A locally founded real estate company recently opened a new office in Hampstead.

At least four agents will work out of BlueCoast Realty Corp.’s satellite location in Suite D, 16150 U.S. 17, broker in charge Pam Chumley said Monday.

BlueCoast Realty Corp., a residential real estate firm that also has an office at 575 Military Cutoff Road, Suite 200, in Wilmington, was founded by Bill Kane in 2007 and currently has about 70 agents.

The new Hampstead office responds to agents’ interest in setting up a location there as well as growth in the Pender County community’s residential real estate market, Kane said.

“There’s a lot of building, new construction going on. It’s just a good place to be right now,” Kane said.

The 1,200-square-foot Hampstead office, which BlueCoast Realty Corp. leased, includes Chumley and her husband, Lester Chumley, who live in Hampstead, along with agents Jennifer Bachand of Hampstead and Donna Smith of Sneads Ferry.

“You’ve got all the major builders that were in Jacksonville coming to Hampstead,” said Lester Chumley, describing the growth evident in the Hampstead area. “I think what happened was Wilmington sales picked up, and the Jacksonville market is going the wrong direction. They’re starting to feel the pain that Wilmington felt a few years ago, so the builders that were in Jacksonville are moving toward Wilmington, and Hampstead’s the perfect area.”

Lester Chumley said he estimates there are at least 150 lots where new homes are ready to rise in Hampstead neighborhoods. Another big draw for buyers, he said, is that property in Pender County falls within the geographic guidelines to qualify for USDA loans.