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Posts Tagged ‘Bald Head Island Conservancy’

Homes Priced At More Than $5M

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We think this article written by Cece Nunn of the Starnews Online and posted in WilmingtonBiz is worth sharing.

oceanpointedriveTwo luxury homes with asking prices of more than $5 million in Wilmington were put up for sale in February, an unusual occurrence for the local market, according to a report released this week.

Of the 215 houses priced at more than $1 million in New Hanover and Brunswick counties, the two new listings mean there are only three total with prices that high, and only two homes above that price point have sold in the region in the past decade, the report said. The luxury market real estate report is compiled monthly by Just For Buyers Realty using information from the local Multiple Listing Service.

The two listed in February are at 2336 Ocean Point Drive in Landfall, which is for sale for $5.2 million and listed by Landmark Sotheby’s International Realty; and at 7903 Masonboro Sound Road, listed by Intracoastal Realty for $5.25 million, the report said.

The Ocean Point Drive Mediterranean-revival style home is 7,600 square feet with four bedrooms, seven bathrooms, a saltwater pool, gourmet outdoor kitchen and views of the Intracoastal Waterway and Atlantic Ocean. The 6,470-square-foot Masonboro Sound Road house sits on 8 acres and has 4 bedrooms and five bathrooms. It also has a pier with a boat lift, water views and a putting green, and comes with a separate three-bedroom, two-bath guest cottage.

In New Hanover County, sales of luxury homes continued a mostly upward trend, with five selling last month compared to three in February 2015. Brunswick County’s sales also increased from last February, going from none to one, the report said. In Brunswick, there are 79 homes listed in the local MLS that are priced at more than $1 million, while there are 136 in New Hanover.

The luxury home market is soft compared to overall real estate sales in the region, but “we’ve definitely been seeing increases in the number of homes that are being sold on the high end,” said Kathleen Baylies, broker-in-charge at Just For Buyers Realty, on Friday.

Both New Hanover and Brunswick saw an increase in the number of luxury homes that went under contract in February in a year-over-year comparison – from four to seven in New Hanover and one to two in Brunswick.

In Pender County, the 13,000-square-foot home at 561 Ashton Lake Road in Burgaw came on the market Dec. 17 and is priced at $4.5 million, Baylies said. Located on a 20-acre site, the mansion includes six bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a gym, playroom, sauna, game room, bowling alley and saltwater pool. It also has a 35-acre lake and geothermal heat and air conditioning, according to its listing.

February 2016 luxury home market
New Hanover County
Feb. 2015 / Feb. 2016
Brunswick County
Feb. 2015 / Feb. 2016
Newly listed 20 / 24 7 / 5
Highest new listing $4,195,000 / $5,250,000 $1,689,000 / $1,625,000
Under contract 4 / 7 1 / 2
Closed 3 / 5 0 / 2
Most expensive closed $1,250,000 / $2,712,500 n/a /$1,000,000

When you are ready to invest in a multi-million dollar home it is especially important to have the right Buyer’s Agent. Coastal Realty Connections works hard to help ensure the success of every client. Contact us for information on representation.

 

NC Sea Turtle Nests Numbers Rebound in 2015

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Graphic Sea Turtle Rebound (2) SOUTHEASTERN N.C. — Following a disappointing 2014, sea turtle nests along the North Carolina coast are making a comeback. At the end of the nesting season last summer, the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission reported a 58 percent decline in nests on the state’s beaches with only 565 recorded. The previous year had seen 1,303. But this summer, local beaches are reporting quite the opposite.

Patrick Amico, a ranger with the Fort Fisher State Recreation Area, said nesting numbers along the 7-mile stretch of beach he oversees at the southern tip of New Hanover County are at a record-high 83 as of this week. “So far, we are 31 nests higher than our previous record within last 30 years of data collection,” he said, noting they expect to see a few more before the season is over. Each year, sea turtle nesting is a cyclical occurrence, when nest numbers vary from years of diminished numbers followed by dramatic turnarounds. “Last year was very low, so we expected a rebound,” Amico said. “But we are definitely surprised by how much of a rebound we have seen.” Eileen Ramsdale with the Oak Island Sea Turtle Protection Program said the Brunswick County islands have seen 96 nests so far this season and nearly 40 have already hatched. That number is reminiscent of 2013, when Oak Island saw 93 nests, and is more than triple the 31 nests seen last year. “It is a banner year and a record year for us,” Ramsdale said. “But it is not outrageously high compared to the year before last. It comes in cycles.”

The fluctuation in nests can, in part, be attributed to female turtles’ tendency to reproduce every two to three years, causing some years to be less fruitful than others. This summer Carolina Beach has seen 14 nests — already a dozen more than the New Hanover County town saw all of last year, said Nancy Busovne, coordinator of the Pleasure Island Sea Turtle Project. Kure Beach, meanwhile, has seen 11. On Topsail Island’s 26 miles of coastline, Terry Meyer, director of the island’s nesting program, said they began this year with a bang and brazen prediction that they might hit 100 nests after only seeing 53 last year. As of Wednesday, they had 64.

While that is up from last year, Meyer said DNA results from the nests have shown that some of their local turtles are sharing their nests with other beaches. “The DNA results have been interesting,” she said. “Each turtle nests multiple times, but some use other habitats.” She said there have been indications that turtles nesting at Topsail Island have also nested at Camp Lejeune, Wrightsville Beach and Cape Lookout.

And it isn’t just loggerhead turtles that are visiting the Tar Heel State’s beaches. Just adding to their record year, Amico said Fort Fisher played host to a Kemp’s Ridley nest this summer and tests show it had a 100-percent success rate for its hatchlings. Kemp’s Ridleys are the smallest marine turtles in the world, and one of the most endangered. “That is rare for North Carolina and we think it is the only confirmed nest of its kind this year,” Amico said.

Female sea turtles have returned in force to the state’s beaches in 2015. Here are the number of nests recorded at some local beaches so far this year:

Fort Fisher State Rec.
2015* – 83
2014 – 18

Bald Head Island
2015* – 98
2014 – 33

Oak Island
2015* – 96
2014 – 31

Carolina Beach
2015* – 14
2014 – 2

Kure Beach
2015* – 11
2014 – 3

Topsail Island
2015* – 64
2014 – 53

*Nesting season generally runs through August

Sources: N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission; local turtle nesting projects; Bald Head Island Conversancy
Star News: Hunter Ingram
Photo Courtesy Tobi DeFalco