“IF YOU ARE in Raleigh or Charlotte and you’re looking
at getting something on the coast, or relocating, a lot
of those people will look at the bigger picture. They’ll
compare Wilmington to Charleston or Savannah or
some of the Florida markets. When you can buy a com-parable
house in Landfall for $1 million that at Kiawah Island, S.C.,
is going to be $2.5 million, it is an easy decision, because those mar-kets
have gone up so much and we are lagging behind. It’s just kind of
the rising tide is lifting all boats,” Young says.
The waterfront is raising everything. For 2017, New Hanover
County saw a 14 percent gain in the number of sales on the water to
340.
The trend of cash sales as well as waterfront heated pools continues,
although at Figure Eight the rise in popularity in oceanfront pools is
challenging.
“During the past three to four years we have seen a huge influx of
people wanting oceanfront with a pool,” Kirra Sutton says. “We are
starting to see people from other market areas where every house has
a pool, like Duck, Corolla, the Outer Banks — all of those properties
have pools. The younger generation definitely wants a pool. And for
me, cash sales have been the norm for the past several years.”
Seventy percent of the top 20 sales in New Hanover County, 12,
were all cash. These included the 15.58 tract of developable land that
sold for $3.315 million on the corner of River Road and Halyburton
at 7285 River Road, and 12.74 acres at 3828 Carolina Beach Road at
the corner of Independence Blvd. that sold for $3 million.
“I’ve had more big cash buyers than years before,” says Barbara
Pugh of Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage, as so many area bro-kers
did. “I’ve had several instances where the buyer didn’t care that
the home didn’t appraise. If it was in the location they wanted and
condition was good, they paid over the appraised value for the home,
which does drive the market even higher.”
The buyers of these properties are experienced.
“They are people who have seen the best of the best. It’s not like
they’re sheltered and all they know is Wrightsville Beach. They’ve been
to La Jolla, and Hawaii and you name it — the Hamptons, the best
beaches of Florida. They could go anywhere, money is no object, this
is where they are coming,” Vance Young says.
And the market reflects this with a 44 percent increase in all sales
over $1 million.
“The luxury market saw a noticeable increase in activity from
2016,” Jessica Edwards says. “There were 108 homes sold over $1
million in 2017, versus only 75 in 2016, which had been a slight
bump down from the 82 sold in 2015.”
“Although all positive, it does not mean you can put a house on the
market without proper preparation, pricing, and planning. Sellers still
have to be realistic. The majority of buyers now are market-savvy and
looking for homes that are move-in ready and up to date,” Edwards
says, echoing the sentiment of brokers in 2016.
Lack of inventory, rather than a lack of buyers, is becoming a
lament for Realtors.
2017 TOP 5 AGENTS • WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH
Rank Total Sold Transaction
Sides Combined Volume*
1 Team Hardee Hunt & Williams 56 $55,235,138
2 Vance B Young 20.5 $31,962,251
3 Carla D Lewis 14 $17,250,900
4 Bobby Brandon 10.5 $10,670,500
5 Keith M Beatty 10.5 $8,254,500
* Industry standard method of reporting sold amount each for listing agent and selling agent
2017 TOP 5 COMPANIES • WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH
Rank Total Sold Transaction
Sides Combined Volume
1 Intracoastal Realty 128 $123,595,851
2 Team Hardee Hunt & Williams 56 $55,235,138
3 Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage 25 $20,034,988
4 Keller Williams –Wilmington 16 $9,738,600
5 Landmark Sotheby’s International 6 $6,032,501
2017 TOP 5 AGENTS • NEW HANOVER COUNTY
Rank Total Sold Transaction
Sides Combined Volume
1 Vance B Young 1,27.5 $94,447,597
2 Keith M Beatty 265 $90,026,324
3 Team Hardee Hunt & Williams 62 $57,617,638
4 Carla D Lewis 82 $47,004,235
5 Jessica Edwards Team (Jessica Edwards)
of Coldwell Banker Seacoast Advantage 65 $35,787,846
2017 TOP 5 COMPANIES • NEW HANOVER COUNTY
Rank Total Sold Transaction
Sides Combined Volume
1 Intracoastal Realty 2,283 $845,528,752
2 Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage 2,169 $613,513,899
3 Keller Williams –Wilmington 902 $215,472,003
4 RE/MAX Essential 868 $214,048,277
5 Century 21 Sweyer & Associates 800 $193,749,072
2017 TOP 3 AGENTS • PENDER COUNTY
Rank Total Sold Transaction
Sides Combined Volume
1 Frank Sherron of
Landmark Sotheby’s International Realty 58 $27,816,900
2 Christina M Block of
Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage 76 $19,909,440
3 Nick Phillips of
Landmark Sotheby’s International Realty 30 $16,368,939
2017 TOP 3 COMPANIES • PENDER COUNTY
Rank Total Sold Transaction
Sides Combined Volume
1 Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage 704 $164,904,906
2 Landmark Sotheby’s International 156 $75,977,053
3 Century 21 Sweyer & Associates 395 $74,715,966
2017 TOP 3 AGENTS • BRUNSWICK COUNTY *
Rank Total Sold Transaction
Sides Combined Volume
1 Jerry L Helms of Brunswick Forest Realty, LLC 337 $94,698,276
2 Hank Troscianiec Associates of
Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage 200.5 $43,945,374
3 Kim S Anderson of Art Skipper Realty Inc. 207 $39,117,845
2017 TOP 3 COMPANIES • BRUNSWICK COUNTY *
Rank Total Sold Transaction
Sides Combined Volume
1 Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage 2,389.5 $509,698,895
2 Intracoastal Realty 568 $149,005,304
3 Margaret Rudd & Associates 576 $115,360,390
* Brunswick County has its own Realtor Association
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WBM february 2018