January 2009

We have just uploaded another exciting search page to our website entitles "Search by estimated monthly payment".  This new page makes it very easy to search by what YOUR monthly payment budget will allow.  After your mortgage professionaly lets you know how much you are pre-approved to purchase a home for simply CLICK HERE to see all the homes that meets your monthly payment amount.

We have just added a new feature to our website called "Coming Soon".  This is an area that we are posting homes that are coming on the market before the sign goes up.  The sellers are not quite ready to actually start showing the home, but have already listed the home with your team. 

Please CLICK HERE to view the current "Coming Soon" listings.

RISMEDIA, January 31, 2009-OptHome, an online resource for homeowners, says it’s easier and less expensive to go green than homeowners may think. Suggest these few simple and cost-effective tips that your clients can incorporate into everyday living to help turn their home into a more energy-efficient investment.

1. Recycle. It’s free, reduces household consumption and increases energy efficiency.
2. Save Water. Install low-flow shower heads and faucets to cut back on water flow. A simple fix-shorten your shower times and shorten your water bill.
3. Conserve Rain Water. Set up barrels in your backyard to collect rain water and snow for watering plants and shrubs. Use this to water your indoor plants, too.
4. Reduce Electricity. Remember to turn off the…

RISMEDIA, January 29, 2009-(MCT)-Economists think the stimulus plan at hand, while far from perfect, will help stimulate the moribund U.S. economy.

There’s no panacea for what ails the economy. A stimulus plan will work only in combination with other actions, such as more aid to the banking system to spark lending and boost consumer confidence, and the implementation of any plan will be as important as what’s in it.

However, most leading economists who are experienced in public policy generally favor the stimulus plan that the House is considering because through it the government will step up spending at a time when private-sector spending has fallen off sharply.

Some economists are ideologically opposed to any such massive government plan. The Cato…

• Study panel backs Beach Plan changes
• New Hanover County joins property insurance legal fight
• Eli Lehrer: Time to shore up the Beach Plan
• Insurance rate to increase by 17 to 30 percent for area homeowners
• Insurance hikes will hit, but probably not at 70 percent
• Editorial: Reform can't wait till hurricane season
• Insurer to stop…

Supply and Demand are great economic forces which impact all aspects of business and every day life. Real estate sales are certainly impacted by it and we've been saying there's still a high level of demand to move to North Carolina, in particular Wilmington. One of our out of state clients recently sent a great article reminding us of this. Feel free to check it out here.

Thanks Tamey.

 erik

Rare opportunity to buy a vacant ocean front lot! Build your custom dream home on one of the few remaining lots left on Wrightsville Beach. Not only can you enjoy having the ocean steps from your door you can even put in an inground pool. Seller will sell the two lots together or separately.

Both lots, 14 & 18 Raleigh Street : 5,000,000

Click Here for more information

Did the bottom of the real estate market just pass us by?  Today the National Association of Realtors shocked the market in reporting that “sales rose unexpectedly while inventory declined…”  Existing homes sales jumped a whopping 6.5% while existing home inventory plummeted. All very promising housing indicators.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Now is a fantastic time to purchase a home in Southeastern North Carolina. Don’t be kicking yourself that you waited too long on on purchasing a home and missed out on the best available price.

This report came from http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Leading-indicators-home-sales-apf-14153441.html 

It;s finally good to hear the media report some good news.  Happy 2009!!!!!!

NEW YORK (AP) -- A flood of federal bailout money pushed a private research group's monthly forecast of economic activity unexpectedly higher in December, while a decline in home prices boosted housing sales.

Related Quotes

Symbol	Price	Change
HD	22.81	+1.09
S	2.52	+0.06

Existing home sales rose 6.5 percent in December to an annual rate of 4.74 million units, as the median home sales price plunged 15.3 percent to $175,400 from $207,000 a year ago. The decline is the largest year-over-year drop in records going back to 1968.

Separately, the…