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Bruce Brown

Open House FREE GOLF Drawing - 1-4 today - 1153 Willow Pond Lane, Leland, NC 28451

03-01-09
Bruce Brown
Yep, we're having an open house at this great new listing this Sunday from 1-4PM. Come on over, have some lemonade and cookies, check out the house and amazing yard, and then fill out a comment form and we'll enter you in a drawing for a free round of golf including cart use at the magnificent Magnolia Greens Golf Plantation course! This offer applies to REALTORs as well as potential buyers and just people who want to check it out!
Call with questions. Bruce Brown 910-297-8753

Another Great Leland Listing - 1153 Willow Pond Lane, Leland, NC 28451

03-01-09
Bruce Brown
Tucked in near the back of Magnolia Greens you'll find this very pleasant home on a quiet street with larger than usual lots. 1153 Willow Pond Lane is a brick home with vinyl gable accents. The mature, varied landscaping is easy to care for and includes very interesting plantings. The main living area of the house has brand new upscale hardwood flooring. The room has built in bookcases, can lights in the ceiling, and of course a ceiling fan. There's also a gas log fireplace with mantle and a view to the wooded back yard through the screened porch.
Here's another view of the main living room. As you can imagine you will spend a lot of time in this room, so use your imagination to place a couple of sofas, some easy chairs, lots of books, a cozy fire, and you sitting their all comfy and happy in your new home.
The formal dining room, located off the entry foyer and adjacent to the equally large kitchen, measures 16 x 12. That's a great size for all but the largest dinner party - if you feed more people than will fit in this room you ought to rent a hall!
In addition to the central chandelier, there are two ceiling fans in the dining room - you'll stay comfortable as you and your guests keep talking and laughing.
The galley kitchen, toward the back of the house from the dining room, has plenty of cabinet space and countertops. All appliances remain.
Here's another view of the kitchen, this time from the breakfast nook in the back of the house. Note you can also see into the great room.
This view of the master bedroom shows the glass door to the screened porch and the coffered ceiling.
This is another view of the master bedroom, with a view to the doors to the master bath and the walk in closet.
Here's the master bath complete with "Hollywood" lighting above the vanity, a whirlpool-style tub, and a separate shower.
This is one of the guest bedrooms.
Here's the second guest room.
The screened porch, with lighted ceiling fan and tile floor is a great size. There are doors to the breakfast nook and a door to the master suite.
Viewed from the back of the property, actually in the woods - which you also own - the house is obviously well-designed and cared for.
The lot is pie-shaped and from the fenced area you have the privacy and peacefulness afforded by a wooded area.

Why I Think You Should Buy a New Home in Leland, NC

02-14-09
Bruce Brown
I'll admit right off that I'm passionately biased in favor of living in Leland, North Carolina. North Carolina, specifically the southeastern coastal area, is an increasingly popular U.S. destination address across diverse population segments for obvious reasons:
  • year-round temperate climate
  • outdoor sports and lifestyle
  • 100s of miles of accessible beaches with warm water (especially compared to New England and California)
  • incredibly rich marine life
  • many historic sites and preserved residential historic districts
  • strong higher education opportunities - university, colleges, and community colleges
  • cultural depth and diversity
  • a long tradition of support for music, theater, and the arts
  • culinary delights in 1,100+ restaurants and delicious regional dishes
  • a variety of shopping destinations
  • many regional museums, parks, exhibits, and other attractions
  • a growing job market with emphasis on technology-based industries
  • an extensive hospital and health care system
  • active environmental, ecological, historic, and preservation interests
  • a responsible, foreward-thinking, "can-do" attitude toward future development
  • strong citizen participation in local and regional government
  • a multitude of local and regional festivals and celebrations
  • a tradition of support and encouragement for entrepreneurs and small business owners
  • courteous, friendly people
The greater Wilmington area has all the above and more. Residential and commercial development are proceeding regardless of the tempo and development cycles in other part of the United States. It's clear that people want to move here and are moving here in ever-greater numbers. While our whole region is growing and developing, the northern section of Brunswick County centered around Leland, just across the Cape Fear River from Wilmington, is the fastest-growing and in many ways the most attractive area of southeastern North Carolina. Why are so many people moving to Leland and adjacent towns in northern Brunswick County? The reasons are many, varied, and clear:
  • Great new home selections in many fine new developments as well as super buys on existing homes
  • New homes available in a wide range of prices, from the low $100s to over $600,000.
  • Leland has a fast-growing commercial and retail corridor with shopping, dining, and entertainment facilities increasing monthly. Four new hotels are currently under construction.
  • Close proximity to downtown Wilmington's historic riverfront, restaurants, shopping, theater, and clubs.
  • Easy access to major highways
  • An enthusiastic populace that welcomes others who want to participate in the excitement of growing a new community - it's a chance to be a pioneer (but with municipal water and sewer already installed, plus quick access to hospitals, shopping, beaches, and golf)
  • Because until fairly land in Leland was much less expensive than on the eastern side of the Cape Fear River - your real estate dollar goes much further in Leland.
If you're interested in other areas in and around Wilmington I'm very happy to help you and point you in the right directions. In the five+ years my wife have been here I've developed close relationships with other professional REALTORs from Southport to Jacksonville and as far west as Burgaw - I've worked successfully with those folks to help people find their dream homes for primary residences or second homes in the Cape Fear area. I have primary contact relationships with REALTORs in Southport, Bolivia, Wilmington, Carolina Beach, Kure Beach, Wrightsville Beach, Hampstead, Holly Ridge, Surf City, Topsail Island, Jacksonville, Rocky Point, and Burgaw. I'd be delighted to introduce you to my colleagues and help you get started with them. If you're interested in Leland and the immediately surrounding towns in northern Brunswick County, however, I'd be delighted and honored to work with you to find the very best property to meet your needs. I realize not everyone looks for a home in the same way. Different people use different processes for making this very important decision. However you prefer to work, I'm ready and able to provide:
  • Executive summary-level information so you can make your decision independently based on your parameters
  • Hot points and market trend info so you can make the best investment in a home and also have the most fun
  • Support and guided touring of local communities and homes, introducing you to people who live in all areas so you can see who your new friends and neighbors will be
  • Extensive economic and regional background data for your careful and thorough analysis.
I'm ready, willing, and certainly able to help you find the best house to call your new home.

Free Golf - Another great open house - Sunday 1-4PM in Waterford

02-13-09
Bruce Brown

Come on out on Sunday from 1-4PM to 1067 Garden Club Way in Waterford of the Carolinas in Leland, NC. Tour the house, fill out a comment sheet and your contact info and you'll be entered in a drawing for a free round of golf at Magnolia Greens Golf Plantation.

Directions: Cape Fear River Bridge west, take 17S and turn right into Waterford. Follow around the circle and go left on Woodwind and left on Garden Club.

Will Leland NC Be the Next State Capital??

02-08-09
Bruce Brown
OK, folks, I know some of you listen or read politely when I talk about how Leland will grow, but you don't really buy it. When I mention a population projection of 50,000 by 2020 it seems exciting, but distant, and maybe farfetched. Well, an article in the Wilmington Star News doubles the bet!!! http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20081107/articles/811070250 This Friday's Leland town council meeting should be very interesting. They will discuss and potentially approve the 3-years-in-the-making Leland Master Plan (which is a beautiful thing to read and if you want a copy let me know). Even just perusing the news article above gives you enough data to make it easy to understand why the projected growth is not just possible, or a town planner's dream, but very, very probable. And here's kicker #1, not mentioned in the article. This article speaks only about Leland. It doesn't mention Belville! Belville has its own master plan for growth and Belville areas are intertwined all around the southern part of Leland (for example, did you know the residential part of Waterford is in Leland but the commercial part is in Belville?). The area of Belville right to the left of the 133 South exit of Rt 17 west that used to be a huge eyesore is going to be a very very high ticket retail, office, and residential space with close-in deep water dockage! There's more and more going on right there.
Here's kicker #2. There's plenty of room west on 17 and along 74/76 from Leland for more development - areas with infrastructure in place or easily accessed. If desired, the growth has space to continue with existing good roads. Here are kickers #3 and #4 - If the Southport International Port AND the SkyWay Bridge project are completed (which if they happen, which is more likely than not, will be in the same time frame mentioned in the article) the whole region's growth and economic development will be fueled and supported by improved infrastructure and jobs. Who knows, Wilmington may become a quaint place to visit from the bustling, modern, commercial/residential/economic western shores of the Cape Fear River, with the epi-center of the area in Leland! And here's a bit of NC historical trivia that might make us wonder . . . Brunswick Town, the historic, original center of North Carolina's government and commerce, located a short drive down Route 133 from Leland and through Belville, was founded in 1726. Who knows, maybe in 2026, just in time for Brunswick Town's TriCentennial, the new center of North Carolina commerce may be located right in the same area, but this time in a once small town we know as Leland -- and which some of us affectionately refer to as L.A - the Land of Abundance!!