Scott Brinson – Store Manager of the Year

February 28, 2011

Scott Brinson Named Store Manager of the Year for Food Lion Family & Bloom

In today’s virtual market place, consumers often forget whats important. Many of us have turned to the virtualk market place because its a good alternative to dealing with horrible customer service. This week in Richlands, NC, a grocery store manager, Scott Brinson, was award for being one of the best in the nation. How did he accomplish this goal?

The simple time honored commitment of store to customer relations that has so far been gone in this generation. He takes special care to make sure specialty items are availible for all occasions. He take a personal hand in making sure his stores assciates work as a team making sure shelves are stocked and the store is always clean. This striving for excellance is hard to find in stores now of days. Many stores in super market chains have lossed alot of this home grown idea.

Scott Brinson, does what was done many of years ago. He listens and takes care of his customers needs and helps arrange a shopping expierence. This manager also knows how to relate to his employees which many store managers in this country have lost track of.

With more stores hiring managers straight out of college and sometimes high school. Many managers never make the transition up the chain which is needed to relate to your employees. Scott Brinson, has worked almost every position at the Lion King Grocery store he has managed for the last two years. This on the level ability to relate to ones employees shows them that you know what you are talking about and also lets them know that someday they can be where you are standing if they work hard enough. Only good leadership though can make all of these componant come together.

Scott is the best simple because he is able to bring all of these things together. He is a strong leader who knows what it is to once have to follow, has a though understanding of why customer services is still important, and is able to accomadate in this modern economy. He is a true testament and what more stores need to implament to stay a float in these rough times.

National Realtors Association Optimistic About 2011

February 21, 2011

According to a report issued by The National Association of Realtors (NAR) existing-home sales increased significantly in December, 2010. This is the fifth increase in sales over the last six months of 2010. Included in this category are: single-family homes, co-ops, condominiums and town-homes. Sales increased by 12.3 percent to an adjusted annual rate of 5.28 million sales. Nevertheless, the December sales rate was 2.9 percent lower than in December 2009.

Daniel Yun, National Association of Realtors Chief Economist indicated that sales are trending up.

Yun remarked that this trend is definitively showing a pattern and is near the levels that NAR expects for 2011. Yun also reported that prices are down one percent compared to last year. That, he said, is leading to a sustainable and adequate level of existing-home sales. He further noted rising rents coupled with an anticipated improving employment environment have renters looking at home ownership as a good alternative to renting.

The NRA reported that existing home prices have remained flat due to the increase in sales of distressed properties which rose to a 36 percent market share from 32 percent a year ago.

At the current pace there is an 8.1-month supply of existing homes at the December sales pace – an improvement over 9.5 month supply recorded in November 2010.

Ron Phipps, president of the NRA expressed more optimism. He noted that home buyers in 2009 and 2010 have been highly successful with very low default rates for loans originated during that period. It is his feeling that the low mortgage rates, stable prices and pent-up demand are causing home-buyers to flow into the market place.

In addition, first-time buyers accounted for 33 percent of sales in December. Twenty percent of sales were by investors. Yun also mentioned that all-cash deals are consistent at 20 percent of sales for the past six months.

According to the NRA, the median price for single home sales in December was $168,800 for all types of property. For single-family homes, the median price was $169,300, for condominiums it was $165,000.

70th Anniversary of Vets

February 14, 2011

The 70th anniversary of veterans from the first wave of Guadalcanal occurred at the end of January. Wendell Perkins recounted the experience by stating that he had joined in 1942 and was assigned to the 2nd Marine Division. For the anniversary celebration, Perkins wore the olive field jacket that he received 60 years ago, a jacket that was involved in battle.

The start of the day saw a ceremony to honor those who had fallen during combat. This was followed by veterans from the unit, spanning all of the generations, pinning banners onto the flag that signified the division. Awards were then given for all levels of leadership. The 2nd Marine Division stated that it was an exceptional unit and these were the guys to have next to you during battle.

Real Estate Market Becoming Stable

February 7, 2011

Home sales throughout the nation continue with their upward trend and stable prices. As of November statistics showed a stable growth rate growth rate. Single-family homes, town homes, condominiums and coops are on the rise and have shown at least a 5.6 percent increase. However, these prices are still 27.9 percent below the cyclical peak of November 2009. This being the original deadline for the first-time home buyer tax credit.

Professional analysts and economist are hopeful for the 2011 year  and believe gains in home sales will continue. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economists positive impact created by increased jobs and will override the negative impact caused by slight rise in mortgage interest rates. He also believes that home sales are increasing due to better home affordability. Several favorable conditions have occurred between income, home prices and interest rates, making it one of the most Oracle favorable times to purchase a home. The statistics indicate the market is recovering and should be healthy and sustainable throughout 2011.

Median existing home prices as of November are approximately $170,600. This number is up .4 percent from November 2009. As of November distressed home sales have in a large part of this market, taking approximately 33 percent of sales in November, where they were 34 percent in October 33 percent in November 2009.

According to statistics, foreclosures accounted for two-thirds of the distressed sales, was median discounts percent and short sales discounted 10 percent of the traditional home value.
On the national level, housing inventory fell 4.0 percent, making 3.71 million existing homes available for sale. December represents at least nine month supply of housing, down slightly from the 10.5 month supply in October.

Many real estate experts believe good buying opportunities will continue throughout the year. As a general rule, according to Ron Phipps of Phipps Realty, traditionally there are fewer serious buyers at this time of year, making it a buying opportunities for people looking for good deal, even though they should expect a gradual mortgage rate increase as 2011 progresses.

Freddie Mac statistics indicate that the national average sale of a thirty-year conventional fixed-rate mortgage rose by 4.3 percent in November from a low of 4.23 percent in October. This is good news seen as how survey was at 4.88 percent in November of 2009.

Experts say that mortgage interest rates should home about the recent loans during the first few months of the year, that home prices have stabilized compared with declines of 2007 to 2009, making it extremely favorable for buyers who have credit opportunities.
First-time home buyers seem to have risen where 32 percent of homes were brought by this type of buyer in November, but this number is still well below the 51 percent 2009.

19 percent of all home purchases were made by investors, a number that remains unchanged as of October, but are still up by 12 percent from November 2009. All-cash sales were up to 31 percent in November, compared to 29 percent in October and only 19 percent 2009.

All of the statistics indicate a healthier real estate market on the national level. The increase in real estate sales indicate a more stable economy in all respects. So if you’re looking to make a healthy and close-knit community a part of your family check out Michael Banks Realty to decide which of the Jacksonville NC homes for rent or sale you want to make your own.

Onslow County Teacher of the Year!

February 1, 2011

Teaching is often a thankless job. Students are rarely grateful for the teacher that made them do extra work, who pushed them to work through their own problems, or challenge them. Therefore, it is wonderful to hear about one of our great teachers receiving the recognition he or she deserves for working with the children of the community day after day.

Kindergarten teacher Doris Tursi recently received the 2010-2011 Onslow County Teacher of the Year Award. Ms. Tursi has a strong background in child development, and has been teaching for over 27 years. Along the way she has run non-profit child development centers, worked with Keep America Beautiful, and provided environmental education. Her dedication has extended beyond her classroom towards helping the community and environment. Her passion for teaching goes beyond the basic ABC’s of kindergarten towards helping the “whole child.” This means helping them to develop emotionally, academically, psychologically, and physically. Ms. Tursi continues to contribute to the community in Jacksonville by fostering the development of pro-social skills that help these kindergartners grow into better students, and eventually, better citizens in our community. It would be impossible to list all of the ways that our teachers contribute to the community as a whole. But the influence of our kindergarten teachers will ultimately impact an entirely new generation of citizens in our society. So we’d like to extend our congratulations and gratitude towards the 2010-2011 Onslow County Teacher of the Year Ms. Tursi!