Whitney Blair Custom Home Builder

Farewell to Shells

2011-07-06T06:41:00.001-07:00

For those of you that follow our main blog from time to time, you may notice that I typically only post to this blog for signficant events that affect us from a company perspective, or at times also personally.

This is one of those occasions.

Shelly Mayo has been an integral part of Whitney Blair Custom Homes for the past 7 years, but frankly it seems she's been with us for as long as the company has been in existence. We've never quite had an employee like 'Shells', our term of endearment for her, as Shelly gives her all to our company 24/7....working many late nights, coming in on weekends, all at her discretion...certainly not required by us. She did this because Shelly gives 200% to everything she does and will do whatever is necessary to support Whitney Blair, both from a professional and personal perspective. I can't count the times Shelly has helped us out personally, whether helping us transport the dogs as needed, being a friend and confidant to our daughters, and just basically being there for us and the company however is needed.

But again, that's just Shelly, who has a truly sincere heart for helping others. I've learned a lot from Shelly over the past 7 years, and will work hard to remember her kindness & to pass that on to others.

Transitions are never easy...particularly when an employee becomes a true friend and family member. So for those of you that may not know, Shelly will be moving on to new life adventures outside of Whitney Blair. We wish her much happiness, while she takes time to travel & be with her family, and basically just to enjoy life to the fullest...wherever that make take her.

We'll miss you Shells.

Whitney Blair at the 2011 Southern Living Custom Builder Program Conference

2011-03-17T12:33:00.000-07:00

Another great year at the Southern Living Custom Builder Conference, this year held at The Wild Dunes Resort at Isle of Palms, SC. A nice break to be able to drive to the conference instead of flying the friendly skies!

Jeff supported the registration efforts this year by assisting the SLCBP staff in registering building members, and meeting with builders individually to better assess and address their local concerns. He continues in his 3rd year as a member of the SLCBP Board of Directors, and has been asked to serve as a consultant to the SLCBP.

For the first time, our office manager Shelly Mayo and Construction Manager, Dino Viscosi, attended the conference to see first hand the great relationships Whitney Blair has established with builder members of the Southern Living Custom Builder Program, program vendors & suppliers, as well as the Southern Living staff. A special shout out to Ed and Kim Sadler, and Todd and Kelly Wilson - miss you guys, and hope to see you at the next Board Meeting!

Conference speakers and attendees

Friday evening Trade Show

Oyster Roast!

Tailgating at its finest!!

Belgard, a 2011 preferred sponsor

Rob Crosby and his Nashville cohorts rock on!

An amazing and humbling 2010 at Whitney Blair

2010-12-27T10:37:00.000-08:00

As we wind down 2010 and look forward to 2011, I can't help but look back at this past year and be profoundly grateful for our many good blessings, both personally and professionally. From a business perspective, the company continues to draw amazing clients that put their faith and trust in us to design and build their homes....this is only possible due to our ridiculously dedicated and talented staff who work tireless hours under a particular taskmaster, yes, I am talking about my husband, Jeff - the founder and owner of Whitney Blair since our beginnings in Chapel Hill some 25 years ago. Jeff's continued persistence for excellence in himself and Whitney Blair keeps us all on the right path - well, at least we try.

From a personal perspective it's been a tough year for me with the unexpected loss of my mother. My mother was Whitney Blair's biggest fan, clipping out newspaper articles on the company, talking to her neighbors in SeaTrail about Jeff and the company...well, really it comes down that my mother was Jeff's biggest fan, and Whitney Blair was (and is) just an extension of him. My mother's passing has helped us to remain grounded on what's really important in life: your family, your health, and your faith to see you through those tough times...how you treat others...selflessness opposed to selfishness.

And that's really all that is important when all is said and done.

We welcome 2011 with a renewed outlook and outreach to our Whitney Blair family of staff, homeowners, and current clients.

Whitney Blair Custom Homes Update May 2010

2010-08-05T13:06:00.001-07:00

Earlier this spring we were asked to sit down with Builder Architect Magazine and share our building philosophies with the publisher, Trey Trembley. We took the opportunity to share our building process with Trey and help him appreciate what we think helps differentiate us from other local builders. To this point, we had very kind comments relayed from a few of our homeowners, Scott and Kathy Mathews (Devaun Park), Dick and Judy Calgaro (Ocean Ridge), Tom and Alicia Williamson (Parkside at Mayfaire) and Gary and Sue Landon (Sea Trail). Check out the link below from the April 2010 edition of Builder Architect Magazine for more info and to read the article online...

http://scguc.builderarchitect.com/

Whitney Blair Custom Homes Update August 5, 2010

2010-08-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

Our latest custom home was just completed in June for our clients Dan and Sue Winfield in River Run Plantation, overlooking the Lockwood Folly River. This home is an Allison Ramsey low country design, Energy Star certified, complete with enclosed ground level, front and rear wrap around porches, metal roof, elevator and many custom interior features as noted in the selected photos. To view more photos and an overview of the entire construction process at their home, check out the Winfield blog at http://www.whitneyblairwinfieldriverrun.blogspot.com/

Our newest homeowners, Dan and Sue Winfield

Main Hall

Kitchen

Final walkthru of home in progress

Lisa reviewing the Whitney Blair homeowner manual with Sue

Family room with wrap around porch looking over river

First floor master looking into sunroom over river

2nd floor storage disguised as built-in bookcase

Final exterior walkthru in progress: landscaping inspection

View from rear yard overlooking river

Dino Viscosi, Construction Manager, handing over keys to Sue and Dan

Whitney Blair Custom Homes, an afternoon of thanks: March 5, 2010

2010-03-05T10:16:00.000-08:00

We are so fortunate to have some great clients working with us in various stages of the home building process, ranging from interviewing us as their potential builder, to clients that are under contract and in the midst of the selections process. To our current and prospective clients, we want to say a huge THANK YOU for either selecting or considering Whitney Blair Custom Homes as your builder. We value each and every one of you and would not be the company we are without you, and your faith and trust in us.

We've been very fortunate to work with a long time friend of ours who just happens to be a home designer in Raleigh, which has resulted in the early stages of a great long term project for clients of ours in Landfall, located in Wilmington, NC. There's a major project underway in Southport for a developer friend (dare we say speculative building?!) and several custom projects underway in the southern end of Brunswick County and are grateful for each of our clients in River Run, Ocean Ridge, and our own community of CapeSide.

An afternoon for recognizing our friends, clients, business associates...many thanks to you all.

Whitney Blair Custom Homes Update March 1, 2010

2010-03-01T12:45:00.000-08:00

It's been a whirlwind the last few weeks...but all good activity, which is encouraging for us and the economy! We've just returned from the 2010 Southern Living Custom Builder Program annual conference, held this year in Point Clear, AL. It was a great conference with informative speakers, with our very own Jeff Sanderson in the spotlight as part of the Board of Directors Q&A Panel, taking questions from the general audience on a variety of topics ranging from building technicalities to construction forecasts for various areas of the US. Jeff also co-hosted a breakout session on Builder/Developer Opportunities...a session devoted to out of the box thinking for builders as well as developers looking for new ways to partner together and continue to survive these challenging economic times. Our very own Vicky Serany of Southern Studio spoke on the 2nd day to a packed room eager to hear her thoughts on 2010 interior design themes and managing selections in line with budgets, followed by an equally well-attended breakout session.

It wasn't all work...we were able to spend some time with a few of our favorite builder colleagues, a special shout out to Todd and Kelly Wilson of Wilson Design and Construction in Valdosta, GA and Ed and Kim Sadler of Sadler Construction in VA Beach, VA - can't wait for the upcoming road trip! Eric Sasser of the Newport News/Portsmouth, VA area was named the 2010 Southern Living Builder of the Year...well deserved, Eric! The highlight every year is hearing a few hit tunes from our Nashville songwriter buddies Rob Crosby, James Dean Hicks and Bobby Montana...we've included a few photos of conference highlights, can't wait til next year's meeting!

Brent Warren, Manager Southern Living Builder Program and the Nashville Songwriters in action

Tired but happy conference participants!

Kristen Payne, Director Southern Living Homes Group, Jeff Sanderson, Brent Warren

Vicky Serany of Southern Studio and Jeff Sanderson, Whitney Blair Custom Homes

Jeff Sanderson, Whitney Blair Custom Homes with Eric and Shirley Sasser of Sasser Construction

Our buddies, Todd and Kelly Wilson of Wilson Design and Construction

Our buddies Vicky Serany of Southern Studio with her husband and IT supporter, Dan

Our buddies, Ed and Kim Sadler of Sadler Construction

Devaun Park Mathews Custom Home Completion

2010-01-06T13:30:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

A few parting shots taken just before Christmas as we hand over the keys to our new homeowners, Scott and Kathy Mathews, at their custom home in Devaun Park. Aside from being an Energy Star Certified home with a certified rating of 5 Star Plus (the highest Energy Star rating available), their home has also received a NAHB Green Certification, Silver Level. We've included a couple shots of the Energy Star testing underway which led to our receiving the 5 Star Plus rating. Check out more photos of this home at the blog: http://whitneyblairmathewsdevaunpark.blogspot.com/ .

The finished product

Dino Viscosi, Whitney Blair Construction Manager,
handing over the keys to Kathy Mathews, proud homeowner

Scott and Kathy's first night in their new home, sans furniture!

Custom banquette in the kitchen dining area

Kitchen cabinet design and construction by Creative Cabinetry: thanks Kirk!

Energy Star testing in process

A Homewarming Party in Parkside at Mayfaire

2009-08-18T14:04:00.000-07:00

We are so lucky to have such wonderful clients and homeowners. A few Saturday's ago, our newest Parkside at Mayfaire homeowners threw a home warming/thank you party for everyone who made building their home possible. Thank you again to the Williamson's for hosting a wonderful party, as well as being such great clients.

In other news, Whitney Blair Inc. will be profiled by Wilma Magazine in their September issue. Please pick one up at your local newsstand, or on the web at http://www.wilmaontheweb.com/.

Whitney Blair Inc. would also like to congratulate the Soltis family on their new Whitney Blair Inc. Custom Home. This custom home was built over looking a beautiful creek near the Intracoastal Waterway. Stay tuned for pictures of their home in the next few updates.

We continue to see the real estate market conditions improve. Interest in custom home construction is on the rise. Do not wait until interest rates and construction prices begin to rise to build your dream home. All of the economist agree the worst is behind us for the housing industry.

As always, if we can be of any assistance or if you have any feedback you would like to share, please do not hesitate to contact us. Have a great remainder of the week.

Best regards,

The Whitney Blair Inc. Team

Whitney Blair Inc. is Featured on the Southern Living Magazine Website

2009-07-30T08:42:00.000-07:00

Whitney Blair Inc. is currently being featured on the Southern Living Magazine Custom Builder Program Website. See the link below

The Southern Living Custom Builder Program is a network of some of the finest custom homebuilders in the South. The Southern Living Custom Builder Program reviews the homes each builder member has built for their customers in order to look for craftsmanship, excellence in architecture, and home building that tells a Southern story.

Southern Living has selected these homebuilders because of their commitment to great architecture, and building homes in their communities that families love from generation to generation.

Only the finest custom homebuilders are invited to be a part of this one-of-a-kind program. Each member is reviewed based on their reputation among local building trade and consumers, strength in the marketplace, financial stability, and of course, customer service.

http://www.southernlivingcustombuilder.com/find_a_builder

Housing Market Continues to Improve

2009-07-27T13:25:00.000-07:00

Good Afternoon Everyone. Have you heard the great news today? New Home sales are up for the third straight month... and not just a little bit... 11%, which just happens to be the largest month over month increase in 8 years.

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WASHINGTON AP - ...the figures released Monday were another sign the housing market is finally bouncing back. Earlier this month, the government reported that new home construction rose to the highest level since last fall. And data out last week showed home resales rose almost 4 percent in June, the third straight monthly increase.

"The worst of the housing recession ... is now behind us," said David Resler, chief economist at Nomura Securities. "We're turning the corner toward increased activity in housing."

---

There are some great deals still out there, but they will not last forever, especially with this housing data. We only have two homes remaining with the 3 7/8%zero down special financing offer. Don't miss the opportunity of a lifetime to buy at record low prices.

We want to welcome the Mahoney family to our extended Whitney Blair family of homeowners. The Mahoney's just purchased a beautiful new Whitney Blair home just a few blocks from the ocean. Congratulations and welcome.

If you missed our summer e-newsletter be sure to log onto www.whitneyblair.com and sign up, and don't forget to follow us on twitter and Facebook.

Continue to stay tuned for a launch date of our all new cottage home designs.

Have a great week!!!

The Whitney Blair Inc. Team

Homeowener Spotlight - Tom and Alicia Williamson

2009-07-16T09:48:00.000-07:00

Homeowner Spot Light:

Each quarter in our E-Newsletter and in our Blog we will be featuring a Whitney Blair Inc. Homeowner. This quarter in the "Homeower Spotlight" we are featuring Tom and Alicia Williamson.

On a recommendation from a neighbor in Charlotte, Tom and Alicia Williamson packed the car and headed to Wrightsville Beach for a little get away vacation nine years ago. “It was love at first site,” Tom and Alicia said when they crossed the Cape Fear River and looked down on the town of Wilmington, North Carolina. “It reminds me of my hometown in Southern California - no high rises and a very community-oriented town where people take pride in where they live” Alicia said, when asked what made them fall in love with Wilmington. Moving to Wilmington this past year from Washington DC, and living in cities such as Las Vegas, the San Francisco bay area, and Charlotte has been quite a change of pace. “The environment in Washington was loud, populated, and very stressful,” Tom said. He continued by saying, “since my move to Wilmington, my stress level has been noticeably reduced and the new surroundings have a soothing effect.”

Tom is the Vice President of Marketing for AREVA, a global energy company based in Washington DC that specializes in nuclear power. Alicia spends time focusing on her passion for gardening, a hobby she has enjoyed since living in the Bay Area many years ago. Alicia and Tom also spend time giving back to the community they feel “privileged to live in”. Alicia is actively involved in the New Hanover County Master Gardener Program, and serves on her neighborhood’s Homeowner’s Association Board of Directors. This year they felt very fortunate to give their time to “Hands on Wilmington.” Together, Tom and Alicia both assisted in repainting the ceiling at the New Hanover County Arboretum.

Two other members of the Williamson family are Sunshine and Dusty, two rescue cats from the Rockville Maryland Humane Society. Moving from a small, seven hundred square foot apartment in Washington DC to their new residence with unlimited opportunities for exploration, took a little getting used to. We are happy to announce that Sunshine and Dusty have adjusted just fine.

Of all the things Tom and Alicia appreciate about Wilmington, they love their new home the most. When asked what their favorite room in their new home was, Tom and Alicia both quickly answered with different rooms. Alicia likes their hearth room the best. “It is the most incredible room on the first floor. It allows me to multi-task near the kitchen,” Alicia says. She continued by saying, “the open space really has a calming effect and the fireplace takes the chill out of the winter air.” Tom on the other hand enjoys spending time in the great room/kitchen combo. “I love to sit in the great room watching TV, and enjoy the delicious smells from the kitchen”, Tom says. Alicia thinks it must be “a guy thing”. One area of the house that they do agree has the most “WOW factor” is the two story study to the right of the foyer: “We get many compliments from our friends and neighbors on the craftsmanship in the study,” Alicia said.

We wish to thank Tom and Alicia for agreeing to be our first homeowner included in our homeowner spotlight, and want to welcome them to Wilmington and to the Whitney Blair Inc. family!

Is it really already June...???

2009-06-05T13:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday everyone. We hope this week has been a great one for you, and that you are looking forward to a wonderful weekend. Can you believe we are already to the first weekend in June? The weather has been amazing so far this spring/summer here in southeastern coastal Carolina.

As you know, Whitney Blair Inc. has launched a new Facebook page for Whitney Blair Inc. Custom Homes. Along with the new Whitney Blair Inc. page we have also launched a new Facebook page for our CapeSide Community. You can find these pages by going to Facebook and typing in "Whitney Blair Inc." and/or “CapeSide Development”. We will keep them updated with pictures of our homes as well as information about the company. Whitney Blair Inc. has also begun to Twitter under screen name whitneyblairinc. This weekend we are running special home discounts for our Twitter followers. Be sure to check out www.twitter.com and look us up to see what great deals we are offering.

The market continues to hold its own. We are still receiving a steady flow of people who are interested in building a Whitney Blair Custom Home. It seems to be a mixture of people who truly believe we have found the bottom in housing market and do not want to miss out on the great deals, and people that are concerned about interest rates starting to climb. Interest rates were up 7/10 of a percent over the past 2 weeks. That can translate into a much larger monthly payment, approx $200.00 a month or $72,000.00 over the life of a $400,000.00 mortgage. As we have been saying for months, if you are in the market to buy or build a new home within the next 2 years, do it now, you may never see interest rates and building costs this low again.

Below you will find pictures of the Mathews Family’s beautiful Devaun Park home site. Keeping with Whitney Blair’s tradition of being environmentally friendly, and at the request of the Mathews Family, we were able to position the house on the home site so numerous live oak trees were saved.

The summer addition of the Whitney Blair Inc. Newsletter will be going out in about a month. If you do not receive our electronic Newsletter, please log onto whitneyblair.com and go to the contact page to be put on the mailing list.

Stay tuned for a new Whitney Blair Inc. remodel blog that will be launched in the next two weeks.

Have a great weekend!

Best Regards,

The Whitney Blair Inc. Team
910-579-9994 / derek@whitneyblair.com

The Summer Has Arrived!

2009-05-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

May 22, 2009 Whitney Blair Custom Home Builder Blog update

Happy Holiday Weekend Everyone. The summer officially begins. We hope you had an enjoyable week.

It is official, you can view our latest blog launch at http://greenbywhitneyblair.blogspot.com. We hope this blog will help consumers understand a little more about green & sustainable building. Also if you use Facebook be sure to check out our fan page, Whitney Blair Inc. Custom Home Builder.

We want to welcome the Mathews family from Mathews, NC to the Whitney Blair Inc. extended family. This past week we cleared their lot in Devaun Park, a wonderful Traditional Neighborhood Design community in southeastern, Brunswick County (www.devaunpark.com). We will post pictures and updates as we begin making progress on the Mathews beautifully designed custom home.

Traffic remained strong this week throughout most of the communities we currently build in, Parkside at Mayfaire, Seagrove at Carolina Beach, Anchors Bend, Rutledge, CapeSide, and Landfall. Being that it is a beautiful holiday weekend, traffic should increase for Saturday and Sunday. If you have a few spare moments this weekend, we encourage you to stop by the Parkside at Mayfaire model home or the Seagrove model home and check out the Whitney Blair Inc. preconstruction home offerings and values. Who knows, you may even fall in love with one of our displayed home plans.

The First Federal 3.875% rate 30 year fixed loan, 100% financing, no fees/points, expires in 9 days. We have already generated a lot of interest with this offer and hope to have a contract next week. Just for kicks, I ran the savings this rate will provide someone. On a $599,900 mortgage you will save $349,497 in interest payments over 30 years, based on today’s rates. If you would like more information on this offer, please contact Whitney Blair Inc.

Have a safe and enjoyable holiday weekend. We will catch you next week. As always if we can be of any assistance to you, including answering any questions you may have about Whitney Blair Inc. or the industry in general, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

The Whitney Blair Inc. Team
www.whitneyblair.com
http://greenbywhitneyblair.com
derek@whitneyblair.com
910-579-9994

Industry Upswing

2009-05-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

May 15, 2009 Whitney Blair Custom Home Builder Blog update

Happy Friday Everyone. We hope you had an enjoyable week.

Next week Whitney Blair Inc. will launch our new “Green” blog. This blog is designed to inform our blog followers of the different ways that Whitney Blair Inc. is becoming more environmental friendly, and how you can affordably build a greener more sustainable home. The scheduled launch date of the blog is next Friday, May 22nd.

Believe it or not, the good news continues to come from the housing industry, especially in North Carolina. According to the Charlotte Business Journal, North Carolina foreclosures fell by 14.9% in April from the same period as last year. Currently in North Carolina one in every 1,339 households has received a notice of an impeding foreclosure. The national average is one in every 374 households. This information was provided by RealtyTrac Inc.

In more news, the associated press has reported pending home sales are on the rise, up 3.2% in March. These results not only beat analyst expectations, but were 1.1% higher than last year. "After nearly three years of freefall, housing activity may have found a floor," wrote Paul Dales, U.S. economist with Capital Economics in Toronto.

We continue to see a trend upward as well. If you are in the market to build or purchase a home, don’t miss this opportunity. You will look back a few years from now and kick yourself. Do not forget that typically in real estate, by the time the media and public call a market recovery you have missed the bottom by a good three months or more.

Below you will find a few pictures of a Whitney Blair Custom Home currently being built in Crow Creek. The house is really coming out beautifully.

Have a safe and enjoyable weekend. We will catch you next week. As always if we can be of any assistance to you, including answering any questions you may have about Whitney Blair Inc. or the industry in general, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

The Whitney Blair Inc. Team
www.whitneyblair.com
derek@whitneyblair.com
910-579-9994

New Home Construction Beginning to Pick Up

2009-05-08T13:07:00.000-07:00

May 8, 2009 Whitney Blair Custom Home Builder Blog update

I know it has been almost two weeks since our last update, but that is a good thing. Business has really begun to pick up. Exciting things are happening at Whitney Blair Inc.

If you receive our newsletter then you have already heard about the fantastic financing that First Federal Bank (formally Cape Fear Bank) is offering potential buyers on select Whitney Blair Inc. homes. If you do not receive our newsletter then you need to sign up at http://www.whitneyblair.com/. The special financing offer is a JUMBO or Conforming Loan, 3.875% interest rate fixed for 30 years, 100% financing (Zero Down), no fees/points. If you can find a financing deal better than this one, you better jump on it. Average current rates are 5.25% for a 30 year conforming loan and 6.5% for a 30 year JUMBO loan.

The parade of homes appears to have been a great success for many of the local builders and developers. Over the past two weeks traffic numbers have steadily been rising. Last week local real estate giant Intracoastal Realty had their best contract week in over a year. As well, Whitney Blair Inc. has recently been speaking with numerous potential clients that are finally ready to get started on their custom homes. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that all of this potential work comes to fruition.

Last week Whitney Blair Inc. wrapped up the commercial renovation of the Ice Factory in Carolina Beach. Owners Marshall and Kelly Cooper could not be happier, and if we can say so ourselves, the project turned out spectacularly. The Ice Factory (http://www.theislandicefactory.com/) will be opening for business this weekend, so if you find yourself in Carolina Beach stop in for some Ice Cream. Below you will find pictures of the finished product. If you scan through our past blog postings you will also find progress pictures of the Ice Factory.

Have a safe and enjoyable weekend. We will catch you next week. As always if we can be of any assistance to you, including answering any questions you may have about Whitney Blair Inc. or the industry in general, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

The Whitney Blair Inc. Team
http://www.whitneyblair.com/
derek@whitneyblair.com
910-579-9994

Wilmington Cape Fear Home Builders Assoc. 2009 Parade of Homes

2009-04-27T14:36:00.000-07:00

April 24, 2009 Whitney Blair Custom Home Builder Blog update

WOW… What an end to the week here in Southeastern, North Carolina. The weather is better then anyone could ask for. We were out checking on a few homes this morning and homeowner that moved here from Illinois said… "This is why we moved down here, sunny skies and temperatures in the 80’s, it is only April." Awesome.

Last night the 2009 Parade of Homes kicked off with an great party thrown by Intracoastal Realty, Watermark Mortgage Group, and MarKraft Cabinets in beautiful Parkside at Mayfaire. The party was a complete success. Over three hundred invited guests gathered around the gazebo and pond in the center of Parkside to eat great food from Middle of the Island and listen to live music from Blivet. The weather should be amazing this weekend, so please come out and view all of the beautiful homes on parade.

Whitney Blair Inc. is offering tremendous Parade of Homes incentives. We have slashed prices on both current inventory homes as well as custom build to suite homes. You must act quickly to capture these incentives, as they only run through Sunday May 3rd. For more information on our offerings, please contact us by e-mail info@whitneyblair.com, phone 910-579-9994, or stop into one of our model homes in Parkside at Mayfaire & SeaGrove at Carolina Beach.

Over the next couple weeks Whitney Blair Inc. will begin rolling out our WB Cottage Series, as well as a new Green Building Blog. Please stay tuned for more information about both of these wonderful new additions to Whitney Blair Inc.

As always if we can be of any assistance to you, including answering any questions you may have about Whitney Blair Inc. or the industry in general, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards, and have a Great Weekend

Best regards,

The Whitney Blair Inc. Team
http://www.whitneyblair.com/
derek@whitneyblair.com
910-579-9994

Whitney Blair Inc. Launches New Residential & Commercial Remodel/Home Improvement Division

2009-04-20T09:25:00.000-07:00

April 17, 2009 Whitney Blair Custom Home Builder Blog update

Happy Friday, wow the weeks are flying by. We cannot believe it is almost May! The upbeat news for the economy continues. It appears that the market is going to close up for the sixth week in a row. It is a nice change to hear the media discussing the light at the end of the tunnel instead of complete devastation.

Here at Whitney Blair Inc. we continue to plan for the future. If you received and read our newsletter you will know that we have launched a new Commercial and Residential Remodel/Home Improvement Division. This is geared toward clients who love their current home and its location, but want to do some modernization. What better way to modernize a home then by adding a little custom Whitney Blair flare to it. No job is too large or too small, and we can customize our services to fit your individual needs. We currently have three remodel projects underway, two residential and one commercial. The commercial project is located in Carolina Beach, North Carolina. It is an old retail building that we are renovating into an Ice Cream Parlor. The new Ice Cream Parlor is going to be called, The Island Ice Factory http://www.theislandicefactory.com/. Our crews have been hard at work on it for the past few weeks and it is looking amazing. Be sure to check out the pictures below, and if you are in Carolina Beach be sure to stop in and say hi at The Island Ice Factory.

If you would like to know more about our Remodel/Home Improvement Division please fill out a contact form at http://www.whitneyblair.com/ or call our office at 910-579-9994.

This weekend is Intracoastal Realty’s Open House Extravaganza. Three Whitney Blair Inc. homes will be on the open house tour, our multiple award winning Parkside & Seagrove Model Homes, as well as our Spot Lane home in Seagrove. Why not take a few hours on this beautiful weekend to visit Parkside and Seagrove. On that note, just a reminder the Wilmington Cape Fear Home Builders Association 2009 Parade of Homes is April 25th & 26th as well as May 2nd & 3rd. For more information on the Parade of Homes, please visit the Wilmington Cape Fear HBA on the web at http://www.wilmingtonhomebuilders.com/.

As we mentioned in last weeks blog, we have launched our new quarterly electronic newsletter. If your name is in our database you received it, if for some reason you did not receive the electronic newsletter and would like to, please visit us at http://www.whitneyblair.com/, go to the contact page and fill out your information. Each newsletter will update everyone on the happenings at Whitney Blair Inc., as well as market updates, maintenance tips, and incentives.

As always if we can be of any assistance to you, including answering any questions you may have about Whitney Blair Inc. or the industry in general, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

The Whitney Blair Inc. Team
http://www.whitneyblair.com/
derek@whitneyblair.com
910-579-9994

Exterior Before Picture

Exterior with a few improvements

Interior Before Picture

Interior During

Interior During

Wainscoating Starting

Interior Painting Starting

Interior Painting

Kitchen Area After

Finishing Touches

Stay Tuned For Pictures of the Completed Project

Spring has Sprung In Coastal North Carolina

2009-04-10T07:51:00.000-07:00

April 10, 2009 Whitney Blair Custom Home Builder Blog update

Happy Friday and WELCOME SPRINGTIME! The azaleas and cherry blossoms are out in full force. For those of you who call Southeastern North Carolina Home, or even if you just visit from time to time, I am sure you would agree it doesn’t get any prettier then this! The 62nd Annual North Carolina Azalea Festival went off without a hitch, the weather on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday could not have been better!

The housing market continues to show signs of firming up and starting the recovery process in coastal Carolina. Whitney Blair Inc. has already sold the same number of homes in the first four months of 2009 as we did in all of 2008, and interest in new construction has increased dramatically in the past three to four weeks. Construction prices remain the lowest they have been in recent history. We can say without hesitation, there is no better time to build than now.

We have an exciting addition to our new marketing campaign. Last week, just in time for the Azalea Festival we began advertising at Wilmington International Airport (ILM). I know that does not sound very exciting, but if you know anything about Whitney Blair Inc., you know we take a lot of pride in everything we do, and nothing gets done halfheartedly. Our airport advertising is not your typical wall sign, we actually built a small model home, complete with a front door, window displays, interior & exterior trim, a metal roof and an arbor. It looks amazing if we do say so ourselves. We encourage you to check it out when you travel in and out of Wilmington International Airport, and don’t forget to tell your friends all about it also. It is located between baggage claim belt 1 & 2 in the baggage area. The airport even offers free short term parking for fifteen minutes, if you are in the area and would like to check it out.

Last week we also launched our new quarterly electronic newsletter. If your name is in our database you received it, if for some reason you did not receive the electronic newsletter and would like to, please visit us at www.whitneyblair.com, go to the contact page and fill out your information. Each newsletter will update everyone on the happenings at Whitney Blair Inc., as well as market updates, maintenance tips, and incentives.

As always if we can be of any assistance to you, including answering any questions you may have about Whitney Blair Inc. or the industry in general, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

The Whitney Blair Inc. Team
www.whitneyblair.com
derek@whitneyblair.com
910-579-9994

A Turn in the Wilmington/Brunswick County Real Estate Market Ahead????

2009-04-03T10:55:00.000-07:00

Whitney Blair Inc. Custom Homebuilder Blog Update 4/3/09

Happy Friday to everyone. It is amazing what a few positive days in the stock market will do to people’s attitudes. Over the past few weeks real estate showings have begun to pick up at a consistent rate throughout the Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, and Southport markets. The consensus throughout Coastal Southeastern North Carolina is that we have seen the worst of the housing downturn. Currently there are incredible buying opportunities available on new construction inventory homes. As well, construction costs are the lowest they have been in a decade, if designing and building your dream home with Whitney Blair Inc. is more your speed.

In other great real estate news, Wilmington, NC and Myrtle Beach, SC were named the 14th and 15th (respectively) best housing markets in the country for 2009 by Builder Magazine. This is yet another reason many industry experts say that if you are planning to build or purchase a new home within the next three to five years, now is the time to do it.

If you feel that you have to wait for the value you have lost in your current home to return before you attempt to sell, you could be making a big mistake. The problem with that thought process is that once value returns to your current home it means the market is already in full recovery mode. When this happens, most incentive programs are discontinued by builders. As well, the cost of your dream home will move higher in relation to your current home price, meaning not only will you not save money, but most likely it will cost you more in the long run by waiting.

Another reason to act now is that interest rates are at historic lows. Author Dan Kadlec described in a recent Time magazine article the benefits of buying now instead of waiting. "Consider a typical home that sells for $218,900. You put down 20% and get a 30 year fixed rate mortgage of 5.5%. Monthly principal and interest come to $994.31." wrote Kadlec. Let's say that 12 months from now that same house goes for 10% less or $197,010. But by then the recession is history and the Fed is jacking up rates to stem inflation. If mortgage costs raise just half a point to 6%, your monthly payment would be $994.94 and you'd have saved nothing. Meanwhile, home prices might steady and sellers might become less willing to negotiate. And you have spent a year living someplace you'd rather not be."

One thing is for certain, buying a home for your family to enjoy is one of the best investments someone can make in their lifetime. If you wait until the media tells you the market is recovering and it is now time to buy, then you will have missed the boat.

As a reminder, if you are in town for the 62nd Annual North Carolina Azalea Festival please do not hesitate to contact us if you would like to view any of our model homes. If you would like more information regarding the Azalea Festival, please visit http://www.ncazaleafestival.org/.

Best regards,

The Whitney Blair Inc. Team
www.whitneyblair.com
derek@whitneyblair.com
910-579-9994

March 17, 2009 Whitney Blair Custom Home Builder Blog update

2009-03-17T11:51:00.000-07:00

The Whitney Blair Inc. Team is proud to announce the launch of our newly re-designed website, http://www.whitneyblair.com/. We are aware that clients in today’s market want easy access to pertinent information that will assist them in their homebuilding decisions. We have spent significant time redesigning our website to support our client’s needs and to address our new homebuilding initiatives in response to today’s economic challenges.

To support this, potential clients can utilize the website to learn more about the Whitney Blair Custom Homebuilding Experience, walking visitors through each step of the homebuilding process. As well, clients can view our updated home portfolio of national award winning homes to assist them in discovering new ideas for their Whitney Blair Inc. custom home. Many of our unique interior features are very cost effective, adding immediate value to the home without added cost. You can view pictures of some of our interior detailing below.

The new website also contains a section titled Energy Efficiency and Environmental Awareness, detailing the Whitney Blair Inc. Green Building Experience. Whitney Blair Inc. is a certified “Green Building Professional” from National Association of Home Builders as well as the U.S. Green Building Council, which is affiliated with LEED®. What is LEED® you ask? LEED® stands for The Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Building Rating System™ encourages and accelerates global adoption of sustainable green building and development practices through the creation and implementation of universally understood and accepted tools and performance criteria. Please stay tuned for more information about Whitney Blair Inc.’s Commitment to Green Building, as well as information on how you can build an environmentally & eco friendly affordable custom home with Whitney Blair Inc.

We have also expanded our Accolades section, so potential clients can view past as well as recent comments from our homeowners, spanning a cross section of communities and towns from CapeSide at Sunset Beach to St. James Plantation in Southport to Landfall in Wilmington.

As always if we can be of any assistance to you, including answering any questions you may have about Whitney Blair Inc. or the building industry in general, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Best regards,

The Whitney Blair Inc. Team
http://www.whitneyblair.com/
derek@whitneyblair.com
910-579-9994

Welcome to the Whitney Blair Custom Home Builder Blog

2009-02-05T12:40:00.000-08:00

The Whitney Blair Inc. Team would like to welcome you to the first entry of the Whitney Blair Inc. Custom Home Builder blog. This blog will be dedicated to educating our viewers with detailed information about Whitney Blair Inc., building processes, and the construction industry in general. Building a home can be a stressful adventure, which is why we believe in treating every client as we would our closest friends. Each day, every Whitney Blair Inc. employee strives to ensure that our clients’ home building experience is as relaxed and enjoyable as possible.

If you are a new friend to the company, welcome. Allow us to give you a little background about Whitney Blair Inc. Founded in Chapel Hill, North Carolina in 1986 by Jeff Sanderson, Whitney Blair Inc. is an industry innovator in custom home construction. We specialize in lot specific custom home design and highly detailed exterior and interior trim carpentry. In 2000, recognizing the up and coming growth in the Southeastern North Carolina Coastal areas Whitney Blair Inc. opened an office in Sunset / Ocean Isle Beach, North Carolina quickly followed by another office in Wilmington / Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. We now construct homes from south of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina all the way up the coast to Jacksonville, North Carolina, including the coastal towns of Calabash, Sunset Beach, Ocean Isle Beach, Shallotte, Holden Beach, Southport, St. James, Oak Island, Leland, Wilmington, Wrightsville Beach, Porters Neck, Hampstead, Topsail Island, Surf City, and Sneed’s Ferry. We hope that this blog gives you some insight into what sets Whitney Blair Inc. apart from other building companies that you may have worked with in the past, or are currently working with. We look forward to establishing and building a relationship with you, whether you are looking to build a new home or are just interested in learning more about our company and the construction industry.

If you are an old friend of the company, welcome back. As you know when it comes to building custom homes we always strive to be innovative and on the cutting edge of the industry. This blog is another example of our dedication to pushing the envelope and thinking outside the box in order to provide informational services about trends in our industry. As always thank you for your support, we look forward to continuing to build upon our established relationship for many years to come.

Below you will find our company introduction and profile. If we can be of any assistance to you, or someone you may know, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for taking the time to visit our blog, we look forward to hearing your comments and feedback. Please stay tuned for frequent updates.

Best regards,

The Whitney Blair Inc. Team
http://www.whitneyblair.com/

The True Definition of Home…and redefining “Home” for today’s environmental and economic challenges.

It’s Still in the Details… The Planning… The Process… Color. Lighting. Ambiance. There are many elements necessary to design and build a beautiful space. But homes are created only when all the elements come together…perfectly. Nothing is overlooked in the home building process at Whitney Blair, and it shows in every home we build. That’s the definition of Whitney Blair, The True Definition of Home.

Many attributes that define “Home” to our clients continue to apply today in 2009, but we have an increased awareness of the need to redefine “Home” in collaboration with our clients, with growing economic and environmental concerns for our planet.

While Whitney Blair remains The True Definition of Home, we are constantly challenging ourselves to explore home construction processes and products that are in tune with today’s economic and environmental climate. We are excited by the opportunities presented to construct homes that are even more energy efficient and surpass the Energy Star certification standards while constructing homes in communities that are respectful of the environment.

Who We Are

Founder and President Jeff Sanderson understands the importance of client relationships in the home construction process. This principle is incorporated into each aspect of home construction, from initial space planning to interior design. Named for Jeff’s daughters, the company was founded in 1986. Jeff defined the two guiding principles of Whitney Blair, Inc., based upon his own personal beliefs:

· Treat each client as a valuable partner in the homebuilding process to result in a long-term, trust-based homeowner relationship
· Construct homes utilizing advanced technologies and building methods, resulting in homes that are of the highest quality and that are equally energy and environmentally efficient

Following these principles, Whitney Blair Inc. has been recognized on the local, state, and national levels receiving top awards for the company's contribution to crafting homes of exceptional quality, attention to detail, and innovative home design. To complement this recognition, Southern Living selected Whitney Blair Inc. to become an exclusive member of the Southern Living Custom Builder Program, due to the company’s demonstration of home construction quality, design, company reputation and stability. Southern Living recently honored Whitney Blair Inc. as their Custom Builder of the Year.

It is the company commitment of Whitney Blair, Inc. to be an industry- recognized residential builder as a contributor to the values of quality and innovative homebuilding. Each employee of Whitney Blair Inc. is asked to challenge themselves to remain ahead of the curve in home construction, utilizing new technologies and exploring innovative home features that result in a better environmentally built and overall more cost-effective and energy-efficient home.

It is the personal commitment of each employee at Whitney Blair, Inc. to ensure unsurpassed homeowner satisfaction throughout the homebuilding process, earning the trust and establishing a long-term relationship with each homeowner.