb is that the drain field is designed so that each person, based on counting two people to each County approved bedroom, will consume no more than 50 gallons a day under normal circumstances. This may seem like a lot, but usage adds up quickly. Long showers, soaking baths in Jacuzzi tubs, multiple wash loads, and constant "turning on the water" in the kitchen can all add up, particularly if a family is large. There are also "silent" users, like leaky faucets or toilets. The life of all septic systems is finite, but water conservation can extend significantly how long the system will last.

Waste Disposal Habits

Just as important is what is put into any septic system in Whispering Pines. Do not use your septic tank as a trash can for tissues, sanitary napkins, cigarette butts, cotton swabs, cat box litter, coffee grounds, or other like substances. If you have a garbage disposal, use it sparingly. Better yet, take it out! Grease and cooking oils damage the system, so be extra careful in handling items such as bacon grease before washing the container in which it was cooked. And the use of your utility sink in the garage? Be sure not to poison your system by killing all the helpful bacteria by allowing harmful chemicals such as oils, paints, paint thinners, pesticides, and other like substances to be washed down the drain. Somehow it is easy to think that since you are not in the house and the sink is not porcelain or stainless steel anything can be "washed away".

OK, once again I think we have had enough for this segment. Stay tuned. More will be coming soon.

For help in deciding how to keep your septic system in Whispering Pines, North Carolina in top working order, please call Betsy N. Robinson of Area Real Estate Partners, Inc. at 910-639-0695 or Anita M. Emery of Area Real Estate Partners, Inc. at 910-630-1751.