George Brake of Margaret Rudd & Associates, Inc., REALTORS® has recently completed the e-PRO® Technology  Certification Program course offered by the National Association of Realtors®  The interactive course focuses on cutting edge technology tools including Social Networking and Web 2.0 marketing.  According to Brake, “real estate is really an information based business,” and the skills necessary for e-PRO® Certification “take you beyond online search tools to include interactive website design and a coordinated online presence” that benefits buyers & sellers alike.

Every Wednesday, at the corner of South Davis and East Bay Streets, the Southport Waterfront Market brings homegrown and homemade goods to  the public.  If you can’t get there early, take a long lunch!

Hours are from 8:00am to 1:00pm

You’ll find everything from free range eggs to fresh local produce, cut flowers, and seedlings.  Many vendors offer value added products like jam & baked goods, even regional wines!  Local artists, crafters, and woodworkers are also well represented. 

The Garrison House of historic Fort Johnson is more than a picturesque backdrop.  Local musicians set up on the porch most Wednesdays to entertain the crowd.  The North Carolina Maritime Museum will soon be relocating to the Garrison from their current location at 116 North Howe Street and the Southport Community Center is also right next door.  There’s a beautifully shaded deck where you can enjoy your treats with a view of the water. 

The season lasts until November 10,  make it a regular stop!

The Cape Fear Audubon Society and City of Southport will sponsor the 2010 Ibis Festival this weekend, May 14th and 15th.  Battery Island, visible from the Southport waterfront, is a one hundred acre Audubon Sanctuary and a globally significant rookery hosting between 9,000 and 15,000 breeding pairs of American White Ibis annually.  The site is protected habitat but birders can tour by boat on the No Wake ranger tugboat with Capt. Nancy Hahn or the Solomon T  work boat with Capt. Bert Felton both Friday and Saturday. Pre-registration is strongly encouraged for these popular tours.  Departure times and contact information can be found on the Ibis Fest website at www.ibisfest.org  Other activities include a Birding Basics workshop, photography workshops for children and adults, kayaking trips to Rice Creek & Dutchman’s Creek, eco-tours conducted by the Bald Head Island Conservancy and Shelton Herb Farm, a living history presentation, as well as lectures and workshops by  representatives from the North Carolina Maritime Museum, Arlie Gardens, the Pine Island Audubon Sanctuary and others.

John Dosher, Pat Hughes, Margaret Rudd Bishop & Al Bishop placed first in their division in the First Annual NC Maritime Museum at Southport Golf Classic on April 28th.  Proceeds from the tournament will support the work of renovating and relocating the Museum to their new facilities at historic Fort Johnson on the waterfront in Southport. 

The NC Maritime Museum at Southport offers cultural and maritime history educational programs, maritime exhibits, programs and camps for school children, maritime archaeology programs and more.  To see their newsletter The Mullet Wrapper, check out recent book club selections or current topics of the Third Tuesdays speakers series, follow this link to the Friends of of the NC Maritime Museum at Southport website:  www.friendsncmmsouthport.org

The Extended Home Buyer Tax Credit is set to expire & those who plan to take advantage of it have 3 days to get property under contract.  You have until June 30^th to close on your new home but must have a binding written contract  in place by April 30^th 2010. 

Instructions on how to file for your tax credit in either 2010 or under certain circumstances with an amended 2009 return can be found at http://www.realtor.org/home_buyers_and_sellers/extended_home_buyer_tax_credit_how_to

 We’re pleased to announce that Lydia Dameron, Broker-in-Charge of our Holden Beach Office, has been awarded the Champion Associate Trophy for the first quarter of 2010. 

The award is presented to the Sales Associate who has the highest production for the quarter.  Dameron is an Accredited Buyers Representative. She’s also earned the ePro designation and the GRI credential from the Graduate Realtor Institute. 

Congratulations, Lydia!

2010 is expected to be “a year for continued improvement” said Margaret Rudd Bishop, Realtor and President of Margaret Rudd & Associates, Inc., REALTORS^®   in her interview with Ben Brown and Lisa Stites of The State Port Pilot.  “Investors want to buy at the bottom and I think they may feel like now is the time,” she continued, citing an increase in traffic at both Southport and Oak Island offices of her firm.  “Its as attractive a market for a buyer as I think I’ve ever seen and I’ve been in business here since 1981 and been licensed since 1973.”  The Brunswick County Association of Realtors reports that sales were up in 2009 as compared to 2008 and Bishop expects to see that trend continue in 2010.

Those of us who live on the coast year round feel very fortunate to live where others vacation.  The unspoiled beaches, southern climate and hospitality, boating and ever-present ocean breezes make residence here very special. 

Purchasing real estate at the beach is much easier than many people expect – our new website is designed to make it even easier by putting the information and images you want to see right at your fingertips.  We’re only a click or a call away and our experienced sales professionals will be glad to help you find the new home, home-site, or investment property you’ve been dreaming of. 

After all, we’ve been turning visitors into locals since 1981…