Recommending Wilmington- Restaurant Edition

You’ve just moved into town, you haven’t filled the new fridge yet and you’re starving. Sounds like you need a few recommendations from some born and raised locals (and a few transplants)! Luckily, you’ve landed in a terrific foodie city and you have a lot of options. We’ll start you off with Part 1 of Recommending Wilmington- Restaurant Edition.

If you’re up for trying something exotic, Amanda recommends Indochine. You’ll find staples from Thailand and Vietnam served in an incredible atmosphere. Indochine boasts a large courtyard with koi ponds and tiki huts. “The service is excellent and the pho soup is my absolute favorite dish” Amanda told me. Conveniently located off of Market Street, next to The Ivy Cottage.
http://www.indochinewilmington.com/

A relative newcomer to the Wilmington food scene is The Golden Chicken. Simple food, but delicious, their specialty is Peruvian style rotisserie chicken, served along with the signature green sauce and yellow sauce. A little bird told me that their ceviche is crazy delicious!

Craving some Italian? Eddie Romanelli’s in Leland is a favorite of Jill’s! Reliably delicious pizza, huge portions of their specialties and great prices mean you can satisfy the bellies of your entire familglia without breaking the bank. Jill very highly recommends their strawberry cheesecake (which someone may or may not know for a fact makes an excellent breakfast).
http://www.romanellisrestaurant.com/

Let’s say you’re relocating to Wilmington, NC from California or New York. You’re probably harboring fantasies of the delicious Southern classics that will be available on very corner. Let us guide you to Casey’s Buffet located on Oleander Drive. Try a little bit of every dish, including bbq pork, fried chicken, fried okra (it’s yummy. Really!), collard greens, and sweet potatoes. Finish that up with a slice of pecan pie and wash it down with cool sweet tea. Tastes like heaven, ya’ll!

Hopefully, this tides you over and satisfies your taste buds until our next edition. What are your favorite spots in the Port City?

Annual UNCW Halloween Carnival

Come out to the University of North Carolina Wilmington’s Annual Halloween Carnival! The event will take place on Wednesday, October 28th from 5-7pm in Trask Coliseum UNCW. The Carnival offers a safe Halloween for children under the age of 12 to enjoy fun games, crafts and trick or treating provided by UNCW Student Organizations. Children must be accompanied by a parent or guardian for the duration of the carnival.

Rental Real Estate Still the Best Investment

The Great Recession may have knocked real estate values for a loop but it did not change the basic premise that rental real estate is still the best investment value for most Americans. Values are on the rise again. However, this is a bonus and not the basis for investment.

The real story has remained the same through time. The rent coming in pays the mortgage on the property which, over time, allows the owner to have a debt free property that someone else paid for… it doesn’t get better than this! You put up the initial cash down payment-the rent pays the rest. Yes, there will be maintenance, taxes and insurance. That’s all tax deductible and usually covered by the rent, as well. One day, the property is all yours and producing retirement income. And as the real estate market always does, it has rebounded and doubled in value.

Today’s Millenial generation makes up 40% of our population and 90% of them are renters. This demographic is educated, have very good incomes, great credit scores and want nice rental homes. They are unlikely to cause any damage. It is a great time to buy an investment, put it in the hands of a property management company and collect the mortgage payment as rent!

Decorating your Rental Home for Halloween

So. You love the Fall. And you really love Halloween. You’ve got boxes of spooky decor tucked into every available space in the house but you’re afraid to display any of it because you’re a renter. Never fear! We’ve got a few tips to help you indulge your love of all things Halloween while avoiding potential damage to your rental.

Tip 1: Focus on items that don’t require nailing down. Go crazy at the pumpkin patch, splurge on mums from one of our local Wilmington nurseries. They’ll add wonderful atmosphere to both the exterior and interior. Set up a tiny graveyard in your front yard and hang spiderwebs from the trees. Don’t forget to add some of those creepy fake ravens and skulls to really give your guests the shivers!

Tip 2: If you have some great stuff that’s just crying out for display on your walls, try some Command hooks. This nifty invention sticks to the wall using an adhesive that, once removed per the instructions, leaves the paint job intact. No nail holes, no sweat come move out. They’re also great for using on the front door to display a wreath.

Tip 3: Create a shape large enough to fit your windows using black poster board. Cut out large jack-o-lantern face in each window size shape. Get creative! Use double-sided tape to hang them in the windows and voila! You’ve just made your home the talk of the street every time you turn the lights on at night.

Tip 4: Use special lighting effects to catch the eye of trick-or-treaters! A black LED floodlight in the front yard, painting your home in an eerie purple glow, flashes of lightening, or neon green mist creeping in your landscaping all go a very long way to making a huge impact without harming your rental.

Check out this page with even more tips: http://budgetdecorating.about.com/od/HalloweenDecorations/a/31-Halloween-Decorating-Ideas.htm

What are some of your tips and ideas for decorating your rental home for Halloween?

10 Facts about Renting to Millennials!

So there you are! Ten nifty facts about renting to Millennials, a pretty significant portion of the housing market.

Schedule your rent payment online!

You can now make your rent payment online- directly from your bank account! Best of all, this service is free- FREE- it comes at no additional cost to you!

Consider the following benefits of paying your rent online:

Security. Online payments are more secure than mailing a check. You’ll receive an email notification when your payment is made that you can keep for your records. You can even sign up for email reminders that your rent is coming due.

Speed. Online payments post to your account immediately- faster than if you mail a check or use an online bill payment service. It’s even faster that dropping off a check at our office.

Convenience. View your charges and make payments online anytime and from anywhere. No more paper checks, envelopes, stamps, or unnecessary “out of your way” trips to our office to drop off a check. You can even set up a recurring payment so your rent is paid automatically- no more worrying about forgetting to pay your rent on time or dealing with those pesky late fees!

You’ll need to activate your account to use this service, if you haven’t already. Contact our office if you need us to resend your activation email. It contains a link that you’ll need to click so that you can set up your password. Log into https://dianneperryco.appfolio.com/connect to access the Tenant’s Portal so you can start up this wonderful, convenient, free service today.

Did we mention that this service is FREE?!?

Wonderful Wilmington October 2014 Newsletter

Falling for Fall with Fun Festivities!

Whew! That headline alliteration took a lot more brain power than I thought it would. Moving on.

One of the things we look forward to the most during the Fall are all of the fun things to do in and around Wilmington. Do you feel the same way? Here’s a quick list of some local events during the month of October:

1) Annual Wilmington Riverfest. Downtown Wilmington, NC

Riverfront Park, October 3-5, Admission: Free

visit http://wilmingtonriverfest.com for more details

2) Family Friendly Farm Days. Legacy Farms in Wallace

October 4-5, 11, 18 and 25, Admission: $8, featuring corn maze, hay

rides, haunted woods trail, costumed actors

Visit www.legacyfarmsevents.com for more details

3) Grooves in the Grove. Poplar Grove Plantation

Every Sunday, at 5:00 pm, through October 26, Admission: Free

Check out WhatsOnWilmington.com for a very comprehensive list of our local happenings!

Andrea

Pumpkin Huntin’?

Are you wondering where you can both find a great selection of pumpkins this year and support a good cause? We recommend a visit to the pumpkin patch at Wesley Memorial, on the corner of South College and Peachtree! Proceeds support the Wesley Memorial Youth Ministry.

You can swing by the church and browse their huge selection after you drop off your October rent at our office on Treadwell Street. Three birds, one stone. Look at you, you efficiency rockstar!

Notes from Dianne:

“We’re proud to report some of the highest tenant ratings in local reviews,that 97% of our properties are rented for 2014, we have a 98% occupancy rate and only 2% of our properties were vacant for over 30 days.

Great job team!”

Dianne

Get ready for cooler temps!

Fall is officially here and we can’t wait to wear our cozy sweaters, consume pumpkin spice everything. Aren’t the chilly weather, hay rides and colorful leaves so fun?

At home, take a moment to turn your heating system on to make sure it’s working well. While you’re at it, it’s a great time to replace the air filters and smoke alarm batteries, and check the thermostat batteries, too! Take a look outside, and make sure that debris is cleared away from the condenser.

A little bit of effort now will help to prevent frostbitten toes later.

If you notice a problem with the heat, give us a call. We’re here to help!

Tips on how to FRY your Turkey, not FLY your Turkey!

Deep Frying a Turkey
Despite the added risks and calories, deep frying turkey is becoming increasingly popular. If you plan to deep fry your turkey follow these simple tips:

Fryers should be used according to directions
Fryers should be used outdoors and a safe distance from combustible/flammable materials â€“ NEVER use a fryer on a wooden deck, under a patio cover, in a garage or in an enclosed space
Do not overfill fryer
Do not leave fryer unattended
Never let children or pets near fryer while in use
Use well insulated oven mitts or pot holders
Wear long sleeves & safety goggles
Turkey must be completely thawed before it is placed in the fryer
Keep a fire extinguisher nearby
If a fire occurs, call 911 immediately