Wednesdays With Wendy- Did You Know?

Thanks for stopping by to check out my BLOG!
It might be November, with Thanksgiving just around the corner and the weather in Wilmington couldn't be nicer! We had a little bit of rain last week, but this past weekend was gorgeous in the high 70s. Today it's beautiful and sunny with not a rain cloud in sight!

The BLOG this week will be a "Did You Know?", a couple delicious Fun Thanksgiving Recipes and another dose of Wendy's Featured Listings!

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Did You Know? in Real Estate:

• 62% of all buyers are Gen X and Gen Y (18-44)
  31, is the average age of the first time home buyer


• 47, is the average age of the home seller


• 64%, Listings that were derived from repeat clients or referrals


• 95%, Buyers between, 18-44, use social networking everyday


• 740, Avg number of text messages Gen Y users receive per month


• 
  This and other fun Real Estate facts by Matt Ferrara on The Next Generation of Real Estate
  
  "Did You Know" Thanksgiving:
  


• 91% of Americans eat turkey on Thanksgiving Day.


• Every President since Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving Day. But in 1939, 1940, and 1941 Franklin D. Roosevelt proclaimed Thanksgiving the third Thursday in November to length the holiday shopping season. This upset people.


• Benjamin Franklin wanted the national bird to be a turkey.


• The first Thanksgiving was not a feast, but rather a time when Native Americans helped Pilgrims by bringing them food and helping them build off the land.


• The Plymouth Pilgrims dined with the Wampanoag Indians for the first Thanksgiving.


• The first Thanksgiving lasted for three days.


• In October of 1777 all 13 colonies celebrated Thanksgiving for the first time; however it was a one-time affair commemorating a victory over the British at Saratoga.


• Sarah Josepha Hale, a magazine editor, campaigned to make Thanksgiving a National Holiday in 1827 and succeeded.

For this, and other fun Thanksgiving facts, visit Coolest Holiday Parties.

"Did You Know" Fun Thanksgiving Recipes:

Apple Pie:

Ingredients:

• Dough
  


• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


• 4 teaspoons sugar
  


• 1/4 teaspoon fine salt


• 14 tablespoons cold butter, diced


• 1 large egg, lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons cold water


• Filling


• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice


• 3 pounds baking apples like Golden Delicious, Cortland, or Mutsu


• 2/3 cup sugar, plus more for sprinkling on the pie


• 1/4 cup unsalted butter


• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon


• Generous pinch of ground nutmeg


• 1 large egg, lightly beaten

Full Recipe from The Food Network.

Pumpkin Cheesecake:

Ingredients:

• 1 package (8 oz. size) cream cheese, softened


• 1 cup canned pumpkin


• 1/2 cup sugar


• 1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice


• 1 container (8 oz. size) cool whip


• 1 prepared 9" graham cracker crust

Full Recipe from Cheesecake Factory.

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Wendy's Featured Listing!
4511 Regent Dr, Wilmington, NC 28412

Very attractive, well maintained home! It is located in the popular Fairfield Park neighborhood and is just a short distance to shopping, beaches and the hospital. Enjoy casual living in this all brick, 4 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom home. The house sits on a prime lot with expert landscaping and backs up to a large wooded area with a pond. Lot is also parallel to an easement allowing yard to look bigger. The open floor plan features formal dining room, open kitchen with bar, large master bed with sitting area, walk-in closet, luxurious bath with glass tile shower and separate garden tub. There are hardwoods in all main living areas, canned lighting and ceiling fans throughout, gas fireplace and bonus room with bath which is 4th bedroom. Appliances included; built-in microwave, oven, dishwasher, refrigerator, washer and dryer. This great neighborhood has a community pool, tennis courts, clubhouse and trails. Old fairgrounds to be developed. 5K in closings cost or HOA dues paid at closing.















CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO!

Single Family Home
Bedrooms:	4
Bathrooms:	3 Full
Square Feet:	2101
Year Built:	2004
MLS Number:	435362

For more information on this property and other featured listings, email me mailto:Wendy@seacoastrealty.com?subject=WWW%20-%20Featured%20Listing%209%2F17%2F08 or visit my website.

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I hope you have enjoyed this BLOG and have a fantastic week!
As always, if I can help with any of your real estate needs,
please don't hesitate to call or email me!

Cell - (910) 279-3983
Office - (910) 202-3627
Fax - (910) 795-4268
Wendy@SeaCoastRealty.com
WendyInWilmington.com

Wednesdays With Wendy- Spice up your home!

Hey Everyone!

Thanks for stopping by to check out my BLOG!
I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween and enjoyed some delicious treats. Next up: Thanksgiving!

The BLOG this week features a great video interview on how to " Bring your home back to life with simple fixes" provided by Do It Yourself Expert, Lou Manfredini, and a segment of Wendy's Featured Listings!

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If spending money on a full-blown renovation is not in your budget but you’d like to freshen a few things up around your home, here are some ideas for what you can do yourself to brighten things up for a fraction of the cost. These steps are easy and they will have dramatic results. Even better, they should take less than a couple of hours to complete.

Put some luster and shine back onto your hardwood floors: I am a big fan of natural wood floors; they are one of the only renewable surfaces you can install in your home as far as flooring goes. And they add real value to the bottom line as well. But the finish can get dull, and having them re-sanded is an inconvenience and can cost about $2 to $3 a square foot to complete.

While that’s a fraction of the cost of installing a new floor, I have a method that will cost you about $75 all in, and the finish will look brand new. First, remove all the furniture from the room you want to refinish, and then clean the floor very well with Hardwood Floor cleaner and a Micro Fiber mop. This pH-balanced cleaner is what you should be using to clean your floors regularly. Then apply floor polish. It’s actually a urethane that will fill in the small scratches. You apply it with a synthetic mop head to coat the floor. This is a water-borne finish, so the fumes are very low. Within a couple of hours the floor will be dry and will look new and shiny.

Clean your kitchen cabinets to make them look as though they have been refinished: Wood-finished cabinets can start to look tired with constant use, and while I am all for a total kitchen remodeling project, here is a tip on how to bring the look back. Spray the surface with a cleaner. This degreasing cleaner works wonderfully on breaking down the sticky residue that can be on the face of your cabinets.

Use #0000 steel wool to work the cleaner in and lift all the dirt away. Then wipe down the surface of the cabinets with a damp cotton cloth. Then use a new piece of #0000 steel wool (the more zeroes, the finer the wool) and a finish revitalizer, which should be available at your local hardware store. Apply this to the wood with a soaked-but-wrung-out piece of the steel wool, using medium pressure with the grain. This is sort of like a chemical face peel for the wood. It will brighten up the finish and level it all out. Your cabinets will look almost brand new.

Cleaning and sealing your stone countertops: There is nothing as beautiful as natural stone countertops, in my opinion. Whether in the kitchen, bathroom or other areas of your home, taking care of them will preserve their look and your investment. It’s important to clean them with a pH-balanced stone cleaner on a regular basis, but it’s even more important to seal the tops every 12 to 18 months depending on the use they receive. Remember, stone is hard but also porous, and the sealer helps to keep potential stains from sinking in.

Stone Care International makes cleaners and sealers you can apply yourself. To apply the sealer, you first need to clean the top well and caulk any areas of separation with a clear acrylic caulking. Once dry, apply the sealer by spraying the surface until it is wet. In a few minutes you will see the edges of the counter start to dry. Once that occurs, re-spray the top and let dry for several hours. Then your stone is sealed and if a child spills grape juice or you miss with the salad dressing, you do not have to worry about ruining your stone countertop.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

For more information please visit the Today Show Website.

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Wendy's Featured Listing!
5008 Gate Post Ln, Wilmington, NC 28412

This is a very well-maintained and clean, 3 bed/2 full bath home in the convenient location of The Lakes at Johnson Farms near Monkey Junction. The 2000 sq. ft. home has an open and spacious floor plan with vaulted ceilings throughout the entire house. A few other wonderful features of this home include; a Trane XL15i Super Efficiency energy saving cooling system, breakfast nook, formal dining room, and large FROG - perfect for a guest room, office, or playroom. The master bedroom includes vaulted ceilings, a walk-in closet and a large private bathroom with garden bathtub. You'll also enjoy summer breezes on the back patio and in the very secluded back yard, which features a privacy fence. Appliances remaining with the home include the dishwasher, disposal, self-cleaning oven as well as the living room shelves. You can buy with confidence knowing that a one-year American Home Shield Home Warranty is included in the purchase price. Come check out this great home, today!

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CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO!

Single Family Home
Bedrooms:	3
Bathrooms:	2 Full
Square Feet:	2000
Year Built:	1996
MLS Number:	437698

For more information on this property and other featured listings, email me wendy@seacoastrealty.com or visit my website.

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I hope you have enjoyed this BLOG and have a fantastic week!
As always, if I can help with any of your real estate needs,
please don't hesitate to call or email me!

Cell - (910) 279-3983
Office - (910) 202-3627
Fax - (910) 795-4268
Wendy@SeaCoastRealty.com
WendyInWilmington.com

Wednesdays With Wendy- Statstics

Hey Everyone!

Thanks for stopping by to check out my BLOG!
Are you geared up and ready for Halloween? I can't believe October is almost over and the year 2010 is almost here!

The BLOG this week features Weekly Numbers from Local Real Estate Statistics. Also, another one of Wendy's Featured Listings!

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There are currently 3,398 homes for sale on the market in New Hanover County, this year, including 248 that were added just in October. Take a moment to compare the following percentages from September 2008 & September 2009:

Months Supply of Inventory:
Sept. 08- 21.1
Sept. 09- 11.8
Change: -9.3
Total Percent: Down -44%

The Number of For Sale Properties:
Sept. 08- 4,325
Sept. 09- 4,087
Change: -238
Total Percent: Down -6%

The Number of Sold Properties:
Sept. 08- 206
Sept. 09- 224
Change- 18
Total Percent: Up +9%

With these percentages, Closed units are now up to 171 in 2009 with Volume down 21,832.

The market is slowly growing again which makes it perfect to start investing into your future! With the $8,000 ending just around the corner, there has never been a better time to buy than 2009. To find out more, please contact me with my information listed below.

(Data Provided by WRAR MLS Systems)

Take a moment to watch this video featured on The Today Show about Short Sales in today's market & buyer frustrations.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Also, please note, that not all short sales normally take this long! Short Sales are not for everyone, but do help to provide you, the buyer, with good deals if you're able to be patient.

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Wendy's Featured Listing
1003 Lake Jones Road, Leland 28451

This 4 bedroom, 2 bathroom home is located in the charming gated community of Lake Forest Village in Leland! You are instantly greeted with a trellis walkway and front patio. Home features an open floor plan with spacious rooms, including a bonus room upstairs, vaulted ceiling and two car garage. Many other exciting features including a combination dining room, kitchen island, refrigerator, and built in microwave. Downstairs bathroom is spacious with a Premier Warwick walk in bathtub! Outside offers vinyl siding for low maintenance as well as a large backyard with patio for entertaining or relaxing! Neighborhood amenities also include two ponds designed for fishing and kayaking, with lush woods and lake access, and community meditation garden with additional walking trails. Conveniently located just 15 minutes from downtown Wilmington, this home is USDA approved and a must see at such a great price!















CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO!

Single Family Home
Bedrooms:	4
Bathrooms:	2 Full
Square Feet:	1817
Year Built:	2007
MLS Number:	438582

For more information on this property and other featured listings, email me wendy@seacoastrealty.com or visit my website

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I hope you have enjoyed the BLOG and enjoy the rest of your week!
As always, if I can help with any of your real estate needs,
please don't hesitate to call or email me!

Cell - (910) 279-3983
Office - (910) 202-3627
Fax - (910) 795-4268
Wendy@SeaCoastRealty.com
WendyInWilmington.com