Kathy Knight, BROKER/REALTOR, ABR, CRS, GRI

A Lot is going on this weekend in Wilmington and its area beaches.


Tonite is Fourth Friday Gallery Night downtown where a group of art galleries open their doors for tours, with refreshments to encourage art lovers and tourists to take in some culture. Galleries encourage people to attend and use this as an opportunity to expose new artists to the community.

Free Summer Concert Series At Fort Fisher Military Recoreation Area, Kure Beach tonight from 6- 8 pm. Bands to include classic blues and jazz band - Port City All Stars. Bring something to sit on - no pets or beverages...

The Chickenhead blues band will play blues at 6pm behind Ulta and World Market. They will be small rides for kids. Bring something to sit on , picnic baskets and coolers ok.

Tomorrow at Hanover Center on Oleander is the Capeside Markets Art and Crafts Fair. - the last Saturday of each month. It is 9 am to 4 pm. Check it out at www.Capesidemarkets.com

Nations Next Top Model Home - set in the Brunswick county's new subdivison - Compass Pointe is coming to a conclusion. Tomorrow night the 7 designers from all over the country will put down their paintbrushes to signal completion of their home designing competition. The designers were recruited to design a new model home at Compass Pointe. Each was given a budget of $ 5000. and had to paint, and purchase furniture and accessories to decorate their floorplan. The progress of the designers was videoed on a blog each Monday night. There were competitions for who was to pick their favorite house to design. Each designer also blogged about what kind of projects they were working on in the house. These homes will be available on Saturday and Sunday at Compass Pointe for people to view. Then people will be allowed to vote on their favorite home and decorator. The winning decorator will win $ 25,000. The Compass Pointe subdivison is 10 miles south of Wilmington on 74/76 in Brunswick County. Can't wait to see their final designs. Hope to see you there...

Coastal Living magazine has chosen a home in Historic Southport to be its 2009 Idea House. Public tours of the home will begin Sept. 3 and run through Nov. 29. The house is in Seawatch at Sunset Harbor, a 3,000-acre waterfront community 30 miles south of Wilmington. Tour hours are noon- 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Group appointments are available.
Tickets are $10 and proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Homes of North Carolina.
The original Cape-style house is built on a bluff overlooking the tidal waters of Mercer Mill Creek and nature preserve.
Coastal Living Idea Houses celebrate the best in coastal home innovation, decor, and construction and are built in coastal communities selected by the magazine for environmental consciousness and sensitivity to shoreline preservation.
The home will be featured in the November 2009 issue of Coastal Living magazine.

What could be better than owning your own private walkway to your own piece of the beach at Wrightsville Beach? Nothing... but you need to consider certain things if you do want to buy an oceanfront home. Of course you have your own piece of one of the priciest beaches on the Atlantic coast. Unsurpassed views of sparkling turquoise water and white sandy beaches...

They are pricey and ones in pristine condition are hard to find.

It will take $ 3-4 million to buy a good one...

Oceanfront properties require a lot of maintenance from the grates on the heat pump to the door handles which even if they are the finest nickel do weather - even in a year. The salt air is rough on an oceanfront property. Consider that you must paint a property much more frequently or within a shorter time span - 3-4 years instead of 7-8 years. Nail pops can show up quicker and if the builder did not use galvanized nails on the outside of the building they can crack the paint through and rust. The railings need painting more frequently; not to mention the wind damage possibility from storms...The wind and hail and flood insurance rates are going through the roof because of the massive insurance dollar outlay from the New Orleans hurricane.

These may not be optimistic views but they are realistic. The properties available on our local beaches are some of the finest beach properties on the coast but they all come at a price. The informed buyer must be aware of what is involved in purchase of their American dream...

The appeal of the beach beckons in the summer as a good part of the nation hits the road to visit their favorite beach for relaxation and rejuvenation.
Their are many different types of properties to choose from and one is the Timeshare. The picture is of a timeshare currently on the market at Wrightsville Beach for $ 159,000, for 5 weeks per year use. This is generally a property that is shared between several members and the time for use is distributed among the owners during the year.
This is attractive to many people but like everything has its pros and cons:
Pros:
Share owner is assured of his or her weeks throughout the year.
Can probably switch with other members to get the weeks they want.
Costs can be low for high end beach properties since they are shared among several members.
Generally no work to do as the Homeowners association dues cover all maintenance issues.
Cons:
Dues are required and must be paid even if you do not use your weeks.
Not sure if everyone will respect the property as you do.
Could worry about deteriorating condition if the property is not adequately managed.
Dues could accelerate after first few years of ownership due to maintenance as beach properties close to the beach have high maintenance costs, along with high insurance rates.
May not be able to rent or lease out your property as you would a condo if that is specified in the HOA docs.

As you can see there are many properties that allow you to enjoy beach living. You just need to find the one that meets your comfort level... Posted by WELCOMEtotheBEACH