In the spirit of the New Year and "resolution season" my team and I have decided to do what we can to Go Green! Our first step: cutting down on print marketing. We haven't decreased our amount of marketing; rather, we have altered our technique! I strongly believe that the internet is where it's at - websites, blogging, emailing, you name it. Therefore our monthly Newsletters, Real Estate updates, and majority of our listing advertisements are now paperless! Newsletters have become E-Newsletters, Listing and Event Ads have become E-Flyers, and neighborhood brochures have become E-Tours. A great strength of our team is use of new technology on our websites to bring in traffic, aid in property searches, and generate leads and potential clients. Being that keeping in touch with clients and... 01/19/2009

  The long awaited brand new Topsoil High School is finally completed. The school will be open for business on Monday Jan 5, 2009. It is exciting that the new $ 30 million school is ready to go. It is totally updated with technology ready classrooms and labs and is ready for the 1200 students it needs to accommodate. This award winning school sytem is excited to be moving in new directions. The building previously used for the high school is now going to be used as the middle school. This area has really grown and really needs the space to accommodate all the new students in the area. The new school will be a great enhancement for teachers and students alike. 01/03/2009

      On Saturday,December 20, 2008, Burchfield Group members (Judy Carlton, Jerry Blackburn, Bob Ramsey, Kathy and Rand Burchfield) of Topsail Island and SeaCoast Realty were at the Food Lion in Hampstead. We collected 1029 pounds (that’s one thousand and twenty nine pounds) of food for the North Carolina Food Bank. The food pantries in four counties - Brunswick, New Hanover, Pender and Onslow will be the recipients of the overwhelming generosity of the residents of Hampstead and the Food Lion store.   95% of the people who took one of our flyers and went into the Food Lion came out with one item, and in most cases several bags of groceries and often, a full grocery cart. Cash, as little as one dollar and as much as $20.00 was donated, so that we also gave the Food Bank $ 135.00 in cas... 01/02/2009

Well, the third and final parade of the season (for The Rand Burchfield Real Estate Group, anyway) was Saturday, December the 6th. We put a holiday wreath on the front of the truck, lit it up and we were off to Topsail Beach from our main office in Surf City! Joining us were team members Linda Blackburn, Judy Carlton, Bob Ramsey, Dot Cotman and myself and Kathy. Not able to be with us were Justine Warner (our executive assistant) and Bill Hunt, a long time associate and buyer agent. As you will note from the photos, Lilly and Pearl had a grand time, all decked out in the reindeer antlers. Pearl is actually starting to enjoy the limelight a little bit! Our last event of the year will be a food drive for the North Carolina Food Bank, to be held on December 20th in the Food Lion parking l... 12/08/2008

  Looking for a fun way for the whole family to get into the Thanksgiving spirit and show your support a wonderful cause?  Come out to Kiwanis Park tomorrow morning to watch the Kiwanis Park First Inaugural Turkey Trot Run & Kids Sprint.     The race will start and end at Kiwanis Park and wind through Belvedere Plantation and over Country Club Road. There will be prizes awarded by age groups for each race.     Kiwanis Park is an 82 acre recreation area that broke ground in 2004. The Park, a wonderful community resource, is home to three soccer fields, a playground, picnic areas, play areas, and a baseball field.  Kiwanis Park was developed with help from a NC state, grant, coupled with Pender County funds and augmented by generous donations by local business and citizens.   Proceeds wil... 11/21/2008

  Hampstead United Methodist Church hosts its Fourth Annual Fundraiser for the Church’s Mission Projects this Saturday, October 11.  There will be fun for ages: The youth of the church are organizing a free games area for young children. The "Pumpkin Patch" sales will support youth mission projects, including assistance to the growers of the pumpkins in New Mexico. Free hayrides and Face Painting will entertain both the young & young at heart! The Festival will offer wonderful crafts by local artisans including glassware, art work,wooden bowls & custom jewelry. The best cooks will serve their specialties of ham and sausage biscuits, hot dogs, barbecue pork.   Any Sweet lovers? You'll  be in heaven with the selection of homemade baked breads, cookies, cakes and brownies. Stock up for you... 10/09/2008

Hampstead, N.C. holds the annual Spot Festival each September. This year is the 45th festival and is being held this week end, September 27th and 28th. The festival location is on Highway 17 on the southbound side, about a quarter mile south of the intersection with 210 west. Plenty of Spot dinners, and also featured will be musical performances, arts and crafts, food vendors, and did we mention Spots? For more information, visit the website at http://www.nc-spotfestival.com. BTW, Spots? It is a fish! 09/27/2008

Pictured above is one of our favorite places to stop at the Famer's Market held in Poplar Grove each Wednesday. Mary Wootten (the owner and chief cake designer) has one of the most original ideas, combining popcorn, peanuts and chocolate candies to make delicious "cakes". Also in the market are pickles, vegetables, plants, peanuts, grapes, orchids, wines, candles, handcrafted jewelry, breads and cookies and the most fabulous fresh cut flowers. Visit Mary's new website at www.poppincakes.com and tell 'em we sent you! If you would like to know about some of the other events being held in our area over the next month, take a look at our newsletter, "Living on Topsail Time." Here's the online link http://www.box.net/shared/yy78ettcqf     09/09/2008

Every Wednesday, starting in the Spring and continuing through December, Poplar Grove Plantation is the site of the Farmer's Market. One of the vendors is Colleen Bannerman representing Bannerman Vineyard, the only vineyard located in Pender County. Last Wednesday I had the pleasure of speaking with Colleen AND buying some of her vineyard's muscadine grapes. Awesome! Bannerman Vineyard supplied the grapes used to make many of the Duplin County wines for years and now she and Scot make a number of muscadine based wines. We spoke with our team members when we returned to the office and all have agreed that making a trip to Bannerman Vineyard would be a great way to spend the afternoon. On September 27, the North Carolina Muscadine Festival will be held in the Duplin County Events Center ... 09/08/2008

If you live in Hampstead NC you probably work in Wilmington; at 8am on weekdays you are met with an exodus of vehicles headed South on 17 towards Wilmington and back again at the end of the day. As Hampstead NC continues to grow more businesses are willing to establish a foot-hold recognizing that the established work force will help them grow their business; The article below in the Star-News on "Atlantic Barn & Timber" is such an example - the next 10 years will bring a renewed focus on business opportunities and jobs to the area near the "The Holly Shelter Swamp." Timber products company to base manufacturing operations in Hampstead NC By Chris Mazzolini, Staff Writer Published: Monday, August 25, 2008 at 2:14 p.m. A family-owned company that builds materials for timber-frame homes w... 09/07/2008

The new Topsail High School is scheduled to be complete in December 2008.  This massive facility is within walking distance of the current Topsail High and Middle school.  From my understanding, the current High school will become the new middle school ( after some much needed repairs and renovations are made). The current middle school will become a new elementary school.  The new 224,727 square ft. school will be two stories, have two gymnasiums, a seperate building for shop classes and an entire wing for theatre and auditorium use.  All these changes will be great for the students, hopefully we can get the kids at North and South Topsail elementary schools out of bungalo's and into real classrooms.  Most likely we will still have to deal with the overcrowding through the entire 2008/... 06/16/2008

Local REALTOR® Top Agent under 30   Stephanie Gasparovic of EXIT Homeplace Realty named one of 30 Agents under the age of 30 by REALTOR® Magazine.   The National Association of REALTORS®, North America's largest trade organization, has recognized local REALTOR® Stephanie Gasparovic of EXIT Homeplace Realty in their annual report of 30 agents under 30 years of age in "REALTOR®" Magazine. With over a million members, Stephanie Gasparovic has been profiled to exemplify the qualities that it takes to be a role model in our industry. (Link to Magazine)   EXIT Realty joins local agency EXIT Homeplace Realty to congratulate Stephanie's accomplishments. Stephanie's commitment to her clients and her result-oriented approach to Real Estate has won her many accolades among her colleagues. At 27 ye... 05/29/2008

Binswanger Named Exclusive Agent for Sale of Major Property in Yadkinville, North Carolina (Business Wire via Yahoo! Finance) CHARLOTTE, N.C.----Binswanger has been named exclusive agent by Bepco, Inc. for the sale of a sensational, one-story, 219,800 sq. ft. building on 40 acres in Yadkinville, North Carolina. Real estate firm plans spec buildings (Independent Tribune) CONCORD - A Charlotte-based real estate firm is planning a five-building speculative development, totaling 126,000 square feet, on 11 acres at Concord's International Business Park. "We are very excited to be in Cabarrus County," said Jon Morris, industrial partner at Beacon Partners, which has three other projects under construction in the Charlotte region. "It's right between the Concord ... Clearing the picture on hom... 12/17/2007

This is the painting I created on bored.com by answering a few personality questions. I apologize for this post that does not have anything to do with real estate but I like to post links to things I think are cool. I guess this link is cool especially when you are bored: Click here to create your own painting. 12/08/2007

Thanks to Joel for compiling this list. You can learn more about him by visiting his site: http://www.joelburslem.com/ or his contributions to the Future of Real Estate Marketing website.His last blog shows activeRain is #8 on the Seattle Startup Index for DecemberOk here is the list! Enjoy.1000watt Blog3 Oceans - The San Francisco Bay Area Real Estate Blog360DigestAgainst the Grain RE BlogAltos Research Real Estate InsightsBaron BriefsBlogging Systems BlogBloodhoundBlogBlown MortgageBlueRoof.com BlogBoise Idaho Real Estate | Genius Realty BlogBusinessWeek Online - Hot PropertyCenter for REALTOR® Technology Web LogCounter Intelligence: The Real Estate Cafe WeblogDalton's Arizona Homes BlogExecutive Conversations with Steven GrovesFBS BlogFor Sale By Locals: A New Real Estate ApproachFut... 12/04/2007

 Sometimes you read an article that just resonates with you.  I was cruising Active Rain and found an article that really pushed my buttons.  It was a wonderful surprise to see that it was contributed by a fellow who is new to Active Rain.  In his article STOP THE HOME TAX, Bill Guy has clearly communicated the need to unite against this absurd transfer tax.  He's also given lots of links to county websites that will educate voters about the perils of this transfer tax.  It was not only a well-written article, it's was Bill's first blog! Please stop by for a read and especially to welcome and encourage this great new member to Active Rain.   Please join me in welcoming a great guy...Bill Guy of Hampstead, North Carolina ...to Active Rain! ________________________________________________... 10/25/2007

                                                                   Sunny Carolina Blue Skies and a bit of a crisp in the air what a perfect time to enjoy the sights and smells of Autumn! The Second Annual Fall Festival hosted by United Methodist Church will feature display homemade soy candles, hand-painted Christmas treasurers, garden art, ceramics,hat sets, custom designed address signs and much more. Do you love homemade preserves and Jams? The ladies of the church have been preserving fresh fruits and vegetables this summer to make jams, jellies, preserves, pickles, and peach honey.   Dessert Lovers will be in heaven with the selection of fresh baked breads, cookies, cakes and brownies. The men will be cooking their ham biscuits for breakfast and BBQ pork plates for lunch. A variety... 10/13/2007