Seth Robbins of Brunswick Forest Realty: Life on the Coast
At Brunswick Forest, the people who help you find your home are as much a part of the community as the neighborhoods themselves. Today, we’re catching up with Seth Robbins. A longtime coastal resident, marathon runner, and full-time real estate professional who happens to call Brunswick Forest home himself.
Meet Seth Robbins
Seth’s coastal story started with a big move. Raised in New York City, he headed south when his parents retired to New Bern, North Carolina. “It was a big change,” he admits, “but I fell in love with the UNC Wilmington campus and decided to attend business school there.” More than three decades later, he’s never looked back.
What kept him here wasn’t just the degree. It was the beaches, the outdoors, and the unhurried rhythm of coastal life. Seth and his wife, Sandy, are the kind of couple who rarely sit still, they run, cycle, and paddleboard, always looking for the next reason to be outside. “Living near the coast has always been a perfect fit for us,” he says. Thirty years in, the Carolina coast still feels like the right call.
A Career Built on Local Knowledge
Real estate wasn’t Seth’s first stop, and that turns out to be one of his greatest strengths. After earning his business degree from UNC Wilmington, he moved to Raleigh and worked in hospitality, including managing a hotel in Cary. Eventually, the coast pulled him back, and he returned to the Wilmington area to work for Airborne Express, covering Brunswick and New Hanover counties.
His path into real estate began at a family-owned property management company, where he helped oversee more than 600 properties and served as broker-in-charge for several years. When the company was sold, moving into residential real estate felt like a natural next step. That deep operational background still shapes how he works today.
“My background allows me to offer clients a broader perspective, especially when working with investment properties, vacation homes, and coastal real estate,” Seth explains. It’s not an abstract claim. Over the years, he’s helped more than 400 property owners buy, sell, or invest in coastal North Carolina serving first-time buyers, seasoned sellers, and investors alike.
That range matters on the coast, where no two transactions look quite the same. A young family relocating for work has very different needs than a couple searching for a low-maintenance vacation home or an investor weighing rental potential. Having sat on the management side of hundreds of properties, Seth understands the numbers and the day-to-day realities behind them. He’s fluent in the questions buyers don’t always know to ask and in the details that make one home a smarter long-term decision than another.
The Brunswick Forest Difference
When it came time to choose their own home, Seth and Sandy applied the same care they now bring to their clients. They wanted an active, convenient lifestyle and a location that split the difference between Wilmington and the Southport area. Brunswick Forest checked every box.
“We run marathons, cycle, play tennis and pickleball, and enjoy paddleboarding,” Seth says, “so the miles of walking and biking trails, pools, fitness centers, and other amenities were a major attraction.” The couple has spent nearly ten years here, and the community still delivers. There are miles of walking and biking trails to explore, a fitness center for training days, resort-style pools for cooling off, and tennis and pickleball courts that stay busy year-round. “The community is also very welcoming,” he adds, “and there is always something happening.”
Life at home has evolved, too. Seth and Sandy are slowly rediscovering the community as their kids step into new chapters. Their son, Kyle, 19, is heading into his second year at Appalachian State University, majoring in kinesiology. Their daughter, Sydney, 22, recently graduated from Campbell University and is entering the job market, a milestone Seth mentions with obvious pride.
For the Robbins family, though, convenience is what makes it all click. Having restaurants, shops, and medical offices minutes from the front door turns everyday errands into easy outings, and the Villages Town Center keeps most of what they need close to home. Downtown Wilmington is less than a ten-minute drive, which means the region’s restaurants, music, and theater scene are always within reach. During the week, you’ll often find Seth and Sandy joining one of the local run clubs that meet at nearby breweries. And they rarely run alone, Skylar, their seven-year-old Siberian Husky, is usually right there in stride. “She’s never far from me,” Seth mentions.
What It’s Like to Work with Seth Robbins at Brunswick Forest Realty
Ask Seth what clients can expect, and the answer is refreshingly straightforward: a higher level of personal service, local knowledge, and experience. Real estate is his full-time career, and he treats the responsibility of representing his clients seriously. “I have lived in this area for more than 30 years,” he says, “and understand that every neighborhood and community is different.”
That perspective has been tested in every kind of market. Seth has worked through strong markets, difficult ones, and just about every situation a transaction can throw at him. He leans on that experience to help clients understand their options, make informed decisions, and move through the process with as little stress as possible, whether they’re purchasing their first home or browsing available properties for their next investment.
There’s also an accountability that comes with living where you work. Because Seth calls Brunswick Forest home, his relationships don’t end at the closing table. “The last thing I want is to run into a buyer or seller in the community who feels I did not take care of them,” he says. For Seth, that’s not a sales line, it’s simply how you treat neighbors. He works hard to build relationships that last long after the paperwork is signed.
Advice for Making the Move
For anyone considering a move to the coast, Seth offers a piece of advice he’s refined over hundreds of transactions: start with the location, not the house. He calls it working from the outside in.
“First, decide what you want to be close to,” he says. “Is it the beach, downtown Wilmington, shopping, medical care, golf, or outdoor activities?” Once that’s clear, the search narrows to communities that offer the right amenities and lifestyle, and for many buyers, that shortlist quickly points toward Brunswick Forest, with everything from nature trails to the Cape Fear National championship golf course inside its gates. Only then does the focus shift to finding the right home.
“A beautiful house will not make someone happy if they do not enjoy the area around it,” Seth cautions. “If we take our time and check those boxes in the right order, we have a much better chance of finding a home and community that will be a great long-term fit.” It’s practical wisdom from someone who followed the same steps to find his own place here.
Ready to Call It Home?
Seth Robbins’ story is a familiar one at Brunswick Forest: someone who came for the coast, stayed for the lifestyle, and now helps others find the same sense of belonging. With three decades of local knowledge, hundreds of successful transactions, and a genuine love for the community he lives in, he’s exactly the kind of guide those looking to relocate to coastal Carolina would appreciate.
Ready to start your own coastal chapter? Reach out to the Brunswick Forest Realty team to connect with an agent like Seth Robbins, or call 888-366-9165 or email info@BrunswickForest.com. Your home on the Carolina coast may be closer than you think.
