I would imagine that most of us sit an open house or two these days. The month of April begins prime OH season on Topsail Island. Coldwell Banker Sea Coast, our "mothership" had 210 open houses spread over 4 counties this week end. That is remarkable participation by CBSCR agents and brokers. The weather co-operated and we had a number of people at our open houses both on Topsail and on the mainland. Now, to be considered wildly successful, we need a couple of contracts by the end of the week!

We are still very optimistic about the remainder of the year. We are in a primarily second and vacation home market, so for us it is a question of "want" not "need" when it comes to purchasing a home on the island. Of course with the military bases in Jacksonville being only 45 minutes away, we are seeing some of our armed forces elect to live midway between Wilmington and Jacksonville. The towns of Hampstead and Holly Ridge as well as mainland Surf City have communities just a mile or so from the beach and the ICWW. I expect that it would feel pretty good to come home after a day of training and relax on the beach or launch your boat from one of the accesses at the Surf City Soundside Park.

It is a challenging time for our in house mortgage company. They continue to amaze us all with their resourcefulness. At least twice in the last month, they have saved a closing when the loan package (from other lenders) fell apart at the last moment. They are always updating us and bringing new ideas to the table. It is great to have a partner with the same goals of excellence.

So, all in all the past week has been a good one. Buyers are calling and visiting, the market is moving up and we are ready for the merry month of May! It is a great time to be a real estate professional!