Brunswick County Blog

The Southport Stroll

The tourist guidebooks often use the phrase "historic fishing village" and "quaint" to describe Southport. It is both those things, but it is really so much more. The main street of North Howe ends at the mouth of Cape Fear River, a glorious vista of sparkling blue from nearly anywhere on the street. Here you can see the Atlantic Ocean beyond, the big ships making their way upriver to Wilmington, and the shores of Bald Head Island and Caswell Beach in the distance. The best way to see Southport is on foot by doing The Southport Stroll. Make your way up North Howe, browsing in the antique shops, the amazing Christmas shop and the sea captains' homes. Stop in the art galleries, the artisan shops. And EAT! Everything from good hot dogs to amazing crab cakes in phyllo to the best fried green tomatoes on the east coast. The side streets are filled with beautiful homes in the southern style, designed for front porch living. Stop and stroll in Southport. You may not leave!

Southport: Home of the North Carolina Fourth of July Festival

     

Southport: July 4th, 2007 Southport proudly plays host to the North Carolina Fourth of July Festival each year. Click on the thumbnails below for larger images.

Let Them Eat Crab Cakes!

 

Southport, NC has made THE list in 1,000 Places in the USA and Canada to See Before You Die. In it, international bestselling author Patricia Schultz highlights a few of Southport's most popular spots. This didn't surprise me, because I've always known that Southport is a must-see for just about everyone!

Schultz writes that Southport is a "richly historic town rife with galleries, boutiques, and a great marina." She also mentions a favorite seafood dive of hers, the Yacht Basin Provision Company -- a restaurant everyone in our office frequents. When there, Schultz writes (and I agree) that you should "grab a beverage from the cooler and order from the bounty of the sea: conch fritters, the best fresh shrimp cocktail, and lumpy crab cakes on paper plates."

Now is the perfect time to visit! Let us know when you're going to be in town, and we'll plan on lunch at the Provision Company.

Have any of you already been to the Provision Company? What's your favorite dish there?

Thanks,
Allyn Heck, Broker/Owner -- AHeck@ec.rr.com
www.ThreeRiversRealtyNC.com
Toll-free: 866.908.4325
611 N. Howe St.
Southport, NC 28461

Field Day!

 

Fifth Wednesday Field Trip: Southport's Waterfront Market

Southport's Waterfront Market unofficially kicked off the summer season in Brunswick County this morning.  I was able to leave the office and snap a few photographs of the first of what will be a weekly event all season long.  This open market features local produce growers and artisans and will be found on the Garrison House lawn each Wednesday from 8 AM to 1 PM.  When you come to visit Brunswick County, this is certainly something you won't want to miss!

Click on the thumbnails below to view larger photographs.

Until next time,

Allyn Heck
Three Rivers Realty
Southport, NC

ThreeRiversRealtyNC.com

See Our Listings on a Google Map!

A Google Map is arguably the easiest and most user-friendly type of internet map.  This is why we've created a completely interactive Google Map that shows all of our office listings. Click on the image below to get to it. Questions? Give us a call.

Happy property hunting!

Allyn Heck
Three Rivers Realty
Southport, NC

ThreeRiversRealtyNC.com

Where's Global Warming?

In the last few days, we seem to have lost our warm weather advantage and with it... our sense of humor. I forgot that when the weather is miserable we seem to think of nothing else, talk of nothing else, complain constantly, and smile infrequently.

I think it must be different in parts of the US that relish cold weather. So tell me, dear readers from Maine and Minnesota, what's your secret?  Please share, because we thought we left this weather in the North!

Until Next Time,

Allyn Heck
Three Rivers Realty
Southport, NC

People Moving Out. People Moving In.

This may be news to the Realty Times ("Where'd Everybody Go?" by Broderick Perkins), but not news to anyone who lives or works here on the coast of southeastern North Carolina. North Carolina tops the list as the number one destination with an “inbound” rate of 64%.

This 2006 migration study was conducted by United Van Lines and surveyed 227,254 household moves in the 48 contiguous states. This large sample yielded some other interesting trends. Following North Carolina as a top-choice destination for new arrivals is the Northwestern state of Oregon. Oregon was followed by South Carolina, and then Nevada.

States experiencing more people moving out than in… Michigan, North Dakota, New Jersey, New York and Indiana top the list. We see so many of our customers coming in droves from all of those states but North Dakota. I would be curious as to where the North Dakota residents are moving. Any ideas? You all are welcome here -- the winters are a lot warmer.

Regards,

Allyn Heck
Three Rivers Realty
Southport, NC

Real Estate Musings for 2007

Now that everyone is back from visiting family and friends over the holidays, we have a chance to evaluate real estate here, there, and everywhere. Agents reported in about real estate activity in placed they'd visited over the holidays, such as Raleigh, NC; Atlanta, GA; Charles Town, WV; Winston-Salem, NC; Monmouth County, NJ; Baltimore, MD; Tampa Bay, FL; and the Florida Keys, and the news is pretty much the same in every area visited: Real estate everywhere is moving forward, but at a slower pace than 2005.

Price adjustments are being made around the country -- if not by the sellers, then by the buyers who are making realistic offers. We are seeing the same here in Brunswick County, North Carolina. We are also seeing a number of homes and lots removed from the market by sellers who listed their property to test the market. They had this strategy: "If it sells, fine. If not, than that’s okay, too." They neither needed to sell nor were motivated to negotiate a fair deal.

Now, let’s see if that leaves a different playing field for buyers and sellers here in Brunswick County in 2007.

Your Brunswick County information source,

Allyn Heck
Three Rivers Realty
Southport, NC

Fishing Calendar for Brunswick County

JANUARY
Red Drum, Speckled Trout, Striped Bass, Sea Bass

FEBRUARY
Red Drum, Striped Bass, Sea Bass

MARCH
Bluefish, Atlantic Bonito

APRIL
Bonito, Red Drum, Bluefish, Speckled Trout, Cobia

MAY
King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Bonito, Red Drum, Black Drum, Flounder, Speckled Trout, Cobia

JUNE
King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Red Drum, Black Drum, Flounder, Dolphin, Sharks

JULY
Spanish Mackerel, Red Drum, Black Drum, Flounder, Tarpon, Barracuda, Dolphin, Sailfish

AUGUST
Barracuda, Spanish Mackerel, Red Drum, Flounder, Tarpon

SEPTEMBER
King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Red Drum, Flounder, Speckled Trout, Gray Trout

OCTOBER
Red Drum, Speckled Trout, Gray Trout, King Mackerel, Flounder, Spot, Croaker, Sea Bass

NOVEMBER
King Mackerel, Red Drum, Speckled Trout, Gray Trout, Spot, Croaker, Sea Bass

DECEMBER
Speckled Trout, Red Drum, Gray Trout, Sea Bass

Source: www.CarolinaExplorer.com -- Carolina Explore Fishing Charters and Guide Service.

Regards,
Allyn Heck
Three Rivers Realty
Southport, NC

Brunswick County: Facts At A Glance

Here's a few quick facts that don't even begin to tell the story about how wonderful our county is for newcomers and natives.

There are 5 ocean fishing piers; 28 golf courses; and 19 towns.  The median age is 44.1 years which is 8 years older than the national average (Peter and I are doing our part). In 2005, there were 2,585 sales of existing homes with the average sales price $297,841.

This may be of particular interest to relocating teachers: there are 6 private schools, 16 public schools and 1 charter school. We also have the oldest lighthouse in North Carolina, "Old Baldy" on Bald Head Island.  Actually, the name of that lighthouse so tickled us that we came to this area to see the lighthouse named for my husband (see photo of handsome bald man on other areas of the website.)

My favorite, the last pontoon bridge owned by the state of North Carolina is located in Sunset Beach. This is how it works, it has to swing open to allow boats to pass on the ICW and of course swing closed to allow cars to pass onto the island. Here's the catch, sometimes the bridge gets stuck -open- essentially trapping the people on the island. The state has plans to replace this with a less-colorful but more reliable bridge within this decade.

Until Next Time,

Allyn Heck, Broker/Owner of Three Rivers Realty in Southport
Brunswick County, NC