Money Talks...

In recent months there has been so much media attention to the housing and mortgage industry and all of it negative. There is a bright side to all this in spite of the media reports. Mortgage lending had gotten out of hand and needed to be reined in. There were individuals in the profession ,who for a nice commission check, put people in homes they could not afford. Now those homeowners have been foreclosed on and the numbers are growing every day. The mortgage loan officer is on to another "profession".
Since we are talking about housing/real estate the old addage of location, location, location is true. Our wonderful area has not been affected as other areas of the country have. Most North Carolina cities are showing growth in home sales and in appreciation and certainly the Wilmington area is one of those "survivor" cities. I have been in the mortgage profession 28 years and I don't believe there has been a better time to purchase a new home. We have an inventory of homes that offers a good selection. Builders such as the builders in Marsh Oaks are offering great incentives. Interest rates are still at record low levels, recently as low as 5% for a 30 year fixed rate.
If you are thinking about a new home, now is the time. Don't wait until interest rates and home prices go up.

BRENDA MCDONALD, VP
Lumina Mortgage Company
219 Racine Dr., Suite A
Wilmington, NC 28403
910-202-8225 Direct
910-452-0997 Fax
http://www.blogger.com/www.luminamortgage.com

When in Doubt, Throw it Out!

Many of my "future" Marsh Oaks homeowners would be present day homeowners if they could just get their home to sell. A hot topic these days is "Staging". When a listing agent mutters these words, questions are immediately raised in the homeowners mind. What does it mean? How much will I need to spend? And finally, does my home really look THAT bad?

To answer those questions I turned to Mary Virginia Freeman. Mary Virginia recently joined the Hagood Homes staff as their design coordinator. Among other accolades, she has many years experience in the real estate field in an upscale resort area in South Carolina.

For the next several weeks we will bring you a series "Staging a Home For Sale".

Enjoy!


It's a fact: over 83% of the "stuff" in our homes is completely unnecessary for sustaining life. For those of you who are collectors of stuffed bears or ceramic giraffes or books or record albums or basseball caps or whatever your passion, your percentage is probably closer to 97%. Remember the old saying, "your collections are junk and my collections are treasures"? collections tend to make a home look cluttered and rooms appear small.

Tip #1: Box up those collections, books, etc and put them in a storage unit... NOT in your garage or the closet or the extra bedroom.

If you have children at home, let them choose just enough toys to fill the toy shelf, remove the rest. Put the boxes of toys at the front of the storage unit. A trip to the storage unit to "trade out" toys every few weeks can actually be a lot of fun.

If you have more than 7 pots and pans in your pantry and you are not a caterer or chef, then you have too many. See tip #1.

There is absolutely no reason to have 36 plastic cups or 25 plastic storage containers. This excess only makes your cabinets appear inadequate and yes, buyers do look inside kitchen cabinets.

Flat surfaces in the home, such as tables and counter tops need to be free of clutter. Yes, yesterday's newspaper, bulls, coupons, homework, book bags, the button that came off of your coat three months ago and that one glove to which you cannont find the mate is... clutter! And while we are at it, that adorable collection of tteapots or salt and pepper shakers is clutter as well. See tip #1.

Don't forget the yard with all those charming gnomes or the garage. The same rules apply to these areas as it does to the interior of the home. No doubt that piece of driftwood that you have been dragging around from house to house will be needed someday, but right now it has no use and it needs to GO!

Selling a house takes your time and effort. You must be ruthless when it comes to paring down and throwing out. and this is ONLY STEP ONE!

Tradition Meets Convenience at 7717 Bonaventure Drive

Originality Abounds at 7742 Bonaventure Drive in Marsh Oaks

Meet & Mingle

J.D. and Stacey Bulla were not new to the building process, nor where they new to Hagood Homes. Their first home was built by Hagood Homes in a neighborhood across town. When it came time to move, Marsh Oaks was in their top consideration with it's proximity to shopping, their work and especially since they had several friends that already called Marsh Oaks home. They choose to work with Hagood Homes for a second time and build their home in the SaltGrass section of Marsh Oaks.



"Our first home was built by Hagood and we knew the quality we were going to receive. Hagood was very accommodating through our building experience. Their staff was available at any time to answer any questions. Any questions or concerns we had were addressed in a timely and professional manner. Our builder contacted us to provide us with the stats and progress of our home."


J.D. and Stacey contemplated between the various plans and ultimately decided on the Salt Meadow plan. The open floorplan is perfect for entertaining, while the room over the garage offers a nice retreat. When asked what they love most about their home, they answer an ecstatic "everything".

"The open floor plan is what we look for in our home. The exterior of our home is very aesthetically pleasing to the eye. The home consisted of beautiful landscaping, which most builders very rarely provide. The street scape design allows uniformity, yet each home possesses it's own unique characteristics or features".

The screen porch is a nice extension to their home and it isn't rare for the Bulla's to spend a majority of their time there. Their home backs up to a nature conservation area and at dusk, they can sit and watch the deer nibble on nearby brush as the sun sets.

J.D. and Stacey feel blessed to now call Marsh Oaks home. They enjoy sharing the many amenities with newly found friends in the neighborhood. Marsh Oaks offers a sense of community that is difficult to find and the Bulla's are thrilled to have found it!

To find out more about Marsh Oaks and the opportunities available, call or visit today!

"I'm going to Disney World!"

"I'm going to Disney World" was the reply when I asked Realtor Connie Hill with Intracoastal Realty how she was going to spend her trip voucher.

During the summer months Hagood Homes offered incentives buyers and their agents. For the buyers Hagood offered to pay 6 months of principal and interest and for their agent, a chance at a $5,000 drawing for a trip voucher. During the contest, there were only three available homes to choose from in SaltGrass At Marsh Oaks, and two of the three sold!

Dave Hilliard and Connie Hill, both with Intracoastal Realty were the selling agents. In the true Intracoastal Realty teamwork fashion, Dave and Connie opted to both win and they split the $5,000 voucher!

Connie and her family traveled to Disney World just before Christmas. They spent 7 fun filled days at the Fort Wilderness resort which was decorated "lavishly" for Christmas. The resort also had a marina, petting zoo, farm and horses to keep her sons busy when they weren't park hopping. Their favorite parks were the Magic Kingdom and MGM as well as Sea World.

Connie has sold many homes in Marsh Oaks, representing buyers and listing homes as well. She is familiar with the neighborhood and recognizes the value for her buyers, resting easy that her clients will be pleased with their decision to purchase!

Stay tuned to hear how Dave Hilliard spent his share of the trip voucher and keep selling in Marsh Oaks! It certainly pays!

Marsh Oaks is STILL a great investment!

I've done a little research to confirm what I already suspected: Marsh Oaks is a great investment. I've looked at 19 of the homes that have re-sold within 2007 and calculated their return on investment. The average return on investment is 30%, the average number of months for the return is 35. (Click here to see the details of the return on investment in Marsh Oaks)


So here comes the logic (pause for effect)...

If the best time to buy is during a buyer's market, the best place to buy is Marsh Oaks! Imagine what some of these returns would have been if the homes had been purchased in a "buyer's market" and not a seller's market!

If there are any questions I can answer for you about Marsh Oaks, please do not hesitate to contact me!