Enough already of all the negative publicity in the marketplace. If you are a potential home buyer looking at Wilmington NC real estate, you need to be looking at the affordability index. It is at an all time high (meaning home prices have been lowered)  and interest rates are at historic lows! 4.25%     If you wait for prices to drop further and interest rates go up, the value of the lower purchase price will be wiped out by higher payment. Get out there and look for the perfect house at the perfect price today!

And, if you are looking to sell your home  in Wilmington, NC,  your home must be aggressively priced, it must be in the best possible condition, you are in a beauty pageant and price war at the same time, and it must have the assistance of a reputable Realtor who knows the market and offers an aggressive marketing campaign and will use every tool in the arsenal.

For more details about the Wilmington NC real estate market, please contact kaybaker@ec.rr.com or 910-232-0363 or go to www.cbbaker.com.

Kay Baker & Associates is excited to announce our Greater Wilmington NC School Guide.  Your one stop shop for all the information you need on New Hanover County, Pender County and Brunswick County schools.  This innovative digital magazine is the first in the Wilmington NC area.  Useful information is at your fingertips when selecting the best school for you or your child from Kindergarden to Higher College Education, whether it be a public school or private school.  We have it all here for you.  Please take time to visit, and explore the links to each school system.  All the information about registering for schools, what each library has on it’s shelves, special need centers in each school and contact numbers are all put together for you in an easy digital magazine.  There is also a link for Wilmington NC real estate to search for homes in a certain school district.  We want to make your life easy, especially when entertaining a move.  Click here for the Greater Wilmington NC School Guide. Search all Wilmington NC real estate on www.cbbaker.com and let us know if we can help.

Wilmington NC Real Estate Homeowners

Starting April 5, 2010 the Government will be paying homeowners in default, to relocate. The new program will demand lenders to honor short sales whereby the homeowner can sell the property for less than the mortgage payoff. The Obama administration is trying a different approach to assist more than 5 Million households who are behind on their mortgages. In turn, the homeowner will receive $1500 for relocation assistance and the lender $1000 for expediting the short sale process.  

This arrangement could prove very beneficial to the homeowner, as they will not suffer further credit damage and they will get reassurance from the lender that they will not be sued for the balance. And, under this arrangement, the number of potential  foreclosed homes on the market should drastically decrease which in turn, should improve the  overall housing market.

Finally, short sales will have their day! If you are facing a foreclosure, and need assistance, we are specialists in the Wilmington NC real estate short sale and foreclosure market. We are there for you every step of the way. Just give us a call or email kaybaker@ec.rr.com.

And, if you are looking to purchase a short sale or foreclosure, we have you covered there, as well.  We have a Certified Distressed Property broker on our team and will help you with your short sale or  purchase a short sale or foreclosure with complete knowledge of the process.  Read more here

Many homeowners in the Wilmington NC real estate marketplace are finding themselves with a mortgage balance higher than they can even sell their home for. This puts the seller in a “short sale” situation. This means that the lender may agree to accept less than is actually owed on the property.  And, not all lenders will agree to accept less than what is actually owed, especially if you are not in default.  If you find yourself in this situation, you need a qualified real estate professional to guide you through this process. It is not an easy one, trust me. We will assist you in putting together a hardship package for the lender that may include a financial statement, hardship letter, bank statements, income statements, an appraisal on the property and even a listing agreement to prove that the property is on the market.

If you are in need of assistance, please do not hesitate to call or email kay@cbbaker.com. We are happy to answer any questions you may have concerning short sales and foreclosures in Wilmington, NC. And, if you are a buyer, we can send you a list of short sales and foreclosures, or you can search short sales and foreclosures.

Spring is right around the corner in Wilmington NC. What a great time to get a jump start on your spring cleaning.  If you are considering putting your home on the market, this might be the time to hire a cleaning professional.

Some of the things you need to keep in mind are:

1. Make a list of things that you would like to have done to the interior and the exterior of the home. 

2.  Do your homework and ask friends for referrals of cleaning companies.  Check out references before you hand over the keys to you home.

3.  Make sure that the cleaning company handles taxes for their employees, has insurance and is bonded.

4. Get an estimate for services and make sure it is detailed.  Your idea of a cleaning might be different than theirs.

5.  Make sure that the company can schedule days to fit your schedule and whether or not they supply the cleaning equipment and supplies.

6.  A professional cleaning job can make your home shine and show well. 

7.  Call us to help you sell your home!

So, start your real estate search today at www.cbbaker.com.  You can find a new home as well as get seller advice.  You can search by price range, map, schools, neighborhoods and more.

Wilmington NC real estate market

The Wilmington NC real estate market is really making a bounce back with the number of showings at Coldwell Banker Sea Coast up a whopping 72% over December! There were 2757 showings of our very own listings in January! That is amazing.

If you are in the market to sell your home this year, now is the time to be getting your home on the market. You don’t want to be left behind when we get into our Spring selling season this year. The Northeast market is rebounding, as well. When that happens, those buyers will be here in the Spring to purchase .

And Wilmington NC home buyers, don’t forget the clock is ticking for the tax credit. If you would like to search for homes in Wilmington, NC by price range, schools, map, zip codes and even neighborhoods, my website does it all at www.cbbaker.com. Please feel free to contact me at kaybaker@ec.rr.com.

Wilmington NC Real Estate

Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Associates now have the ability to leverage the power and success of Homes.com! One of real estate’s fastest-growing property portals, Homes.com features nearly 100 percent organic traffic for better listing performance and higher quality leads. Now all of our Wilmington NC real estate listings will be near the top of the search results.

Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty and Homes.com have
partnered together to increase your listing exposure
to more than 4 million monthly viewers.

Homes.com

Homes.com Premier Listings include:
Up to 30 photos of your current listing will
automatically be displayed
Virtual tours will automatically display
Agent photo and name will appear
Your phone number, email and link to your agent
website will appear
Listings included on the Homes.com search application for the iPhone include a link from to drive traffic directly to your website
Live mapping of each property
Control panel access for tracking and lead distribution
A Control Panel is available for those agents who wish to make additional changes to their listings on
homes.com.

If you are looking to sell Wilmington NC real estate, please give us a call today. We will show you our very aggressive marketing approach for 2010! Don’t hesititate, give us a call today or email kaybaker@ec.rr.com.

Text messaging

Mobile Virtual tours are now being offered to view real estate in Wilmington, NC. In this age of technology, buyers want immediate information. Being the innovative Realtor that I try to be, I am always seeking the competitive edge. Home buyers in Wilmington, NC can now receive virtual tours even while they may be just riding by the home. Buyers can simply text the homes code to  44133  (each individual home will have one) that is displayed on the for sale sign and in print ads. Text messaging is the preferred communication these days, especially with 25-44 year olds..  Goomzee text messaging allows Realtors to capture qualified leads and then arrange for an appt, open house, price reduction or send information about a  new listing in the neighborhood. Home sellers just absolutely love this new technology to market their home. Sellers have been long tired of empty brochure boxes or Realtors not answering their phones. Now home buyers can get the detailed information they deserve simply by texting on their phone. And the bonus for home sellers and myself,  I receive the caller’s phone number and details immediately for followup. In addition, my creative assistant has set up a text message for buyers and sellers to search Wilmington NC real estate by price right from their phone!

Try it yourself! Text 14059 to 44133.  Don’t you just love technology??

Short Sale seems to be the buzz these days as more sellers are opting to avert a foreclosure proceeding and possibly save their credit and buyers are now searching for the ultimate deal. Read the rest of this entry

Good News for Home Buyers and Sellers

Coldwell Banker International announced this week that home buyers and sellers can now access real estate listings on Coldwellbanker.com in 28 countries via iPhone and Blackberry phones. Read the rest of this entry