December just means that 2011 is over.  We have a 7.2% increase in average sales price from last month. When you look at the sales for December you will see that there are only 4 transactions over $700,000. Almost 23% of our sales price range was $200,000 to $299,000 while over 44% of our transactions were for price range of $160,000 and down. Our sold units are up by 8.5% from last month and down 4.6% over last December. Current listing inventory is down by 8.6% from last month (which is to be expected) and the sellers paid concessions is down by 1.0% from last month. The average sold price is up $14,533 from last month and down $20,490 from last December. Our sold units hit 371, an increase of 29 units from last month. On January 1st we saw a decrease of 355 homes in our listing inventory; we have 3,751 homes on the market as of January 1^st. This is our lowest listing inventory in a long time. This adjusted our month’s supply with just over 10.1 months a decrease from last month’s 12.4. Our average list price had a decrease this month; we are currently at $343,088. In December sellers paid concessions in about 29.6% transactions, about 1% lower than last month. Our average days on the market decreased to 152 days. The list to sold ratio has increased a little to 94.1% this number needs to continue to get better. The number of homes that sold in 15 days or less continues to remain very low, 12.9% of December sold homes. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage (FRM) averaged 3.89% with an average 0.7 points for the week ending January 12, 2012.

The above information is from David Flory of Cunningham mortgage. David is still lending money so if you are looking for a mortgage he is located in Wilmington and can help you.

Mortgage Consultant

Cunningham & Company Mortgage Bankers

910-352-8273 cell

910-313-0045 office

davidf@cunninghammortgage.com

www.cunninghammortgage.com

Until 12/31:

Teacher’s Fund Raffle Ticketsfor sale  - Intracoastal Realty Corp raffle to benefit the Teachers Fund.

    Buy a ticket for $ 10.00 and win a chance to receive an Ipad 2.

Until 1/2: Downtown Holiday Tree Lighting. Riverfront Park, Downtown Wilmington

Until 1/4:  Holiday Lighting of the Battleship. Downtown Wilmington  12/31: New Year’s Eve Cruise aboard Henrietta III Riverboat, Downtown Wilmington 

12/31: New Year's Noon Countdown. The Children's Museum, Downtown Wilmington

12/31: Island of Lights New Year's Eve Countdown.  Carolina Beach, NC 
12/31: New Year's Eve Beach Party & Anchor Drop. Southport

1/13-16: Stripefest, Coastline Convention Center, Downtown Wilmington

1/16: Martin Luther King Jr. Parade. Downtown Wilmington

1/21-22: 4th Annual Cold Stroke Classic. Blockade Runner, Wrightsville Beach

Cuculorus, Wilmington’s famed film festival runs tomorrow through Sunday Nov 13.

Over 80 films and special events celebrate the medium and highlight new directors and actors.

Dance-a-Lorus helps kick off the event with a new show of dance and film at Thalian Hall. City Stage, Jengo’s Playhouse and the Soapbox all host films and events.

See schedule of events at www.cucalorus.org

Films, dance, tours, talks and even a musical about Blue Velvet are all part of this year’s celebration.  This year’s 80+ films and events will be spread across four venues.  Thalian Hall, City Stage, Jengo’s Playhouse and The Soapbox will all participate.   

For those not familiar with our film story, Blue Velvet is the film that put us on the map 25 years ago and has lead to Wilmington being called Hollywood East and having the largest film studio on the East Coast.

Tickets and more can be found at www.cucalorus.org  And you can find more films at Film Events

Wilmington Neighborhoods: Whisper Creek

Whisper Creek currently is one of Wilmington's most desired family neighborhoods. It is leafy, low key, with spacious large tree lined yards. Each house has generally 1/3 to 1/2 acre lots. The houses are not new but are a combination of brick and newer siding treatments. There are a lot of kids in the neighborhood as the areas selected schools - Holly Tree, Roland Grise and Hoggard High school enjoy good school ratings. The houses range from $ 200K - 400K - just a little above the current average New Hanover County price ranges. Currently there are 7 houses for sale in the Whisper Creek subdivison ranging in price from $ 209K to $ 369K.

3 houses sold in the last year here selling for $ 95% of their listed value.

The subdivision has a lot going for it. It is :

15 minutes to Carolina Beach, 20 minutes to Wrightsville Beach

less than one mile to shopping and many take out restaurants

Very close to the area schools which are within 3 miles

has a nice city park right next to the neighborhood. The basic reason for this park was to create a pond that would be used to filter all the water from area properties before they enter Whisper Creek and then into Bradley Creek for eventual flow into the Intracoastal Waterway. This man made park has proved to be very useful to naturally cleanse the water of fertilizer and the like before it continues to the ICCW. The park has a large pond, walkway around its perimeter and 2 bridges, a covered eating area, playground and rest rooms. This hidden jewel is picturesque and very enjoyable for local residents. Let me show you some of the houses in this family friendly area!

 

 Summer vaca is almost over and its time to get back to reading, writing and arithmetic!

DO YOU KNOW want to know about Wilmington NC private schools?  Here is a list of the top 5 based on enrollment in 2009.

Wilmington Christian Academy – 401 N College Road – www.wilmingtonchristian.com    K 3 – 12

Cape Fear Academy – 3900 S. College Road   www.capefearacademy.org  pre k – 12 

Myrtle Grove Christian – 806 Piner Road  www.mgcs.org   pre K –12

St. Mark Catholic School – 1013 Eastwood Road  www.stmarkcatholicschool.org  preschool – 8

St. Mary Catholic School – 217 S 4th Street www.thestmaryschool.org   preschool – 8

Of course there are more private schools but this is the top 5. Let me know if you are interested in more school information.

For you Ladies only
                         Standard pricing procedure

In the hospital the relatives gathered in the waiting room, where a family member lay gravely ill. Finally, the doctor came in looking tired and somber.


'I'm afraid I'm the bearer of bad news,' he said as he surveyed the worried faces. 'The only hope left for your loved one at this time is a brain transplant. It's an experimental procedure, very risky, but it is the only hope.. Insurance will cover the procedure, but you will have to pay for the BRAIN.
The family members sat silent as they absorbed the news. After a time, someone asked, 'How much will a brain cost?'
The doctor quickly responded, '$5,000 for a male brain; $200 for a female brain.' The moment turned awkward.
Some of the men actually had to 'try' to not smile, avoiding eye contact with the women. A man unable to control his curiosity, finally blurted out the question everyone wanted to ask, 'Why is the male brain so much more than a female brain?'
The doctor smiled at the childish innocence and explained to the entire group, 'It's just standard pricing procedure. We have to price the female brains a lot lower because they've been used.

Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina

With 300 miles of coastline and warm water, North Carolina is the premier surfing spot on the east coast (outside of Florida, at least). The water in the Outer Banks can be rough, but beginners will be perfectly at ease down the coast in Wrightsville Beach, with its friendly waves. Even when the beaches are crowded-and on busy summer weekends, they are-you can still find plenty of surf. If you can't find a place to stay in town, the friendly town of Wilmington, which sits at the mouth of Cape Fear River, is just 12 miles away.
Lessons and rentals: Wrightsville Beach Surf Camp                                                             
When to go: May through October                               
While you're there: Wilmington has some of best seafood restaurants on the coast and is the resting place of the famed battleship USS North Carolina. At the North Carolina Museum at Fort Fisher, visitors can take a journey down the Cape Fear River and learn about coastline habitats.

Information obtained from Away.com

Kathy's Blog

  


Masonboro Island has long been a popular spot for surfers, boaters and kayakers. The 8.4-mile long barrier island is completely undeveloped and is protected by the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, so kayakers, especially, like to head out here to get away from civilization.

New Hanover County made getting there much easier when it recently bought property at the end of Trails End Road off Masonboro Loop Road in Wilmington. This new county park offers ample parking and a boat ramp. The island is just across the Intracoastal Waterway, you can see it from your parked car.

Wilmington NC neighborhoods can take advantage of this easy way to get out into the Intracoastal Waterway quickly. This is better than going to Carolina Beach or Wrightsville Beach to launch your boat which can be very crowded and make it very difficult to get out on the water way during holiday weekends or any weekend.

If you kayak there, be sure to wear a life jacket and watch out for speeding boats. The ICW is very busy. The best times to cross over to the island are in the early morning or on weekdays when boat traffic is at its minimum.

This is just one of the many benefits of Wilmington NC Neighborhoods and its many amenities.