Many hardworking North Carolina families don’t earn enough to afford an average-priced home in their community.  Real estate professionals with Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty recently earned the North Carolina Workforce Housing Specialist certification and learned about programs that can help teachers, firefighters, nurses, and other service workers in our community achieve the dream of home ownership. 

Brett Adams, Cathi Anderson, Carolyn Dunwell, Paul Dunwell, Tom Gale, and Amy Whetsel from Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty’s Wilmington office earned the certification.  Homes4NC, a housing foundation created by the North Carolina Association of REALTORS®, offers the certification to REALTORS® who take extra steps to learn about the federal, state and local housing programs specifically designed to help buyers that earn less than the area median income.  They also work within the community to increase housing affordability for all citizens.   

“My wife is a teacher, so I hear from her colleagues all the time about how hard it is to find affordable housing,” said Tom Gale.  “With the training we received, I know about more lending programs that can help them.”

According to Homes4NC, wages in North Carolina are not expected to keep pace with the cost of housing.  Half of the state’s future jobs are expected to pay 60% of the state’s current average earnings.

To earn the certification, REALTORS® must complete sixteen hours of educational courses that focus on national, state, and local affordable housing resources. For more information about the North Carolina Workforce Housing Specialist certification, visit www.Homes4NC.org.

Jacksonville, North Carolina is America’s best place to get a job, according to Forbes magazine. 

The 2010 list of “Best Cities For Jobs” was released this week.  Last week Forbes also ranked Jacksonville #75 in its list of “Best Small Places For Business and Careers.”

According to Forbes’ Joel Kotkin, Jacksonville’s economy grew 1.4% last year and government jobs there grew 3.3%.  Those numbers wouldn’t have been a big deal a few years ago, but they’re exceptional considering the negative growth in many places across the country.  Experts say that metro areas focused on one industry aren’t recession-proof, but seem to be recession-resistant, especially college towns, government centers, military bases, and healthcare centers.

“The area includes the massive Marine Base at Camp Lejeune, a beehive of activity since the U.S. started waging two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq,” says Kotkin, also noting that the area’s employment base has grown 22.8% since 1998.

While Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air Station New River are undoubtedly the area’s top employers, there are also a wide variety of civilian jobs in the Jacksonville area.

“There are big name contractors hiring local people and former Marines to work on base,” Ralph Leeds, director of the N.C. Employment Security Commission in Jacksonville, told the Jacksonville Daily News. “People don’t realize the big names are here because they don’t have an office with their name out front, but companies like Boeing, General Dynamic and Northrop Grumman keep a lot of people employed.”

“We have been recognized a lot lately for the strong housing market here and the low cost of living,” he said. “Of course, a lot of it has to do with the base, but Coastal Carolina Community College and Onslow Memorial Hospital are also big boosts to our local economy.”

Readers of Wilmington’s Encore magazine have voted Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty as Wilmington’s Best Real Estate Company in their “Best of Wilmington 2010″!

Thanks go out to everyone that voted for for us.  Though this isn’t our first “Best of Wilmington” award, we’re still thrilled by this honor.  Our more than 300 agents and staff take great pride in the fact that every year for the last decade, we’ve sold more homes in southeastern North Carolina than any other real estate company.

Check out the nice things Encore had to say about us:

BEST REAL ESTATE AGENCY

The local and national housing markets may have taken a hit due to the recession as of late, but Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty is soaring high above the rest with their win for Best Real Estate Agency. Serving the cities of Wilmington and Jacksonville; the coastal communities of Carolina Beach, Topsail Beach, Surf City, Wrightsville Beach, Figure Eight Island, North Topsail Beach, Kure Beach, Bald Head Island, Oak Island, Ocean Isle Beach and Holden Beach; and coastal communities, including Porters Neck, Southport, Sneads Ferry, Leland, Scotts Hill, Hampstead, Holly Ridge, Camp Lejeune, New River, Bolivia, Shallotte, Boiling Spring Lakes and St. James, Sea Coast is without a doubt a leader in its industry. In fact, it is the number-one real estate company in southeastern North Carolina, selling more properties than any area firm for the past eight years.

With 300-plus agents and seven convenient locations (two in Wilmington, on Military Cutoff Road and at Porters Neck) Sea Coast is more than equipped to satisfy anything their customers desire. They can handle relocation needs, from start to finish, and even offer a 100-percent Satisfaction Guarantee. In an ever-changing real-estate climate, Sea Coast has remained true to its roots and continues to offer first-class service with a reputation clients have learned they can trust. Their easy-to-navigate Web site, www.seacoastrealty.com, only adds to what Wilmington recognizes as dependable, up-to-date and quality service.

If you are thinking about buying or selling a home in New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, or Onslow County, North Carolina, shouldn’t you have the “Best of Wilmington” working for you?  Visit us online at www.seacoastrealty.com or call us at 1-800-522-9624.

Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty recently opened a new office in Hampstead, North Carolina. The new office will serve Hampstead and Pender County.  It is located at 16076 U.S. Highway 17 in Hampstead NC and can be reached at (910) 270-8880.

“The addition of the new Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty office will further strengthen the Coldwell Banker® presence in the Pender County market,” said Jim Gillespie, president and CEO, Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. “Coldwell Banker is pleased to add this new office to our network.”

“We are extremely pleased to be opening our new office in Hampstead.  Over the years, we’ve built a strong relationship with our friends and neighbors in the Hampstead area.  Now we look forward to providing them with an even higher level of service,” said Tim Milam, president of Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty.

For more than a decade, Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty has been southeastern North Carolina’s largest and best-selling real estate company.  The company is a perennial recipient of the Coldwell Banker Chairman’s Circle award.  In 2009, recipients of this award represented the top 4 percent of Coldwell Banker affiliated companies worldwide.  Founded in 1988, Sea Coast Realty now operates nine offices with more than 325 sales associates and staff in New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, & Onslow counties.  Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty headquarters is located at 1001 Military Cutoff Road in Wilmington, N.C. and can be reached at (910) 799-3435. For more information, please visit www.seacoastrealty.com.

Normally, the winter months are a pretty slow time in the real estate business.  While the weather has been cold outside this year, the real estate market has been getting hotter and hotter. 

In January 2009, homebuyers toured Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty listings 2,757 times!  That’s a whopping 72% increase from the previous month.  The number of showings is expected to grow even more over the next few months.

Our real estate professionals say that there are lots of homebuyers hunting for homes earlier than usual this year, so that they can take advantage of the homebuyer tax credit before the April 30, 2010 deadline.  First-time homebuyers are eligible for an $8,000 tax credit.  Homeowners that have been in their current home for the last 5 years are also eligible for a $6,500 tax credit.  In addition, real estate agents say that there are lots of investors and folks looking for second homes out looking for great properties at a bargain price.

If you are considering selling your home, it’s smart to contact a Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty agent today.  Our real estate professionals in New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, and Onslow counties will expertly market your home, so that it will get the attention it deserves and sell for the most money.

Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty has been southeastern North Carolina’s top home seller for the last 10 years!  Find out more at www.seacoastrealty.com.

Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty represents 18 different new home communities in the Jacksonville, NC area.  Homebuilders, developers, and real estate professionals all got together for fresh oysters and fun Thursday, December 10, 2009 when we hosted a Homebuilder Appreciation Event at our Jacksonville, NC office.  Check out the video shot and narrated by Linda Snow, Managing Broker of the Jacksonville office.

Holly Ridge, NC is a predominantly residential town that is centrally located midway between Jacksonville and Wilmington, North Carolina on US Highway 17. In the 1940’s, Holly Ridge was the location for the military’s Camp Davis and, at one time the sleepy little town went from 28 resident to a boomtown of 110,000. Today, a little over 800 residents inhabit it but much more is coming! With several subdivisions started or in the works, Holly Ridge will be “sleepy” no more.

Kure Beach lies at the southern tip of North Carolina’s Pleasure Island. Kure Beach is a true “getaway destination” where uncrowded beaches, casual restaurants and comfortable accommodations are a favorite for a growing number of vacationers.

Holly Ridge NC Sunset

Holly Ridge is a small town in  Onslow County North Carolina. It is a very beautiful and peaceful area with very affordable housing and real estate. If you are looking to buy a house you should definitely look into Holly Ridge real estate. It is a part of the Jacksonville Metropolitan Area. Population in July 2008 is estimated to be 908 with about 488 females and 420 males. You can also look at real estate markets of cities nearby for a good home. For example, Surf City real estate has a lot of good deals to offer and it is closer to the coast.

With lots to offer, Onslow County features 30 miles of beaches full of activity.  Jacksonville, the commercial center of the county, is the youngest city in the U.S.  This Inner Bank region of North Carolina is home to almost 70,000 people in this 45 square mile city.  With a zoo, raceway, country clubs, libraries, and recreation centers to visit you will never run out of things to keep you entertained.  Jacksonville NC real estate is a definite consideration if you are looking for a coastal city feel.

Also home to Onslow County is the quaint town of Holly Ridge, NC.  If you’d rather relocate to somewhere less busy than Jacksonville but close to the action, then Holly Ridge is the place for you.  With less than 1,200 residents you are sure to get a small town feel.  Holly Ridge real estate is growing, adding new subdivisions to its friendly community.  Life is simplistic in Holly Ridge, but a prime location to the hustle and bustle of the big city.

Home of the military’s Camp Davis in the 1940’s, the town of Holly Ridge, NC went from 28 residents reaching a high of nearly 110,000. Part of the Jacksonville, NC Metropolitian Area, Holly Ridge is primarily residential area with current population of around 830. Although there is no water area within the 1.37 square miles of land, beach access lies less than five miles away. According to Trulia, the average listing price of Holly Ridge real estate is $241, 914 with a median sales price of $166,000. Accessible to the major cities of Wilmington and Jacksonville to the north and south, the town is rapidly with new subdivisions being added. Check out more Jacksonville NC real estate.