Mark Johnson Custom Homes Blog

The Wilmington Concert Association will be hosting the Band of the Irish Guards and the Drum, Pipes and Dancers of the Royal Regiment of Scotland this month! This is the first year they will tour the United States and New Hanover County, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes encourages those in the Cape Fear area to attend the concert at the Kenan Auditorium at UNC-Wilmington. Visit the Wilmington Concert Association’s website for more information on the Band, watch a video, and order tickets!

New Hanover County, NC Green home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes would like to introduce our readers to the Phoenix Employment Ministry, located in downtown Wilmington, NC. The organization’s vision is “to be the ministry to which sheltered homeless and nearly homeless people will come or be sent to find satisfying, long-term employment.” Their program includes intense one-on-one coaching, which consists of a staff member being a teacher, care giver, personal coach and cheerleader to those in need of it. Their ultimate goal is for everyone to be self-sufficient and empowering the homeless in the process. If you are interested in being a volunteer, making a donation, or just learning more about the Phoenix Employment Ministry, visit their website!

New Hanover County, NC new home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes is excited to share that Wilmington will host an antique show this month. WECT reporter Bob Townsend posted the following article today and stay tuned to WECT for more information on the antique show that will come to downtown Wilmington!

“WILMINGTON, NC (WECT) – While the beach draws visitors to southeastern North Carolina when it’s warm, the cold month of January brings in people looking for treasure.

A huge antique show will take place in Wilmington at the end of the month, but the antique business is prominent in the area year round.

Wilmington’s history dates back into the sixteen hundreds, but it is antique items much older than that which brings many antique lovers into the port city.

Most of the city’s antique dealers had their shops on Front Street for many years, but many have moved out of the downtown area, to just a few blocks away, here on Castle Street, and have transformed that part of the city into a true antique district.

In all, there are about 20 antique stores spread across Wilmington with about 250 thousand square feet of display area. 

Each has it’s own special niche, some specializing in large furniture items and other in small trinkets. Moore says right now, he is seeing a lot of customers looking for the small collectibles.

Bettie Biggagi has been in the antique business for years, mostly in New Hampshire, where she ran a collectible business and small store. She feels the antique business in the South is far ahead of Northern States.

Whether you are looking for a small item or something bigger to fill up a room, January is a great month to buy, because store operators say they are ready to deal.”

Courtesy of: wect.com

New Hanover County, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes is excited to share a report by WECT’s Max Winitz. The U.S. Navy has chosen Wilmington, NC to host the Navy destroyer, the U.S.S. Gravely. Below is an excerpt from the WECT posting and to read more, click here!

“The Gravely is a 510 foot destroyer named after the late Vice Admiral Samuel Lee Gravely, Junior. He was the first African-American Admiral in naval history.

Last May, the ship was christened in Mississippi with Gravely’s wife, Alma, breaking the champagne bottle over the vessel.

‘She’s beautiful — just beautiful,’ says Alma about the vessel. ‘My husband would have loved it.’

The navy spokesperson we talked to says the ceremony is tentatively scheduled for either September or October.”

New Hanover County, NC Green home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes’ LEED Platinum rated home was featured on EcoHomeMagazine.com last month. Jennifer Goodman highlighted our first venture into building with Insulated Concrete Forms (ICF’s) and how it led to the highest Green rating for a home by the U.S. Green Building Council. Below is an excerpt from Goodman’s report and to read the complete article, click here!

“Last September, builder Mark Johnson was looking for an innovative way to generate customer interest for a spec home he was planning in Wilmington, N.C.

Nine months later—after a crash course in high-performance building techniques—Johnson not only had produced an innovative home, but an award-winning LEED-H Platinum dwelling constructed with insulated concrete forms (ICFs) that will save $2,200 on utility bills and more than 100,000 gallons of water a year.

‘We weren’t initially planning to build a green home,’ says his brother, Kevin Johnson, director of business development for Mark Johnson Custom Homes. ‘But we knew it needed to be something a bit different, because the market was starting to slide.’

The brothers’ leap into green building began at a concrete symposium in Charlotte, N.C., where they learned of the environmental and storm-resistant benefits of concrete-built homes. They felt that building with ICFs, which boast a wind rating of up to 250 mph, would be just the thing to get buyers in their coastal city to take notice.”

New Hanover County, NC home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes encourages fellow New Hanover County residents to take advantage of the Cape Fear Museum’s free admission the first Sunday of every month! The next available opportunity is Sunday, January 3rd, 2010. Featured exhibits include “Conservation Matters”, “Going to the Movies” and “Cape Fear Treasures: Drink”. Ongoing exhibits include the “Michael Jordan Discovery Gallery” and “Cape Fear Stories”. For more information, visit their website!

Southeastern North Carolina’s electronic specialists, Electronics 2 You’s recent e-newsletter highlighted Control4, an energy monitoring system, and it’s use in the Las Vegas CityCenter , Aria Resort & Casino, and Mandarin Oriental. You can use Control4 to monitor the energy usage in your own home with the help of Electronics 2 You. They specialize in installing the Control4 system and TED (The Energy Detective). New Hanover County, NC Green home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes is currently using TED at their Green home in Landfall in Wilmington, NC. “Being able to monitor the energy usage in real-time is very beneficial. It shows us what lifestyle changes we need to make to ensure the Green features of the home are used at their highest potential,” noted Mark Johnson.

Below is an excerpt from Electronics 2 You’s e-newsletter and visit their site for more information on optimizing your monetary saving in your home today! To sign up for their newsletter, click here!

“Guests will use a single remote and Control4 on-screen view to use the TV to set the systems in their rooms to their personal preferences, including lighting levels, room temperature, television/video systems, music, drapes and guest services.

Other features include:

• A ‘good night’ scene button on the touchscreen next to the bed which turns off the lights, TV and/or music, closes the drapes, and turns on the privacy notification for the room.
• A ‘wake-up’ scene where lights and music gradually come on, the temperature comes up, and the drapes open.
• After a guest has checked out, a room can quickly be put in ‘unoccupied’ mode, which shuts off the lights, heating or cooling, entertainment systems, and any other electronic device in the room.
• Integration with property management systems to deliver concierge-type services, as well as automate the guestroom, based on check-in/check-out status.
• Sending an alert to the technical systems staff regarding problems in the room, such as low batteries in remotes.

Scot Campbell, senior vice president and chief information officer at MGM MIRAGE Information Technology, says the Control4 Suite System makes CityCenter ‘the most energy efficient establishment in Las Vegas.’ He says that is important because more consumers are conscious of being green at home and when they travel.”

New Hanover County, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes understands the intricacies of filing for Federal Tax Credits when you opt for updating your home with energy-efficient options. But just in case there is any confusion, USAToday.com posted an article today detailing the information. Below is an excerpt and to read the complete article, click here!  

“Many of the federal tax credits apply only to your primary residence and to existing homes. Not all Energy Star appliances qualify, so you have to do some of your own research. All products have to meet specific criteria. The Environmental Protection Agency’s Energy Star website offers partial lists and answers commonly asked questions.

You can claim 30%, or up to $1,500, for qualified improvements this year and next year in these areas: biomass stoves, windows, doors, HVAC (heating, ventilation, air conditioning) insulation, metal or asphalt roofs and non-solar water heaters. Note: You can only include the installation costs for biomass stoves, HVAC and water heaters.

The biggest tax breaks come if you install geothermal heat pumps, small wind turbines or solar energy systems. You can claim 30% of the costs (including installation), without any cap, through 2016. This credit applies to existing homes, second homes and new construction.”

The Greater Wilmington Business Journal’s Power Breakfast Series event was held yesterday, December 3^rd at the Hilton Riverside in historic downtown Wilmington, NC. The entire team of New Hanover County, NC custom home builder Mark Johnson Custom Homes attended the event, which was covered by News 14 Carolina in last night’s broadcast. Our own Vice-President of Business Development, Kevin Johnson, was interviewed by Julie Fertig regarding the real estate market’s future in the Wilmington, NC area. Below is an excerpt from News 14 Carolina’s coverage; to watch the video and read the complete coverage click here!

“After a rough few years in the real estate market across the state, signs of improvement appear to be on the horizon. A panel of longtime real estate agents in the Wilmington region reflected on the current status of the market and their expectations for the year to come during a Real Estate Reality Check discussion.

Intracoastal Realty President Jim Wallace, who was on the panel of industry experts, said the combination of low prices, low interest rates and more property for buyers to choose from creates a strong market.

‘Also, in addition, there are bank-owned properties now that are priced well below the market,’ said Wallace. ‘So it’s a good opportunity for people to buy a house now.’