Bruce Brown's (brucebrown) Blog

Three New Titles in "31 Days to .... Mastery" Series Coming Very Soon

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 21:58:19 -0800

I am excited to announce that the next three titles in Quantum Results Coaching "31 Days to ..." Business Mastery Series will be available soon, probably by mid-February at the latest. We're making some changes to add value to the new titles in the series and I'll hold off on exactly what they are until the books are released. However, three elements are staying the same (all of which met approval by buyers of 31 Days to Networking Event Mastery. The first book is available via this link on Amazon.com and in three bookstores in the Wilmington area: Pomegranate Book and Two Sisters Bookery in Wilmington and RBR Books in Leland. The three elements that will not change are: One tip per page - we aren't going longer on the text per tip. These books are for busy business people. No fluff, no 0ver-explanation. Note the italics, however, we are adding something which we think will be very useful and of significant value - but I'm not talking about it here, at least not now. Also, note, that there is one exception to the one page per tip - in one volume, noted below, we felt the interest in and need for more detail and explanation demanded greater length - but we still don't exceed three pages for any tip. Some are one page, most are two pages long. The tips and books are written for beginners and pros. I do my best to make it personal and positive. None of it is rocket science; my goal is to break it down into easy steps for novices and to still give value to the pros.The selling price stays at $9.95. This price has worked well - it's not a barrier. We'd rather sell a lot of books and make less in order to help as many people as possible, than to charge more and make more per book but help fewer folks. One nice result is we've had people buy copies for co-workers or employees and in some cases for students and mentees. Okay, so that's what doesn't change. One obvious element that does change is the cover color. The design is almost the same, but the colors now 'pop' with energy -- I hope you like them. The new titles are: 31 Days to Marketing Relationship Mastery. This book is done and out for comment and review. 31 Days to Business Social Media Mastery. This is the book where the tips go longer. This book is not yet out for review because it's still in editing - I hope to get to our select group of reviewers by this coming Monday at the latest. When I speak in public at seminars and workshops this topic is the one that gets the most interest so we felt it warranted a bit more content per tip because, even with the explosion in interest social media over the past two years, and especially in business use of social media, most people still need a lot of help understanding the what's, why's and how's of social media. It's still a strategy book with tips and techniques, not a tutorial, but it needed to be longer. And here's Volume IV, 31 Days to Greeting Card Marketing Mastery. Did you know there are 31 ways (or more) to use greeting cards in business relationship marketing? Well, there are. And this book outlines them. So there you have it, folks. Three new titles, coming soon. I'm also working on Volume 5, and will soon reveal the title/topic of that book. I'm really pumped about it but need to keep it quiet for a few weeks. Thanks again for all have shown interest in, given support of, and purchased 31 Days to Networking Event Mastery.

Win Great Prizes Today in Open House Drawings in Brunswick Forest in Leland NC

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 03:43:32 -0700

The Wilmington/Leland area has not seen an open house drawing extravaganza like this. Every weekend day in June two great existing homes in the Jefferson Landing neighborhood of Brunswick Forest in Leland, North Carolina will both be open from 1-4PM. We'd love to have as many people as possible see these two awesome properties. In order to add a little incentive we'll be having two drawings each weekend day through June, one for each house Saturday and Sunday. In order to enter the drawing you have to tour them both and then fill out comment sheets about both of them. At the end of the day we'll match up the comment sheets from each house, draw two winners (using a random number generator) and then call the winners to find out which one of the following four great prizes they want: 1. a round of golf at Magnolia Greens Golf Plantation (including cart) 2. a $35 gift certificate to Front Street Brewery in Downtown Wilmington 3. a $35 gift certificate to Antonios Pizza and Pasta Restaurant (three locations: 1 in Leland and 2 in Wilmington) 4. (for the first two weekends) Either 1 VIP ticket or 2 general admission tickets to The Buckinghams concert on June 20th). Buyers, friends, REALTORS, anyone over the age of 18 is invited to participate in this drawing. Mostly we want you to see the houses, but we'd also like to meet you to give you a chance in the drawings, so come on out! Jefferson Landing Brunswick Forest - 2178 Talmadge Drive, Leland, NC 28451. 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths, FROG, office, screened porch, lake front, 2,436 heated and cooled square feet. MLS# 433951. $364,500. Blog: http://www.2178talmadgedrive.blogspot.com/ Jefferson Landing Brunswick Forest - 1202 Lillibridge Drive, Leland, NC 28451. 3 bedrooms, 2 full and one half bath, office, caged lanai, fenced back yard, 2306 heated and cooled square feet. MLS# 433958. $384,500. Blog: http://www.1202lillibridgedrive.blogspot.com

How about 6% Buyer's Agent Commission? How about $5,000 Buyer's Choice (Closing Costs or Upgrades)? How about Both! Yep, we got 'em!

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 08:16:53 -0700

OK agents, here's such a great opportunity for you and your buyers it may be unprecedented, at least on THIS planet! My sellers have two (2) new homes in Leland that they are Ready to Sell! Each home is a bit more than 2,000 square feet located on approximately 1/2 acre lots, both conveniently located on Lyn Marie Drive (around the corner from the Post Office on Village Road). This is a well kept, no-HOA neighborhood. You and your buyers just gotta see it. The first house is at 9334 Lyn Marie Drive. This house has three bedrooms and two full baths on the first floor, living room, dining room, large kitchen with breakfast area, and a frog with a third full bath. The back yard is simply immense with lots of room for toys, kids, dogs, gardens, or running around room. The asking price is $239,500. MLS# 417045 www.9334lynmariedrive.blogspot.com The second house at 9372 Lyn Marie Drive. This house has a front to back open kitchen, dining room, and great room with fireplace plus a master suite, laundry and one and a half baths on the first floor, two more bedrooms, a playroom, and full bath on the second floor. The deep back yard is half open and half wooded. MLS# 426994 www.9372lynmariedrive.blogspot.com So here's the deal. The title of this post isn't a typo. The buyer agent commission is 6% PLUS buyers get to choose between $5,000 in closing costs or upgrades (or whatever combination works best for them). Because both of these fine homes are in Leland, that means they're 100% USDA-loan eligible. Put that together with the $8,000 Federal First Time Home Buyer tax credit and this adds up to a great deal for your buyers. Plus you make out pretty well, too, with 6% commission.

Come see The Buckinghams Live on June 20th at 7PM at Odell Williamson Auditorium

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 12:51:23 -0700

The North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce presents The Buckinghams, live at Odell Williamson Auditorium at Brunswick Community College, 7:00PM June 20th. Come see this awesome group, even better now than in the 60s when they topped the charts with a whole passle of hits including "Hey, Baby, They're Playing Our Song", "Don't You Care", "Susan", "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy", and "Kind of a Drag". The video below has lots of music from The Buckinghams along with stills and video clips of the NBCC Concert Committee hard at work. VIP Tickets are $45 each - including reserved, preferred seating, a party the night before the concert with The Buckinghams at Murray Art & Frame in Leland, and a prep-concert party at Odell Williamson. General Admission tickets are $25 each. Tickets are available at: North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce, (910) 383-0553 Murray Art & Frame, (910) 371-3833 Odell Williamson Auditorium, (910) 755-7416

Why to Buy 2178 Talmadge Drive in Brunswick Forest in southeastern North Carolina

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:35:50 -0700

Come see this great home in the Jefferson Landing section of Brunswick Forest. This lakefront home has many super spaces for living, entertaining, and even working in your home if you wish, but probably the best part is it fronts right on a large lake that's super for kayaking and canoeing.

Why to Buy 1202 Lillibridge Drive in Brunswick Forest in Southeastern North Carolina

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 05:34:41 -0700

Come see this great home in the Jefferson Landing section of Brunswick Forest. Lot and lots of super features. One of my favorites is the caged lanai that combines privacy and outdoor relaxation and entertainment. This three bedroom home has two and a half baths, brick privacy walls on each side of the home, a fenced in back yard, and many upgrades. The open floor plan easily lends itself to parties large and small.

Win Great Prizes in Open House Drawings in Brunswick Forest in Leland NC During June!

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:09:39 -0700

Luau in the Land of Abundance - Noontime at Signature's Sea Brooke in Leland, NC

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:17:32 -0700

Well, it was a hot day today in Southeastern North Carolina - perfect for a Signature Homes' Luau in LA at their environmentally-designed SeaBrooke development in Leland. Getting ready for the event. This SeaBrooke model was a Parade of Homes Bronze Award Winner. The party Luau theme was promoted with vigor and hilarity by Christy and Greg Beck. Music for the event was provided by the Pantastic Steel Band. Catering by Charles Davis himself of Saw Mill Catering. Good, good stuff - my fav was the Caribbean style chicken. As you can see from the following four photos, area REALTORs showed up in force. On-site agent Laura Heal hosted the event, along with developer/builders Robin and Deans Hackney. Obviously some of the agents attending the event came in the spirit of the event. This happy dancer is Mike Walton of Network Real Estate. Area photographer Wendy Hunt of NBM Magazine was on hand to record the festivities. Those who dared posed behind this cutout. Adults had a lot of fun at the Luau in LA. Kids who live in SeaBrooke will have fun on this cool playscape.

1202 Lillibridge Drive, Leland, NC 28451 - Spacious privacy on one floor.

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:31:06 -0700

If you're looking for a privacy, a spacious open floor plan, with all rooms and living spaces on the first floor, you must come see this great new listing in Brunswick Forest. Priced at least $30,000 or less than the same house if you had it built new today, this Grand Isle model home was built in 2007 and is loaded with very special upgrades. The open floor plan centers around a huge great room with a gas log fireplace and French doors to a caged lanai. The caged lanai provides outside relaxing and entertaining space while still maintaining privacy. Both sides of the main living area open to the outside, making the home truly convenient for those who like to be outside as much as possible. Because there are opening to brick-enclosed spaces on both sides of the house, the first floor has a lot of natural light. The brick wall on the right side of the house (faced from the street) was a $12,000 upgrade that completes the look of the house while providing a lot of privacy. The open floor plan with accessible dining room right off the great room is great for entertaining. Picture yourself working in this fully equipped kitchen with granite counter tops stainless steel appliances (included) and loads of counter and cupboard space. In addition to the functional features of the kitchen, it's also extremely attractive. Right off the kitchen (which includes a wide counter space itself if you choose to line up bar stools), there's an alcove that functions nicely as a breakfast area, a bar, a reading area, or an office nook. Just inside the front door is a conveniently located room that can serve as a parlor, a den, or as seen in this photo, a home office. In addition to a door to the main entry hallway this room has French doors to the caged lanai. The caged lanai in this model is an architectural signature and combines strong brick walls and wind-rated caging. Floored with wide ceramic tile, this space is super for protected outdoor cooking, plantings, or as an additional entertainment space. The master bedroom has a cofferred ceiling with fan and rope lighting and a private door to the lanai. In addition to a spacious walk-in closet, the master bedroom suite has two windows for natural lighting. Window treatments remain. The impressive masterbath has dual sinks, a whirlpool tub, and a large ceramic tiled shower. One of two guest bedrooms. The second guest bedroom. The backyard of this home has a decorative wood fence for children or pets. Placed on one of the largest lots in Jefferson Landing, this great looking house is ready for you and your family to move in today! The list of features in 1202 Lillibridge Drive and amenities in Brunswick Forest goes on and on. Watch this blog for additional posts, including a video of one of the owners talking about her favorite features of the house. More photos including photos of the nearby lake coming soon.

2178 Talmadge Drive, Leland, NC 28451

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:29:36 -0700

Would you like to live in a lake house with easy access to North Carolina beaches and golf in a community with the fullest imaginable list of amenties? If those features are on your hot list, you must see this just-listed existing home in the Jefferson Landing section of Brunswick Forest. Built on a lakefront lot in Jefferson Landing, the lucky new owners of this home can take canoes or kayaks right out the back yard and put them in the lake for exercise or relaxation. The house has a rocking chair front porch and a gracious front entrance. The entry foyer opens to the great room with built in cabinets and gas log fireplace straight head. To the immediate right when you enter the house is a formal dining room with coffered celing and wainscoting. The open kitchen has granite counter tops, a spacious pantry, and plenty of cabinet and counter space. There's enough room for at least two cooks. A sunny breakfast area is located just off the kitchen. The breakfast area, like the great room, has a view of the lake. Inside living extends upstairs with a large room currently used as a recording studio with more views of the lake. There's also a smaller office upstairs, along with the home's 3rd full bath and many closets and huge walk in storage areas. If you've got a lot of stuff to store, bring it on! The master bedroom, on the first floor, has, you guessed it, great views of the lake. The master bath with dual sinks, garden tub, and huge walk-in closet has lots of space. The first of two first floor guest bedrooms. The second of the two first floor guest rooms. Once again you can see the lake from the generously-sized screened porch. A concrete deck adjacent to the screen porch is a super place to relax and watch your neighbors paddle by. With its variety of inside living, playing, and working spaces and lake-focused outside, 2178 Talmadge Drive as a marvelously adaptable home. Watch this blog space for more photos, for extended feature lists, for additional information and videos about the amenities of Brunswick Forest, and even information about area golf and beaches.

Social Media Test for Selling two Great New Listings in Brunswick Forest - Come to Open Houses to Win Golf, Beer, Food or Concert Tix!

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:20:22 -0700

I'm generally an energetic guy but today I'm practically tripping over myself as I work on this blog post. I have two fantastic new listings in the esteemed Jefferson Landing section of Brunswick Forest and I'm pulling out all the stops to get as many people to see these great houses as we can during the month of June. Because these two existing homes are such super deals, I am confident they will go under contract during the first few weeks but I want everyone who's interested to have a chance to check them out. Here's the quick version: come to open houses every Saturday and Sunday during June from 1-4PM. Tour both homes, fill out comment sheets, and you'll be entered for drawings for a prize of your choice for each home for each weekend day. Yes, if you come every weekend day during June, you could theoretically win 16 times. The drawing prize choices are: 1. A round of golf with cart use at Magnolia Greens Golf Plantation (value $30-$45) 2. A gift certificate to Front Street Brewery (value $35) 3. A gift certificate to Antonios Pizza and Pasta Restaurant (value $35) 4. Tickets to The Buckinghams concert June 20th - either 1 VIP Ticket (value $45) or 2 general admission tickets ($50 value) So here's some general information. Both homes were built in 2007 and each one has plenty of inside and outside living spaces. They're both brick homes with open floor plans, great kitchens with granite counter tops, etc., three bedrooms, two and a half or three full baths, home offices, two car garages, and water view. Both homes are priced significantly below new construction. And yes, you can still have one of these homes built new, but it will cost more, take 4-6 months, and you won't necessarily know what the rest of the neighborhood will look like. And if you were to build either of these homes on a lake or pond? - Whoa! The price would be way higher! I won't go into all the details of each house in this post, but here is the link to my Cape Fear area listings page blog where you can see all my listings. Each house also has its own blog - the links for which are below. Jefferson Landing Brunswick Forest - 2178 Talmadge Drive, Leland, NC 28451. 3 bedrooms, 3 full baths, FROG, office, screened porch, lake front, 2,436 heated and cooled square feet. MLS# 433951. $364,500. Blog: http://www.2178talmadgedrive.blogspot.com/ Jefferson Landing Brunswick Forest - 1202 Lillibridge Drive, Leland, NC 28451. 3 bedrooms, 2 full and one half bath, office, caged lanai, fenced back yard, 2306 heated and cooled square feet. MLS# 433958. $384,500. Blog: http://www.1202lillibridgedrive.blogspot.com/ OK, so these are two awesome houses. But how is this a social media experiment? Well, here's the 411 on that. We are going to track how people who come to our 16 open houses in June heard about them. We will - advertise the open houses in the Star News on the weekend days of the open houses, - we'll also have the open houses on all the major and even some of the minor real estate web sites, and - I'm also going to list/promote the houses on my blogs (like here), on the 5 area social media sites, and on the hottest social media applications - including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Plaxo, and MySpace. So we'll have all kinds of coverage and promotion. It will be very interesting to see which form or forms of advertising/promotion bring the most people. But you don't need to be concerned about that (unless you're interested and if so let me know and at the end of the month I'll send you the stats). I'd love it if you focus on the houses (the owners would, too), but even if you just want chances to win a round of golf, dinner at Wilmington's premier micro brewery, dinner at Leland's focal local Italian restaurant, or concert tickets to an awesome group, The Buckinghams on June 20th, come check out the houses, every Saturday and Sunday during June from 1-4PM.

Shelby Sebens at first Star News MoJo in Brunswick County

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Thu, 28 May 2009 08:29:29 -0700

Star News Brunswick County Reporter Shelby Sebens hosted the first Star News MoJo (Mobile Journalism) event at the Lockwood Folly Marketplace. The purpose of the remote, scheduled but informal meetings is to have a chance to speak with area residents about their concerns, their stand on issues, and subjects or stories they'd like the Star News to cover. Shelby met with folks one to one and also spoke with small groups. The Lockwood Folly Marketplace is a one-stop combination gift shop, coffee shop, fresh produce market, and sandwich shop.

Wilmington Tweetup a Cheesy Success!!

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:51:11 -0700

The 3rd Wilmington Tweetup was in Wilmington Wednesday evening, hosted by Hagood Homes and sponsored by Front Street Brewery and Chris's Cosmic Kitchen. The event was well attended and perhaps because it was held in one of Hagood's beautiful model homes at Southern Oak, it felt like a house party. Marge and I were a bit late arriving due to a fractured frammis (or something) in Marge's car, but even though we got there for only the last 30 minutes or so, it was a high-energy event. Lots of info sharing about Twitter and other social media, new acquaintances, and even some business card swapping! Here's event planner, networker supremo, and Front Street Brewery PR person Sarah Barbee saying a few words about the evening. Andrea West of Hagood Homes welcoming us: Practically the first thing people said to us as we walked in the door was, "You've GOT to try the cheesecake." So I spoke with Kristin and Chris Lubben, the owners of Chris's Cosmic Kitchen and the donors of the cheesecake. Here's Kristin: And here's Chris: And here's a shot of the cheesecakes. Vanilla on the left, and kahlua coffee on the right. Soon after I took this shot they disappeared. The next Wilmington Tweetup, which the ever-busy Sarah Barbee organizes, will be on the last Wednesday of June - location to be announced - but I'd guess you can pretty much figure on another well-attended houseparty type Twitter-focused networking event. See you there!

Can You Tell What This Is?

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Wed, 27 May 2009 06:37:01 -0700

We were on a walk in Annsdale Park in Brunswick Forest in Leland, NC and noticed something up ahead. Can you tell what it is? Look on the ground, just off the sidewalk on the right side a bit before the tree. A closer look, can you tell yet? Can you see now? Now you can see the nesting bird, right? I was able to get very close and she (I presume) didn't move a bit. Later in the day we came back and this is what we saw: The mother bird and the father, who's also in the area and sometimes does a decoy act sort of on his side with his wing up and squawking like he's injured, were both around, and not very upset - I think they were feeding. The next time we walked by the mom was back on the nest.

Bruiser Plays The Irrigation Sprinkler Game

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Mon, 25 May 2009 05:21:34 -0700

Donatella and Jay Bennett's German Shepherd Buiser loves to go on early morning walks in Brunswick Forest in Leland, NC. A great part of the appeal for Bruiser is the irrigation system water sprinklers. He doesn't hurt them, but runs from one to another leaping and playing. Brunswick Forest also has a dog park and several conveniently located human parks where dogs can play and walk on leashes.

Party WITH Rock Stars - The Buckinghams in Leland, NC June 20

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Sun, 17 May 2009 10:54:25 -0700

You're invited! The Buckinghams are coming to the Wilmington/Leland/North Brunswick County, North Carolina area for a concert on June 20th at Odell Williamson Auditorium at Brunswick Community College. It will sell out. There are approximately 1,200 general admission seats total at $25 each and that's a great deal. But . . . if you want to hang with the band, git yerself VIP tickets. For just $45 each you get alla this: 1. Preferred, assigned seating at the concert (up front on main floor or balcony) 2. A special VIP-only Party With the Band the night before, June 19th, at Murray Art & Frame in Leland (well, technically it's Belville) in the Waterford Shoppes. Music, food, beverages, music, dancing, laughter, and the ability to say you were there 3. A pre-concert party at Odell Williamson (possibly more restrained than the party the night before), um, just before the concert. If you ask nicely, betcha George Murray will sign your shirt! In case you're trying to remember, here's a list of The Buckingham's U.S. Chart Singles (From Wikipedia) "Kind of a Drag" (1967, #1) "Lawdy Miss Clawdy (1967, #36) "Don't You Care" (1967, #6) "Mercy, Mercy, Mercy" (1967, #5) "Hey Baby, They're Playing Our Song" (1967, #10) "Susan" (1968, #8) "Back in Love Again" (1968, #46) Tickets available: Murray Art & Frame: 910-371-3833 North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce: 910-383-0553 Odell Williamson Auditorium: 910-755-7416

North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours, Sponsored by Carolina Roofing and HydroStop

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Fri, 01 May 2009 21:24:50 -0700

Well we had another great turnout at the North Brunswick Chamber of Commerce Business After Hours Friday late afternoon and evening. Sponsored by Carolina Roofing and HydroStop roof sealing , approximately 100 folks laughed, talked, ate, talked, won prizes, ate, and laughed some more. Below NBCC volunteers Sharon Forsman and Gina Schiess made sure we signed in correctly. If we didn't we weren't given a ticket for the drawings. Don Gardner of HydroStop kicked of the event with a welcome and a brief talk about his company's sealing system. Sounds like a great way to seal off roofs pretty much forever. Our buddies John Denison and Brian Matzke of Logos Direct (a Wilmington-based company that does business all over the country) came with some new visors to pass out. Here's Don Gardner again with a product display. It's a good thing Veterinarian Sheila Hanby wasn't there. Sheila did arrive soon, shown in the shades talking with Justin Williams, John Denison, Marge Brown, and Connie Reeves. Here's Jamie Shoemaker wearing a Logos Direct visor. Here's Jamie again, justifiably smiling: a new visor and a goood meal! I introduced Brian to our friend Katie White, a graduating senior from UNCW who I believe won an award in the Communications Department. Katie is moving to Leland next week and was checking out our NBCC event. She got a visor, too (good choice, Brian). Super Volunteer Joyce, ever smiling, helped serve us. We ate. And we ate. Donna and Dan Cameron, owners of Asset Storage in Leland on Blackwell Road are always happy and always at our events. Color them enthusiastic. George Murray of Murray Art and Frame isn't big on appearing in this short video clips, but he does a great job. Greg Darrow, of Images 8 Photography, is also a professional actor -- can you tell? NBM Magazine's Justin Williams is another good sport about giving a quick video clip. Meanwhile, people kept eating. Here's another shot of the ever-photogenic Greg Darrow and his super spouse, Margaret.Marge Brown and Connie Reeves. George Murray talked with us a bit about the Buckingham's concert on June 20th and the VIP party on the 19th. Going to be a great time. Call the NBCC office for ticketsat 910-383-0553. In this shot below it looks like Donna Cameron and Greg Darrow are having a staredown. Actually I think he was just listening intently. Monica Clark, Chamber Ambassador and PrePaid Legal representative, also welcomed us to the Chamber event. As did Board of Directors member Tony Vlach of Hibiske Insurance Group: Chamber Executive Director Terry Grillo: In the photo below I snuck in as Justin Williams was getting this table to smile. I steadied my camera arm on his shoulder and grabbed a quick shot. Lots of prizes were handed out via drawings by this able crew. Wonder how good the food was? Check out George Murray and Victor Pearsal. Marge met new Chamber volunteer Dennis Johnson and new Chamber member Kerry Kasotsky. Bernadette Hayes of N2 Publishing with the founders of the new Zen-sation Day Spa & Boutique. So the Business After House on May 1st, 2009 was another great success. Congratulations and thanks to all involved, especially Tommy Sullivan.

What I've Learned About Blog "Voice" and Consistency

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Fri, 01 May 2009 21:05:07 -0700

Earlier this week I posted on my personal blog (www.beingbrucebrown.com) a Fox News clip with the CEO of Coldwell Banker's suggestions for how to turn around the economy and get the housing market re-started. Good stuff and all and, on the national level probably valid and if the steps he suggest were implemented it would have local effect as well. However, in hindsight, it was a mistake to put that content on my blog. I'm not taking it down because that would be wussie (corrected spelling welcomed!) but I'm not going there again. So here's what I learned. 1. Not to take others' suggestions about what to put on my personal blog - which this is. The suggestion was well-meaning and made a lot of sense in the moment, but even as I was posting it, I had to skirt and backfill and all that and my spider-sense told me "huh-uh" --- shoulda listened. 2. To stay away from news broadcasts for content on my personal blog. Here's the deal: I carefully and thoughtfully construct my reality. I choose to live in a world of abundance, gratitude, positive attitude, and action. If I put up news that does pretty much anything but celebrate life, I'm not only being inconsistent, I'm also violating my core beliefs. So even in the blog post earlier this week I felt a need to put it in context and so forth. How silly of me. I take full responsibility for posting what I posted, but again, shoulda listened to my intuition. 3. Keep it real, keep it fun, and keep it personal. In life, particularly in conversation, I love to throw word, idea and concept curveballs, in joy and fun (just follow my Twitter stream for a while for a sample my stream of conscious banter). On the blog, however, even though I clearly don't strive for careful constructions and proper grammar, posting a piece from another consciousness or reality construct doesn't fit. So that's what I learned. [BTW - for clarity, no one gave me flack about the post in question, and I don't track hits on my blog or whatever (probably oughta), I just felt it was out of character in a way that didn't feel right, so I wanted to clear the air for myself, if no one else.] So now I can go back to posting about events and people and stuff I think is cool.

A Nice Day for a Walk in the Park

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 19:13:04 -0700

Monday afternoon was so nice Marge, Pepper and I went for a walk in the beautiful new Annsdale Park in Brunswick Forest in Leland, North Carolina. These videos capture our respective opinions. First Marge says hello: Then I attempt to show you the park and say hi: And finally, here's Pepper: The three of us truly enjoyed ourselves. This is a great time of year for early evening walks and Annsdale park is a great place to do it.

Sunday Evening Dinner at Front Street Brewery

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:55:43 -0700

What a great time! Sunday evening Marge and I went to have dinner at Front Street Brewery in downtown Wilmington, NC. It's located on . . . Front Street! 9 North Front Street to be exact. In the photo below FSB Manager Ronda Aycock, FSB owner Tom Harris, and Marge Brown before we went in to be seated. I'm generally shy about having my photo taken, but Tom was so polite I couldn't help posing with Marge. Inside, Front Street Brewery was bustling. The restaurant's Kiss High Prices Goodbye campaign featuring $5.99 lunches and $6.99 dinners has been a huge success, bringing visitors and locals to the restaurant regularly to enjoy the well-prepared, reasonably price meals in a convivial downtown Wilmington establishment. Marge had gorgonzola salad with grilled salmon. Ty Downing and I both had pulled chicken nachos. I'd heard good things about this dish. (They were right!) FSB's owner Tom Harris had southwestern salmon. There are many fine places to eat in the greater Wilmington, NC area. Approximately 1,100 according to some sources. Try 'em all, but when you want dependable, yummy food in a hip atmosphere where you won't bust your wallet, be sure to go where the locals go . . . to Front Street Brewery. In the video below Tom Harris, Front Street Brewery Marketing Director Ellie Craig, Ty Downing, Marge Brown, and yours truly comment on the great meal and company.

NBCC Springfest 2009 a Great Success in Leland, NC

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:53:50 -0700

Nearly 2,000 guests attended Saturday's Springfest 2009 in Brunswick River Park in Leland, NC yesterday. Food, music, crafts, community business booths, kids amusements, and general festive celebratory feelings were all present. This photo and video blog post captures only a small slice of this great community event.

Calypso Green Parade of Homes Party at Grayson Park in Leland, NC

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:52:15 -0700

Saturday afternoon Marge and I went to Grayson Park in Leland, NC for two reasons. The first was to tour and talk about Stevens Fine Homes solar model featured in Grayson Park. The second reason was to party! As soon as we got to the clubhouse and said hello we headed over to the solar model home. From the front the house looks like the other homes on the street, but state-of-the-art solar panels on the back roof provide all the energy used by the house. Here's developer and builder Craig Stevens talking about the solar home and the party! We also met some folks in the market for environmentally sound, energy savings home, including Michael Rhodes, who is touring all the green homes and communities in the area before making a decision. And, in Michael's words Inside the model plenty of people were asking about the solar home from Matt, the site's construction manager. Jennie Steele, Stevens Fine Homes Marketing Director took a few minutes to welcome us also. As did Cynthia Rehberg, on-site sales specialist. And Stan Powell, the other on-site sales specialist, here talking and laughing with Marge. Brian Sartan of the Home Builders Association was on hand. And happy to say a few words: We also ran into old friend Lin Spears, Sales Manager of the local Countrywide office With the introductions made and the good info about solar homes and environmentally-conscious building digesting, it was time to party. As you can see from the photo below, Craig Stevens and I were certainly ready! Grayson Park residents and their guests, other visitors, and many REALTORs from the area gathered around the pool for food, drink, music, and conviviality. Middle of the Island, the always-popular catering company, provided the food. It was tasty! We even had a visit from one of Leland's finest, checking up on the music and the commotion. The music, provided by Wilmington area's only calypso-style steel drum band, Pantastic Steel, was dance ready and a lot of fun. So if you have about three and half minutes, click on the video below, put it in HD, full-screen mode, turn up your speakers or headset volume and enjoy!

What's the Big Deal About Leland?

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:13:03 -0700

The whole Great Wilmington/Cape Fear region is undergoing unprecedented growth and development, but the hottest of the hot in southeastern North Carolina is North Brunswick County, especially Leland. In this short video real estate broker Bruce Brown enumerates several key reasons Leland is so attractive to newcomers. Price, quality of life, opportunity and people are all key features.

Leland New Home Community Tours and Events at Compass Pointe and Brunswick Forest

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 20:43:20 -0700

My good friend and HDTV expert Alfred Poor follows my blog and has exclaimed more than once that it seems I spend a lot of time eating for free at Realtor events. And of course he's right (he generally is) but as a working member of the technology press for nigh on to 30 years (he started young), Alfred works his own way well around a promotional luncheon, I know for a fact. This week I laid kinda low on the meal circuit, but Thursday and Friday made up for it at events involving Compass Pointe and Brunswick Forest, two of Leland's newest new home communities and, once they get built out, the two largest. On Thursday we went to the newly-opened sales center at Compass Pointe. As you can see the roads are now paved going into the community. The flora in the neighborhood mixes pines and palm trees. You do have to pass a security gate to get in, but once you do, the Discovery Center is the first building on the right. You can go in on your own, but if you do and it's as a result of this blog, please mention my name. Otherwise I'd be honored to give you a personal tour of Compass Pointe and other Leland and Wilmington area communities. Directly across the street from the sales center there are homes being built, some of which are models (with generous lease back deals for investors) and others for immediate occupancy. When we arrived on Thursday this truck was also delivering golf carts for a huge promotion they're having this weekend. The building below is the sales center, with a parking lot on the right. We met with Angela Batchelor, Compass Pointe's excellent REALTOR relations coordinator. Before we scurried back to get our lunch (yeah, Alfred, you're right) we stopped to look at the large scale topographical table map of the community. When we met in a conference room a community map on the wall came in handy. In the main room is a list of recent sales. It looks during March most of the sales came from people from CT, NY, NJ, PA, and NC with a few others. Overall approximately 45 homes are under contract in this brand new community. Eventually the total will be close to 4,000! Later Thursday afternoon I went to downtown Wilmington for a REALTOR event at the new Brunswick Forest sales office located on Market Street. This sales office is right next door to the Wilmington office for Compass Pointe - maybe they'll rename that block Leland Street. Inside the Brunswick Forest downtown sales office window you'll see a neat 3-wheeled bicycle. According to the sales folk during Easter weekend they could have sold that bicycle many times over. Inside the new office were a passle of Brunwick Forest sales agents and staff as well as some pretty fine food. And that was Thursday. Friday morning bright and early (10AM!) a group of REALTORS met at the Brunswick Forest Wellness Center for an introduction to three new communities within Brunswick Forest. We boarded a Wilmington Trolley Company trolley car for the tour. The first neighborhood we visited was Belshaw, with four new models, each an updated version of popular home models Premier Builders has developed based on buyer experience and preferences. We also toured a new townhome community called Ashwood with two furnished models and 6 models in the unique village-y Shelmore. Oh yeah, and then we went back to the Wellness Center and had lunch!If you'd like to see either of these fine Leland new home communities, or other communities in Leland or Wilmington, I'd be honored to assist you.

Can You Find a Better House in Inland Greens? - A Challenge

Bruce Brown (Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty) — Wed, 15 Apr 2009 21:39:11 -0700

Check out the photo above. Can you believe this is not a model home? The owners of this very well priced, three bedroom two and half bath golf course patio home in Inland Greens did such an outstanding job of preparing it to sell that it almost defies comparison. So far the folks who've looked at this home, whether potential buyers, Realtors, or neighbors, have all been blown away by how clean and beautiful it is. Another interesting fact: much of the interest has been from folks who already live in Inland Greens who want to share the "secret" of their neighborhood with family and friends who are considering moving to our area or who want to move from a large house in the greater Wilmington region. So I'm throwing out a challenge. If you have a house for sale in Inland Greens that an independent judge (we'll agree together who to use) says is in better condition and prettier than 6052 Cedar Ridge Drive, I'll buy you dinner at Front Street Brewery in downtown Wilmington. (Specifically, I'll give you a $35 gift certificate to use any time or give to someone else to use at FSB.)