Living on Topsail Time

Well, I am amazed! My wife Kathy has lived in North Carolina all of her life and I have lived here for more than 40 years and neither of us knew about the deep water coral reefs located just three hours by boat off the coast. The reefs have been known for decades but it is only recently that scientists and researchers have been able to get to them. Along with extensive coral formations, the reefs can include massive, million year old mounds formed by a mix of coral and trapped sediment, according to the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council. Wow. There is hope that President Bush will give the area a federal designation, which will open up more funding sources for exploration and research. What a fabulous opportunity for the President and for all of us, not only in North Carolina but the United States!

Thanks to everyone who read and commented on the Memorial Day post. It is just so great to hear from agents who are experiencing the same uptick in business as we are in coastal North Carolina. It has been a tough two and half years but looking forward is always the best direction. Sure can't change the past, but boy, have we all learned some valuable lessons for the future.

It is a great time to be a real estate professional!

Topsail Island is located about 40 minutes from the Marine base in Jacksonville, N.C. On a daily basis from one part of the island or another, we see military activity. Sometimes it is a troop ship off our coast returning our men and women from active duty around the globe, or various aircraft over our beaches. Whatever the reminder of where we are, this Memorial Day we take the time to appreciate the service and sacrifice made by all those who have gone before and acknowledge those who are currently in service to our country.

We have held open houses through the week end and will finish up tomorrow. One of the things we have been struck by is the attitude of every single person who has come through our houses. There is a real sense of optimism. One of our condominium communities saw more than 30 visitors over the three days. Believe me, that is a huge shift from the previous six months. Some are just starting to look, some are ready to buy and some are, as you might expect "just sightseeing". Nonetheless, it is a sizeable increase in activity.

Summer is beginning. It is a great time to be a real estate professional!

Just read a column with a thought provoking question. It got me started thinking about the customer "experience" that we try to provide here at Sea Coast Realty.

Just as an illustration, we were at pig picking last night with a group of folks from Charlotte, N.C. We were out on the walkway to the beach chatting with one of the couples (past clients from 5 years ago)and with our host. We missed seeing our clients when they were on the island a few weeks ago. The comment was made by our host that "his agent didn't even recognize him a week later in the post office, much less five years later." Ouch!

The "experience" shouldn't end with the commission check, we all know that. All the statistics show that remaining in touch with your client is the best way to receive referrals and be his/her real estate professional of choice for life. 

Is our menu of services posted just before a drive up window? Are we going to let them be happy with a paper sack? If our customer/clients are not demanding service, why not?  We need for them to NEED us!

We should provide our customer/clients with a gourmet meal, delivered with white gloves and on silver platters. Whether they request this service or not. This is even more true now. Customer Service, coupled with the technology we implement, will enable our clients to leave our table satisfied. A restaurant owner friend said that the best advertisement you could hope for in his business was a line around the block waiting to get in to eat. Our customer service should be so great that our "line" will stretch across the internet!

Sea Coast Realty and The Rand Burchfield Real Estate Group believes in the personal touch and stellar customer service. We will be working even harder to make sure that we continue to improve!

It is a great time to be a real estate professional!

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!

Living just 40 minutes from the historic port city of Wilmington, North Carolina, we can enjoy the peace and quiet of Topsail Island and the amenities offered to us by a city. This week end, the Azalea Festival takes place all around the city. Southern belles dressed in lovely authentic antebellum gowns, beautiful gardens, home tours, a parade and yes, we have an Azalea Festival Queen and her Court. A street fair along the waterfront with the battleship USS North Carolina as a backdrop, is a fitting and fun way to spend the day. We had wonderful weather all week end, although the skies did look threatening for part of the day.

On the island this week, we have been extremely busy. Multiple appointments for many of our properties and a couple of contracts in as well. All of our agents have been out with clients and we are looking forward to seeing a few more contracts over the next couple of days. We continue to believe in and have planned for a successful 2008. The past is totally and completely behind us, the slate is clean and it is one of the best possible time for buyers (and investors) to be coming into the market.

We added a Listing Co-Ordinator to our team at the first of March, joining our Client Care Co-Ordinator and our Closing Specialist, all of whom were part of the goals we set for ourselves at the Star Power Conference last year. By the way, if you have not attended a Star Power conference, please consider it. What a learning experience that is for any real estate professional! You will only be empowered by your attendance, even if you only take away three things that you put into practice.

Hope everyone is seeing the same kind of improvement in their markets as we.

Happy Sunday to all!

March 9th and Daylight Savings Time! Spring is almost here and we are seeing such an uptick in both customer calls and internet inquiries. There are new projects being brought online and although our friends in the mortgage industry may be a little frustrated from time to time, they are still bringing us loan packages and working so hard with our clients!

It is terrific time to be a real estate professional with so many opportunities for the knowledgeable buyer and the well informed seller. We have returned to the basics, placing customer and client communication at the top of our list.

 A couple of months ago, one of the talking heads made this statement: "If you aren't around when the market conditions are less than optimum, you won't be here when the new market is born." Readers, we are in the waiting room and that new baby market is almost here. Please push forward with your home purchase. If you are waiting for the media to let you know when the time is right, that time will have already passed.

It is great in 2008!

Just finished a sales meeting and heard positive news for the third month running. Out here on the coast of eastern North Carolina, buyers are calling, appointments to show are being made and contracts are being written. From Wilmington to Jacksonville and all points in between, the market is improving!

Yesterday, I attended with members of my team, Linda Blackburn and Bob Ramsey a tremendously interesting meeting about the state of Pender County. One of the most memorable comments was that "people are still getting married, having children and searching for the right place to live." The second comment was that 'within the next seven years, North Carolina would become the most populated state in the union. Most of that growth was expected to occur east of Raleigh, N.C."

This is a great time to be a real estate professional!