These facts about the beautiful N.C. coast were originally compiled by http://www.visitnc.com/. We thought they were so good we had to share them with you! At Waterfront Lifestyle Properties, we love living on the coast. If you've been to Morehead City or Beaufort, you know what I'm talking about! For those of you that don't, here's a little taste of what makes us special:

Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is one of 10 lighthouses operating on North Carolina's coast and the tallest in America at 208 feet. The candy-cane-striped structure projects light more than 20 miles out over the once-precarious Diamond Shoals.

One of America's most baffling mysteries occurred near what is now Manteo. In the 1580s, a group of colonists sponsored by Sir Walter Raleigh suddenly and mysteriously disappeared without a trace. Their whereabouts remain a mystery today.

The oldest town in North Carolina is Bath, incorporated in 1705.

The tallest natural sand dune on the East Coast is Jockey's Ridge at Nags Head, which stands 110-140 feet, depending on winds.

Man's first successful powered flight was made by Orville and Wilbur Wright on December 17, 1903, at Kill Devil Hills in Kitty Hawk.

Founded in the 1970s, Duplin Winery was one of the first wineries in North Carolina after Prohibition. It is still operating today at Rose Hill with a 1,000,000-gallon tank capacity. It is one of the largest wineries in the South.

Scuba divers are increasingly drawn to the "Graveyard of the Atlantic" off the NC coast, where the remains of more than 2,000 ships have settled to the ocean floor over the centuries.

North Carolina is home to three aquariums - offering workshops, educational trips and displays of live marine life - located in Manteo, Kure Beach and Pine Knoll Shores.

New Bern is the second-oldest town in the state and was the first state capital. Royal Governor William Tryon made this seaport capital of the colony of North Carolina in 1770. After the Revolutionary War, New Bern became the capitol of the independent state of North Carolina.

New Bern is the birthplace of Pepsi-Cola.

The only area in which the carnivorous Venus Flytrap lives indigenously is within a 100-mile radius of Wilmington.

The Gulf Stream makes its closest approach to land off the coast of North Carolina. This warm water current helps to make this one of the best fishing spots on the Atlantic Seaboard.

The 152,000-acre Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge in northeast North Carolina is one of the last remaining strongholds for black bear on the East Coast and has successfully restored red wolves to the area through a captive breeding program. The refuge conducts Red Wolf Howling Safaris to listen to the "music" of the wolves.

What are you looking forward to in November? Here's Waterfront Lifestyle Properties' list of great things to do in and around Carteret County:

• 150th Anniversary of Cape Lookout Lighthouse: The historic event begins at 5:00 p.m. and includes the re-lighting of this national landmark
• Free Admission at the NC Aquarium: In honor of Veteran's Day, admission to the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores on November 11.
• Veteran's Day Parade: Begins at 11 a.m. in downtown Morehead City - come celebrate and honor our Veterans! November 13.
• Morehead City Christmas Flotilla: Come to the Downtown Morehead City waterfront at sundownon November 28th to watch holiday-decorated boats parade by.

Despite some negativity recently about what will happen to real estate after the first-time homebuyer tax incentive ends, there is still a lot of positive news in the housing industry. Thought we'd give a rundown of the good news we've heard lately:

• September home sales in the South jumped 9% from last year, according to an Associated Press story
• A Realty Times article today called the housing market "just right," pointing to a gradual gain in new starts on single family homes by home builders
• Home resales rose 9.4% in September, the largest monthly increase in 24 years, according to an Associated Press article, in which a housing expert claims there is a "mini-boom" going on in real estate

In light of all the debate over the possible extension of the homebuyer tax credit, the folks at Waterfront Lifestyle Properties thought we'd share a few quick facts from the National Association of Home Builders' economic analysis on the credit. The analysis done by the NAHB concluded that an extension of the credit would have the following benefits:

• Increase home purchases by 383,000
• Increase housing starts by 82,000
• Create nearly 350,000 jobs (whoa!)
• Generate $16.1 billion in wages and salaries
• Generate $12.1 billion in business income
• Yield tax revenues of $8.4 billion for the federal gov't
• Yield tax revenues of $3.2 billion for state and local gov'ts

Do you love boating? Are you an avid fisherman? Visit Morgan Creek Landing, the private waterfront community located between Morehead City and Beaufort, NC. Designed with boaters and fishermen in mind, each of the 30 luxury condominiums comes with a boat slip and lift.

Interested in learning more about the community? Check out the Morgan Creek Landing Facebook page. You'll find up-to-date info about the community, area and more photos of the community and grounds. 

The Shores at Spooners Creek Marina is a condominium and custom homesite community on the waterfront of Spooners Creek Marina in Morehead City, NC. The gated enclave features a large swimming pool, clubhouse, luxury amenities and sweeping views of the marina and Bogue Sound.

To get the latest news from The Shores at Spooners Creek Marina and to see more pictures, check out the community's Facebook page.

Have you heard about our 3+3 PayDay commission bonus for realtors? 

Waterfront Lifestyle Properties has just launched a commission bonus program to reward you, our hardworking local realtors. It's our way of saying thanks for all the work that you do and for sharing our beautiful Morehead City communities with your clients.

We know that the economy has been less than perfect, and that your job may have been extra tough over the past year or so. That's why we want to make things a little easier: every time you sell a Waterfront Lifestyle Property, you'll get an extra 3% bonus in addition to the commission you'll already recieve.

Here's how it works:

Say, for example, that your buyer purchases a Morgan Creek Landing condominium for a gross sales price of $600,000. 3% of this ($18,000) is paid to your company. Let's say you receive 50% of this, or $9,000. In addition to this commission, a 3% ($18,000) bonus is paid to you directly. The total commission you would recieve from this sale is $27,000.

So, basically 3% regular commission + 3% bonus commission = one BIG PayDay!

Visit the Shores at Spooners Creek or Morgan Creek Landing site to learn more.

As the leaves change and the air gets crisp, there's still plenty to enjoy on the Crystal Coast. Waterfront Lifestyle Properties has rounded up some fun things to do in Morehead City and the surrounding areas this fall. Here's what we're putting on our calendars for the end of September through October:

• Beaufort's 300th Anniversary Celebration Weekend: Join historic Beaufort September 24 - 26 for parades, food and free concerts celebrating the city's 300th anniversary
• North Carolina Seafood Festival: Come to Morehead City October 2 - 4 for a weekend of seafood sampling, live music, amusement rides and more
• Evening Sail with the NC Maritime Museum: Captain Lee Sutton discusses celestial navigation and its importance during an evening sailing excursion on Sunday, October 4
• Friday Free Flick: Bring your family to the Emerald Isle Parks & Recreation Community Center at 7 pm October 9 for a free movie
• Free Concert on the Beaufort Waterfront: Meet at the clock beside the Dock House at 6 pm on October 15 for a free concert sponsored by the Beaufort Business Association
• American Music Festival Concert Series: Join the Degas Quartet Friday, October 23 as they perform the music of Schumann, Mozart and Puccini
• Fright Night at the Maritime Museum: Family fun on Friday night, October 30

What are your dinner plans tonight? How's jambalya sound? What about beer, wine, soda...and a PayDay?

Yes, PayDay, as in the candy bar. But also PayDay as in, "cha-ching." Interested yet? We hope so!

Waterfront Lifestyle Properties is hosting a Cajun Payday Party tonight by the pool at The Shores at Spooners Creek Marina community and we'd love if you'd join us! Enjoy music, food and friends while learning about our 3+3 PayDay program.

What is our 3+3 PayDay program? Glad you asked.

It's like this: When you sell a Waterfront Lifestyle Properties home in our Morgan Creek Landing or Shores at Spooners Creek Marina communities, you recieve the 3% broker commission, PLUS a 3% selling agent bonus. No gimmicks, just a nice, big PayDay. It's our way of saying thanks to you, our local realtors, for all your hard work and for spreading the word about our beautiful communities.

So come join us from 5:30 to 8:00 to hear more about how you can nab a 3+3 PayDay. The weather's supposed to be great and our model units will be open...plus, did we mention there will great food? 

See you tonight!