One of the things that I love about living in Leland NC is the abundance of really cool things to do.  My family and I recently went to Lewis Nursery and Farms located on Gordon Rd in Wilmington NC.  They have a wonderful pick-your-own farm and garden center.  Depending on the season, they offer strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.

It was strawberry season when we were able to go, and we had a fantastic time.  Lewis Nursery and Farms is about 15 minutes away from Leland NC and is located just north of Wilmington NC off of Gordon Rd.  This was the first time I had EVER gone to pick my own strawberries, and I was curious to see how it all worked.

Parking was very easy, as they have plenty of parking space, and it was pretty early in the morning so we avoided rush hour.

Once you arrive, you have several options. You can buy strawberries already picked, or you can grab a bucket and go into the fields. We, adventure seekers that we are, were definitely more interested in picking our own strawberries. We grabbed our bucket and headed off for the designated strawberry patch.

When we arrived at the area where they were picking strawberries that day, we were greeted by a Lewis Farm employee that showed us a great spot with lots of strawberries. The strawberries were gigantic and very plentiful. It did not take us long to fill up our bucket. I have never seen so many strawberries in my entire life.  Continued Below…

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Your bucket is weighed when you return from the field, and you are charged by the pound for your strawberries. I do not remember exactly what the cost per pound was for the hand picked strawberries, but our overflowing bucket cost us around 8 dollars. Not a bad price for all the fun we had.  We DEFINITELY enjoyed our strawberries.  We had fresh strawberries for breakfast a couple times, and also made a delicious strawberry pie with whipped cream as well. I can’t wait to go back again. We also visited the garden center at Lewis Nursery and Farms while we were there. They have all kinds of stuff that is in season. We bought some green pepper plants that we have since planted at home in our garden.

Please click on any of the pictures above to view the slideshow. If you have any questions about Leland or Wilmington NC real estate, call me now at 910-688-DIRT.

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I was in Wal-mart earlier today shopping with my family.  We usually try to go early in the morning when there aren’t many people out, mainly so we can get in and get out quickly.  Well, I was standing there in the Canola cooking oil aisle when it struck me how many products there are at Wal-mart.  There are tens of thousands of separate items, sometimes two dozen versions of the same item, and new items constantly trying to find their place.

I feel there are many similarities between Wal-mart and the real estate industry.  It is a very crowded marketplace where it is difficult to get visibility.  You have to choose your message carefully.  Price is always a factor, but you can’t compete with the generic Wal-mart brand, as they will always be a little cheaper than your brand.  At the same time, people will only pay so much for canola oil!  It doesn’t matter how much healthier your canola oil is versus the competition, or how great of a brand you have (Wesson or Mazola).  You get a small premium for these things, but the competition improves every day!  In my mind, all Canola oil is the same, and so I go with the cheapest brand, in this case, Wal-mart’s Great Value brand.  All of the other canola oils say they are the best, but I don’t believe them.

How do we achieve visibility in the marketplace and become the product of choice?

This post will not definitively answer this question, unfortunately.  I think the answer is a moving target, that has to be constantly evaluated and reviewed.  I found my personal answer on the next aisle.

Tony the Tiger?

Yup.  Tony exhibits a lot of GR-R-EAT (pun intended) characteristics.  I trust Tony the Tiger.  He has been in the marketplace for a long time (since 1952), and has built credibility and trustworthiness over generations.  It is a great brand, and is recognized immediately by name or by tiger.  The message is simple and the product delivers consistent results that you can depend on.  In my own personal product quality tests over the past 4 decades, I’ve NEVER had a bad box of Frosted Flakes.  Hundred of different brands of cereals have come and gone, yet Tony the Tiger remains.  In regards to low-cost alternatives, I’ve never considered the off-brand “frosted flakes”.  I didn’t trust them.  I trust Tony the Tiger.

This is how I want to be perceived in the marketplace.

If you are interested in buying or selling real estate in the Leland NC area, CONTACT US TODAY!

This is a January update for Grayson Park, an attractive location situated close but not directly within the development occurring in the Leland area. Grayson Park has been very popular with those who like a community with the feel of secluded privacy, all the while having the close availability of growing local areas and Wilmington. Grayson Park has many attractive amenities, such as nature trails, a pond, a common area and playground. The availability of tennis, a clubhouse, and a six-lane swimming pool add also to Grayson Park’s allure. These qualities make Grayson Park sparkle as a shinning example of why the Leland area holds so many great opportunities for home buyers.

Contact Us for More Info Today!

The following homes were sold/under contract in Grayson Park during the months of December and January (Address – Selling Price – Days on Market).

*1034 Lanterns Ln – $169,900 – 132

*6085 Blueray Dr – $189,900 – 2

*6089 Blueray Dr – $194,580 – 0

*6036 Blueray Dr – $198,470 – 175

*6004 Blueray Dr – $201,800 – 2

*1018 Stonesthrow Ct – $205,000 – 1

*1010 Stonesthrow Ct – $211,850 – 3

*6044 Blueray Dr – $240,514 – 2

*6012 Blueray Dr – $245,200 – 2

*1014 Lanterns Ln – $160,000 – 946

*6065 Blueray Dr – $192,550 – 154

If you have an interest in Grayson Park and would like to see an inventory of existing homes, please give me a call or contact me below. I am always ready to show you what is available at Grayson Park and this includes all current homes for sale and not just new homes.

I know this area well, having lived here for several years and am therefore able to showcase its lovely attractions. I want you to be able to make a knowledgeable determination. Please contact me at www.BlueAtlanticProperties.com for information on homes for sale, foreclosures, and more.

I wanted to write a quick post and share some pictures of the snow we recently had at our new homes subdivision, Summerlin Trace, in Leland NC. The snow was unexpected for our area, where we rarely get snow at all. The snow we may occasionally get (once every couple of years), is usually wet slush that doesn’t even cover the ground. This was a solid 5 inches of snow in Leland NC and the ground had been cold enough for the snow to actually hang around!

I sell new homes at our subdivision, but I also am a superintendent, and general caretaker of things at Summerlin Trace, so one of the first order of business on Friday morning was to go over and check out things and see how our new homes fared. My Wife and I had dropped off our children at Grandma’s house the evening before, so we were able to take our time and snap some pictures.

Snuffy the Snow Covered Toy Puppy

Everything at Summerlin Trace looked fine and in good order, and we did not lose power on any new homes or have any downed trees or anything. The snow was wet and thick and clung to the trees. The yards and signs were covered, as well as the roofs.

I took a couple of minutes and also walked through the 2 acre park that we have provided for residents of our new homes. This was the best part to me, as everything was super quiet and the snow crunched under my feet. I was the first one who had walked through this area, and it felt like I was an explorer finding my way through a new land.

Anyway, to sum it all up, I know that many people who are looking in our area for new homes want nothing to do with snow. I want to EMPHASIZE that this beautiful snow was gone the next day and we were left with soggy ground but no issues. To southerners, snow is like a distant relative that you get to see rarely. You’re excited to see them, excited to catch up on things, and excited to see them go after a brief visit. In that sense, this was a perfect snow.

If you are looking for new homes in the Wilmington/Leland North Carolina area, priced from the $140’s, you can’t do better than Summerlin Trace.  If you need more information or just want to see what the weather is like TODAY, just give me a call. I’d love to meet you. You can visit here to see our new homes for sale and real estate website.

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep

But I have promises to keep

And miles to go before I sleep

And miles to go before I sleep”

Robert Frost

If you are looking for homes near Wilmington in Leland NC, this could be the perfect home for you. We have just listed this home near Wilmington, located at 9564 Holly Hills Dr in Leland NC.  It  is a three bedroom and two bath home, with 1278 heated square feet, and is on the market for $129,900.

One of the immediate things that stand out and that I love about this home near Wilmington is the very large lot, which is around 2/3rds of an acre.  It has a great size backyard and is also bordered on the left side (facing the house) by a small wooded stream, giving the lot more privacy and some additional shade from the hardwood trees as well.

This home near Wilmington also has a decent sized covered front porch, which looks great and lets you step outside your house without getting your head wet. It is also a great spot to just sit and chill out, and watch the world go by.

One of this floorplan’s most distinctive features is the dining nook on the front of the house.  This feature lets in a tremendous amount of light and gives you a feeling of spaciousness and openness that is hard to be found.  I’ve walked through this floor plan before and am amazed at how the large living room merges effortlessly into the dining and eating areas.  It is very open and inviting.

Best of all, this home is priced at just $129,900, which is one of the best priced homes near Wilmington that you will find.  I believe that you will not find a better priced home on this large of a lot anywhere in the area.  If you are looking for homes near Wilmington in Leland NC or anywhere else, please visit us today.  My name is Joe Keech and I am proud to bring you this listing from Blue Atlantic Properties.  Our Realtors can help you today!

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]]> http://blueatlanticproperties.com/2010/02/homes-near-wilmington-in-leland-nc/feed/ 0 http://blueatlanticproperties.com/2010/02/amcs-foreclosures-and-goldilocks/ http://blueatlanticproperties.com/2010/02/amcs-foreclosures-and-goldilocks/#comments Mon, 15 Feb 2010 04:05:47 +0000 Joseph http://blueatlanticproperties.com/?p=100

Do Foreclosures, Short Sales and AMC’s make it difficult to determine value?

I saw this story online today and wanted to share it. It involves the new appraisal standards and how many banks are now using AMC’s, or Appraisal Management Companies, to handle their appraisals, instead of contacting and using local appraisers that they know and are familiar with. Oftentimes, this involves the AMC sending out the cheapest appraiser that they can find, irregardless of the appraisers knowledge of the local area.  What caught my eye was the opening line to the story.

“Where’s the bridge to Bald Head Island?” asked the appraiser.

The answer?

There isn’t one. You travel to Bald Head Island by ferry.

Do you think that maybe this appraiser was out of touch with the local market?  I’d say absolutely.

This is a demanding market where home prices have changed dramatically, and where a realistic home value that is spot-on is more important than ever.  Foreclosures and Short Sales, plus lack of sales, have made this process much harder, and more than ever, we need qualified appraisers with a STRONG local knowledge of the areas where they perform appraisals.  Home values vary on a neighborhood by neighborhood, and street by street basis.  A local appraiser has a stronger knowledge of individual areas located in a town or city, and probably has access to MLS data that can also improve the precision of the appraisal.

I almost lost a recent sale because of an out of town appraiser. He appraised the property at a fair market price, but checked that the area was a “declining” market, and thus the bank would not approve the loan to value ratio that my Buyer needed. Fortunately we were able to make things work and found another loan that would work my Buyer. However, the original appraisal was bogus and was not based on accurate market data.

Read the article and please share your thoughts. I think we all want an accurate value of appraisal, and it is in ALL of our interests that appraisals are like the story of Goldilocks and the Three Bears, not too low, not too high….but juuust right!

If you have an interest in Leland NC real estate or foreclosures, contact me TODAY!