First Health Moore County Regional Ranked Among Top in North Carolina

US News and World Report ranked our local hospital, Moore County Regional among the best!

Moore County Regional has 6 high performing specialties.  These specialties include Diabetes & Endocrinology, Gastroenterology & GI Surgery, Geriatrics, Neurology & Neurosurgery, Pulmonology and Urology.

The hospital has 379 beds and had 20,878 admissions in the last year.  Performing 4,414 outpatient surgeries and 5,465 inpatient along with 65,530 visits to the emergency room.  The hospital has an 82% approval rating which is above both the state and national averages of 71%. 

You can view the US News and World Report article here.

The hospital is located at 155 Memorial Drive in Pinehurst.

Looking for a Healthy Lunch in Southern Pines?

Life is busy and eating healthy while on the run is tough.  Look no further for a great spot to eat right.  Nana’s Deli located at 215 West Pennsylvania Avenue in Downtown Southern Pines is the place.  All of Nana’s sandwiches, wraps and salads are made with high quality, all natural, uncured deli meats that contain no nitrates, additives or preservatives.  They also have many vegetarian and gluten free options as well.  Don't worry, Nana makes some really great cookies too.

Nana’s Deli is also a company that likes to give back.  To see everything they are involved in or what is fresh out of the oven be sure to like their Facebook page.   

Open Monday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. their convenient location makes it easy to stop and eat inside or out, and if it's more convenient, order to go.  If you are too busy to get to Nana's Deli they have delivery too!  Just give them a call at 910-684-8138.  It's too hard to give you our recommendation because we have several favorites, but you can check out the entire menu right here.

Bon Appetit!

Can I Afford to Buy a Home? Check Out This Simple Guide

Taking that first step to home ownership can be stressful.  Eliminate that stress with this simple guide

Step 1:  Get Pre-Approved

The only way to truly know how much home you can afford is to ask a lender.  Getting pre-approved lets you know how much you can afford before shopping for your home.

What to Know and Where to Find It

• Income:  Stable income assures a lender you can make your monthly mortgage payment.  
• Debt:  Add up auto payments, credit card payments, student loans, alimony, child support, and other.
• Cash:  Total assets, amount in checking and savings accounts, and other investments.

Step 2:  Determine Monthly Mortgage Payment Including Escrow

Escrow is a third party account used to retain funds including the property owner's real estate taxes and hazard insurance premiums.

Step 3:  Understand Bills Associated with Home Ownership

Estimate that it will cost about one percent of the purchase price per year to maintain your home.  For a $200,000 home, you should budget approximately $2,000 per year or approximately $170 per month for maintenance.  Condominiums and co-ops will have regular maintenance fees.  You will also have utilities, gas, electric, water, sewage, cable, telephone, insurance, property tax, etc.

Step 4:  Compare the Total Costs to Your Monthly Salary

Subtract the total in Step 3 from your monthly gross income.

Step 5:  Test Those Numbers for Six Months

• Set up a new bank account
• Subtract your current monthly rent from your Step 2 total.
• Deposit the difference in these numbers into the new bank account on the first day of each month.
• After six months, determine how simple or straining the process turned out to be.

Step 6:  Establish Future Priorities and Plan for the Unexpected

• What are your needs for your new home - furniture, lawn equipment, barbecue grill?
• Is a new car in your near future
• Do you plan to have children
• How long can you survive if you lost your job?

This guide has been provided by Movement Mortgage and Jason Brooks. When you are ready to purchase be sure to contact Jason at 910-920-SAVE (7283) to finance your home.  Towering Pines Real Estate will be happy to help you search for the perfect home!  Call Allan at 910-528-1181 or Terry at 910-528-2078.

North Carolina Peaches

Don’t you love that fresh picked peach that has juice just dripping to your elbow?!  Moore County grows some of the best peaches.  My favorite is Auman Orchards and you will find them just minutes from Pinehurst.  

They are located at 3140 Highway 73 in West End.  Simply pull down their driveway right by the house and pull into the pole barn.  Family is there to wait on you, explain the different peaches and make sure you get the best!  They even stack the bags with ripest at the top to ones that might wait a day or two below.

I don’t think there is anything better than the perfect peach on a beautiful summer day.  It seems my best peach is always the first out of the bag and I eat it the minute I’m in the car at Auman Orchards.  If you are lucky enough to get them all home they also make great jam!

Give them a try and be sure to bring some napkins!

Gardening in Moore County, North Carolina

If you have been lucky enough to visit the Downtown Historic District of Southern Pines you have seen the beautiful work of the Moore County Master Gardeners. 

 This group is part of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension and they do so much more than make our streets beautiful.  Check out their Facebook and Google Pages to read the plethora of information they share that goes far beyond just gardening. 

Would you like to be able to create a beautiful and healthy garden?  Would you like to become a master gardener?  They have a new class beginning September 23^rd that ends on November 18^th.  You can find the application by visiting their Facebook or Google page or give them a call at 910-947-3188.  Happy Planting!

Low Cost Spay and Neuter in Moore County

In 2013, Moore County announced a new initiative to reduce and eventually eliminate the need for euthanasia in the Moore County Animal Shelter.

In 2013, the county shelter took in 3200 animals and sadly 2199 of these dogs and cats were euthanized.  Moore County has created FIX’Moore, a fund to help provide low cost spay and neuter.   FIX’Moore has already made an impact and has seen lower intake numbers at the shelter. 

You can help today with the continued success of this program by making a donation to the FIX'Moore Fund.  For information on how to make a donation please visit their site at www.animalcentermoorecounty.com/donate 

If your home isn't ready for a pet and you would rather volunteer at the shelter they would appreciate your help.

And always remember if you are looking for that special new family member to visit the animal shelter to adopt your pet.  They are easy to find at 5235 US Hwy 15/501 in Carthage.