Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage marked the opening recently of its new office in the rapidly growing Pender County community of Hampstead.

The firm, founded in 1988, has had an office in Hampstead for 12 years, said Tim Milam, president of Coldwell Banker Sea Coast Advantage. But the building at 14889 U.S. 17 is brand new, having replaced three old structures that were previously on the property.

"It's a 12,700-square-foot building and Sea Coast is in about 10,000 feet, and then the rest of the square footage will go to two tenants," Milam said.

One of the two spaces for lease is 1,000 square feet and the other is 1,700 square feet. The contractor was TMC Construction, and Cape Fear Engineering was the architectural and engineering firm. Sam Guidry is the architect and Matt Haley the civil engineer.

"It's an absolutely gorgeous building. We're very happy with the building; the agents are ecstatic about the building. It's a fantastic location," Milam said. "The office is brand new and the design is a nautical beach scene, so it's really cool. . . There's not a lot of newer commercial buildings in Hampstead so that's a plus for us."

A celebration of the new structure was held June 6. The firm has 45 agents in the Hampstead office, and 30 percent of the market share of home sales in the unincorporated community, Milam said.

Sea Coast Advantage is also celebrating its Porters Neck office, which has been open in Unit C at 8209 Market St., since the end of last year, with an event at 10 a.m. Thursday. The Porters Neck space is a drop-in, cafe-style office that allows agents to meet with customers in the Ogden/Porters Neck areas, Milam said.

He said Sea Coast Advantage had a record month in May, with $202 million in closed volume and 794 closings. That includes Onslow County, Milam said.

He said he expects the housing market in the Cape Fear region to remain strong as the summer continues.