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The Highlands at Castle Bay is nestled on acres of rolling hills just north of Wilmington, NC, in the cozy city of Hampstead, NC. The Highlands at Castle Bay is a highlight of Hampstead, NC, real estate and provides excellent value, lifestyle, and amenities very close to the urban hub of Southeastern North Carolina, Wilmington, NC.

Click here For Wilmington relocation information and information on New Home communities.

Carolina Beach is Located at the north end of Pleasure Island, North Carolina – nine miles south of Wilmington off NC 421. The town is home to about 5,600 friendly residents and has a quaint vintage feel sure to transport you back to your childhood days at the beach. Yet they provide every modern convenience you could hope for and you’ll be welcomed as one of their own!

The fireworks are free and open to all, weather permitting. Schedule is subject to change without notice. They will begin after the sun has gone down. Be sure to arrive early to grab your spot on the beach.

Every Thursday night preceding the fireworks by the sea will be live music at the Gazebo Stage located on Cape Fear Blvd.  The live music will begin at 6:00 pm and end right before the fireworks show at 9:00 pm. 

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When is the best time to buy a house? With many markets reporting an abundance of homes for sale, and interest rates remaining at near historic lows, now might be one of the best times in recent memory. While today’s real estate market does offer advantages to buyers, consumers still need to be savvy in order to get the best deal they can.

These are some of the things every homebuyer should keep in mind:

Don’t Try to Time the Market. When home prices are lower, it is very tempting for potential buyers to try to wait as long as possible in the hopes that prices will decline even further. This strategy can be detrimental because when there is high inventory, smart sellers price their homes properly – so their homes will sell in a timely fashion. Once a home is priced to what the current market will bear, buyers will make offers.

Shop Around. But Don’t Wait Too Long. The National Association of REALTORS reports that, on average, homes stay on the market for 7.5 months. The increased inventory gives homebuyers a great opportunity to compare homes that meet their needs. However, this does not mean that homebuyers should procrastinate. If you find a house you love, put in your bid and negotiate. Don’t provide an opportunity for another buyer to make an offer.

Watch Mortgage Rates. Studies revealed that that majority of people move based on lifestyle changes such as new job, marriage, divorce or family expansion. Pay attention to the mortgage rates and recognize that buying a new house will likely result in a change in mortgage rates. How much? A monthly payment of a 30-year fixed 5.875 mortgage rate on a 300,000 loan is $1,774.61. The monthly payment at today’s 6.381 rate is $1,872.79, representing a $98.18 increase.

Negotiate on the Incentives. Sellers eager to move their homes may offer you a variety of incentives such as cars, trips, and even credit card bill payment. If you accept an incentive, make sure it makes sense for you. Instead of having your bills paid, you may opt to have the seller renovate the master bathroom or install new flooring. Of course, you can always ask the seller to simply deduct the amount in question from the list price.

But what impact did Senator Clinton and Obama's visit have on our area?

Overall most people say the candidates' visits were beneficial for Wilmington. And for both campaigns the turnout was greater than expected -- with standing room only available.

The Clinton campaign says that they expected around 1,500 people to come to the rally at the riverfront, but more than 5,000 showed up.

That meant there was a wait at the security check point, but those in charge of security say, even with the additional crowd, security was not compromised and there were no problems.

Federal property manager Chad Hartwell said, "I think it all went very smooth the way they had the spectators on one side of Sen. Clinton and the security forces and building on the Princess Street side."

At UNC Wilmington Monday it was standing room only as more than 6,000 people packed into the Trask Coliseum to see Sen. Obama.

UNCW officials say the event was a success and went off with out a hitch.

The annual event showcases over 100 new homes constructed by Wilmington Area Builders.  This year’s Parade of Homes reflects our diverse housing market with prices ranging from $137,000 to $3.3 million, with something for the first-time buyer to the luxury second homeowner.  The Parade of Homes also covers a broad geographic area spanning New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties, with homes located from Burgaw to Southport, and everywhere in between! The Parade of Homes also covers a broad geographic area spanning New Hanover, Brunswick and Pender counties, with homes located from Burgaw to Southport, and everywhere in between!

The 2008 Plan Book Magazine features renderings of the participating homes, floor plans and a detailed map.  The book is available at any of the homes that are entered and at the Wilmington-Cape Fear Home Builders Association office located at 3801-5 Wrightsville Avenue.  The Star News also provides a special insert in the local newspaper

The home tour is free of charge and open to the public.  For further information you can contact me 910-313-0004 and for any information on the Wilmington and surrounding areas, please feel free to visit my website. www.SusanJarman.com

The park is on U.S. 501, not far from Broadway at the Beach.  Tuesday, the park opened its doors.

With a stomach full of butterflies, lucky riders took the inaugural trip on the big roller coaster at the park.

The coaster crazies were the first to cruise on Led Zeppelin The Ride, after donating plenty of money to charity.

Myrtle Beach's Cindy Ennis donated more than $1,800 so she and her family could be in the front rows.

Anyor's Tobias Banks ponied up the dough on E-bay to take part in this once in a lifetime jaunt.

The music themed park cost more than $400 million to build.

Tourism officials hope the park can get more than 3 million visitors a year to play in their rock heaven.

During the soft opening, the park just has a few rides running.  The grand opening of the park is May 9, and all rides will be ready to rock

Mario Chalmers hit a 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in regulation to push the game into overtime, and the Jayhawks grinded it out from there for a 75-68 victory Monday night over Memphis in one of the best title games in recent memory.

Chalmers’ shot pulled Kansas into a tie after being down nine with 2:12 left. Memphis left the door open by missing four free throws down the stretch. And in a game where every point counted, Derrick Rose’s two-point shot off glass that was initially ruled a 3 – and correctly overturned – also made a difference.

Chalmers’ 3-pointer was never in doubt.

“We got the ball in our most clutch player’s hands, and he delivered,” Kansas coach Bill Self said.

It gave Kansas its first title since 1988, when Danny Manning, now an assistant coach for the Jayhawks, led them to an upset of Oklahoma. And the shot earned Chalmers the most outstanding player honor.

“I had a good look at it,” Chalmers said. “When it left my hands it felt like it was good, and it just went in.”

The most memorable performance in this one, though, came from Rose, the Memphis freshman, who completely took over the game in the second half, scoring 14 of his team’s 16 points during one stretch to lift the Tigers to a 60-51 lead with 2:12 left.

But Kansas (37-3) used the strategy any smart opponent of Memphis’ would – fouling the heck out of one of the country’s worst free-throw-shooting teams – and when Rose and Chris Douglas-Roberts made only one of five over the last 1:12, it left the door open for KU.

It also proved all the Memphis critics right – that free-throw shooting really can cost you games, or a championship in this case. That was a theory coach John Calipari scoffed at during his team’s run through the tournament, almost all his wins runaways.

Hustling the ball down the court with 10.8 seconds left and no timeouts, Sherron Collins handed off to Chalmers at the top of the 3-point line, and Chalmers took the shot. It hit nothing but net and tied the score at 63.

“Ten seconds to go, we’re thinking we’re national champs, all of a sudden a kid makes a shot and we’re not,” Calipari said.

Robert Dozier missed a desperation shot at the buzzer, and Rose went limping to the bench, favoring his right leg. Brandon Rush, Darrell Arthur and Darnell Jackson scored the first six points of overtime to put Kansas ahead 69-63. Memphis, clearly exhausted, didn’t pull any closer than three the rest of the way.

“Overtime, they kind of beat us down,” Calipari said. “I didn’t sub a whole lot, because I was trying to win the game at the end.”

Arthur was dominant inside, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds, lots on dunks and easy lay-ups off lob passes. Chalmers finished with 18 points. Rush had 12 and Collins had 11 points, six assists and did a wonderful job shutting Rose for the first 28 minutes.

Rose wound up with 18 points in a game that showed how ready he is for the NBA. He was 3-for-4 from the line, however, and that one miss with 10.8 seconds left is what almost certainly would have sealed the game and given the Tigers (38-2) their first title.

Instead, the title goes back to Lawrence for the third time in the fabled program’s history.

“If we played 10 times, it’d probably go five and five,” Self said. “We got fortunate late.”

The inventor of the game, James Naismith, was the first Jayhawks coach. It’s the school that made household names of Wilt Chamberlain, Manning – and yes, even North Carolina’s Roy Williams, the coach who famously left the Jayhawks, lost to them in the semifinals, but was, indeed, in the Kansas cheering section to watch Self bring the title back that he never could.

This game was not about coaches or sidestories, though. It was about the game, and what a dandy it was – a well-needed reprieve from a more-or-less blah tournament in which 42 of 63 games were decided by double digits.

This was the first overtime in the title game since 1997, when Arizona beat Kentucky 84-79.

Kansas, mostly Collins, put the clamps on Rose for the first half, allowing the freshman only four shots and leaving him spiking the ball on the floor as he walked to the locker room after a frustrating 20 minutes.

It stayed that way for the first five of the second half, but Kansas couldn’t pull away. Douglas-Roberts made sure of it, winning enough of the 1-on-1 matchups that the Memphis offense creates to keep the Tigers in range.

Then, finally Rose took over – a 3-pointer here, a scooping layup for a three-point play next. Then, the capper, an off-balance, 18-foot shot off glass with the shot-clock buzzer sounding. Officials at first credited Rose with a 3, but went to the replay monitor and saw he was clearly inside the line.

“I don’t like this being able to go to the monitor,” Calipari said. “I’m going to try to get that changed.”

Even with the point deducted, Memphis has a 56-49 lead and all the momentum. Most teams would have been demoralized.

Clearly, Kansas is not most teams.

In fact, the Jayhawks are a team that has come together in tragedy over the last several months. The deaths of friends and family of Jackson, Sasha Kaun and Rodrick Stewart all cast a bit of a pall over this team, making Jackson wonder at times if staying at Kansas was even worth it.

But it was an injury, not a tragedy, that might have been most responsible for blending this championship formula. Rush tore up his knee during a practice game last May, and his NBA plans were put on hiatus.

He worked his way back into shape this season and is playing his best right now. He didn’t have the most impressive stat line of the night, but it hasn’t all been about stats for him in this, his junior season. His defense was stellar, as usual, and surely his experience and resolve played into Kansas’ refusal to go away.

“I thought this would be great,” Self said, “and it’s a lot better than I thought it would be.

Tickets can be purchased at the Azalea Festival ticket office at 5725 Oleander Dr. in Wilmington or at the Circus the day of show!

Showtimes

April 10-11
4:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m.

April 12
1:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m., 7:30 p.m.

April 13
1:30 p.m., 4:30 p.m.

Visit The Cole Brothers Circus Website by clicking the link below!

www.colebroscircus.com/welcome.htm

The 5th annual James Lafferty One Tree Hill Charity Basketball Game will be held at 11 a.m. at Cape Fear Community College’s Schwartz Center, 610 North Front Street.   An autograph session will immediately follow the game.  Tickets are $25 plus service charges and will be available for purchase beginning 9 a.m. Saturday by logging on to www.WilmingtonFamilyYMCA.org.

For the latest news about the 2008 N.C. Azalea Festival - including schedules of events, photographs and festival history - visit www.ncazaleafestival.org/

 If you're planning a visit to the Wilmington area, check out our online visitor guide for tips on where to stay, where to eat and where to play when you're not enjoying the festival.

According to Money magazine, Wilmington is one of the hottest real estate markets in the country. Bucking national trends, Wilmington-area homes experienced a 9.1% appreciation in value in 2007, with a median price of $272,000. The booming real estate market is attributed to Wilmington's fast growing population.

The basic laws of supply and demand still apply even in a stressed market. Job growth and rising incomes still push housing demand, leading to increased prices. Robert Shiller, professor of economics at Yale University, says, "Along with previous price gains, job growth is by far the most significant variable in forecasting economic growth."

This means buyers shouldn't worry about collapsing home prices in their area if local industries are expanding and companies are opening new locations. This year, GE-Hitachi and Invista both announced plans to expand their Wilmington operations and create 950 new jobs. Economic experts believe vendors and other area businesses that support them will add 700 additional jobs.

One of the best ways to gauge a region's economic forecast is to consult with a local Realtor. Their experience and knowledge of the market is priceless when making a decision about where to invest.

1. Disassociate Your Self With Your Home ~ 

A. Say to yourself "This isn't my home, it's a house; a product that must be sold...think of it like a pair of shoes in the store.

B. Make a decision to "Let Go" of your emotions and focus on the fact that this house will no longer be yours.

C. Picture yourself...handing the keys over to the new owners.

D. Don't look backwards look foward into the future.

2. De-Personalize ~ Pack up your personal photographs. Buyer's cant see past personal belongings, and you don't want buyers to be distracted. You want these buyers imagining there own personal belongings on the walls, and they cant invision these things if yours are there. You want your buyers to say..."I can see myself making this home"

3. De-Clutter ~ People collect an amazing amount of junk. Think this way; if you haven't used it in a year, you don't need it.

A. Donate items you don't need

B. Pack up knickknacks

C. Clean off counter tops

D. Put essentials that are used daily in a small box so they can be stored in a closet when you are not using them.

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2.  Over-Pricing

From Elizabeth Weintraub,
About.com