With almost one-third of respondents to our Carolinas Lifestyle Survey™
reporting that they are still planning their first visit, now is the
time to make sure they know about our great towns and special
communities, plus destinations and attractions. Take a look.
Prime of Lifers
Take a look at the ages of folks visiting the Carolinas. You’ll be
surprised. Almost 45% are between the ages of 30 and 50. It’s not all
about retirement any more. Read on.
A Perfect Fit
Sure, everyone loves walking paths, shopping and swimming. But if
you’re over 50, history and gardening enter the mix. Under 50?
Camping nearby is important. Discover more.
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Hello!
As we slowly crawl out of this economic condition, I hope all is well with you and your team these wintry days.
Our intent with this B2B eBrief is to grow your Carolina IQ with news that will support marketing & sales goals. Amidst all the economic guessing-game commentary, a few nuggets caught our attention:
1. For the first time, the Carolinas lead the nation among affluent older and younger Boomers as their most preferred destination, as certified by Pulte Del Webb independent research. Read more …
2. US residential construction units in 2010 are projected at 550,000. However, longer term fundamental demand trends show a need for 1.9 million housing units a year. Can we balance supply to demand and maximize marginal profits for long run efficiency?
3. Most experts forecast 2010 domestic tourism demand will improve. This will deliver more prospects for Carolina shelter as these “Turbo-Tourists” discover and build preferences for our destination as a place to visit, invest and live.
4. CarolinaLiving.com “registrations” kicked off 2010 at 50% over January of last year. We're sharing fresh charts (see the column to the left) reporting on the 26-question Carolina Lifestyle Survey™ of 4,000 families that ranked preferences for amenities, age trends and visit frequency.
Your reactions, feedback and
corrections are welcome!
Best Regards,
Jamie Prince,
founder of Flourish Integrated Communications, says her client, IMI,
has announced the grand opening of its newest residential property,
Scotch Hall Preserve, a 900-acre golf and boating community located on
North Carolina’s Inner Banks.
Mountain Air Country Club
in Burnsville, NC has turned over its amenities to its club members,
early and debt free. The amenities include the 18-hole Scott
Pool-designed golf course, award-winning Lost Chimney Golf and Learning
Center, Falling Leaf Member's Lodge, Mountain Market, Golf Pro Shop,
private mountain top runway for small planes, and much, much more.
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December 2009
From NC Dept of Commerce
* Announced closings and layoffs decreased to their lowest levels since the recession started. Also, both were below the 12-month average.
* Data from the NC Association of Realtors shows a decrease in existing home sales of -3.6% when compared to October, but a 50.8% increase when compared to November 2008. New housing units authorized by building permits decreased 13% from October but were up 6.7% from a year ago. To be added to the NC distribution list, contact Chris Harder.
December 2009
From SC Dept of Commerce
* According to the Conference Board’s Help Wanted online data series, SC had 48,000 online job postings in December, the highest count in 2009.
* Building permits increased 4.5% over last month and 35.8% over last year. To receive the monthly Economic Outlook, email them.
US Census Bureau Says
They’re Headed this Way ...
Of the fastest growing states in the US, NC ranks # 7 and SC ranks # 10.
Reader-Friendly Census Data
Mining statistical gems from the US Census Bureau is easier than ever. State by state QuickFacts can be found here.
You’ll discover how the population, income, home ownership, and
business structures are changing – some for the better, others, not so
much. Armed with the facts, your business decisions will be stronger. |
Just A Few Little Words …
(OK, OK, it’s not much good news, but we’ll take it!)
Jan. 27, 2010: (from
CNNMoney.com) -- The Federal Reserve said the US economy continues to
show signs of modest improvement but signaled it will stay the course
and keep interest rates low to help spur a recovery.
As expected, the central bank left its key interest rate, the federal
funds rate, near 0%, the level it has been at since December 2008. That
rate is used as a benchmark for a broad range of business and consumer
loans.
While that may not sound like a ringing endorsement of economic growth,
it was significantly better than what the Fed had been saying in its
statements since last April -- "Economic activity is likely to remain
weak for a time."
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Just Being Neighborly
From The State – Columbia, SC – November 10, 2009
The SC Office of Research and Statistics reports that, from 1990 to 2008, most folks who moved to SC came from Florida (217,644), Georgia (241,053) and NC (393,935). Guess they were close enough to see what they were missing.
Follow the Money
Venture Capitalists are optimistic about investing in the Southeast according to the results of a recently released survey.
Despite the decrease in worldwide venture funding over the past year, survey respondents, consisting of active national venture capital investors, were highly positive about future investing in the Southeast region.
Over 90% of those VCs surveyed anticipate increasing or at least maintaining their current pace of investing in the Southeast over the next 36 months. Read more ...
SEO Tip
From Matt CuttsGoogle Software Engineer
Frustrated by attempts to compose exemplary meta tags to ensure a
favorable ranking by Google? Don't be. According to Matt Cutts,
Google doesn't use the “keywords” meta tag in Web rankings, giving you
one less thing to worry about. Google does, however, consider other
tags, such as the meta “description,” which often appears on a Google
search results page. Spend your time on making sure that's useful
information.
Click here to see the entire comment on YouTube.
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 Lead Generation Marketing Offers:
Reach 500,000 Visitor & Buyer Prospects
in 2010
2010 Recovery Discount Package: Annual multi-media packages for residential products start at $6,090 or $508/month. Check out our sample leads and rates. Space reservation deadline: Friday, Feb. 12th.
Destinations & Attractions Package: Annual multi-media packages begin at $4,300/yr. delivering potent visitor inquiries for about 70¢ each. Space reservation deadline: Friday, Feb. 12th.
Compass eNews Discovery Package: Monthly Two-For-One pricing for a Discovery Directory listing or banner delivers your invitation to 50,000 families for as little as $250/month on a 12X term.
For attractive bonus incentives and a proposal customized to your offering/destination, contact: Debbie Holland or Patrick Mason
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Green Happenings
Green Community Briar Chapel, of Newland Communities in Chapel Hill, NC, won four Silver Awards and one Gold Award in The Nationals competition, presented by the National Sales and Marketing Council of the NAHB. Congratulations!!
Registration is now open!
This year, students and young professionals will compete by designing an affordable LEED for Homes project targeted to elderly occupants in New Orleans. Learn More. (Belated congrats to Team Phoenix, of the USGBC NC Triangle Chapter, that was last year’s National 2nd Place Winner!) |
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Be In-The-Know
Greenprints 2010
March 1-2, 2010
Atlanta, GA
7th Annual Urban Design Conference
March 6, 2010
Raleigh, NC
ULI South Carolina:
Planning for the New Economy
April 29, 2010
Buckwalter Place, Bluffon, SC
USGBC-SC Chapter
Sustain SC 2010 Conference & Expo
May 12-14, 2010
North Charleston, SC
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Great Work!
A WeldenField Vacation Townhome at Hampton Lake took home three awards at the 10th Annual Lighthouse Awards Ceremony that celebrates the Lowcountry's most talented builders.
The Vacation Townhome won awards for "Best Exterior," "Best Overall" and "Best Green Semi-Custom Home." The Townhome was the only green home award recipient that also received awards in other main categories.
"Building green doesn't mean that luxury, quality and specialty features have to be sacrificed," said Gerrit Albert, president of Hampton Lake. "These awards are acknowledgement of our commitment to green building and quality homes throughout our community."
Meet the Team
Meet Patrick Mason, Center for Carolina Living Co-founder and passionate advocate of all things green and sustainable. Recruited to the Carolinas in 1983, he still appreciates the spectacular climate, friendly faces, business environment and outdoor recreation, while recognizing its sometimes quirky persona. Learn more about Pat and consider scheduling his much-applauded In-Migration Research Briefings that bring trends and opportunities to light. Read more.
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The Right Direction
 Lennar Corp. announced that orders for new homes increased for the
first time in three years, citing lower prices and the Federal tax
credit.
PFK Hospitality forecasts that US lodging will post a year-over-year
increase during the first quarter. While the investment landscape is
expected to remain localized, as investors favor their home markets,
new investment vehicles such as IPOs, and mortgage and equity REITS,
will drive acquisitions.
Carolina Mountain Land Conservancy has finalized the purchase of 1,500
acres of the Grey Rock Community near Lake Lure, NC. The tract was
purchased through bankruptcy court.
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Not to be Missed!
Did you miss hearing Daniel Pink at the 2010 SC Governor’s Conference on Tourism and Travel? Buy the book!
 A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future
By Daniel Pink
It’s not for everyone (as several scathing reviews demonstrate), but for the vast majority of folks who took the time to comment, this is a must-read book of astonishing proportions.
We know the world is vastly different from even ten years ago. We know trends are measured in months rather than years, and that our customers have more choices than ever.
You may not agree with all of his assertions, but you will learn more about yourself and the world. Hint: Take the tests explained starting on page 177. Wow!
 Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs.
By Ellen Dunham-Jones
One reviewer called this book "a compelling argument to make suburbs
more livable." The text includes five reasons why retrofitting takes
place, including aging and out of date properties such as malls and
retail strips, transit issues, and the relative ease of acquiring
property from one developer as opposed to dozens of home owners. In
simpler terms, one reader suggests that the formula is to "build a
bunch of stuff where the parking lot is now." That makes sense!
Want to get up close and personal with the author? Plan to attend the ULI lunch meeting on February 22 at Medallion Center in Columbia, SC.
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New Edition Just Published!
Now thoroughly updated, Real Estate Market Analysis, Second Edition, maintains the same focus as the original: providing practical "how to" information on analyzing real estate markets. A great introduction to the tools you will need to evaluate trends and understand the key factors affecting real estate markets. This book explains how to get started, where to get information, and how to apply the basic techniques to a variety of development types.
By Deborah L. Brett, Adrienne Schmitz, et al.
ULI Order #R49
$79.95 ULI Members
$99.95 Non-members
Order online at the ULI Bookstore or call 800.321.5011. |
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