Mark Johnson Custom Homes Blog

Brunswick County, NC Green home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes has previously shared RealtyTimes.com’s Kenneth R. Harney’s “Real Estate Outlook” articles with our readers and would like to share his latest, published January 19, 2010. Below is an excerpt and to read the complete article, click here!

 “Nothing is absolute in the predictions business, but there are solid indications that, yes, housing is likely to rebound more energetically than the overall economy.

Here’s why: Even the most bearish Wall Street analysts now concede that home sales are up in many areas from year-earlier levels — sometimes by extraordinary percentages.

For example, MDA DataQuick reports that sales in the greater Phoenix market in November were 62 percent higher than the year before.

Prices either have bottomed out in dozens of these markets or are close to it. That’s because the distressed sales component of local volume – short sales, REOs and foreclosures – has been declining slowly but steadily.”

Wilmington, NC builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes encourages those in the Cape Fear Area to attend UNC-Wilmington’s Intercultural Week (iWeek) events beginning February 15, 2010. The Office of International Programs at UNC-W will be hosting iWeek, which will culminate with the Intercultural Festival on Saturday, February 19^th, 2010. This year’s theme is “Connecting Communities through Social Justice,” and below is the week’s agenda and for detailed information on each, visit their website! All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted on UNC-W’s iWeek website.

Monday, February 15

• Around the World: All Day, residence hall lobbies
• Love in Any Language:12:00 PM – 1:00 PM, FSC, Masonboro Island Room             
• Children in the Fields: 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM, FSC, Clock Tower Lounge
• The Fight for Water: 7:00 PM, Lumina Theater
• Jonathan Kozol, Joy & Justice: An Invitation to the Young to Serve the Children of the Poor: 7:00 PM, Kenan Auditorium

Tuesday, February 16

• Creating Social Justice through Latino-Serving Community Resource Centers: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM, Java City, Randall Library
• Discussion of Afro-Brazilian Studies: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM, FSC, Wrightsville Beach Room
• Bilingual Dramatized Readings: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM, Randall Library Auditorium
• UNCW Goes on a Gender Bender: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM, DeLoach Hall, 114
• Close to Home: 7:00 PM, Lumina Theater

Wednesday, February 17 

• Cultural Diversity in Harmony – Shanghai and the World Expo 2010: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM, FSC, Wrightsville Beach Room
• Fulbright Scholarship Opportunities for Faculty: 3:30 PM – 4:30 PM, CTE/CFL Conference Room
• Who is a Battered Immigrant & What Immigration Remedies Exist in Our Community?: 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM, FSC, Bald Head Island Room
• Israel – Land of Many Cultures: 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM, FSC, Sunset Beach Room
• Delwende: Get Up and Walk!: 7:00 PM, Lumina Theater

Thursday, February 18

• African American Read-In: Activist Authors: 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM, Java City, Randall Library            
• Friendship Bridge in Guatemala: Micro-Lending and Education to Improve the Lives of Women and Families: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM, FSC, Sunset Beach Room
• Afro-Latinos – The Untaught Story: 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM, Computer & Information Systems Hall, 1008
• Music from Around the World: 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM, Lumina Theater               
• Prisoner of the Mountains: 7:00 PM, Randall Library Auditorium
• Friday, February 19
• US Immigration – Know Your Rights: 12:00 PM – 2:00 PM, FSC, Sunset Beach Room
• Social Justice and the Study Abroad Experience – 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM, FSC, Wrightsville Beach Room
• Ralph Bunche Awareness Presentation: 2:00 PM – 4:00 PM, FSC, Wrightsville Beach Room
• “We Know That if we Build a 15′ Fence, Then That’s Just a 15′ Ladder” – A Comprehensive Look at DHS Policy, Activism and Immigration on the Arizona/Mexico Border: 6:30 PM – 8:00 PM, FSC, Wrightsville Beach Room

Saturday, February 20

• 18th Annual Intercultural Festival: 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM, Burney Center 
• A Grain of Sand and Becoming: 8:00 PM, Lumina Theater     

Ongoing Event: Monday, February 8 – Thursday, February 25

• Activist Authors Exhibit

Ongoing Events: Monday, February 15 – Friday, February 19

• International Cuisine at Wagoner Dining Hall      
• A Window to the World, Westside Hall Display Case

Landfall luxury home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes would like to share an informative article from ConcreteNetwork.com on how to design and what elements to include for the ideal outdoor living area for your home. Below are the ways to use concrete to build your perfect outdoor space and for more information on each, click here!

“Decorative Concrete Surfaces
Start by installing stamped, stenciled or stained concrete patios and walkways to establish the basic floor plan and design scheme for your outdoor room. You can even pattern your outdoor floor with a permanent, weatherproof rug that adds visual interest and helps define dining and conversation areas.

Cooking
Something to cook with, such as a barbecue grill or wood-fired pizza oven, and countertops for food preparation and serving are key elements in a well-designed outdoor kitchen. Concrete countertops offer the advantages of weather resistance and versatility, since they can be formed into any shape you desire to suit the space. A coat of sealer will simplify cleanup by protecting your countertop from stains. Other amenities, such as concrete bartops and outdoor sinks with plumbing, can expand your entertainment options.

Hearth
Wood-burning or gas fireplaces, firepits, chimineas and portable patio heaters extend the enjoyment of outdoor living well into the evening while creating a cozy conversation area for people to gather around.

Furniture
No outdoor room is complete without ample furniture for dining and lounging. Attractive high-quality outdoor furniture also provides a smooth transition from the indoors to the outdoors and helps define the space as an extension of your home. Concrete seat walls and cast concrete couches or chaises, softened with pillows or cushions, can be used as permanent, weatherproof outdoor seating.

Water features
If space and budget allow, installing a concrete swimming pool, spa, waterfall or pond can provide beauty, relaxation and tranquil sounds.

Architectural accents
Add elegance and character to your outdoor room with decorative details such as concrete statuary, fountains, landscape borders and cast stone columns.

Lighting
Use pathway and landscape lighting to add ambience, accentuate key architectural features, and extend outdoor enjoyment well into the evening.”

Information and Photo Courtesy of: ConcreteNetwork.com

St. James Plantation, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes encourages our readers to view recently uploaded photos of our projects, both past and present, on our Flickr and Facebook Fan pages. View our Photo Sets on Flickr, including our luxury homes in Wilmington and Hampstead, NC. And become a Facebook Fan of Mark Johnson Custom Homes to not only view photos, including our LEED Platinum Green home in Landfall, but keep up with the latest Mark Johnson Custom Homes news!

For more detailed information on these homes and available lots in Wilmington, NC visit our Inventory Page!

New Hanover County, NC luxury home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes would like to share a press release from the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and MetLife Mature Market Institute. A survey conducted by the organizations found interesting data on the housing preferences between 55-to-64 year olds and the 65+ age group. Below is an excerpt from the article and to read more, click here!

“The data uncovered a strong similarity in housing preferences between the two groups, with a few exceptions. The younger age group showed more interest in technology-heavy features, while the older group expressed a stronger preference for a single-story floor plan or one with a first-floor master bedroom, and a variety of universal design features.

One striking difference, according to John Migliaccio, director of research at MetLife’s Mature Market Institute, related to the desire for home services and community services.

‘Very telling,’ said Migliaccio, ‘is that the younger group of mature consumers reported enthusiastically that they want services like home maintenance and repair as part of their next home purchase, along with services typically connected to older homeowners, such as housekeeping, onsite health care and transportation,’ noted Migliaccio.

According to Migliaccio, all of the aforementioned were ranked higher than the desire for organized social activities – a surprise, inasmuch as social activities and amenities have been thought to be valued quite highly by this group. This finding, he said, supports an emerging trend among builders to look for ways to partner with providers of such services to the residents of their active adult/lifestyle communities.”

Courtesy of: HousingZone.com