Wilmington NC Real Estate Guide

Realtor.com announced that Wilmington NC was the 69th most searched market for real estate.  Realtor.com has it’s own statistics for searches performed.  The median price of homes were 239,900 which is a bit lower than 2010 but still a healthy average compared to the national average of 189,900.  Inventory levels are down from 2010 which could be in part to all the foreclosures that flooded the market last year. 

Kay Baker & Associates uses Realtor.com in their marketing plans by  showcasing our listings and we have 12 featured home  spots that will showcase our homes when someone types in the search criteria of “Wilmington NC”.  We feel that this increases the exposure of our listings tremendously.  If you are thinking about selling your home, let us show you our aggressive marketing plan.  Search all the Wilmington NC real estate listings on realtor.com and on www.cbbaker.com

Safe At Home For The Summer

The song says that living is easy in the summertime, but don’t let the lazy days of summer lead to accidents. Keeping you and your family safe is just a matter of following simple precautions. Here are some tips for ensuring your family’s good times and good heath:

• Beware of the cutting edge. Lawnmowers and other power tools can cause serious injuries. When you’re mowing your lawn, keep children out of the area, and don’t allow children to ride on a mower.

• Before mowing, take the time to move outdoor furniture, toys, sticks or other obstacles out of the way. Especially if you have children or pets, you don’t want to turn your back on an idling mower to move objects.

• If your older child will be helping you out this summer by mowing the lawn, make sure he or she understands how to safely operate the equipment. Read all instructions and warning information together.

• Always turn a mower off before attempting to unclog debris from the blade.

• Tend to the fire. Grilling food outside is a wonderful way to escape the heat of the kitchen. Keep children away from grills or open fires. You should always have water on hand in case a fire gets out of control.

• Lighter fluid should be off-limits for children.

• Be safe about food handling. Never return cooked meat to a container that has held raw meat. Keep coolers in the shade and add ice to them as needed. Keeping drinks and food in separate coolers will cut down on the number of times the food cooler is opened.

• Watch out for other living things. Insect bites and bee stings can be reduced by dressing children in shoes and clothing that is light in color. Make sure you know what is growing in your yard. Teach children about poisonous plants and berries so they know what plants not to touch, pick or eat.

• Beat the heat. The dog days can be deadly. When the temperature tops 90 degrees, fans alone will not be able to cool a home. If you don’t have air conditioning, get out of the house and head for air-conditioned public places, such as libraries or shopping malls. Taking a bath or shower in tepid water will help you keep your cool. Stay well-hydrated, and make a point to check on elderly friends or neighbors who may be especially susceptible to heat-related illness.

Best wishes for a safe and happy summer!

Kudos for UNCW’s Debra Saunders-White.  The Greater Wilmington Business Journal announced that President Barack Obama selected UNCW’s Debra Saunders-White to serve as the new deputy assistant secretary for higher education programs at the U.S. Department of Education. Saunders-White will move to Washington in early May. Saunders-White will oversee programs to encourage low-income and first generation students along with students with disabilities to pursue postsecondary education. Read more here…

UNCW is an integral part of the Wilmington NC community.

The State of the County address was given this week by Chairman Jonathan Barfield Jr. and the news was good.  After thanking all involved including the County and City staff, as it is a group effort to make this county a great place to live, Barfield said tough measures were taken to insure to maintain the quality of this area.  The 1/4 percent raise in sales tax last year helped maintain the county budget even though it was a hard tough decision to vote the increase in.  The schools, parks and core services were mentioned as projects that the county has paid particular attention to.  New Hanover counties credit rating is golden.  That will help this county move forward and continue to grow.  To read the whole address read more here….

To view the video click here.

The great town of Wilmington NC is what we call home and to say we of proud of our town, would be an understatement.  To view Wilmington NC real estate please visit www.cbbaker.com

Do you wonder what the sold prices are in your neighborhood?  Of course you do.  It is  natural to want to know.  With the new Trends MLS reports we can give you sold prices, dates and graphs.  Easy, simple and no obligation.  We want potential Wilmington NC real estate sellers to be knowledgeable about the market.  It helps you make a decision as to whether or not this the best time to sell your home. We are here to help guide you in that decision.

Want to know what price homes have sold for recently in your area? Simply complete this  short form here. We will e-mail you regular updates on recent home sales in your area to give you a good idea of your own home’s current value.

To search all Wilmington NC real estate to see what is on the market in your neighborhood now, visit www.cbbaker.com

What if every home for sale had a bar code capable of being scanned by any smartphone? How about bar codes on your business cards, listing flyers, postcards etc? Bar codes or QR Codes are starting to appear more frequently in the real estate business and are being hailed as the “next big thing.” Do you see this technology taking hold in real estate? If so, what other uses can you imagine?  Instead of handing out your business card you could just hold out your card with a QR code on it and someone with a smartphone could scan it with an application and all your contact information will be correctly added to their contacts.  WOW…

Kay Baker Google Map QR code

My Google coupon is a QR code and will take you directly to my Google Places and you will be able to access my profile on Google maps.

Maybe soon, we could put codes on For Sale signs and buyers can access information with one scan.  Technology is changing the way we do business.

The Wilmington NC real estate sold price continues its monthly climb; we are 2.0% ahead of last month and 5.5% over last year this time. In our rolling 12 months we are 18.2% up in sold units and our average sold price is only down by 1.9%. We are back with sold units that exceed the previous month by 7.8%. August was a close to great month – our average sold price climbed by 1.0% over last month and 1.9% over last August. We were off base on sold units for August by 3 homes –  386 Wilmington NC homes were sold in  August and last August we sold 390.  Our Year to Date shows us that our average sold price is 13.2% ahead in units over last year and only 1.5% behind last year.  The trend I continue to see; is our negative numbers and gaps keep getting smaller and smaller.
In the month of August we saw a decrease of 37 homes in our listing inventory, we have 5,567 homes for sale in Wilmington NC as of September 1st.  This continues to put us in a strong buyer’s market with a listing inventory of over a 14.4 month supply. With the low sales in August this affects our month supply with a change of 2 months from last month. Our average list price has stayed below the $400,000 range for the last year; we are currently at $374,121. In August we saw an increase in our seller concessions, it is now 24.1%. Our average days on the market are 135. The list to sold ratio is 93.6% and is down 1.0% from last month; this number needs to continue to get better. The number of homes that sold in 15 days or less continues to remain very low, 13.0% of August sold homes. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 4.35% with an average 0.7 points for the week ending September 9, 2010. We are now hitting historic lows in mortgage rates. Read the rest of this entry

Rendering by Creative Illustration Media, INC. LS&P Architects

Wilmington NC is going to get it’s own state of the art  Convention Center.  After waiting for approvals and site plans, an opening date has been set for the Historic Downtown Wilmington Convention Center on the Cape Fear River. 

The grand opening is set for Thursday January 13, 2011 at 9:30 am.  The public is invited and there will be a ribbon cutting ceremony with the mayor and other community leaders.  Following the ceremony, there will be a BizTech Expo with technology and business vendors.  On January 15 a black tie event will be held by the Greater Wilmington Chamber of Commerce, with proceeds benefiting the Cape Fear Future initiative.  

A couple of big companies have signed contracts to hold their conventions here for the next couple of years.  This will bring added revenue to Wilmington NC and expose our area and all it’s natural treasures and great Wilmington NC real estate opportunities.  

Please explore our website for the most up to date listings of all Wilmington NC real estate and waterfront properties.  www.cbbaker.com or call us and we will personally select properties that will fit your real estate needs or portfolio.

Did you miss the $8,000 Stimulus deadline to purchase a new home?  If you did Coldwell Banker Corporate has announced a Buyer Bonus plan that could help you get a credit on a new home.  

Purchase a participating home between May 1, 2010 and July 31, 2010 and the seller will refund 3% of the accepted offer price up to $8,000 to you as a credit at closing.  Look for the “Buyer Bonus Program” homes online or call us and we can help you with your search for a new home.  You don’t have to be a first time home buyer to enjoy the credit.  Read more here.

Search online at www.cbbaker.com or TEXT 14059 to 44133 to search on your mobile phone.

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.