904 Plantation Dr. in River Bend

Howl’oween Pet Parade in New Bern

New Bern is kicking off Halloween Season in a grand style!

This years first annual Pet parade is being organized by Colonial Society!

Great event, great cause please come out and support it!

Saturday, October 25th11:00AM – 2:00PMLawson Creek Park
(REGISTRATION BEGINS AT 10:30AM)


· Howl’oween pet parade
· Prizes and gift certificates
· Costume contests and games
· Snacks and drinks
· Meet adoptable pets
· Tricks for treats
· And more!!!!




For more information please visit http://www.colonialcapital.org/ or call 633-0146

Charming bungalow completely restored and ready for you to move in!

Five Tips for a Green Home

Five Tips for a Green Home

Eco-friendly. Carbon footprint. Global warming. Energy-efficient. These catch phrases have become part of our lexicon as we’ve become more aware of our impact on the environment and our role in protecting it. As a homeowner, there are some simple, inexpensive steps you can take to make your home energy-efficient. Get started on the road to being “green” with these five tips:

Change Your Light Bulbs
By replacing just five incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent (CFL) bulbs, you can save $100 per year on electric bills while using up to 75 percent less energy and removing greenhouse gases from the environment.

Buy ENERGY STAR® Appliances
ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances, such as refrigerators, washers and air conditioners, meet a higher level of energy efficiency set by the Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy than standard models. According to ENERGY STAR, if just one in 10 homes used ENERGY STAR-qualified appliances, the impact could be compared to planting 1.7 million new acres of trees. And, switching to these appliances is not only good for the environment, but easy on your pocketbook. Although these appliances may costs more, you can reduce your energy bill by $80 per year.

Seal Up
Cracks and air leaks represent cash seeping from your doors and windows. Get rid of air leaks in doors, windows and other areas by caulking gaps and cracks. This will help decrease your heating and air conditioning bill. But make sure you use silicone sealants. Acrylic caulk tends to shrink, while silicone sealants are waterproof and won’t shrink or crack, creating less waste.

Use Less Water
Did you know that roughly 60 percent of a home's water consumption takes place in the bathroom, according to the California Urban Water Conservation Council? The largest culprit is the toilet, which accounts for 27 percent of your household supply every year. By installing low-flow toilets, showerheads and faucets, you can save thousands of gallons of water each year. In addition, replace leaky fixtures. That slow-dripping faucet can waste as much as 2,400 gallons of water per year.

Adjust the Thermostat
When adjusting your home’s thermostat, the rule of thumb should be: turn up the dial in the summer and down in the winter. Lowering the temperature by just one degree will reduce your electrical costs. And if you use a programmable thermostat, you can program your air-conditioning and heating systems to reduce output while no one is at home or at night while you sleep. Ceiling fans are also helpful in circulating the air to keep the room cool in the summer and warm in the winter.

Going green doesn’t have to be overwhelming or costly. By making just a few small changes within your home, you can help decrease energy consumption and help make the world a “greener” place.

Your North Carolina Broker
Sonja Babic
252-617-0861
www.SonjaBabic.com

Use your IRA to invest in Real Estate

Use your IRA to invest in Real Estate

Many people are still unaware that it is now legal to invest funds from you retirement accounts. And that there can be significant tax advantages to doing so. Property transaction has to be handled though custodian, offer is written in the name of IRA account and IRA pays all of the taxes and fees. After you sell property and hopefully you do so for the profit, original investment plus the profit rolls back in to your IRA TAX FREE!
Stock market is experiencing not so great performance on many stocks and funds right now as real estate market is adjusting after the 2005 peak and that me great opportunity for you. Please talk to your financial advisor to make sure witch scenario will be the best for your particular situation and for your account before you contact licensed broker to assist you find a property that will assure you best return rate.

Your North Carolina Broker

Sonja Babic

252-617-0861

http://www.sonjababic.com/

Sonja Babic with Prudential Clear Water Realty is you New Bern and North Carolina Real Estate Broker! Looking for waterfront, historic or golf? We have it all! Conveniently located and with so much to offer New Bern is a great place to work, play and retire!

A Brief Look at Craven County Schools

Craven County 2008/2009 school year is starting on 25th of August this year and here is just a brief look at our school system.
Craven County School District consists of 22 schools. 14 elementary 5 middle and 3 high schools that are attend by aprox. 15,000 students today. With 1,900 employees craven County Schools is the second larges employer in the county. Over the past 10 years average reading and math scores have increased for more then 20% and proficiency goals for reading math and writing are 80%. Middle school drop out rate is 0% and high school drop out rate is less then 4%.
School safety is a shared responsibility of the parents, educators, community as well as students and it is ensured with everyone's participation and open dialogue.
Use link below to visit Craven County Board of Education web site and from there you can visit every individual school web site.
www.craven.k12.nc.us Craven County Schools

Your North Carolina Broker

Sonja Babic

252-617-0861

http://www.sonjababic.com/

Boating safety, inspections in New Bern NC

Here in New Bern North Carolina with all of the beautiful water ways you have to get in to boating, sooner or late. Safety's a big thing in boating and a good inspection simply makes your chances of having a problem a lot less.
Members of a New Bern group hope they can reduce the number of accidents in area waters by providing free boat inspections Aug. 16 and 17.
The Cape Lookout Sail and Power Squadron, a part of the U.S. Power Squadron that formed out of the Boston Yacht Club in 1914 to help stranded vessels off the New England coast, offers courses in public boating, sailing, engine maintenance, navigation, marine electronics, seamanship, safety and other subjects. The organization has about 13 certified inspectors who will check boats at the Lawson Creek Park boat ramp.
The squadron will inspect boats at the Lawson Creek Park boat launch from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 16 and 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Aug. 17. Call 637-1941 for more information about the inspections.
"All of these fellows have been longtime boaters," he said. "They know what to look for."
We are looking forward to a good turn out as this will improve all of ours safety.
Wishing you calm sees!

Your North Carolina Broker

Sonja Babic

252-617-0861

www.SonjaBabic.com

Welcome to your own “Bird Sanctuary”

PRUDENTIAL VALUE RANGE MARKETING – This home is marketed in the price range $244,900- $284,876 Sellers will entertain offers in the price range.

You will not believe the peace and tranquility you will feel once on this property. As soon as you turn off the street on the scenic driveway covered with crushed shells (marl) you will know you are coming home. 1.9 acre surrounded with woods of immaculately landscaped yard, freshly manicured lawn and mature and established landscaping. 1850 sq. ft. home that has three bedrooms two full baths, high ceilings in the living room as well as this home’s main room, sunroom. Great room / sunroom have oversize windows overlooking back yard and beautiful Italian Marble tile floors. Plenty of light and peaceful setting makes this just a perfect room where you will be spending most of your time. Open floor plan, specious bedrooms and plenty of storage space make this a very inviting home. Oversized two car garage has built in oversized cabinets, workshop and ½ baths. House is on private well (no water bill for you this month) and water tap has been paid. This home has been so well maintained over the years and it is currently under contract with Terminix, seller has already had home inspected by professional home inspector and if that isn’t enough there are offering one year home owner warranty for the buyers.

Home has maintenance free composite siding no painting required. Build in food processor in the kitchen! Water softener Irrigation System, private well …

Your North Carolina Broker Sonja Babic 252-617-0861 www.SonjaBabic.com

Golf Course Lot in an active boating and golfing community

BEST PRICED GOLF COURSE PROPERTY IN FAIRFIELD HARBOUR



Your North Carolina Broker
Sonja Babic
252-617-0861
www.SonjaBabic.com

North Carolina Symbols Part VIII

State Nickname, The Tar Heel State - Historians have recorded that the principal products during the early history of North Carolina were tar, pitch, and turpentine that were produced in the pine woods of the state. There are several stories as to how North Carolinians came to be called Tar Heels. The best known emerged during the Civil War. Troops from North Carolina, during a fierce battle in Virginia, stuck to their posts, successfully fighting it out alone. It was said that President Jefferson Davis wanted to buy all the tar in North Carolina to make Virginians stick fast, too. General Robert E. Lee, upon hearing of the incident, said “God bless the Tar Heel boys”, and from that they took the name. Over the years, the name has become widely accepted, with the correct spelling consisting of two words, Tar Heels.

Your North Carolina Broker

Sonja Babic

252-617-0861

www.SonjaBabic.com