Jonathan Swanson earns North Carolina Short Sale Specialist Certification

Jonathan Swanson with Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty in Wilmington, NC recently earned his North Carolina Short Sale Specialist certification. The Certified Short Sale Specialist (CSSS) Seller agent designation is the first and only short sale designation specific to the state of North Carolina.

Many North Carolina homeowners find themselves owing more on their properties than they could sell for today. As a CSSS designee, Swanson is a real estate professional that is dedicated to helping these homeowners. Swanson understands the short sale process, transactional entities, and who the true short sale decision makers are. He can also identify predatory servicing tactics and guide the consumers to the appropriate NC state regulatory agencies if necessary.

Melanie Cameron earns North Carolina Short Sale Specialist Certification

Melanie Cameron with Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty in Wilmington, NC, recently earned her North Carolina Short Sale Specialist certification. The Certified Short Sale Specialist (CSSS) Seller agent designation is the first and only short sale designation specific to the state of North Carolina.

Many North Carolina homeowners find themselves owing more on their properties than they could sell for today. As a CSSS designee, Cameron is a real estate professional that is dedicated to helping these homeowners. Cameron understands the short sale process, transactional entities, and who the true short sale decision makers are. She can also identify predatory servicing tactics and guide the consumers to the appropriate NC state regulatory agencies if necessary.

How much is my house worth?

How much is my home worth and how fast can I sell it? Those are the first questions many home sellers ask their Realtor.

Tina Abraham with Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty explains that several variables influence the answer. The condition of your home, how well it's priced, and how much competition you have all play a role in what your home is worth and how quickly you can sell it.



If there are already several homes for sale in your area, Tina says it's very important to make sure that your home is the best-priced and in the best condition in your area. That will ensure that when buyers look in your area, they'll choose to look at your home.

For more information, please visit ‪SeaCoastRealty.com‬ or become our fan on Facebook.‬

Pet Pix Contest Entries - Where to See 'Em!

WOW! Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty's Pet Pix Contest has only been going for a little more than twenty-four hours and already received dozens of amazing photo entries!

You can see the contest entries on our Facebook page, just click here.

Make sure you visit our Facebook page and click "Like" at the top of the page. By becoming our fan, you'll get updates in your Facebook feed when we post new Pet Pix Contest photos. (No need to fret about your privacy. Just because you "like" us, doesn't mean that we or all of the other folks that "like" Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty can see your profile.)

There are some truly adorable, beautiful, and hilarious dogs and cats in the bunch. So far there's only one exotic pet entry; a lizard (err, some sort of reptile) owned by a Sea Coast associate's son. We hope that, for Francesca Holt's sake, her son's pet never get's loose in their house.

Keep your entries coming! For every photo you submit, Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty will donate $1 to Paw's Place Animal Rescue (up to $500).

For full details on how to enter Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty's Pet Pix Contest, click here.

Sea Coast Realty Ranks Highly Among Nation's Top Real Estate Companies

Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty is among the country’s largest and most successful residential real estate companies named in the recently released 2010 REAL Trends 500 report. The list is released annually by REAL Trends, Inc., the residential real estate industry’s leading source of analysis and information.

The REAL Trends 500 report ranks the country’s top residential real estate companies by closed transactions and by sales volume. In 2009, Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty closed 2,799 sales, ranking #151 in the list of “The 500 Largest Brokers in the U.S.” ranked by closed transactions. Sea Coast Realty closed $579,520,735 in sales volume in 2009, ranking #162 in the list of “The 500 Largest Brokers in the U.S.” ranked by sales volume.

Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty ranked #23 out of more than 1,074 Coldwell Banker affiliated companies in the U.S. Coldwell Banker was ranked as the country’s #1 real estate franchise again this year, closing more than $128 billion in sales and almost twice as many sales transactions as the next leading real estate franchise.

Locally, Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty performed similarly well. In 2009, it closed more than twice as many sales as the next leading company. Sea Coast Realty has claimed the title as southeastern North Carolina’s top selling real estate company for ten years in a row.

First Home Seller Signs Up for Coldwell Banker Buyer Bonus Program

Meet Susy King of Wilmington. Susy was the first Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty home seller to sign up to participate in our Coldwell Banker Buyer Bonus program.

By participating the the Buyer Bonus program, King is offering buyers a refund of 3 percent (up to $8,000) of the purchase price at closing. That's great news for home buyers, because it means less cash that they'll need when they close on their home.

For more information about 2 bedroom, 2.5 bath condominium in The Village at Mayfaire that Susy is selling, please visit http://www.seacoastrealty.com/448544.

To search for homes participating in the Coldwell Banker Buyer Bonus program or to read program details, please visit http://www.coldwellbanker.com/BuyerBonus.

Wilmington to Add Another City-Owned Golf Course

Soon, the City of Wilmington will have another municipal golf course.

On March 23, 2010, the Wilmington city council voted to purchase the 18-hole Inland Greens golf course. The city plans to maintain part of the course and turn the rest into a park.

The existing City of Wilmington golf course off Pine Grove Road, will remain open. It is one of the most-played municipal golf courses in the United States.

Sea Coast Realty Voted "Best of Wilmington 2010"

Readers of Wilmington's Encore magazine have voted Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty as Wilmington's Best Real Estate Company in their "Best of Wilmington 2010"!

Thanks go out to everyone that voted for for us. Though this isn't our first "Best of Wilmington" award, we're still thrilled by this honor. Our more than 300 agents and staff take great pride in the fact that every year for the last decade, we've sold more homes in southeastern North Carolina than any other real estate company.

Check out the nice things Encore had to say about us:

BEST REAL ESTATE AGENCY

The local and national housing markets may have taken a hit due to the recession as of late, but Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty is soaring high above the rest with their win for Best Real Estate Agency. Serving the cities of Wilmington and Jacksonville; the coastal communities of Carolina Beach, Topsail Beach, Surf City, Wrightsville Beach, Figure Eight Island, North Topsail Beach, Kure Beach, Bald Head Island, Oak Island, Ocean Isle Beach and Holden Beach; and coastal communities, including Porters Neck, Southport, Sneads Ferry, Leland, Scotts Hill, Hampstead, Holly Ridge, Camp Lejeune, New River, Bolivia, Shallotte, Boiling Spring Lakes and St. James, Sea Coast is without a doubt a leader in its industry. In fact, it is the number-one real estate company in southeastern North Carolina, selling more properties than any area firm for the past eight years.

With 300-plus agents and seven convenient locations (two in Wilmington, on Military Cutoff Road and at Porters Neck) Sea Coast is more than equipped to satisfy anything their customers desire. They can handle relocation needs, from start to finish, and even offer a 100-percent Satisfaction Guarantee. In an ever-changing real-estate climate, Sea Coast has remained true to its roots and continues to offer first-class service with a reputation clients have learned they can trust. Their easy-to-navigate Web site, www.seacoastrealty.com, only adds to what Wilmington recognizes as dependable, up-to-date and quality service.

If you are thinking about buying or selling a home in New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, or Onslow County, North Carolina, shouldn't you have the "Best of Wilmington" working for you? Visit us online at http://www.seacoastrealty.com/ or call us at 1-800-522-9624.

Sea Coast Listings Hot In Cold Winter Months

Normally, the winter months are a pretty slow time in the real estate business. While the weather has been cold outside this year, the real estate market has been getting hotter and hotter.

In January 2009, homebuyers toured Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty listings 2,757 times! That's a whopping 72% increase from the previous month. The number of showings is expected to grow even more over the next few months.

Our real estate professionals say that there are lots of homebuyers hunting for homes earlier than usual this year, so that they can take advantage of the homebuyer tax credit before the April 30, 2010 deadline. First-time homebuyers are eligible for an $8,000 tax credit. Homeowners that have been in their current home for the last 5 years are also eligible for a $6,500 tax credit. In addition, real estate agents say that there are lots of investors and folks looking for second homes out looking for great properties at a bargain price.

If you are considering selling your home, it's smart to contact a Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty agent today. Our real estate professionals in New Hanover, Brunswick, Pender, and Onslow counties will expertly market your home, so that it will get the attention it deserves and sell for the most money.

Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty has been southeastern North Carolina's top home seller for the last 10 years! Find out more at SeaCoastRealty.com.

Why Sandy Monroe Chose Sea Coast Realty

When it comes to choosing which real estate company to work for, real estate professionals have a lot of choices.

Sandy Monroe explains that Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty's #1 ranking in the Wilmington area played a large part in his decision to make the move to Sea Coast, even after he'd had a successful real estate career for more than 15 years.



For more information, please visit SeaCoastRealty.com or find Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty on Facebook.

Louise Voelker Joins Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty

Today Louise Voelker joins Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty as Managing Broker of the Wilmington, North Carolina office.

“We are thrilled to have Louise as Managing Broker of our Wilmington office. In addition to her reputation for caring and professionalism, she brings a wealth of real estate knowledge and experience to our team,” said Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty president Tim Milam.

Prior to joining Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty, Voelker was Managing Broker in Charge of RE/MAX Coastal Properties, and a top-producing real estate sales associate in Wilmington and Charleston, SC. Her experience providing guidance and mediating difficult situations is rooted in extensive real estate management training and her earlier career in social work.

In addition to recruiting, training, and managing real estate sales associates and staff at Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty, Voelker serves on the Board of Directors for the Wilmington Regional Association of REALTORS® and volunteers with Habitat for Humanity.