Did you know Kathy Lee owns a home in Rehoboth? She has always frequented the area, especially since she grew up here. Her co-host, Hoda, also has a family summer home here.

Recently the two women visited and brought along their show! Check out the video here. Pretty cool having mini-celebrities here, huh?!

-Lee Ann

We're hosting an open house in The Peninsula. An award winning, high-end community in Millsboro, Delaware.

This event will be held August 6, 2011 from 12-3pm with a meet and greet from 3-4pm. A flyer with details of the event may be viewed here.

Hope to see you there!

-Lee Ann

WOW! The NRDC (Natural Resources Defense Council) has rated Rehoboth and Dewey Beach as two of the top cleanest beach water sites in the country! This is an amazing honor, especially wonderful since only four beaches nationwide earned the honor.

Consideration for the award is based on five factors: water quality in 2010; water quality overall for the past 3 years; frequency of testing; issuing advisories and posting closings (if needed).

The locals take a great deal of care to keep the beaches safe, clean and fun. In fact, Prudential Gallo holds an annual beach-cleanup day, where this past May I rolled up my sleeves, along with members of The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group, to do our part. It's a rewarding experience.

And the news gets better! For 3 consecutive years, we’ve had the cleanest beach water in the US. The EPA reports on beaches nationwide. Find out all about your beach here. The Natural Resources Defense Council’s website provides a quick look at Americas most popular beaches and their five-factor ratings.  The ‘Best and Worst Beach Water Quality’ article can be found here.

So, as we (quickly) approach the 4^th of July, I wish your family nothing but fun in the sun on Lewes and Rehoboth Beach.

All the best,

Lee Ann

** Happy 4th of July! **

Well, the Fourth of July is nearly upon us. Can you believe how fast its come? Seems just like yesterday we were all wishing the snow would stop! There are some great activities coming up for you and the family this 4th.

July 2: Sidewalk Art and Artisan show at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, starting at 9am.

July 4: Old-fashioned 4th of July Children's activities on Second Street, starting at 9am.

July 4: Lewes Boat Parade on the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal, starts at 2pm.

July 4: Lewes Doo-Dah parade in the late afternoon. (route: Kings Hwy to Second St, to Market St and up Savannah)

July 4: Rehoboth Beach Fireworks. Sit beach-side and enjoy the great show! Fireworks will be launched approximately 9:15 and last for 45 mins. Afterward, a concert by the US Navy Country Current band will be held at the bandstand.

Stay safe, wear sunscreen and have a wonderful 4th of July!

-Lee Ann

(Note: Fireworks are illegal in the State of DE and officers will be out enforcing the law. Please leave the fireworks to the professionals and don't risk fines, arrest or injury.)

The Sussex County Delaware demographics are here! The county just released the June stats and they are pretty interesting: Did you know that in 2010, 42% of home owners in Sussex County own their home outright (no mortgage). Kudos to them!

Additionally, the sales volume of homes in the county has risen in the past year. The report points toward stabilization in Sussex. Check out the full Sussex County Demographics report.

Best,

Lee Ann

I recently attended the Prudential Real Estate Convention in San Diego, CA, March 6-8, 2011 to catch up on industry news and to receive the award for being a top performer in the Southeastern region for Prudential.

Guest speakers at the convention were Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy, the parents who inspired The Blind Side movie. They told their story, welcomed others’ and shared their hopes of having every Prudential agent make an impact within their community.

Their speech happily reminded me of the success and accolade that go along with being a Prudential Gallo REALTORS® agent. Prudential Gallo takes great pride in its community roots. In fact, they launched a new marketing program, Community minded, Customer Focused, which emphasizes the importance of family, life in Sussex County and having a place to call home…Something I embrace whole-heartedly when it comes to Lewes.

Overall, I left the convention with a renewed sense of purpose and am looking forward to (an already) productive 2011!

Check out the great photo of Carrie Gentile and I with Sean and Leigh Anne

This Old House recently did an article on Milton, Delaware. This quaint, quiet little town is the perfect place to call home...or just get a great ice cream cone!

April 28 from 1:45p-2:45p in historic Old New Castle

Renowned film maker Ken Burns will be coming to Delaware to receive the Delaware History Makers Award from the Delaware Historical Society on April 28. Mr. Burns will be arriving in Delaware that morning and has agreed to participate in a press event to highlight the need for Delaware to have a national park.  As you know, the Delaware Congressional Delegation introduced historic legislation to authorize the creation of a national park in Delaware – the First State National Historical Park Act of 2011 in February.  

Senator Thomas Carper’s office plans to host a short, 30 minute press conference at the New Castle Courthouse (which is the proposed headquarters for the First State National Historic Park) from 1:45-2:15p followed by a 30 minute tour.   Folks from the Park Service, local stakeholders, etc will all be invited to attend the event and go on the tour as well. 

The Senator’s office hopes that you will be able to join them at this historic event!

Don't make plans for Sat, April 23, 2011!

We will be holding 6 open houses' in Lewes, DE from 12-3pm that day. Bring your friends, bring your family....

4 Delmar Avenue

412 Mulberry

320 Pilottown Road

114 Coleman Avenue

431 Kings Highway

4 Dunes Terrace

Need directions or more information? Call anytime (302) 645-6664

30-year fixed Home Loan Rates are now at 5%. Below is a great article from Realtor.com with the highlights:

The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage inched above 5 percent this week, rising to its highest level since the last week in April 2010, and continuing its steady climb upward the last few weeks.

The 30-year rate averaged 5.05 percent this week, up from 4.81 percent the week prior, according to Freddie Mac’s weekly mortgage market survey. Last year at this time, 30-year rates averaged 4.97 percent.

Here’s how other rates fared for the week:

▪ 15-year fixed rates: averaging 4.29 percent this week, up from 4.08 percent last week.
▪ 5-year, adjustable-rate mortgage: averaging 3.92 percent this week, up slightly from 3.69 last week.
▪ 1-year, adjustable-rate mortgage: averaging 3.35 percent, up from 3.26 percent last week.

"Long-term bond yields jumped on positive economic data reports, which placed upward pressure on mortgage rates this week,” says Frank Nothaft, Freddie Mac’s chief economist.

Meanwhile, earlier this week, the Mortgage Bankers Association announced a drop in the number of people applying for a mortgage as rates continued to rise.

MBA’s overall mortgage application index dropped 5.5 percent from last week. The refinance index fell 7.7 purchase from last week, and refis made up two-thirds of the mortgage activity last week--the lowest share since May 2010.

Source: “30-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgage Rates Rise to 5.05 Percent, Highest Level Since April 2010,” Freddie Mac (Feb. 10, 2011) and “Fewer People Applied for a Mortgage Last Week as Rates Increased on Better Economic Data,” Associated Press (Feb. 9, 2011)"

What do you think about the rate increase?

This sweet little home in Millsboro, Delaware has just been reduced to $169,900 - a pretty hot deal if you ask me. Its easy to show if you want to take a peek. Just give me a call - The Lee Ann Wilkinson Group is open 7 days a week.(302) 645-6664

Oh, and be sure to check out more photos here

As yet another way to bring real estate buyers and sellers together, the Lee Ann Wilkinson Group of Prudential Gallo Realtors has incorporated Microsoft’s Tag in its advertising, among other places, that will direct users to various related websites.

This tag is a type of two-dimensional bar code that, when used with a mobile application, allows the user to review websites, receive messages, get access to special deals and more from the advertiser. The particular tag in the weekly Cape Gazette ad sends participates to the group’s real estate search page at lewesrealestate.com.

“It’s fascinating that it’s possible to go from medium to medium via mobile phone,” said Wilkinson. “This tag will connect newspaper readers to our website. Its cutting-edge technology that I think will benefit both buyers and sellers.”

Currently, very few real estate companies in the country have implemented this technology, and this is the first in the area.

Get the tag reader by visiting http://gettag.mobi on your mobile phone. Then test it with the tag below.

For more information about that tag application or general information, call (302) 645-6664. The office is located at 16698 Kings Highway, Suite A, Lewes, DE 19958.