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

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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Photograph by:

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.

Normally you don't mention Southport and snow in the same sentence, but every once in awhile the snow gods smile down upon us and send us a little white stuff to crow about. It was just a dusting but it sure does show up pretty on our coastal flora. Most times our snow comes up from the South and East as this one did. The dominant weather pattern of West to East here on the NC coast will dump snow in the mountains and piedmont and about as far as the I95 corridor, and then we always just miss it by a few degrees. We've learned not to get our hopes up.

So even a little snow is a BIG DEAL! Schools were already closed for Martin Luther King day and a teacher workday so I dare say some young ones got their first ever glimpse of the white flakes. Growing up in the Shenandoah Valley, sledding and snowball fights and fort-making were as much a backdrop for my childhood as the beach life has been for my kids. It's in their blood. We moved to Southport 28 years ago and I have loved it all the while. We just have one still at home now and she'll be gone before you know it. We have a little place in the mountains and if we can figure out a some way to live and work in two places, I'll be a happy girl.

On the home front, I've been amazed how empty the town seems, and wondering where the tourists are. Normally they're here in good numbers, even in winter, strolling the streets and hitting the shops. I was blaming the economy until a local merchant mentioned the fact that the Southport - Ft Fisher Ferry is closed for repairs has a lot to do with it. Well duh... I forget sometimes how much of an impact the ferry has on Southport and its retailers, funneling travelers right through downtown, every hour. The repairs and improvements are supposed to be complete by the end of this month. I know for our shop owners and those who depend on it to commute to work, it'll be none too soon.

It's finally gotten cold enough around here to have a fire. Thank goodness! I mean I loved those 70 degree and even 80 degree days in December, but I need a change of seasons. And my plants needed to go dormant so they'll be ready to go again come March. We have plenty of firewood to go with all the basketball heating up in the ACC this year. Add a little popcorn and I'll fight ya over the couch. 'Tis the season....

On a more somber note, the lastest unemployment figures in Brunswick County are 8.8% for the month of November, up from 7.1% in October. Service sector jobs, particularly those that depend on "new construction," are the hardest hit as you might imagine. I have to point out that the self-employed, which includes a large percentage of various building trade workers, aren't included in the unemployment numbers. I know many who are hurting right now. Surprisingly, there are still folks looking at real estate here in Southport. Not as many are buying, but those who have funds available are once again choosing real estate over the stock market. I am invested in both and I can tell you I sleep more soundly at night with my real estate holdings than I do my current investment portfolio, which I now actively manage. My faithful mortgage broker, Pat, keeps me updated. She's my role model 'cause she has actually found a way to work two markets, one in the mountains where her family is, and one here in Brunswick County where her husband's business is. In spite of what the media is telling us, lenders are actually lending money. First time home buyers have a real advantage as well as anyone with a credit score of 725 or more.

So I'll leave you with a few pictures...as pitiful as they are if you live in REAL snow country. But we'll take whatever white stuff we can get...and keep dreaming... of those "sleigh bells in the snow."

And lastly, the great Christmas Eve blizzard of 1989, which delivered upwards of 18" of snow to the NC coast.

With Halloween just a couple days away, I thought I'd do a quick run down of some of the options available to kids as well as adults who still love a costume party or a haunted carriage ride.

I can't resist starting out with Old South Tour and Carriage Company's Haunted Ghost Tour in and around Downtown Southport on Halloween night. Something tells me that the Old Smithville Burial Grounds will be involved. Learn about Southport's history and be scared out of your wits...a perfect combination. Tickets available starting at 7pm on Halloween night at the Whittler's Bench at the foot of Howe St. on the water. Tour starts at 7:30. Advance tickets also available at Stewart Hardware. $12/Adults - $5/under 12.

The City of Southport and Downtown Southport, Inc. is putting on a Fall Festival. Among the many activities planned are Stories Beneath the Silent Stones with Pat Kirkman of Southport Historical Society at the Old Smithville Burying Ground from 5-7. Stage II Productions will host a "Monster Mash" with music and entertainment at the Waterfront Park from 6-8. Also don't miss Southport's last outdoor movie of the season! Bring a chair or blanket to the Garrison lawn and watch Monster House at 7:30. Looks like the weather will be clear ... highs/60s ... lows/mid 40s ...put on your woollies!

Don't miss Brunswick Little Theatre's production of Dracula to be performed Halloween weekend only at Odell Williamson Auditorium. This is not the campy Dracula of the 1931 Bela Lugosi movie. It is rather the story of a man's undying love with his dead wife, who had died almost 500 years earlier. It is a story of obsession and passion. Portion of the proceeds will go to the Cape Fear Red Cross. Tickets $15/adults - $6 students at the door or by calling the Odell Williamson box office. For more information call Ron Lee -910-294-2184.

The Brunswick Co. Sheriff's Office is having it's 1st annual Halloween Carnival at the Government Complex in Bolivia. It will be held on Halloween night from 6:30 - 9pm. The Brunswick County Chamber of Commerce will be co-sponsoring the carnival and helping with donations, games, and various booths. It sounds like there will be a multitude of activities offered ... hay rides, cake walks, a pumpkin decorating contest, fishing, bag tossing, ringing the bottle, and more. Goodie bags for all kids plus hot dogs, popcorn, clowns, and pony rides. Sounds like a winner!

Sponsored by the Benedict Foundation, there is even a Halloween event for dogs to be held Friday, Oct. 31 from 2-4pm at 1013 E. Moore St. Bring your dog and a box of dog biscuits to be donated to local animal rescue. Prizes awarded for best costumes. For $5 donation, have your pooches picture taken with a scarecrow. Sounds like fun? For more info call 910-200-2244.

Boiling Spring Lakes Parks and Rec. is once again sponsoring a "Trunk or Treat" as a safer alternative to traditional trick or treating. Come out and register your vehicle and give out candy between 5:30 and 7:30. Click here for detailed information and registration form or call 845-3693.

Southport Baptist Church Women's Group's, Holly Days, will be held Saturday, Nov. 1 at the Southport City Gym. It is an annual arts and crafts fair sure to get you in the spirit for the upcoming holiday season. For more information, call Kathy Holbrook at 278-3134.

And finally, having nothing to do with Halloween, but one of Brunswick County's best Fall traditions is the Dixon Chapel Oyster Roast in Varnumtown. I'll admit it's been years since we've been but if you don't mind the crowds and enjoy the genuine comradery of hovering over a table of of steaming, hissing oysters cooked over a slow wood fire ... then by all means grab a mitt and an oyster knife and head that way. The ladies of the church provide all the "fixins." You won't be disappointed. Call Carson Varnum at 842.6425.

For me, this is the start of the very best time of year in Southport, no doubt about it. Come out and enjoy! And the sunsets just can't be beat ..... James Taylor says it best "Hey babe the sky's on fire, I'm dyin' ain't I ... I'm gone to Carolina in my mind."

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