http://jpeterken.seacoastrealty.com/blog/archive_201512/sort_entrydatetime-desc/ 5 Ways Our New Website is Going to Make Your 2016 House Hunt Easier!The most successful companies are those that have the ability to change and adapt with the times. With 2016 fast approaching, we decided to give our website a major upgrade. Our hope is that these changes will make life a little easier for our clients, and a lot more fun! Finding the perfect home shouldn’t be stressful. It should be fun and exciting, and the realization of hard work and dreams come true.Easy to Use Home Search FeatureOur new website offers up tons of ways to search for homes in the Southeastern North Carolina area. Every homebuyer is different, and there search methods need to reflect this. The most obvious feature on our new website is the Home Search feature/toolbar. Driving around and see a home that sparks your interest? Simply type in the address. Visiting the area and want to focus your search on a certain area? Use our Map feature! Is there something that your new home absolutely must have? Use our Advanced search to filter homes by price, type, size, or various keywords and amenities. By offering up an intuitive and simple way to search we guarantee that you will never see something that your aren’t interested in. Whatever your search style, our new website can cater to it!2. Agent PagesOne of the very first and quite possibly most important decisions that you will make in the quest for the perfect home is finding your perfect Agent. You will be in close communication with your Agent every step of the way, and their leadership and advice will help to shape your home buying experience. Just as you would research a lawyer or a contractor, you will want to research the person who will help you make possibly the largest purchase in your life.  By clicking on the “Agents” tab on our home screen, you will be able to view all of our agents along with their contact information. Most of our agents have personal websites which are a wealth of knowledge on the Southeastern NC real estate market. You will find Agent accreditations, listings, and in many cases a little background information to help you decide who is the right fit for you! 3. Resources for Buyers and Sellers, Live Support, and Relocation Specialists at Your FingertipsRelocating can be overwhelming. This is why we employ relocation specialists to answer your questions and get you started. Have a question while you are browsing our site? Simply type in your question to our live support! These are actual people sitting at an actual desk ready to help you. Every real estate situation is unique and nobody knows this better than our support staff. Go ahead and ask; like our teachers used to say, “there is no dumb question.” Do you simply want more information on our area and offices before making any location decisions? Are you interested in history, want to be in a cultural center, need to know what kind of medical facilities our area offers? Our Resources page makes it simple. Offering up tons of links to everything from local government pages to places of interest you are sure to get a pretty good sense of what Southeastern NC is all about. We are pretty confident that after you explore, you’ll agree that our area is a pretty great place to call home.4. New Homes and Communities FeatureWith new home communities popping up everyday it becomes quite a task to be informed on the key features of these neighborhoods. Our website gives you all of the pertinent information on some of the newest communities in our area. Pick the county that you are interested in and we will supply you with information such as starting prices, exact locations, current schools districted to the community (though due to an ever-changing district map, we recommend that you fact-check for yourself), and a general overview of what you can expect from each neighborhood.5. Open HousesMost Buyers don’t just jump right into the buying process without seeing a few homes first. Our Open House page allows for you to see all of the homes that have scheduled open houses, so that you don’t waste your time driving around in circles looking for Open signs. By being able to see dates and times, you are able to schedule your day around what you really want to see. Bonus, on the weekends Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage offers up a chance to enter our Coast In & Win contest for $500 at any of our Open Houses! Go look, figure out what it is you like, and possibly walk away $500 richer!We hope that as you wrap up 2015 and head into a new year, you find everything that you need to live a happy life in a place that you love! We would love the opportunity to help you do just that! Thank you to all of our clients both new and returning. We appreciate your trust in us.   http://jpeterken.seacoastrealty.com/blog/1808/5-ways-our-new-website-is-going-to-make-your-2016-house-hunt-easier!/ Sat, 26 Dec 2015 12:00:00 -0500 The holiday season is a busy one. Thanksgiving leads into Chanukah or Christmas, leading into New Year’s. It seems like the world moves at warp speed. Many people become new homeowners during the holidays. Most people have extra time off work, so moving during the holidays makes sense. My family and I have already been invited to two housewarming parties to be held over “Christmas break,” and we know of at least one more taking place on New Year’s Eve. Not only was I scouring the Internet for holiday gift ideas, but all of a sudden I had the extra line on my shopping lists for housewarming gifts. I’ve done a little research (thank you Pinterest!) and came up with a collection of great gifts that I think any new homeowner would like...and actually use! 1. A House PortraitThis is an idea that I have seen a few of the agents within our company gift. I have never received one, but I do wish that I had one for the home where I brought my babies home from the hospital. These can be pricey depending on the artist that you employ to create the portrait. If you don’t have time to have a home portrait painted consider a nice framed photograph of the house. Many houses go through quite a few changes with each new owner. How fun would it be for the new homeowner to have a picture of the home before they added their own personal touches?2. Herb GardenAn easy to maintain indoor herb garden is a gift that even the novice gardener can appreciate. Small and useful happen to be my mottos when giving gifts to people that I don’t know very well. The herb garden fits the bill. Added bonus, maybe you will be invited to a dinner featuring some of those fresh herbs!3. Personalized OrnamentIn our family, each family member picks out one new ornament each year (as our family grows we have had to add a second Christmas tree to the house!). It is always a special time when we decorate the house for Christmas to look back and reminisce on years past. Each one is unique, and each one has a story to tell. Have an ornament engraved with the move-in date or the address of the new house. This is a sweet gift that really doesn’t have to cost much at all. (Hello seashell and paint!)Help them relive the special times year after year.4. Dog Tag or Collar with the New AddressWhen my family moved our dog’s collar was one of the last things that we remembered to change! Boy were we lucky that he never tried to run back to the old house! This is a small gift with a big impact! Many local pet stores have engraving machines where a tag can be engraved in just a few minutes. These run about $5-$15. 5. House or Home Decor Magazine SubscriptionOftentimes (especially when someone is a first time homeowner), it can be hard to know where to start in personalizing your space. I spent years trying to figure out what my personal home style was! Magazines are a great way to inspire new homeowners and often offer up tips and tricks to running a smooth household. A one-year subscription shouldn’t set you back more than $25.6. Cleaning Supplies!Nothing is worse than moving and realizing that you don’t have paper towels, rags, toilet paper! While not terribly exciting, they are super important! I was once gifted a jumbo pack of paper towels, mega pack of toilet paper, hand soap, and a few different household cleaners. Man, was this a great gift. I didn’t have to dig through boxes when the dog got sick on the new hardwoods, and the paper products lasted for months! Shoot, I may just put this on my Christmas list for this year! No more cramming the 24 pack of toilet paper into the back of my tiny car!7. A Homemade MealNothing, and I mean NOTHING says “I thought about you,” more than a home-cooked meal. When someone is adjusting to life with a mortgage, every penny counts. Eating out is one of the first things to go! Take a new homeowner a nice meal, anything is better than Ramen! Another idea? Have a pizza paid for and delivered to their address. A sweet gesture from a new neighbor!8. A Cooler Stocked with BeveragesWhen I bought my very first home, my real estate agent dropped off a cooler stocked with ice-cold Coronas. It was so fun to sit in the middle of that big box-filled house with my husband (boyfriend at the time) and talk about all of the possibility. No, we didn’t get too much unpacked that night, but we do have ton of fun memories! Bonus, the cooler came in handy when the freezer died just 2 months in! Another variation that I came across when looking for ideas was a lemon or lime tree cold beer. I thought this was a super cute idea, but I have to admit that the thought of a fruit tree surviving my black thumb gives me chills!Have you ever received a gift that has proven extremely useful as a new homeowner? What was it? Join the conversation on our Facebook page! https://www.facebook.com/seacoastrealty/  http://jpeterken.seacoastrealty.com/blog/1793/8-gifts-for-new-homeowners/ Mon, 14 Dec 2015 12:00:00 -0500 Barbara Pugh, the lead agent with The Barbara Pugh Team of Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage, has earned her Strategic Listing Specialist (SLS) and Strategic Pricing Specialist (SPS) designations. These designations help agents distinguish themselves from competitors, articulate the many benefits they bring to buyers and sellers, and educate sellers on the best marketing and pricing strategies they should employ to sell their home. Pugh earned the certifications by completing courses offered by JAMM Board Certified Business Coach, Jo Mangum.“These designations are a real asset for any REALTOR®, but particularly important for a listing agent,” said Pugh. “This has helped me better understand the wants and needs of sellers and how to work with them to develop the most effective marketing campaign for their home. The designations help me get results for my sellers at the best price in the least amount of time and with the least amount of stress.”Pugh has worked in the real estate industry for 30 years and is “very pleased to call Sea Coast Advantage home.” Prior to entering real estate, she owned her own temporary staffing agency in Smithfield, North Carolina, before selling to a national firm and settling in Wilmington in 1996.In addition to Pugh’s SLS and SPS designations, several agents on The Barbara Pugh Team are Certified Negotiation Experts (CNE). This is one of the top designation courses in real estate and is taught nationally by the Real Estate Negotiation Institute. An agent with this certification is able to negotiate exceptional win-win outcomes for all parties involved in a real estate transaction. http://jpeterken.seacoastrealty.com/blog/1794/barbara-pugh-of-coldwell-banker-sea-coast-advantage-earns-strategic-listing-specialist-and-strategic-pricing-specialist-designat/ Mon, 14 Dec 2015 12:00:00 -0500 Tom Gale, managing partner of Team Gale of Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage, recently earned his Certified Residential Specialist (CRS) certification through the Council of Residential Specialists, a nonprofit affiliate of the National Association of REALTORS®. The CRS designation is the highest credential awarded to residential sales agents, managers and brokers, and is awarded to experienced REALTORS® who have completed advanced professional training and demonstrated outstanding professional achievement in residential real estate.“The CRS signals to consumers and other real estate professionals that you are one of the best of the best,” said Gale. “I have numerous designations in real estate, but I’m particularly proud of the CRS because it is the only designation that requires a high level of sales success in addition to training and classwork. The CRS is a great asset for agents looking to expand their real estate business and differentiate themselves from their competitors.”Out of more than one million REALTORS® nationwide, less than 3% are Certified Residential Specialists, according to the Council of Residential Specialists. Annually, CRS agents earn more than triple the income of the average REALTOR®, and CRSs complete nearly twice as many transactions each year. Team Gale specializes in residential sales, including new homes, luxury properties, bank-owned, investment and vacation properties, second homes, as well as vacant lots and tracts of land to be developed. Team Gale was formed in 2005 by Jack and Tom Gale. Since then, Team Gale has completed over 2,000 real estate transactions and been a top producing Sea Coast Advantage team since 2009, including being ranked in the top 10 for the entire Southeast Region of Coldwell Banker for the last two years and ranked in the top 250 of all REALTORS in the nation for the last few years. http://jpeterken.seacoastrealty.com/blog/1795/tom-gale-of-coldwell-banker-sea-coast-advantage-earns-certified-residential-specialist-crs-designation/ Mon, 14 Dec 2015 12:00:00 -0500 Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage is proud to announce the following “Best of the Best” award winners. These sales associates and teams excelled during the 3rd quarter 2015 as the top producers for the leading real estate company in Southeastern North Carolina. We congratulate them for being “the Best of the Best” at Sea Coast Advantage!Wilmington OfficeJennie Stevens TeamGruner ResidentialTeam GaleJessica Edwards & AssociatesThe Cameron TeamBrett Knowles TeamChris Baynes & AssociatesMeredith JacksonShane Register TeamJennifer FarmerKay Baker AssociatesFortunato TeamMichelle Gurrera & AssociatesBarbara Pugh TeamSherwood Strickland TeamHarrison Peebles TeamSaffo TeamEric SabourinDonna ThompsonPenny OlsonSandy BorowiecCynthia Strickland TeamMaDonna McMahonHolly OvertonThe Wilson TeamChris LutherKelly SloopShirley LoganEliza SantosJosie Godwin Brunswick OfficeRosado & AssociatesHank Troscianiec & AssociatesWilletts TeamNolan FormalarieThe Krueger TeamMarsha Lovin FerrellGinger HarperSharon ZakAlma BouchardDoug Bris-BoisCheryl Kuntz Lowery Carolina Beach OfficeCori McQueenAlison KellerChris Santucci Leland OfficeShawn Horton – Trusst Marketing GroupKaren Schwartz TeamJeff DominSean Skutnik Oak Island OfficeLynda Haraway TeamCronick & AssociatesBobbi Diaz-Welch  Shallotte OfficeKozel TeamMcNeely Real Estate GroupEnzor & AssociatesFrances WarnerEdie CaudillDavid EnzorThe Hope TeamThe Rieber Team Holden Beach OfficeBarbara Andrews TeamLinda Stephens Jacksonville OfficeTerri Alphin Smith & Co.40 SailsCastro Real Estate GroupJenna MortonTeam Triple AdvantageLori Smith’s Hometown TeamMarvin HenryCarolyn Hall Hampstead OfficeChristina Block & AssociatesNelson TeamKarla PalmerNora RuehleAndrea Arth Topsail OfficeChristina PitzCollins Real Estate GroupSheri McDermottChristina Asbury http://jpeterken.seacoastrealty.com/blog/1790/congratulations-3rd-quarter-best-of-the-best!/ Fri, 11 Dec 2015 12:00:00 -0500