Rudy & Etta Nicolucci were two of the first residence to live in the Compass Pointe community in Leland. Having lived in Brunswick County for close to a decade, they were also some of the first pioneers to Leland's newer developments and growth explosion.
The Nicoluccis are originally from New York, where Rudy worked for 25 years as an engineer for the NY Port Authority on the 78th floor of the World Trade Center. Etta performed auto underwriting and bookkeeping for an insurance agency for 17 years. After Rudy retired in 1991, the couple got married and they have been on the move ever since.
"Rudy begged me to retire too because he really wanted us to move to Florida," says Etta. "Rudy tells everyone they should retire...he loves it!"
Within a few months, Rudy convinced his wife to retire and he finally got his wish of moving to the Sunshine State. They were avid golfers, playing between three to five days a week.
"Everything we did - socials, outings, everything - revolved around golf," says Etta.
After nearly 12 years (and four moves in the state), Florida's heat and the long distance from their children and grandkids, who were still back in New York, began to take its toll. Moving a tad further north became more and more appealing. This time it was Etta's turn to persuade Rudy into moving.
"We had friends who lived in Wilmington, and every time we visited, I just liked it more and more," says Etta.
It took Etta six months to sway Rudy, but she finally got through to him. The couple started looking at new developments in the area with each visit, and in 2000 they became interested in the brand-new community called Magnolia Greens.
"Not much had been developed in this part of Leland at the time, so we decided to wait a bit. We came back a year later and things started to boom," Etta recalls.
That is when they decided to build in Magnolia Greens and they happily settled there.
"We especially liked being about halfway between Florida and New York, which makes us official half-backs," says Rudy.
However, Rudy and Etta, both in their seventies, were interested in downsizing. Even though Etta is a master gardener, their large yard and home started to become too much for them to maintain the way they would like.
“What used to be a pleasure became a chore, so we wanted a yard that we could just putter around in,” says Etta.
The couple first heard about Compass Pointe during the budding neighborhood’s 2009 Swing into Spring “Hole-In-One” Challenge that was held on the community’s golf course.
“My neighbor, Ellie, and I went to just take a look, but as soon as we drove through the gated drive past the palm trees and over the wooden bridge, I said to my friend, ‘I want to live here!’” says Etta.
The two friends enjoyed the grand opening event and even took a shot at the Hole-In-One Challenge, but luck wasn’t on their side.
“I went up to putt, and the ball went nowhere,” laughs Etta. “My friend did much better than me. Her golf ball went way down the green and she had never played golf in here life!”
Even though they didn’t win the contest that could have landed them a free home site, it didn’t take long for the Nicoluccis to put up their house sale and decide to move again.
The Nicoluccis feel in love with the lush landscaping and country look of the resort-style Compass Pointe community.
Although Etta has since hung up her golf clubs, Rudy still likes to give it a go about once a week. Compass Pointe’s gold course is just one of the many amenities that added to the charm that so easily drew them in. Currently under construction is one of the two proposed amenity centers, which include indoor and outdoor pools, tennis courts, a fitness center, an outdoor amphitheater, a private lake beach, a canoe and kayak launch, a grand lanai, and village shops with cafes and gathering spaces. Also, with the neighborhood committed to preserving the environment and achieving the status as an Audubon International Gold Signature Community, nature trails for walking and biking will be plentiful across the development’s 2,200 acres.
Once the Nicoluccis selected their home site, they chose a home plan. They chose D Logan, owner and president of Logan Homes and one of the three builders in Compass Pointe as their builder.
“D Logan built our first home in Magnolia greens and we chose a scaled-down version of what we had there,” says Rudy. “We also chose a lot that was much smaller (125 x 80 feet), and maintenance service on the lawn in included.”
Rudy and Etta chose the Pelican brick model, which is a three-bedroom, 1,894-heated-square-foot patio home with a split floor plan in one of Compass Pointe’s neighborhood sections call The Reserve.
The Nicoluccis were impressed with the many features that came standard in the house. Stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, hardwood floors in the living areas, tile in the bathrooms and laundry, 42-inch cabinets in the kitchen, and wainscoting in the dining room were all included.
Rudy & Etta opted to add built-in bookcases in the great room, French doors in the third bedroom that they made into a study, lights under the cabinets in the kitchen, cabinetry in the laundry and wiring for a music sound system. Since they wanted to go smaller, they chose not to add the bonus room. They were able to select two paint colors for the interior and either bronze or brushed nickel for the lighting package.
The Nicoluccis like the fact that the home boasts ample closet space to include a handy three-tier linen cabinet in the master bath as well as his-and-her walk-in closets. The home also has a two-car garage and a screened-in back porch with an attached patio.
“We love D Logan!” Etta and Rudy say. “He is a wonderful builder and he was very accommodating.” Having built seven homes in the past 20 years, Rudy and Etta are no strangers to the home-building process, and they say that building with Logan Homes was the easiest experience yet.
“We have enough building experience to say that and really mean it,” Etta says. “Building a house isn’t always fun. It is said that it is close to getting a divorce. But with Logan homes the stress level was zero. Whenever we had questions, they were answered and taken care of right away. The process went very quickly. We purchased the property on July 15th and the home was ready November 12th.”
It is hard for the couple to choose their favorite part of the house because they say that they love it all. But for Rudy, he’d have to say that it is his study; and for Etta, it’s the kitchen, because she loves to cook.
The Nicoluccis are thoroughly enjoying their new home. They find it perfect for entertaining and hosting their Friday night get-togethers with friends to play the English card game called Whist. As for the yard, the maintenance service is great and Etta is itching to do some gardening and attract birds in the back yard.
Compass Pointe will always allow Etta and Rudy to continue to take pleasure in their retirement and keep busy with their hobbies. They look forward to having their children and 17 grandchildren come for visits and take advantage of all that the community has to offer.
Because they are two of the first residents in Compass Pointe, the Nicoluccis also look forward to seeing its development take shape and sharing it all with new neighbors.
When commenting on all of the moves they have made since their retirement, Rudy teases that they only moved when things needed to be painted or when Etta wanted to purge some of her stuff. But with much conviction, they say this move to Compass Pointe will be their last.
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