Carolina Real Estate with Mary Lynn: What Can You Buy for $200,000 near Wilmington NC? Part 1: Carolina Beach

What's for Sale for $200,000 in Carolina Beach?

Carolina Beach Harbor

I recently saw a blog showing what kind of home you can buy for $200,000 in each of the 50 states. There was one home featured for each state. I thought that was kind of silly since there would be vast differences between what $200,000 might get you in, say, an economically depressed rural area compared to an affluent urban neighborhood in any particular state. Silly... but I still looked at all 50 photos!
It did get me thinking. As a real estate agent operating in the Wilmington NC area, I know there are areas here where you can buy a nice home for $200,000 (although the inventory is tight for homes in that range and under). In some other locations (like Landfall or Wrightsville Beach) you aren't likely to find anything at all at that price. I decided I would do a series of posts examining different neighborhoods in and around Wilmington and show you what you can buy for $200,000 here. I'd love some feedback. Are you pleasantly surprised? or disappointed with what's available at that price?
Since so many people who consider moving to the SE Coast of North Carolina are thinking about the beach lifestyle, I'm starting with the Carolina Beach/Kure Beach/Ft Fisher area -- aka Pleasure Island. This is a vibrant, family-friendly beach community south of Wilmington that combines small, traditional beach cottages, new-construction luxury homes and ocean-front condos. There is a significant population of full-time residents as well as an abundance of vacation rentals. The town of Carolina Beach has a bustling boardwalk, downtown and harbor area, as well as quieter communities a few blocks from the water. Lovely Kure Beach, just south of Carolina Beach, boasts the oldest fishing pier on the Atlantic Coast. This is considered a quieter, more sedate community than Carolina Beach -- but the residents still sure know how to have fun. (Just ask me about the annual neighborhood shaving cream fight!) An added bonus for homeowners is that much of the town of Kure Beach is above the flood zone. A little further south is the Ft Fisher State Recreation Area, where you can enjoy a beautiful undeveloped beach, the Ft Fisher History Museum, or the NC Aquarium. From the southern tip of Ft Fisher, you can take the ferry to the historic town of Southport.
There are lots of great reasons to live or vacation on Pleasure Island. Now, here's a sampling of what you can buy for $200,000. Although occasionally an older, small cottage may become available, most properties at this price point will be condominiums. Click on the links below for all the details. And give me a call if you'd like to see these or other properties for sale on Pleasure Island!

Condo overlooking Otter Creek Yacht Club