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.

Grand Opening! Thursday, June 3, 2010

Join Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty this Thursday, June 3, 2010, 5-7pm, for a FREE, fun-filled, family-style event to celebrate the grand opening of our newest office in Hampstead, NC. 

The fun will include:
* Burgers and ‘dawgs from the Sawmill Grill
* Inflatable bounce house & slide
* Prizes
* Games
* Hula hoops

Sponsored by Alpha Mortgage.

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.

Wilmington is one of the most beautiful areas in North Carolina. It has a lot of coastal properties and houses with spectacular views. There are many places near Wilmington that have great houses and with mortgage rates and home prices at historical lows it is a great time to buy. Scotts Hill real estate and Porters Neck real estate markets are good ones to look at. The great thing about these places is that not only can you have your “home” here but also a beach house. You can get more information on Wilmington and surrounding areas on the official Wilmington NC Government website.

Conveniently located off Interstate 40 in southeastern North Carolina, Pender County is home to many beautiful beaches.  Straddling Pender and Onslow County is Surf City on Topsail Island.  Surf City real estate features very affordable homes and condos to enjoy a quiet family-oriented island getaway.  Also located in Pender County is the community of Scotts Hill near Wilmington, NC.  Popular to the area is Scotts Hill Marina, featuring a public boat ramp, boat slip rentals, fishing charters, convenience store and repair shop.  Scotts Hill NC real estate has a variety of gorgeous homes for sale to fit any sized budget

Looking to live coastal in a private country club community? Just minutes from Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach, Porters Neck is home of the Porters Neck Country Club championship golf course. The place for social activity, residents can enjoy all types of cultural art programs, sports, recreation and dining amenities. Porters neck real estate features low maintenance patio homes and villas, with distinctive Southern architecture. Also located in the Wilmington area is Scotts Hill, convenient to the popular attractions of Scotts Hill Marina and the historic Poplar Grove Plantation. Running along the intercoastal waterway, boaters are a frequenter of the marina with boat slips, a boat ramp, clubhouse and convenience store amenities. Built in 1850, the Popular Grove plantation is a non-profit foundation on the National Register of Historic Places, a popular tourist location in the community. Be close to call the action with Scotts Hill NC real estate, featuring both waterfront and farmland homes.