Southport NC Real Estate - Vicki Burton- Buyer's Agent

If you live in Southport, it's that time again....time to hang the buntings, replace that faded "Old Glory," clean off the front porch for visitors, and get ready to sit back and watch another 4th of July festival in Southport unfold. Is it really almost here? You betcha... the Fireman's Competition will kick things off today! It seems early but it's not. The town never looks better than it does right now. If you feel like I do, that there seems to be a serious lack of patriotism in our Country these days, then this is just what the doctor ordered.

Tomorrow at 5PM, bring your chairs and come to the Garrison for the 2nd Marine Division Band Concert. There's not a better spot to enjoy a Sunday evening, with the mouth of the Cape Fear as your backdrop. Another highlight of Southport's 4th of July festival is the Naturalization Ceremony that also will take place at the Garrison on Friday, July 3rd at 4:45. If you've never attended one of these, you'll just have to take my word for it ... you just can't help but walk away feeling a little misty eyed and moved by the earnest exuberance of these brand new Americans who have gone through so much to get here so they might have the opportunities that we all take for granted.

Oak Island always hosts a pre-4th day of activities called Beach Day at the Cabana and Middleton Park. This year it is on Wednesday, July 1st and is a jam packed day of family fun ... horseshoe competition, kids games, live music, volleyball and bocce tournament, and topped off by their own fireworks display at Ocean Crest Pier.

On Thursday, the 4th of July festivities hit wide open, and for the next three days, Southport will transform itself into a virtual sea of red, white, and blue. The smells of funnel cakes, bloomin' onions, curly fries, and philly steak are surely gonna draw you in even if you had planned to be good this year. The Arts and Crafts Fair gets started at 10AM at Franklin Square Park, as well as the National 4th of July Art Show next door at Franklin Square Gallery. The Dennis Walton Band kicks off an afternoon of music and entertainment at the Waterfront Stage starting at 1:00PM. And I just found out today that the Brunswick Big Band is headlining the evening slot from 7-10PM. Normally it's the Wilmington Big Band fills this slot so I know our local musicians are all fired up about the chance to wow a big festival crowd. And I'm sure they will! Note that many of them will be pulling "double duty," as there'll be little time to rest before the Brunswick Concert Band performs on the Garrison Lawn at 4PM on Friday, just prior to the Naturalization Ceremony.

Southport's 4th of July Festival continues full throttle on Friday, starting out bright and early for the much-anticipated Kid's Games at the Waterfront Park. Registration is at 8:30. I know it's hard to get up and get your kids there at that time of morning in the summer...I remember...but it's always worth it and the three-legged races and the watermelon rolls won't wait. They might just get lucky... the smile on the face of your little one being handed a blue ribbon... priceless.

The fun in the sun continues throughout the day and is capped off by the Street Dance from 7-10. This year's dance is hosted by the Peace and Love band from Charlotte playin' your favorite oldies and dance classics. This is where you go when you want to see all the people you haven't seen since last 4th of July!

It's been a long time since the 4th finished up on a Saturday ... well, seven years to be exact. It'll be nice cause then you still have Sunday to relax in much needed peace and quiet. So Saturday morning you might as well come on in to town real early and find you a shady spot to put out your chairs. Then you can go over to the Methodist Church, who's been having a pancake breakfast on the 4th for the masses as long as I can remember. North Carolina's largest and oldest 4th of July parade starts at 11AM and no matter how many times you see it, it is ALWAYS a huge crowd-pleaser.

Down on Bay St. in front of the Garrison, will be a classic car show, and at the Waterfront Park, Civil War re-enactors will provide a chorus of cannons to keep us awake. The Saturday night band this year is Carl Newton and the 5th Avenue Band. I'm not familiar with them but from the sound on their website, they'll get the crowd out of their seats, and on the dance lot with their unique brand of classic soul. Of course, no 4th of July celebration is complete with fireworks, and fireworks there'll be alright. Having lived in downtown Southport for 25 years now, I can say for sure the fireworks are still my favorite part...lying on a blanket by the water...watching the bobbing of boats out in the river until the launch barge fires that first missile in the air. Then it's just time to relax and enjoy the show. Happy Birthday America.

My only real advice for getting out of Southport after the fireworks, is to park on the East side of town facing out. Here's a map I made last year...hope it helps.

SouthportSoundings © 2009 - please do not copy without permission - thank you

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Photograph by: Emily Timberlake

Vicki Burton

Loggerhead Realty

Southport, NC

910.540.0551

Website: Southport Soundings

EMAIL

***Please do not copy or reproduce without expressed written permission. Thank you.

It's still too early to tell, but those who are following the real estate market in Brunswick County will find this February report similar to January's, but with a much broader mix of properties. Again, I am offering details of single-family site-built homes that have gone under contract in February. And staying with the same communities of interest in my January Report, my search includes the communities and developments I consider "my neck of the woods" including Southport, Bald Head Island, Oak Island, Arbor Creek, St. James Plantation, Sunset Harbor, Sea Watch, River Run Plantation, Lennon Hills, Winding River, River Sea, Lockwood Folly, Supply, Winnabow, Town Creek, Bolivia, and Boiling Spring Lakes.

Starting the furthest South here are the results: (33 total)

Bald Head Island had the highest listed price home under contract at $1,995,000 on Cape Fear Trail.

In Southport, there were eight. In town, one on Herring and one on Long Leaf were 129,000 and 199,000 respectively. On Spikerush in Indigo Plantation ... a real beauty for 499,900. In Harbor Oaks there was a foreclosure with an asking price of 290,000 ... wow. A new construction in Price's Creek went under contract at 399,000 as well as a home on Brenden Court for 395,000.

Oak Island had by far the most activity with 14, including two foreclosures in the mid 300s. Five interior homes priced between 169,000 and 178,000 went under contract. There were three more on the ocean side of Davis Canal in the 289,000-445,000 range. On the Yaupon end there were also three....one on Live Oak at 320,000, one on Trott at 849,000, and a great deal on Quail Hollow on the golf co

urse at 399,900. Finally, on Caswell, was another golf course home in Ocean Greens at 499,000.

St. James Plantation had 3 homes under contract ... one on Ascot at 365,000, on Fa

irway Village at 399,000, and a fantastic home at the marina on Midshipman...990,000.

One of my favorite communities, Lockwood Folly, also had 3 homes ... A great home on the golf course at 235,000...crazy, a 3500 SF home on Genoes Point also on the golf course for 4

19,000... unbelievable, and finally another on Genoes Point but this one waterfront with dock on nearly an acre ... 1,350.000.

And finally, Boiling Spring Lakes had 4 go under contract ... two on Sycamore at 99,000 and 122,900, a foreclosure on Greensboro at 152,500, and one on Springdale at 156,000.

I continue to have strong leanings towards the more well-established communities here in coastal North Carolina. Now it seems the Brunswick County real estate market is leaning that way as well. When the market was hot, investors flocked to every new

community trying to take advantage of creative financing incentives by developers and "first pick" opportunities. Now many of these are struggling. Lots are not selling well and spec homes sit vacant, victims of a market slowdown that no one ever expected to hit in second fastest growing county in North Carolina. Because we are such a strong retirement destination, I believe that recovery will come here a bit faster than most places. It's hard to imagine finding much better deals than are out there right now. I love finding them. Just give me a call.

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I ask you to consider the many advantages in having a Buyer's Agent assist you if you are considering a real estate purchase in Brunswick County. A Buyer's Agent represents YOUR best interests at all times, and at NO cost to you. I will show you ALL properties that meet your criteria, including the entire MLS, and For Sale By Owner. No pressure, no steering..... just helping you find the very BEST properties, uncovering material facts, negotiating the BEST price, and facilitating a smooth Closing. It's that simple.

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Who doesn't love Spring? Although Fall is really my favorite season, it's hard to deny the tangible pulse of Mother Nature sending out sneak previews before the real show begins. Our big ol' live oaks are slow to bud out. They're in the process of shedding all of last year's leaves so I'm out raking to beat the band, knowing that next week I'll be doing it all over again.

Around our house, the real tell-tale sign of Spring is the massive, porch-swaddling weave of wisteria that demands the full attention of anyone it comes in contact with. I've come to love it in it's pre-purple state almost as much as when it's in full bloom. How does one plant have all the energy to do what you see here? It's a miracle!

*****UPDATE .... 48 hours later!!!

More to come!

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AND FINALLY... exactly 1 week later

OK. It's the first of February and I'm just as curious as you are as to how things are starting out in the real estate market in Brunswick County. There are so many types of searches at my finger tips, I have to decide what is the best barometer. I'm not looking at SOLDs because anything sold in January, went under contract sometime last year, so they don't reflect this year's activity. First off I searched all of Brunswick County to see how many single-family site-built homes went under contract, either 'active contingent' or 'pending'. As of today, there were 55, county-wide. Next I decided to narrow down the listings to "my area" of the county , which in essence are the areas I know the best and work the hardest. That area is eastern Brunswick County, which includes the towns and communities of Southport, Oak Island, Caswell Beach, St. James Plantation, Sunset Harbor, River Run Plantation, Sea Watch, Winding River, River Sea, Lockwood Folly, Supply, Bolivia, Town Creek, Winnabow, Mill Creek, Orton, and Boiling Spring Lakes.

That's a big area, and about half of Brunswick County. So I refined my search, this time to the areas mentioned and there were 34 results. In looking closely at these, here's what I've come up with:

Arbor Creek near Southport - 1 PENDING listed at 318,000

Bald Head Island - 3 PENDING - a Villa listed for 675,000, a cottage at the marina - 1,100,000, and a foreclosure for 399,000. (a beachfront home with erosion issues)

Beaver Creek Plantation - 1 ACTIVE CONTINGENT listed at 799,000

Boiling Spring Lakes - 6 PENDING or ACTIVE CONTINGENT all listed under 190,000

Harbor Oaks in Southport - 1 PENDING listed at 307,000

Lockwood Folly - 1 ACTIVE CONTINGENT listed at 589,900

Oak Island - 12 PENDING or ACTIVE CONTINGENT listed between 119,900 and 649,000 with 8 under 250,000.

River Sea - 1 PENDING - listed at 239,900

Southport - 4 PENDING - none Downtown - all listed under $200,000

St. James Plantation - 4 PENDING - 1 in Sanderling listed at 335,000, 2 in the Members Club section - at 474,000 and 579,900, and 1 near the marina at 589,000

So what to gather from this? There are still buyers out there! The majority listed here are the category of "affordable housing" which makes sense because first-time home buyers still have numerous options available to them in qualifying for a loan. There were 4 in the 300's, 3 in the 400's, and 5 homes above 500K. That leaves 22 ranging in price from 119-299K, with the majority of those near or just below 200K.

Banks are still loaning to those with good credit scores. I had been saying credit scores of 725 and up but now I'm hearing it's closer to 750. Either way, you'll be amazed at the value you'll see when you start looking around at available properties. It is truly a unique opportunity for those either able to borrow, or the lucky ones that can negotiate a cash deal.

And finally, out of curiosity, I looked at residential lots that have gone under contract this month. Wow, a very small number ... only 6. Two in Boiling Spring Lakes, one out in the country in Winnabow at 29,000, one in Winding River at 115,000, and 2 on Oak Island...one an interior lot for 90,000, and one on Yacht Dr. for 145K

If you're interested in what's happening in the real estate market here, I'll be happy to provide you with all sorts of information. And I'd be especially happy to show you any available properties. Feel free to use my Brunswick County MLS search. Understand that a Buyer's Agent can show you the entire market and represent your best interest at all times, without the conflict of interest that can arise when you call the Listing Agent, who represents the Seller. I think you'll be excited to see the value in the market. I get excited every time I'm out. Come see for yourself!

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