Beautiful New Listing at 213 Inlet Point!

WRAR 2014 Year End Real Estate Zip Code Report

WILMINGTON, N.C. (January 16, 2015) – When analyzing eleven major zip codes in our region – 28401, 28403, 28405, 28409, 28411, 28412, 28451, 28480, 28428, 28449, and 28443 – an average of the zip codes shows for the year-end of 2014:

• Our average sales price has increased by 4.6% from year-end 2013.
• Of the 5,000 sellers in 2014 – 34.0% paid some sort of concession toward the purchase of the house.
• Our list to sales price ratio for year-end is 96.20%, a decrease from 96.37% for year-end 2013. 
• The average list price of the sold properties is $273,531 and is up 4.8% from year-end 2013.
• The average number of days a property remained on the market for the year was 119 days, compared to 121 days for year-end 2013. 
• The median sold price of $217,250 for year-end has increased 8.6% from year-end 2013. 

To Find out Zip Code specific info, Click here:

WRAR 2014 Year End Market Stats

If you are considering selling your home and would like to know what it would sell for in today's market, Please visit www.SearchWilmingtonHomeValues.com

How to Avoid Rental Scams on Craigslist, Trulia, Zillow, etc.

One of the great things about the internet and Real Estate is we can advertise our listings to just about anyone in the world. It is fantastic for our sellers because it gives them the maximum exposure they deserve, but it also leaves the door open for rental scams...

 Here's how to avoid these scams:

1. If a deal looks too good to be true it probably is. If a property is being rented for 1/2 price, be suspicious, very suspicious. Another red flag is if utilities like Cable, Power and Water are included. 

2. Never send a deposit or funds of any type until you see the inside of the unit. Scammers may have photos, but will almost never have keys or direct access to the property.

3. Do NOT wire money! Especially not out of State or out of Country.

4. Cross check the property address against other websites (including my website - www.SearchWilmingtonHomesForSale.com - as we have all the active listings in the MLS on our site). If you find the property is listed for Sale on another site, call the listing broker and find out if it is also for rent.

5. Our MLS and most others watermark the photos. Ours are watermarked in the bottom right hand corner. This is a good indicator that the photo was taken off a Realtor's site somewhere. 6. Cross check the owner's name against public records. If the person you are speaking with claims to be the owner, but their name is different from the public records, then a serious red flag should go up! Your best bet is to always to go through a licensed and reputable Real Estate Broker!

Are we on the verge of another US Housing Boom? These 8 charts say YES!

Housing might be on the verge of a major pickup. Deutsche Bank circulated a chartbook analyzing prospects for the US housing market over the near future. While housing is still recovering from the burst of last decade's housing bubble, there are some interesting and promising signs that things may soon be returning to normal. Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/us-housing-market-2015-2#ixzz3QgzHsiW0

RE/MAX National Housing Report January 2015

FHA to lower Mortgage Insurance Premiums! Great news for home buyers and owners!

This is great news for all home buyers and for the Real Estate Market in General! In an effort to make owning a home more affordable, the Federal Housing Administration has decided to cut the cost of Mortgage Insurance from 1.35% to 0.85%. A typical first time home buyer will save about $900 per year on their mortgage payments, or $75 per month! As a result of the lower premiums, it is estimated an additional 250,000 fist time home buyers may be eligible to purchase a new home! Existing homeowners who refinance to a new FHA loan will also be able to take advantage of the new reduced mortgage insurance premiums as well! In order to take advantage of this reduction in mortgage premium, please contact us or our preferred lender, Richard Lytle of On Q Financial at richard.lytle@onqfinancial.com or by phone at 910-297-1494.