Paul's Blog

Does this look like a place that you want to spend your days eating oysters and drinking Coronas?  If you answered yes then come on down to Harbor Masters Restuarant & Lounge at 315 Canal Dr, Carolina Beach, NC.  They are open 7 days a week, Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner with Weekend Brunch lasting til 2 pm.  Looking for beer specials?  How about $2.00 Domestics every day of the week?  That's right, $2.  If that's not good enough for you then check out these daily specials:

Monday:  $.50 Wings & $1.50 Drafts

Tuesday:  $1 Tacos, $10 Margarita Pitchers & $2.50 Well Drinks

Wednesday:  $9.95 Spaghetti/Meaballs & 1/2 Price Wine

Thursday:  1/2 Price Sushi Night & Sake Specials

Friday:  $19.95 Prime Rib Dinner for 2

Saturday:  $11.99 One Pound Steamed Snow Crab Legs

Sunday:  $11.99 Chefs Special Pork Chop Night

Oh yeah, did I mention that Oysters are FREE from 3-6pm Sundays and Wings are $.50 from 5-6pm everyday?

If you haven't already been to Harbor Masters then I suggest that you check it out.  Good food, good fun and good people.  Enjoy!

Be sure to tell Jeremy that Hockaday sent you.

Paul Hockaday

www.myNCbroker.com

Yesterday afternoon, Robert Morris was invited to speak at the Blockade Runner on Wrightsville Beach, NC.  Every year, our Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors Board invites motivational speakers to speak before participating Realtors.  It is a great way to "ReCharge" after the typically slower winter months and get amped up for the coming "busy season".

Robert Morris's message was "The Power of Being on Purpose In Business!"  To very briefly summarize, Robert stated that in these times, if you are going to be in real estate as a Realtor then you had better sharpen your ax and get to it.  You must have a purpose, a positive mental attitude, set your goals, create a business plan, stand behind your mission statement and budget.

Photos Courtesy of Brian Pilon, Director of Marketing Communications

Yesterday, I found myself at Kure Beach, NC and needing to go Oak Island, NC.  Instead of traveling North on HWY 421 all the way back up to Wilmington, NC, across the Cape Fear River to Leland, NC, South on HWY 133 to Southport, NC to Oak Island, I decided to continue South to the very end of Fort Fisher and take the Ferry down the Cape Fear River to Southport.  What a great deal for $5!  The Ferry was unavailable from December 1, 2008 to January 31, 2009 due to ramp replacement.  I'm glad that I decided to take the Ferry because the scenery was fantastic not to mention it saved me about 45 miles on my truck.  Well worth it!

If you are coming to the area and would like to take the Ferry from Fort Fisher to Southport or vice versa, here is a link of the Ferry Departure times:

http://www.ncdot.org/transit/ferry/routes/schedule/route008.html

Southport		Fort Fisher
YEAR-ROUND DEPARTURES
5.30 ---- 7.00 7.45 8.30 9.15 ---- 10.45 11.30  a.m. ---- 1.00 1.45 2.30 3.15 4.00 4.45 ---- 6.15 ----  p.m.		---- 6.15 ---- 7.45 8.30 9.15 10.00 ---- 11.30  a.m. 12.15 ---- 1.45 2.30 3.15 4.00 4.45 5.30 ---- 7.00  p.m.
Fare: One Way Pedestrian $1.00 Bicycle Rider $2.00 Motorcycles $3.00 Vehicle and/or combination less than 20' $5.00 Vehicle and/or combination 20' up to 40' $10.00 Vehicle and/or combination over 40' up to 65' $15.00

Per Jonathan Washburn's request, I have compiled a report from our Wilmington Regional Association of Realtors Board(WRAR) which depicts what is going on with real estate in our local area.  This report includes only single family homes within New Hanover County.  At a later date, I may decide to include land, multi-family, boatslips and rentals but for now I will concentrate on reporting single family homes.

For the week of 1/21/09-1/28/09, 125 single family homes went on the market, 3 homes came off the market, 2 homes went under contract and no homes sold.

*All information included in this report is thought to be accurate however, it may be inaccurate.

Paul, 100 Days to Change

www.myNCbroker.com

Between Wilmington, NC and Carolina Beach, NC on South College Rd/Carolina Beach Rd is an area locally known as Monkey Junction. 

Why is it called Monkey Junction?  Apparently, early in the 1900's, a service station owner decided to add live monkeys to his amenities in the hopes of attracting business from Pleasure Island visitors.  Since the service station was located near the intersection of two main roads, the area commonly became known as "Monkey Junction".  Here is a website that has been dedicated to Monkey Junction:  http://monkeyjunctionnc.com/

Monkey Junction has been getting a lot of attention as of late due to a proposed annexation by the City of Wilmington.  Star News ran an article last week that hit briefly on what all was going on in the area.  If you would like to read more about the article then click on this link:  http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090122/ARTICLES/901220257

The area has really come up due to the addition of numerous businesses which are doing quite well.  Many locals which live in the proposed annexation area have been very vocal about opposing the annexation.  They say that they do not want to be annexed and see the annexation as unnecessary.  However, as the area grows, annexations will continue to occur.  I will continue to monitor the annexation and will blog about any updates.

Paul, 100 Days to Change

www.myNCbroker.com

Vitex rotundifolia, more commonly known as Beach Vitex is a woody, shrub-like plant that is native to the Pacific Rim.  North Carolina State University introduced Beach Vitex to the Southeastern Coast of North Carolina in the 1980s as a preventative vegetation against dune erosion.  Since the introduction of Beach Vitex, North Carolina has come to the conclusion that Beach Vitex is doing more harm than good and has officially banned this plant from the state. 

Beach Vitex grows at such a high rate it has been nicknamed "kudzu of the coast".  It was originally introduced to the coast because the plant grows deep roots which grow fast and prevent soil erosion due to wind.  Beach Vitex grows so well that it quickly overtakes native coastal vegetation such as sea oats.  Numerous studies have been performed on Beach Vitex which concluded that this introduced species of plant does not build the same type of dunes that native plants build.  Beach Vitex is actually less effective at retaining blown sand and create lower dunes as compared to study areas consisting of sea oats.  Also, Beach Vitex has had an effect on Sea Turtle nesting sites.  Sea Turtles come on to the beach to lay their eggs mid-summer and Beach Vitex grows so fast that when it is time for the eggs to hatch, the baby turtles dig out of the sand to find a jungle of Beach Vitex.  For baby sea turtles, their challenge of making it to the ocean is a difficult enough task without having to contend with Beach Vitex.

So as you find yourself on our beautiful beaches this summer, keep an eye out for Beach Vitex.  Be careful not promote its growth.  Don't try to eradicate it yourself.  Make note of its location and notify a professional.  Here is a link:  www.beachvitex.org

How to Identify Beach Vitex

• Oval-shaped, semi-waxy, opposite (as opposed to alternate) leaves

• Underside of leaves is a lighter green (*not to be confused with the silvery underside of Silver-leaf Croton, Croton punctatus)

• Has a woody stem

• Purple flower in summer

• Deciduous (dies back in winter)

• Distinctive eucalyptus-like scent when leaves are crushed

Read the article in the Star News:  http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20090122/ARTICLES/901220263/0/arts_style

Related Links:

• Wrightsville might stand against beach vitex
• State hopes to wipe out pretty but invasive plant
• Know plants' growing habits to avoid unwanted annual spreading
• Invasive plant crowds out dune stabilizers
• Kudzu of the coast

 http://www.northinlet.sc.edu/resource/vitex_files/bv%20brochure%20sept%2007_v2.pdf

http://www.northinlet.sc.edu/resource/vitex_files/fact_sheet.pdf

Day 25:  1st Time Home Buyer Seminar

Today my office gathered and talked about putting on an event to generate some business.  "Let's have a 1st Time Home Buyer Seminar".  Nothing new right?  Well actually, how many real estate companies are really hosting events to generate business these days?  It doesn't seem like many to me.  Why not?  Perhaps everyone has been glued to the tube and are believing all of the gloom and doom that they are hearing.

What about the $7,500 rebate the government is offering for 1st Time Home Buyers?  Sounds like a good incentive to buy a house to me.

What about interest rates being remarkably low?  Sounds like a great time to get a 30 year fixed loan.

What about building equity rather than wasting money on renting?  Sounds like a no brainer to me.

Would you like to attend?  Give me a call at 910-262-0772 or email me at paul@exitcoast.com and I will keep you informed of the details.  www.myNCbroker.com

Event will be hosted by EXIT Coastal Connection Realty and PrimeLending, http://wilmington.primelending.com/

When:  mid-late February 2009(TBA)

Where:  Bluewater Grill, Wrightsville Beach, NC  http://www.atlanticquest.net/blue_water.htm

 Why:  Greet opportunity to meet real estate professionals and a very professional team of mortgage brokers who will all update you on the current housing market and will be able to answer any questions.

 How Much?:  FREE

See you there,

Paul

"100 Days to Change"

WWAY News Channel 3 ran a feature yesterday evening on me, Paul Hockaday, on how I am using Active Rain and "100 Days to Change" to market myself, promote my community, create a network and to ultimately create a change in my real estate business.  Here is a link:

http://www.wwaytv3.com/video/real_estate_agent_blogs_increase_presence_web/12

Key Yessaad, Real Estate Web Trainer, has had an enormous impact on my real estate business plan.  Key has been instrumental in "opening my eyes" to the world of marketing on the internet and I thank him for introducing me to Active Rain.

"Blogging regularly about relevant material is one of the best ways to increase your web presence" says Key.

When I met Key some 4 months ago, I realized that he was going to help me in an area that I was very interested in; creating a web presence.  What Key does is that he teaches you to "fish".  And of course, by saying that I mean he actually teaches you how to structure your business so that you are in control.  You do the work and you keep the knowledge you gain.

I started "100 Days to Change" because a few years ago I enrolled in Brian Buffini's "100 Days to Greatness."  I loved Brian's proactive activities and wanted to grow my business based on referrals.  Not just referrals from agent to agent but referrals from your sphere of influence.  That's how you do business.  It takes time to grow your business this way.  Time is a limited resource.  We don't have an unlimited supply.

What I'm trying to do is utilize some of the proactive activities from Brian's program with some of my own which includes blogging on Active Rain.  My 2008 was by no means stellar so what I'm doing is "ramping up" for 2009.  I'm creating a buzz.  Check out my group "100 Days to Change".

Paul