StarnewsMedia is hosting the 2012 Concience Fair again this year at the Cape Fear Community College North Campus.  If you have not selected a New Years resolution, may you find one here at the fair.  Over 100 Non- Profits will be there with a whole list of needs.  A great time to scratch that “Volunteer” itch you have been having.  Wilmington NC is an awesome city and it is mainly because of it’s great people and giving attitude.  Join in, you will not be sorry.

The 2012 StarNews Media Conscience Fair is 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 4, in the McKeithan Center at Cape Fear Community College’s North Campus, 4500 Blue Clay Road.

Nonprofit organizations present information about volunteer opportunities. To reserve a space – it’s free – visit StarNewsOnline.com/ConscienceFairand fill out the signup form.
The following nonprofits have signed up as of 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 20.

ORGANIZATION NAME:   CONTACT PERSON   PHONE NUMBER   E-MAIL ADDRESS

International Seamen’s Center Ron Casterline 910-681-1603 rgcasterline@yahoo.com
St. Mary Health Center Laura Vinson-Garvey (910) 279-0643 lvinsongarvey@yahoo.com
Armor of God Ministries Debi Tucker 910-259-5062 debineedstime@yahoo.com
Love Is Bald Kelli N. Russell 910-264-6097 kellineese@hotmail.com
CUE Center for Missing Persons Melissa Neu 910.541.1626 cmneu@marketingflotsam.com
Wilmington Area Rebuilding Ministry, Inc. JC Skane 910.399.7563 info@warmnc.org
disAbility Resource Center Gloria Garton 910-815-6618 gloria.garton@drcwilmington.org
Moores Creek Conservation Alliance Nancy Keith 910-540-0179 moorescreekconservation@gmail.com
Cameron Art Museum Bo Dean 910-599-3995 ext 1010 bodean@cameronartmuseum.com
WHQR Public Radio Laura Hunsberger (910) 343-1640 laura@whqr.org
Church World Service/ CROP Walk Janet Magelli 910-616-1342 jmagelli@gmail.com
Arts Council of Wilmington and N.H.Co. Owen Wexler 910.790.3989 mowexler@aol.com
Foreign Exchange Student Program -PAX /STEP Tracy Bickel 910-632-4293 hostexchangestudent@gmail.com
PILOT CLUB OF WILMINGTON RAMONA ANDREWS, PRESIDENT 791-2733 – BUSINESS  612-0834  – CELL randrews@biz.ec.rr.com
Greater Porters Neck Area Foundation Yona Bar-Zeev 910n 686-5191 pnccyona@yahoo.com
The Arc of NC-Benefit Bank/ Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) site Brian Moeller (9100 538-9421 bmoeller@arcnc.org
The Full Belly Project Daniel Ling (910) 452-0975 fullbellyproject@gmail.com
WINGS MINISTRY Missy Settlemyre 910-512-7643 missy@wingsministriesinc.com
Religion News Wilmington Amanda Greene, local editor and community manager 910-471-9152 or 910-520-3958 Amanda.Greene@ReligionNews.com
Wilmington Health Access for Teens Emily Henley 910-202-4605 emilyhenley@whatswhat.org
Lifeguide  ( We will be sharing a booth with Guardian ad LItem as in the past two years.) Denny Smith 793-3472 densmi@bellsouth.net
ACCESS of Wilmington Inc. Dan Johnson, Chair  AND/OR  David Morrison, Vice Chair 910-962-3659 Johnsonde@uncw.edu  david.morrison87@yahoo.com
League of Women Voters of Lower Cape Fear Carole Ellis 910-791-0922 cellis13@ec.rr.com
OLD BRIDGE PRESERVATION SOCIETY Karen Dombrowski 910.579.9021 Rkd389@hotmail.com
First Book – New Hanover Co. Carol Barre 910-200-1441 cbarre1250@ec.rr.com
First Book New Hanover County John Osinski 910-962-4271 osinskij@uncw.edu
The Affordable Housing Coalition ofSoutheastern NC Toni Melvin Whitaker  Acting Executive Director (910) 599-0348 toniwhit@ec.rr.com
Buy Local ILM Gayle Tabor 910.471.7627 hello@buylocalilm.com
S.H.A.R.E. Briana Kelly 910-431-6418 Brianamkelly@hotmail.com
Trinity Grove Ms. Noel Schuler 910-442-3016 nschuler@trinitygrove.net
MADGRL  Mid-Atlantic Great Dane Rescue League Arlene Hubner 910-845-5143 ahubner@ec.rr.com
The Warrior Ride Debra/Bob Racine 910-278-4612 teamracine@thewarriorride.org
Elderhaus PACE Amy Derck (910) 338-2757 amy.derck@elderhaus.com
KAIROS Prison Ministries Intl. Gordon Keifer 256-5781 gordonkeifer@hotmail.com
Wilmington Prostate Cancer Support Group, Us TOO George Gardner 792-9953 wproscasupportgp@aol.com
Bellamy Mansion Museum Gareth Evans 910.251.3700 gareth@bellamymansion.org
Oceana Zachary Keith 321-356-6603 zkeith@oceana.org
Junior Achievement of the Cape Fear Region Courtney Hickman 910-462-3690 chickman@jacarolinas.org
Project Linus Sharon Black 910-681-0452 slhblack@bellsouth.net
Guardian ad Litem Program of the 5th Judicial District Lynne Fender or Liz Kachris-Jones 910-616-8960 or 910-520-4035 lfender@ec.rr.com or  liz.k.jones@nccourts.org
Wilmington Multiple Sclerosis (MS) Support Group Burt Masters, Co-Leader, Wilmington MS Spt Gp (910) 383-1368 happyheim@peoplepc.com
Interfaith Refugee Ministry Sarah Kingsley 910-538-0714 skingsley@helpingrefugees.org
Carolina Vocal Arts Ensemble Beverly Cree 910.799.9977 bjcree@gmail.com
Occupy Wilmington NC Roxanne Kirtright 910 380 1690 araweggandastorm@gmail.com
The Friends of the New Hanover County Public Library Ruth M. Brown 910-256-5482 ruthbrown@bellsouth.net
Cape Fear Coalition for a Drug-Free Tomorrow Diane Edwards 962-7432 edwardsd@uncw.edu
The Carousel Center Tira Hanrahan (910) 254 – 9898 ext. 218 tira.hanrahan@carouselcenter.org
Monty’s Home Barb Raab 910-259-7911 info@montyshome.org
Cape Fear Clinic, Inc.  (Formerly Tileston Health Clinic) John Devaney, Executive Director 910-343-8736 jdevaney@capefearclinic.org
American Red Cross- Cape Fear Chapter Wendy Flynn (910) 762-2683 ext 328 flynnw@usa.redcross.org
Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina at Wilmington Jeff Rose 910-251-1465 ext 2205 jrose@foodbankcenc.org
(WRAAP) Wilmington’s Residential Adolescent Achievement Place, Inc. Daryl Dockery 910.392.6007 daryldock@aol.com
Airlie Gardens Flo Berry 910-798-7566 Fberry@nhcgov.com
NC Coastal Federation Ted Wilgis 910-509-2838 tedw@nccoast.org
Phoenix Employment Ministry Don Skinner 910-343-8469 phoenixesw@bellsouth.net
Lower Cape Fear Hospice & LifeCareCenter Tracy Register / Jason Clamme 910-512-7559 or 910-796-7981 tracy.register@lcfh.org or jason.clamme@lcfh.org
Domestic Violence Shelter and Services, Inc. Andrea Stough 910-343-0703 dvoutreach@earthlink.net
Wrightsville Beach Museum of History Madeline Flagler 910-256-2569 wbmuseum@bizec.rr.com
Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) Melissa Clary 910-763-3114 mclary@mdausa.org
Wilmington SCORE Sara Raleigh 910-409-9865 sraleigh@ec.rr.com
Coastal Horizons Center, Inc.  Crisis Intervention Services Julie Ozier, LCSW or   Celine Adair, LMFT (910) 392-6936 jozier@coastalhorizons.org
American Red Cross – Cape Fear Chapter Wendy Flynn 910-762-2683 ext.328 flynnw@usa.redcross.org
Brunswick County Volunteer Center Jayne W. Mathews 910-253-2574 jmathews@brunswickes.com
YWCA Lower Cape Fear Katie Nelson 910-799-6820 ext 104 volunteers@ywca-lowercapefear.org
New Hanover High School Army JROTC LTC James M. Chaffins (910) 520 – 7244 james.chaffins@nhcs.net
Comfort Socks Theresa Tese 9102698577 theresa@comfortsocksonline.org
CHILD ADVOCACY & PARENTING PLACE (CAPP CENTER) ELIZABETH K. MANDEL 910-791-1057 MANDELL@CAPPCENTER.ORG
SEACC (Southeastern Alliance for Community Change) Steve Lee 910-791-4877 seacc1@gmail.com
Brunswick Christian Recovery Center Ouida Hewett 910-842-6017 ouida@atmc.net
OPTIMIST CLUB OF WINTER PARK CHUCK KUEBLER 910-392-7760 charleskuebler@gmail.com
Elderhaus Adult Day Care Trudy Tann (910)251-0660 trudy.tann@elderhaus.com
Brunswick Family Assistance Agency Lora Moree 910-754-4777x 103 lorabfa@gmail.com
Amercan Radio Relay League Glenn Cox 910 431 3875 ke4bmy@hotmail.com
“Bread for Life….” Ministry Claudette Fiskin, MSW 910-343-5276 Bread4life.ministry@gmail.com
Cape Fear Literacy Council Rachel LaCoe 910-251-0911 rlacoe@cfliteracy.org
Canines for Service (formerly Carolina Canines for Service) Laura Kranchalk 910-362-8181 lkranchalk@caninesforservice.org
Pretty In Pink Foundation Joy Wade 910-620-9871 jwade@prettyinpinkfoundation.org
Paws Place Inc.  3701 E. Boiling Spring Rd.  Winnabow, NC 28479 Peggy Durso 910-253-9258 peggydurso@ec.rr.com
New Hanover Regional Medical Center Eileen McConville 815.5317 eileen.mcconville@nhrmc.org
A.R.R.L. The Amercican Radio Relay League Glenn Cox 910 431 3875 ke4bmy@hotmail.com
Cape Fear Volunteer Center Annie Anthony 910-392-8180 cfvcdirector@gmail.com

New Hanover County loves technology… The New Hanover County government is on the cutting edge of new technological advances by utilizing the TV White Space that was abandoned in 2008 with the national launch of digital TV.  Wilmington was the first test city for the use of the non analog device.  The FCC laid ground rules concerning the use of the White Space Spectrum and New Hanover County is the first to utilize the technology.  The first commercial installation of the White Space network was set up at Hugh McCrae park. Phase 2 will include other parks and gardens such as Vetarans Park and Airlie Gardens.  Wi Fi on caffeine will be available.

“Community leaders have been eager to keep the area in the race to develop new technologies and uses since the FCC chose the local television market as the first in the country to transition to digital TV.  New Hanover County and Wilmington are also noted in the FCC’s National Broadband plan as a model of the usability of the spectrum.

New Hanover County has provided network IP cameras, Wi-Fi routers, antennas and other hardware as well as technical installation of the new FCC approved radios.  New Hanover County, city of Wilmington and TVBS have been using white spaces for a number of business applications already, including water quality monitoring and security purposes.

Chaney says the county and city governments collaborated on a pilot project that provided Wi-Fi and video surveillance in the Creekwood housing development.  The county is also using white space to automate the collection of water quality data in environmentally sensitive areas that would have required trenching of wires.

Merry Christmas from Our House to Yours.

Spend time with family and friends, enjoy them richly.  Along the way find a way to help new friends.  This is the time of year that we must remember that it is the giving that is so rewarding.  Giving of your time, crafts, good deeds and helping others.

I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round, as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable time; the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow passengers, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. 

~Charles Dickens

Christmas is a necessity.  There has to be at least one day of the year to remind us that we’re here for something else besides ourselves.  ~Eric Sevareid

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree.  In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall.  ~Larry Wilde

Christmas is the season for kindling the fire of hospitality in the hall, the genial flame of charity in the heart.  ~Washington Irving

Remember
This December,
That love weighs more than gold!
~Josephine Dodge Daskam Bacon

Wilmington NC is getting  a Miracle Field for the new Miracle League.  Accessible Coastal Carolina Events Sports and Services (ACCESS) was started to bring the field to the area. “The overall mission of ACCESS is to not only provide an opportunity for those who have not yet had the chance to experience the power of play and the joy of sports but to also show the importance of inclusion within a community. Creating a place where people of all ages, races, and abilities can actively participate together, will naturally allow relationships to develop as people share interest. More importantly it is opening the door to a better world for everyone.” The Miracle League was started in the late 1990′s in Rockdale Youth Baseball program in Atlanta.  They recognized the need to include all children in a sport regardless of their abilities.  Hence the Miracle Field was started.  People of all abilities and ages could play baseball.  Eventually the fields were made to  have a rubber, non-latex surface that is helpful and safe for persons with any mobility difficulties.  The Wilmington area is excited to participate in such a wonderful project.  The fields will be built at Olson Fields off Murrayville Road. There will be playgrounds for all abilities and restrooms.  The project has raised 87.5% of it’s goal of 1.2 million dollars.  If you would like to donate in someones name as a gift for Christmas, what a great way to honor them.  The Miracle Field is truly a “miracle”  Please watch this video of the Wilmington Miracle Field.  For more information or to donate online, please visit www.miracleleaguewilm.org/

PRICING:

Beat Your Competition To The Contract

To sell your home quickly for top dollar in today’s market, the best move you can make is to price the property at its current market value. When you set the right price on your home, you have an edge on your competition.

Here’s how setting the right price helps you:

You tap the pent-up demand of buyers who have already seen everything on the market and are waiting for new home listings.

You target the right group of prospects — the ones who can afford your home and are looking at similar properties.

Your home will compare favorably with other homes potential buyers see because yours will look better than overpriced homes in your category.

Perils Of Overpricing

Overpricing your home gives the advantage to your competition — the other homes on the market. The buyers you want to attract won’t see your home because they are only looking at homes listed in their price range.

Prospective buyers who do see your home realize they can get a better deal elsewhere. If it’s your home they want, they may choose to wait until you lower the price. And if you do reduce the price, other potential buyers wonder why the home has been on the market so long.

The right price is determined by the size, condition and location of your home, what comparable homes are selling for at the time you list yours, and the balance of supply and demand in your area.

Strategic Pricing

Setting the best price to list your home is part science, part art. There are several aspects of the home’s value we consider when making pricing recommendations.

1. Comparison. Where does your home fit in the Wilmington NC marketplace? It should be priced to be competitive with comparable homes in the same area.

2. Negotiation. The price should allow some space to make concessions in order to close the deal.

3. Return. The listing price should be set so you net the most money possible from the sale.

4. Target. Ideally, the price is adjusted to the top of a multiple listing category, so the home’s features compare favorably with lower-priced homes in the range. (If it is placed at the bottom of the next higher price grouping, the higher-priced homes will look better and sell more quickly.)

Other Factors

Unfortunately, what you paid for your home is not a factor in determining its market value. Neither is what you would like to get out of the home. Some home improvements you’ve made may add to the market value, however. Having the home in picture-perfect condition from the first day of the listing may also increase the value of your home. But mostly, these will help you sell faster, and that could mean a sale price close to your asking price.

Call us to find out more about how you can price your Wilmington NC real estate to sell it quickly. We’ll be happy to conduct a FREE market analysis to find the best price for listing your home.

To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.  ~Johannes A. Gaertner

We would like to wish each and every one of you a Happy Thanksgiving.  No matter where you may be celebrating this day of thanks, may you be filled with gratitude and good feelings.  This time of year is a time to share your talents and good fortunes.  One of the best good fortunes for you to share is your time.  Our great city has plenty of volunteer opportunities to help those that are less fortunate.  The Wrightsville Beach Magazine has a list of organizations that could use your help.  Get involved, meet new people and share your enthusiasm for our hometown.  Enjoy family and friends and reach out to those who might not have the chance to do the same.  

For a list of opportunities please click the cover photo.

For Release November 17, 2011

Merger of Two Top-Selling Coldwell Banker Franchises Creates State’s Third-Largest Residential Real Estate Brokerage Two of the top-selling Coldwell Banker franchises in North Carolina have joined forces, creating the state’s third-largest residential real estate brokerage company. The merger of Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty of Wilmington and Coldwell Banker Advantage of Raleigh and Fayetteville creates a regional powerhouse with a sales team of more than 600 agents and 26 sales offices in Raleigh, Wilmington, Fayetteville, Jacksonville and other Eastern North Carolina markets. The two companies combined to generate more than $1.3 billion in sales volume from 6,500 real estate transactions in 2010, which would have ranked the merged company as the state’s third-largest brokerage, according to REAL Trends, a real estate industry trade magazine. Those totals would also have ranked among the top 55 brokerages in the country in sales volume and among the top 75 in transactions, according to the magazine. The two companies are on track to surpass last year’s sales and transactions totals in 2011, having already exceeded $1 billion in sales and 6,000 transactions through October, according to statistics provided by local offices of the Multiple Listing Service (MLS). The merger was announced by Coldwell Banker Real Estate Corporation CEO Jim Gillespie on Thursday, November 17th in separate news conferences in Raleigh and Wilmington. “Today’s merger creates the fifth largest Coldwell Banker affiliated company in North America,” Gillespie said. “Coldwell Banker Advantage and Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty have been long-time members of the Coldwell Banker Chairman’s Circle, representing the best-of-the-best of our great brand,” he said. The new company – to be called Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage – will be led by co-CEOs Tim Milam of Sea Coast Realty and Gary Rabon of Advantage. “This is a true merger of equals,” Milam said. “It is not an acquisition. I want to emphasize that in the strongest possible terms. All owners of both companies will remain owners with the new company. Neither company is buying the other. Instead we’re joining forces to compete more effectively in today’s challenging marketplace. “Gary and I have been friends for years,” he added. “Our companies have been built on similar values and culture. We’ve talked about merging for at least the last five years, and finally decided this summer the time was right to get it done.” Rabon added: “This is a merger where both companies are strengthened. It builds our regional footprint and enables us to do an even better job of supporting our team of brokers and agents in the field. It also creates a lot of synergies in terms of marketing, training and technology.” The merger brings together two companies that have dominated their respective markets. SeaCoast Realty is currently the number one brokerage in Wilmington, Brunswick County, Topsail and Jacksonville with over 23 percent of the market. Advantage, meanwhile, ranks number four in Raleigh and number one in Fayetteville, according to MLS statistics. Both have emerged as leaders in North Carolina’s fast-growing military market, with strong positions among military families in Fayetteville and Jacksonville – home of Fort Bragg and Camp LeJeune, respectively. The merged companies will also have an advantage in serving the two-way traffic between the Raleigh/Research Triangle and the Wilmington/Wrightsville Beach markets, Rabon said. “There’s a lot of cross-pollination on I-40 in both directions,” he said. “Triangle families are looking in Wilmington area for second-home opportunities, while a lot of Wilmington area families are looking to move to the Triangle for job opportunities. “The merger gives us an even better connection to this growing segment of the market, one that we are both going to capitalize on.” CONTACT: Tim Milam Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage (910) 202 2501 Gary Rabon Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage (919) 846 3305

Welcome Coldwell Banker Advantage, we look forward to working with you. Kay Baker and Associates – www.cbbaker.com

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 11.11.11

Happy Veterans Day.  A huge thank you for all of you that have served or are serving our great Country.  We would not have the rights and privileges that we enjoy today without your selfless service.  According to the Department of Veterans Website the history of Veterans Day started after  World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or temporary cessation of hostilities, between the Allied nations and Germany went into effect on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. For that reason, November 11, 1918, is generally regarded as the end of “the war to end all wars.”

Veterans Day continues to be observed on November 11, regardless of what day of the week on which it falls. The restoration of the observance of Veterans Day to November 11 not only preserves the historical significance of the date, but helps focus attention on the important purpose of Veterans Day: A celebration to honor America’s veterans for their patriotism, love of country, and willingness to serve and sacrifice for the common good.