Rainbow Tuna

I want to share something with you: The three little sentences that will get you through life. Number 1: Cover for me. Number 2: Oh, good idea, Boss! Number 3: It was like that when I got here. -- Homer Simpson

Ever notice how some of your digital photographs look orange or, maybe have a green tint? The scene you photographed, as you saw it, looked fine, so why did the colors change. Well, there's a setting in your camera called "white balance". While our eyes can adjust for different types of lighting -- outdoors, incandescent light, candle light, etc., cameras need to know what type of light is present in the scene and adjust for it. Most cameras automatically adjust to outdoor light (sun light). When you shoot outdoors, white objects appear white and all the other objects appear as their correct colors.

Indoors, however, incandescent lighting adds an overall orange tint. It has something to do with light wave lengths and physics. My precise understanding of the physics involved is pretty much blah, blah, blah, blah orange. If you find the white balance setting on your camera, you can set it to indoors and the camera will magically make the colors right. (*Caution* Finding the white balance setting may involve reading the owner's manual). Same thing for flourescent lighting, found in most office buildings; things look a little green, like when you've eaten from the cardboard container that's been in the back of the refrigerator waaay too long.

Of course, most point and shoot cameras have an automatic white balance setting, but like all things automatic, those settings are easily fooled. So, let's review. You take the indoor photo, thinking the automatic white balance will tell the camera what all the colors in the scene are supposed to look like. If it works, no sweat. If not, and your girlfriend's mother isn't really green, consider changing the white balance in your camera's settings to flourescent and take the shot again. If she's still green, keep the camera; get a new girlfriend.

The birds are chirping, the flowers blooming and our Wilmington, NC real estate market is humming nicely along. Call or e-mail with any questions about buying in today's market, mortgage interest rates, whether you qualify for the $8,000 tax credit . . . or anything else. I'm always happy to help.

Scoot on!

Taking Your Tuna For Granted

Lisa, Vampires are make-believe, like elves, gremlins and Eskimos. -- Homer Simpson

The current issue of Coastal Living magazine has a feature article titled Coastal Dream Towns. The article starts off by saying that they found the best places to live at the shore (I grew up in New Jersey, so I know the shore means the beach).

Coastal Living's pick for the Southeast? You guessed it -- Wilmington, which the article describes as a cultural gem. The magazine cites the following "allure factors" -- a symphony, theater groups, plenty of live-music clubs, and festivals, celebrating jazz, blues, and film. It says that the downtown Riverwalk is a model of adaptive reuse, with shops and restaurants bringing a faded commercial district back to life. I've been here since 1984 and lived in the Historic District for over 19 years; the "fade" has been gone for quite some time!

Here is another tidbit from the same article. It says that Wilmington will soon be home to the world's third-largest sound-stage. The EUE/Screen Gems facility, under construction, incorporates the largest water tank (for filming underwater scenes) outside of California.

So, the next time that you and the rest of the school of tuna are slowly swimming up Military Cutoff Road, remember, you're living in a cultural gem.

Wanna live at the beach? Sleep with the fishes? (no, wait, that's New Jersey talk). Looking for a great deal in the Wilmington real estate market? E-mail or call me. Our market has really come alive this Spring. Great inventory, great prices and great interest rates -- a real estate hat trick!

Scoot

If you don't know where you're going, you'll wind up somewhere else. -- Yogi Berra

This coming weekend you could wind up in an REALTOR open house because it's the Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Realty Open House Spectacular. As of today (Tuesday), Sea Coast agents plan to host 132 open houses. For the locations and times, click HERE.

This coming Saturday afternoon (1-4) you'll find me at 409 Knollwood Drive in the Cross Creek neighborhood in Hampstead. Sunday (1-4), I'll be in town in Devon Park at 3729 Winston Boulevard. If you have questions about these or any other properties, please contact me.

For the most current and comprehensive source of Wilmington, NC properties for sale, check out SearchWilmingtoAreaHomes.com

Don't forget, if you are a first time home buyer or have not owned a home in the past three years, you are eligible for an $8,000 tax credit courtesy of your Uncle Sam. Even if you don't qualify for this credit because you owned another home, you can still take advantage of the fantastic mortgage interest rates.

For more information about Wilmington, including helpful links to area information go to RussMay.com

And finally, if you're a USAA member, you may be entitled to a cash bonus when you purchase your next home through me. Contact me for details at russ@russmay.com or (910) 619-1501.