Article courtesy of StarNewsOnline & written by Wayne Faulkner. Full article may be found at: http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20120504/ARTICLES/120509788/1002?p=all&tc=pgall

To rent or to buy a home?

Mortgage interest rates are at historic lows and rents are rising.

Kirk Fields stands in front of his Castle Hayne home on May 2.

Published: Friday, May 4, 2012 at 11:05 a.m.

Kirk Fields did the math.

He was renting in Wilmington for $1,000 a month.

Now Fields owns his own house – a three-bedroom, one-bath brick with around 1,100 square feet situated on a quarter acre in Castle Hayne.

Renting that home would

Turn Up The Volume and Celebrate our Hero's!

It appears the home buyers are out looking in force...  with interest rates dipping below 5% and the emerging fear of "missing the bottom", showings for our listings have exploded this weekend.  So far over 20 agents have scheduled appointments for today (and it's only 11:00am)...

Many Seller's (me included) missed the top of the market and then got bounced down in value, Home buyers are now starting to worry about missing the bottom and then getting bounced up in value.  Just remember, it takes several months for the media to let us know that the market has bottomed out (allah they just announced the country is in a recession.. go figure)..  so by the time the talkers start telling everyone to buy again.. it will be too late in some markets like

RISMEDIA, January 9, 2009-Already the dominate force in U.S. housing activity, the first-time buyer is expected to play an even bigger role in 2009 and possibly beyond.

“Our fourth quarter random survey of HouseHunt member-agents showed that first-time buyers accounted for 65% of existing home sales - up from 46% in the first quarter of 2008 - and nearly double the normal ratio between repeat and move-up buyers,” said Michael Bearden, president and CEO of HouseHunt, Inc. “Our latest national survey tells us that qualified first-time buyers are taking advantage of home prices not seen in five to seven years in many areas. Affordability is no longer a major issue in many areas across the country–especially in those metro areas where prices spiked

RISMEDIA, January 7, 2009-Vermont ice cream company, Ben & Jerry’s, is wasting no time ringing in the leadership changes in Washington, D.C., by renaming its butter pecan flavor “Yes Pecan” in its Scoop Shops for the month of January, honoring the uniting theme of “Yes, We Can” as a message celebrating America’s opportunity for positive change.

“We want to be proactive in encouraging all of us to engage in the process of getting America back on a positive track,” said Ben & Jerry’s Chief Euphoria Officer, Walt Freese. “As we see it, it’s a good time and a fitting way for us to honor that change.”

The company is partnering with Common Cause, a nonpartisan, nonprofit advocacy organization founded as a vehicle for citizens to make their voices heard in the

RISMEDIA, January 6, 2009-(MCT)-When it comes to New Year’s resolutions, Kathy Johnson of Sacramento, Calif., has two simple money-savers in mind: “to get out of debt and pay off all my credit cards.”

Johnson, a single mother, said her debts have accelerated due to health issues, unexpected veterinary bills and mounting interest charges.

Many are facing similar situations this year, especially given the painful enormity of 2008’s job and investment losses.

For advice on how Johnson and others can get a fresh start, we spoke with a financial adviser, a credit card expert and a CPA.

Here are their New Year’s tips for 2009:

1. Gather the paper. January is the perfect post-holiday time to collect your wits and your paperwork. Gather up all your financial

INSPIRATION FOR TODAY:

WHERE DO YOU WANT TO GO TODAY?

Microsoft uses that slogan to convince you that with their software you can head in any direction you please. Earl Nightingale, one of the great motivational speakers, said it better. "Imagine that you are the captain of a great ocean-going vessel," he suggests. "Before even leaving the harbor, you lay out plans for your

I'm not sure if its because visitors have more time during the holidays or its just some kind of fluke, but our web traffic has been incredible.  Last year at this time the average visitor was staying on the site for around 2 minutes and over this years holidays the average time on the site is just over 11 minutes... that's incredible.

Also, over the holidays our team has put 5 (that I know of) homes under contract and we've had dozens of showings on our listings. 

What does this mean?  I don't know...  maybe the low mortgage rates are finally getting folks off the fence... maybe the nasty, cold and snowy winter in the Northeast is convincing owners up their to go ahead and lower their prices to the point where they will finally sell so they can make