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Its finally fall, a great time to spend outdoors in Wilmington! With pumpkins and mums for sale all over town, it’s clear autumn has arrived. The beach goers have dwindled, and the upcoming season means pets are allowed on Wrightsville Beach and the parking meters have been removed.

In Wilmington, there are numerous outdoor events of all varieties to choose from. On Friday, September 25, the Cape Fear Museum is having its Museum Park grand opening. The following Saturday, Carolina Beach is hosting a “Toes in the Sand Beach Walk” fundraiser to benefit the Pink Ribbon Project at the New Hanover Regional Hospital. “A Taste of Wrightsville Beach” at Marine Max in Wrightsville Beach that offers food, wine, and beer from over thirty restaurants in the area is an event to attend on October 10. Other outdoor events include a color run at Kure Beach, the Wilmington Seafood Festival at Watermark Marina, a walking tour of historic Wilmington, and the annual Wilmington Riverfest in downtown Wilmington.

This season spend some time outdoors and find an event that sounds fun for you and your family. For more information about events happening in Wilmington and the surrounding areas, go to whatsonwilmington.com.

This past weekend Landfall Realty participated in the Ideal Living Resort and Retirement Living Expo in Washington D.C. Realtors, Martie Davy and Karen Thompson, along with the Country Club of Landfall representative, Kelli Lazzaro, attended the expo Saturday and Sunday.

The group spent the weekend talking to prospective buyers about Landfall real estate, the country club, and the beautiful Wilmington area. With over 700 people attending, the expo was a great way to create a buzz and get people interested in the area. Landfall Realty also offers a Discovery Package which many potential clients were excited about. For only $249 the Discovery Package includes a round of 18 holes of golf for two, $75 food and beverage credit at the Landfall Country Club, and a two-night stay at Homewood Suites.

With seminars and workshops in ideal destinations, home trends, and preparing your home for sale, attendees were supplied with a wealth of information about real estate. This knowledge will enhance the level of service Landfall Realty can provide its clients. The next Ideal Living Expo Landfall Realty and the Country Club will attend is in Connecticut in February.

Karen Thompson, Kelli Lazzaro, and Martie Davy at the Expo

There is a reason traffic picks up around the Landfall Community during the summer months. This beautiful and fun filled region we get to enjoy year round is a place where others choose to come for their well earned vacation. With  world class beaches, access to the Intracoastal Waterway, great waterfront dining, and gracious concerts at nearby Airlie Gardens, Landfall is perfectly situated to take advantage of the great things coastal Wilmington and Wrightsville Beach have to offer.
 

Visiting Wrightsville Beach

With the bridge to Wrightsville Beach right outside our Eastwood Gate, we are at the threshold of one of the best beaches on the United State’s East  Coast. You can turn left at the Eastwood gate and be at the beach in just a couple minutes. One of America’s oldest yacht clubs in the country, The Carolina Yacht Club, is also nearby and thriving. The Oceanic Restaurant, which offers amazing views of the Atlantic Ocean while dining on their recently rebuilt pier,  is just one of a number of restaurants on the beach.

Dining On the Intracoastal Waterway

If one heads out the Eastwood Gate and turns just before the bridge onto Airlie Road, just a two minute drive, you have the choice of a number of fine restaurants that sit right on the Intracoastal Waterway. Dockside and Fish House offer more casual fare as you sit outside on the dock and watch the boats cruise down the Intracoastal with magnificent views of the natural wildlife and Wrightsville Beach. The Bridge Tender offers a bit more upscale dining with the same great view and more inside seating. Across the Intracoastal BlueWater offers a bigger experience and a fun Sunday afternoon party featuring live music during the summer.

Boating on the Intracoastal and Atlantic Ocean

If you enjoy boating, Landfall offers many alternatives. You can bring your  own boat or yacht and dock it at one of our world class marinas right outside the gates. A new phenomenon that we are enjoying is boat rental and boat club companies that have opened up nearby. Instead of having to maintain your own boat, these companies have them for rental so that you have the opportunity to explore the region at your leisure. If you are looking to experience a captain led cruise of the Intracoastal Waterway or the Cape Fear River, these excursions are also available as well as fishing charters with world class captains.

Paddle Boarding and Surfing

For the more adventurous and athletic members of the Landfall community, there are a number of Paddle Board companies right outside our gates. They can either help outfit you and your family with paddle boards or rent them for you and your guests. It is a great way to see the area and get some exercise as well. If you are a surfer, there are businesses that cater either for purchase or rental on Wrightsville Beach. One of our hidden secrets are the world class surf camps held on Wrightsville Beach perfect for visiting grandchildren to learn a new skill while they are in town.

Airlie Gardens Concerts

The first and third Friday throughout the summer Airlie Gardens hosts a concert series on the lawn. The concerts feature top local and regional acts in a very elegant setting. It is a favorite of the locals and just minutes from Landfall on Airlie Road. From jazz to folk, classic Carolina Shag music to soft rock, you can bring a picnic basket and a bottle of wine and enjoy a relaxing evening in one of the most beautiful places in Wilmington.

These are just some of the nearby highlights that you will enjoy living in Landfall.  There is so much more to do in Wilmington and Landfall itself.
 
If you want to learn more about Landfall and all our area has to offer, continue to follow our blog, call the office at 910-256-6111 to hear about our Discover Package or fill out our contact form. Our agents live in Landfall and can help you with any questions you have.
 

Over 140 property owners and club members were in attendance Tuesday February 25th, 2014 for the 6th annual Landfall Realty Forum. General Manager Ken Kirkman reported the Landfall market was strong in 2013 , particularly in home sales. Hig…h demand remains , with this winter adding to pent up demand. Wilmington remains strong draw, and the stability of Landfall, with its lack of debt, is reassuring to purchasers. We expect 2014 and 2015 to remain positive. Buyers now continue to like smaller, high quality homes with open floor plans. This trend is expected to continue.

Kenneth Kirkman, general manager of Landfall Realty, recently presented his annual summary of real estate activity in Landfall for the year, and provided observations about the current state of the real estate market in Landfall, and throughout the region.  Attended by a large number of Landfall residents, the meeting, at Country Club of Landfall, also gave the attendees a chance to ask wide rainging questions.

Sales for 2012 are about 20% ahead in  transactions year to year, with most of the increase coming in the under $750,000 home price range.   Most of the bargain sale properties sold in 2011, so the floor on prices has risen, but the ceiling has stayed fairly constant.  Almost all national indexes are showing improvement, but still are weak on a historical level. 

For 2012, Kirkman aniticpates more of the same.  Demand will remain strong, but value buying is still prevalent.  Prices will likely continue to compress from bottom to top, but volume, in terms of transactions and dollars, will likely again increase  The stability of Landfall is a great sales attribute in the current environment.

Thanks to Envision mortgage for sponsoring the food and drink, and to all of the Landfall Realty team for a very successful 2012.

In Landfall Realty’s recent community forum, I related the points made by Bob Seelert (outlined in Part 3 of this series) to the relationship between a good real estate sales agent and a client.  At Landfall Realty, we teach and recommend the following, which we believe leads to a successful relationship.

1) As an agent, be truthful.  Don’t tell a prospective customer what they want to hear  to get a listing.  Give a fair and objective evaluation of value based on what is occuring in the marketplace.

2) Set standards based on the new reality.  This can be painful, as the real estate economy is very different than it was 24 or 36 months ago.  Both agent and client must recognize this.  What a property was worth 3 years ago has no bearing on what it is worth today, nor does what one paid for it.   The new reality is that buyers (and there are buyers) are seeking the best value in the category of property being sought and there are a number of properties available in each cateogory.  Value, not emotion, governs.

3) Think long term, act short term.  This is key for a seller.  A seller should know what the bottom line acceptable sales price is before an offer is received.  Many offers expire or are withdrawn quickly.  No decision is in fact a decision.  The best time to debate an offer is not when you have 24 hours to make a decision.  If an offer does not meet one’s bottom line, counter at or near the bottom line.  If it meets or exceeds the bottom line, the decision, made after consulting your agent, is to accept or counter.  We have seen many deals fall through over a few thousannd dollars.  If the seller had thought long term, in many instances that difference in price would have had little if any lifestyle impact, and when property ultimately sold for less, the seller was unhappy.

4) Communicate within your team.  This means  to be certain that your agency’s team talks among themselves about your property, and that there is communication between you and your contact at the agency on a regular basis.  At Landfall Realty, each agent is a team member; we don’t advertise individually, as do most general agencies, and we readily show all company listings, not just those of the agent meeting with a customer.  We feel this best suits the customer needs.

5) Listen and learn from customers and peers.  We at Landfall Realty try to constantly learn from what our customers tell us.  I personally also use my extensive network of contacts through planned communities throughout the southeast to see what is selling, and what issues are important in the market place.  Our team meets weekly to discuss these trends, and to tweak our sales presentation.

We value what we  learn from our friends and customers, as we know continual improvement is critical to success in these difficult market conditions.   I encourage you to talk with us at any time with any ideas you may have as to how we can better serve the Landfall NC community.

Kenneth M. Kirkman, general manager