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

Kate + 8 showed up this week for a fun adventure over on Bald Head Island. They took the ferry over hit the beach for the week and then did a little exploring in Wilmington...

They took in lunch at Elijahs - which is delicious and is riverfront with great views. They took in the sites of Wilmington from a carriage tour, made jewelry and had ice cream. A great treat for kids. Then it was back to the beach for filming their hit TV series for TLC... Things for big and little kids to do in Wilmington, NC

t Are we coming out of this recession yet? Have we hit bottom are things turning up? The optimistic signals are good, pending sales index is up, housing affordability is up, but how does the Wilmington NC market stack up? WE had a 25 unit decrease in sold units - we are still in a strong buyers market with a listing inventory of over 17.7 months.

However our pending index is up 55% from December 2008.

I would guess that lots of new home buyers are entering our market - over 90% of the homes going under contract are under $ 300K or less. They are taking advantage of the $ 8000. tax credit.

Beach Market - Carolina and Kure Beach

There are currently 604 single family homes for sale and this represents a 13 unit increase over April and 11.0% of our total WRAR inventory. The average list price is $467,247 a slight increase over April 09'. In April there were 24 homes sold, divide that by the homes available and you have a very large monthly supply of homes in Carolina and Kure Beach (over 25 months). This is 3 months lower than last month. The average sold price for the month of April was $297,475 and is up from last month. In April 2008 we had 29 home sales at an average $336,327. When we look at our rolling 12 months we see that we are ahead in units by 12 and our average sold price has dipped from $403,099 to a current $349,145 a decrease of 13.4%.

This data was pulled on May 10, 2009, based on information from the Wilmington Regional Association of REALTORS Incorporated, for the period Jan. 1, 2005 through April 30, 2009 and compiled by

David Flory Mortgage Consultant Cunningham & Company Mortgage Bankers 910-352-8273 cell 910-313-0045 office davidf@cunninghammortgage.com www.cunninghammortgage.com

If you were thinking of buying a second home or vacation home on the coast - now is the time. Rates are good and the inventory is phenomenal. The market is yours today- you may never have the opportunity to choose from so many houses for sale and at such terrific prices.

The RIDES are finally here in Carolina Beach NC and will open today at 4 pm with a ribbon cutting. There will be fireworks also tonite and free movies Sunday night at the Lake.

The ORANGE street festival is tomorrow on Orange Street with all kinds of vendors - arts and crafts for sale along the street.

There is another sailing ship docked in Downtown Wilmington for people to explore.

Here are a bunch of events taking place downtown this weekend from my associate Christina Erichsen.

On Friday, May 22nd at 10:30 am we will be hosting a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony for a new business downtown!! The ribbon cutting will take place at Pim Destination, a new ladies clothing store, located at 124 S. Front Street. Please help us to welcome them to the downtown community and take part in a photo op!

Also on Friday, the Pride of Baltimore II tall ship will provide a cannon show between 2:30-3:30pm. For the safety of the ship and crew, the Pride had to make an early arrival this afternoon due to high winds. During the show, the Pride will pull away from Riverfront Park and travel up and down the river in front of downtown firing its cannons at will! Don't miss this great spectacle, a perfect highlight of our nautical history here in Wilmington!

Beginning at 6pm on Friday, the 4th Annual Downtown Sundown Concert Series kicks off with The Breakfast Club, an 80's cover band! Come out for free music, a great crowd, beautiful weather and sights!! Beer, wine, and food will be for sale during the event! Also, the Pride of Baltimore tall ship will be open for free tours during the show!

On Saturday, May 23rd, Wilmington Downtown hosts the first Nautical Celebration in downtown on the Riverfront. Activities begin at 3pm with Soko African Dance Ensemble, followed by Jason Adamo, a local acoustic performer from 4:30-6pm, then Chris Bellamy, another local act, from 6-7:45pm, and Steve Martinez, a reggae performer, from 8-10pm. The ship will be docked and open for free tours all day and during the evening concert!

On Sunday, May 24th, Wilmington Downtown and Grace Methodist Church are hosting a "Shall We Gather at the River" service beginning at 1pm. Join us as we sing inspirational hymns, celebrating the river and start of the summer season in Wilmington!

Lots to do - come and visit...

Harbor Island Garden tour is this Friday, May 15,2009. This is such a treat where people can tour 6 waterfront homes to benefit the Junior Gardening prograns and beatification projects at Wrightsville Beach. Tours begin a Wrightsville Beach Museum - just left after coming off the first bridge. Tour hours are 9am-5pm. Ribbon cutting ceremony at Wrightsville Beach Museum at 9am
HOW MUCH: $25 with optional box lunch,
$5, provided by King Neptune Restaurant
INFO: 910.679.4129
www.harborislandgardenclub

Another event is a art show and poster show at Carolina Beach put on by CapeFearPress. They have created huge wooden presses and will be using them on hemp and cotton material to make wall hangings. Should be very interesting things to see. This will take place on Saturday on Cape Fear Blvd on Pleasure Island. Just another exciting island event. www.CapeFearPress.com

Hope to see you there.

Beach time is here!!! Of course y'all want to hit the beach, but here are some things to do it you're not a beach bunny...

Dreamz Craft Sale and Fashion Show is taking place Saturday from 1 to 7 pm in Hanover Shopping Center behind Steinbeck. There will be all kinds of designers selling their wares. Then after the sale there will be a fashion show across the street under a tent in the Independence Shopping Center parking lot. This was organized by the immensely talented owner Jessica Williams of Edge of Urge. She has designed clothing for people all over the world including One Tree Hill Folks and performing rock bands. Jessie has been a supporter all along of Dreamz which provides art classes and development classes to the handicapped free of charge. I can't wait to go.....

Also there is the Hampstead day put on by the Kiwanis Club in Hamstead Park on Rt 17 in Hampstead. Admission is free to that.

Fort Fisher Aquarium has a new attraction too. They have an albino alligator now on exhibit. Very rare this is one guy kids will love to see..

Have a great one and don't forget about us Beach Folks.....