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Chowan
home sales
down 27%
Foreclosures are up in area,
nation, but realtors say local
market is still a good one
By Connie Sage
Contributing Writer
Home sales in Edenton and Chowan County
are down 27 percent this year compared to 2006,
and foreclosures are up 51 percent.
Despite the slower sales, it’s “not all doom
and gloom,” said Ann Perry of Perry & Co.
Sotheby’s International Realty. “It’s a normal
cycle.” *
“We’ve never had the craziness” with three
or more bids on the same house like in some
markets nationally, she said. “We were like the
little engine that could, chugging up the hill, so
we didn’t have so far to fall.”
Through the second week of December, 107
single-family homes, townhouses and condo
miniums had closed in Chowan County this
year, compared with 148 for all of 2006, accord
ing to the Albemarle Area Association of Real
tors.
In 2005, there were 165 home sales in the
county, compared to 140 closings in 2004. Not
included in the numbers are for-sale-by-owner
or commercial properties, lots, or homes sold
by builders who do not use a Multiple Listing
Service database.
“It’s still a good market, but not as good as
it has been,” said Stephanie Bateman, execu
tive officer of the Albemarle area real estate as
sociation, which serves Realtors in Northeast
North Carolina.
Homeowners unable to pay their mortgages
accounted for 56 foreclosure filings as of the
second week of December, compared with 37
foreclosures for all of 2006, and 31 for 2005.
It’s hard to say why foreclosures are up, said
Sharon Waff, assistant clerk of Superior Court
for Chowan County. And those statistics don’t
reflect an estimated 20 percent of homeowners
who filed for foreclosure but later worked out
arrangements with their lending institution.
“An increase in the number of local fore
closures appears, however, to be related to the
- economy and not the sub-prime debacle that
has cost lending institutions billions of dollars
nationwide as homeowners with poor credit
default on their mortgages,” Waff added.
♦ ♦ ♦
While there may be fewer prospective buy
ers, those who have been sighing contracts of
ten are purchasing higher-priced homes.
“People who want to move here, and would
love to, can’t because they can’t sell what they
have,” said attorney Max Busby. When some
one in the.Norfolk-Virginia Beach has to move,
for example, they may be forced to lower the
price of their home.
“Many here don’t have to move so they don’t
have to drop their price,” he said. “They’re not
pressured to sell.”
♦ ♦ ♦
The housing market Isn’t dead, said Cindy
Twiddy of Cindy Twiddy Small Realty, it’s ad
justing, just like in any other industry
“Markets go up and markets go down and"you
adjust with it,” she explained. “If you listen to
the media, it’s a terrible time to buy — it’s not;
it’s a buyer’s market.”
See HOUSES, Page A2 >
Earline White/The Chowan Herald
The Pembroke Marina is alight for Christmas. Several captains have taken the holiday spirit to their boats, docked in the creek.
Cat finds home and love
By Earline White
Managing Editor
Lisa Butler will have one more stocking to fill
this Christmas.
Butler, a well-known animal advocate, has
taken in her 16th rescue — a tabby cat named
Tigger.
Tigger was born three months ago to a stray
living at a local business. The mother cat unfor
tunately had been killed and left behind four ba
bies only two days old.
By the time Butler’s friend called her, only
two kittens were still alive.
After a month of feeding
Tigger with a medicine
dropper, then moving on
to a baby bottle, Butler
noticed that her cat looked
Chinese.
she took rigger to Chris cord at the
Chowan Animal Hospital who told But
ler that Tigger had a genetic birth defect
that caused the kitten’s inner eyelid not
to form. It was only the second case like
it Ford said he had seen.
“It’s like having a four-legged child,"
Butler said. “And I don’t want her to go
blind, so I’m going to take her to Chesa
peake Animal Eyecare in January where
they will freeze the hair follicles around
her lids and do what they need to do.”
Tigger jumped on the chair as Butler
prepared her lunch.
Later Tigger found a secret corner in
which to do her business. Afterwards
she looked at Butler lovingly as if to say
she was sorry. She purred. •
“The doctors have said that her con
dition is painful, but looking at her you
couldn’t tell,” Butler said.
Tigger, Lisa Butler's 16th rescue animal,
and newest four-legged child, will have
surgery after Christmas.
“But sometimes when she looks at you,
you can tell what she’s looking at is dis
torted. She’ll linger, move her head just
a little bit and go on her way.”
Even though Butler will be facing a
nearly $1,000 doctor’s bill in January,
she does not regret taking Tigger in.
“There just aren’t enough homes. I
have two hunting dogs that I rescued.
When I found them they were 20 pounds.
In one week they had put on nearly that.
It’s the same with Tigger — you bring
them back from near death, you take
them to the shelter and HOPE they get a
good home? No, I can give them one.”
6 “8 9 0 7 6"4 4 813
02006 The Chowan Herald
All Rights Reserved
INDEX
A Local
Land Transfers..
Opinion.
Aces wrestling.....
Nascar.
.A6
.A7
.A8
r
B Community News
Upcoming Events.B2
School...B4
Society...B5
Obituaries .,....B6
Church.B7, 8
C Classifieds
Classifieds...,.C1
Employment.C3
D..Santa Letters
New chamber
president named
Promises to work to help
fledgling businesses survive
By Rebecca Bunch
Staff Writer
Linda Ashley is a woman
with a mission.
Next month, she will be
come the new president
of the Edenton-Chowan
Chamber of Commerce.
Ashley, the general, man
ager at Ashley Welding,
says a big priority during
her time in office will be
figuring out ways to help Ashley
new businesses have a bet
ter chance for survival.
Collaboration between the town, county,
the chamber and other organizations such
as Destination Downtown and the Down
town Business Association will be crucial
to keeping the business community strong
and the downtown area viable, she says.
“The chamber has always been, and will
continue to be, pro-business,” Ashley said.
“We want to work closely with others to
help pursue ideas to promote local shop
ping.”
She said that she favors innovative ideas
such as partnering with the Small Busi
ness Center at COA to help those inter
ested in starting businesses develop solid
strategies that will boost their chances for
success.
Ashley said another strategy she thinks
has merit is to develop a mentoring effort
‘between existing and new business own
ers.
“Experience is always a great teacher,”
said Ashley, who years ago owned her own
downtown business.
“I think there is a lot we can all learn
from each other.”