Island Real Estate's Blog

"Shhhhhhhhhh! Don’t let her catch you at it. She’ll whip your butt!” These words still echo in my mind years after the fact. Just kids looking for something to keep us occupied while we waited (im)patiently for our Mothers. I remember sitting in the waiting room of the eye doctor�... View the full post »

Don’t fall asleep on a beach blanket Sooooooooooooooooooooo, you didn’t listen, fell asleep on the beach and woke up 2 hours later. No suntan lotion (you were going to put it on later). Now what do you do? Well, I hate to tell you, but it’s all over but the crying. You will just have to l... View the full post »

Teachers/Realtors. Both need a reality check from time to time!   I used to teach junior high and high school. It was a lot like selling real estate. In that whole classroom there were a couple of great (students/properties) and a few who are just not cut out for it (lazy people/bad pr... View the full post »

Southern Sayings   As I travel around this great country I find people are confused by the way I speak. Just because they talk funny, with strange inflections that should not affect their ability to understand me. I speak "pure” southern. Idioms exist to confuse others, but not the one ... View the full post »

Kittens and Biscuits   Just because a cat climbs into the oven and has kittens, you don’t call them biscuits do you? When people of a Northern persuasion move down south that okay. We really do believe in diversity. However it will take more than 2 weeks to begin to understand the lingo... View the full post »

Circus folks are said to have sawdust in their veins. If that is true we Topsail Islanders must have salt water in ours. I'm not sure if we get it by osmosis or if we swallow it, if it seeps through our belly buttons or what, but we mose definitely have it in our veins.   How can you te... View the full post »

Growing up is optional, growing older is not. What a dilemma! I wake up in the morning and I am shocked to see that older woman in my bathroom mirror. Who is she, where did she come from and how did she get in my house? I am truly akin to Peter Pan, in that I simply refuse to grow up... View the full post »

I went to the Surf City Community Center yesterday to pick up my granddaughter. I arrived about 20 minutes early. (I know, unbelievable, just ask my friends). As I walked around in the center I peeked in the gym. A "sprite" who resembled a 4-5 year old girl was learning to dribble a full size ba... View the full post »

Sun, Sand and Surf, Topsail Island does these things better than any beach anywhere. Located just minutes away from Wilmington NC, but a life-time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. Topsail is home to 3 smaller beach town, 2 bridges and 1 traffic light. Topsail Beach, Surf City an... View the full post »

O.K.  So you've got a sunburn.  You knew better.  Don't beat yourself up, it can happen to anyone.  Republicans, Democrats, Independents, tourists, locals, anyone.  The only thing worse than a sunburn, is a really bad sunburn or a list of silly reasons why you got th... View the full post »

Thanks to the Bears. (Surf City Police Dept.) A special thank-you to the Surf City Police Department and Officer Ron Shanahan. Earlier this summer at the beginning of the rental season Officer Shanahan put together a list of concerns for those of us in property management and the rental indu... View the full post »

The Names Have Been Changed to Protect the Guilty! Middle of the night. I sit bolt upright in bed; did I remember to deliver the shower curtain liner and the round white vanity bulbs to the house on Topsail Road??? Did the garbage disposal on Island Drive get installed??? Did the lock on the back d... View the full post »

V*A*C*A*T*I*O*N in the Summer time, or so the song goes. The sentiment is great but it seriously limits the seasons. As a real estate broker in Surf City, many customers and clients throughout the years have asked me about a million times, "What is your favorite season ... View the full post »

HAPPY DAYS Some days I feel like Alice falling through the rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland . While getting my nightly fix of NCIS or Law and Order I am bombarded by TV commercials of a much older Fonzie who is trying to sell me on the idea of a reverse mortgage.  Where did that come fr... View the full post »

Island Attitude… When I stand on the sand and look to the sea it puts my life into perspective. So what if the dishes aren't washed or that last pile of paperwork has not been completed? My life is good and all is right with me today. If once you have slept on an island You&... View the full post »