Here is the latest and greatest update on this outstanding community located in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Reserved lots are: 21, 23, 24, 25, 33, 40, 41, 129, 132, 133, 136, 171, 180, 181, 182, 183. Lots in Phase I have been rated but the developer has not yet priced per grade level. The grading (by heavy of equipment, not for pricing) should be complete in Phase II in a couple of weeks. After that we'll rate those lots.

There are 215 home-sites in this community. Lots vary in size from .29ac to .89ac. There are several basement lots available. Homes will begin around the $800,000 price point. There is city water/sewer and natural gas available. Community pool on site but no tennis courts.

A few months ago I had a website designed for me. I spent lots of money but am not thrilled with the results. Now, don't get me wrong, this person did a good job but something is missing.

I was reading a blog about a great person who does website design and SEO. I contacted this person and she gave me a few pointers about my website. Since then, I have emailed her several times and have had no responses. Maybe she has a lot to do, I don't know.

So, I would like to hear from anyone who can recommend someone reliable and reasonable who will take an existing real estate website, spruce it up, and get RESULTS!!

Thank you for your help.

Recently I was talking with a few of my co-workers about making offers on properties. One of them, RB, spoke up and said that he made an offer on a property for his buyer client. The offer was considerably less than asking price.

The property is a nice home listed at over $300,000. The listing agent was very upset with RB, highly emotional, and said that the offer was an embarrassment to both her and her sellers. RB told her that this was not a personal matter, but rather a business decision made by his buyer client.

As their conversation progressed, the listing agent finally told RB that she was not going to present the offer until he came back with a more reasonable offer - something that her clients could at least counter. In the end, RB came back to her with a higher offer that was considered and is still being negotiated.

There are two points that need to be made. First, the agent who receives the offer should submit all offers to his/her seller client(s). Secondly, it is not good practice for a real estate agent to become very emotional while handling offers. Sometimes offers can seem a bit ridiculous or could be much more than expected. However, we should try to be professional and realize that a buyers agent is only doing his or her job by presenting all offers - even if they are sometimes low ball offers.

Over the past few weeks I've had lots of inquiries about The Hamptons at Umstead - an exclusive community offer by Coldwell Banker HPW, in Raleigh, North Carolina.

In case you aren't familiar with this community, it is a brand new secluded community located on Ebenezer Church Road in Raleigh. There will be 215 home sites with lot prices starting at $180,000. Lot sizes will be from .29ac to .89ac. There are 22 custom home builders to choose from.

Lots may be reserved prior to recordation of the property and first builder lot draw. Recording is anticipated summer 2007. Buyer may select lot and secure it with $1,000 refundable deposit. Reservations taken prior to recording will remain valid for thirty days after date of recordation. After 30 days, deposit monies will automatically be returned without further notice if there is no contract. Deposit money can be transferred from one lot to another.

A signed contract with a preferred Hamptons builder is necessary in order to close the purchase of a lot. Construction of the dwelling shall begin within ninety (90) days of lot closing.

A few facts about the community:

• Lot recording will begin in June or July.
• There will be basement home opportunities.
• Streets are all cut in but will be able to see the flow of things much better in Phase II - 30 days.
• Curb and gutter started this week.
• There will be no model home; the clubhouse will be the sales center.
• Approximately 13 lots have already been reserved.
• The community will not be gated.
• There will be a swimming pool but no tennis courts.
• City water, sewer, and natural gas will be available.

If you want to learn about the future home buyers of real estate, then this article should help show the way.....The article was written by Melissa Dittmann Tracey of Realtor Magazine Online (May 21, 2007).

Market Yourself to the Younger Generation

WASHINGTON - If real estate professionals want to sell to the next generation of home buyers, they'll need to look to social networking sites, blogs, online videos, and virtual communities, says real estate technology expert Saul Klein, E-PRO®, GRI.

"There's a whole bunch of buyers coming up that do things in a different way, and you have to know how to communicate to them," said Klein, president of San Diego-based InternetCrusade. "And why do you even need to market to the next generation? Because they're going to have all the money."

Klein spoke on Friday at NAR's Midyear Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo.

Indeed, the younger generation is expected to inherit a huge amount of wealth in the coming years from their baby boomer parents, which will give them increasing buying power in the real estate market, NAR Senior Economist Lawrence Yun told attendees.

Already, the number of young home buyers is growing: the homeownership rate of the under-35 crowd has steadily increased to 43 percent from 37.5 percent in 1993.

Also, the number of single buyers continues to grow. In 2005, 21 percent of single home buyers were women, compared with 15 percent in 2001. Younger generations are also contributing to a rise in condo sales and downtown populations in large metro areas, Yun said.

How to Reach Gen Y

So how can you get younger buyers and sellers to use your services? First, understand how this generation uses technology, so you can use it for prospecting and networking, Klein said.

For example, you can reach them on their iPods by developing real estate podcasts or publish a blog to provide clients with real estate information. Be savvy with your marketing: instead of giving them refrigerator magnets, give them a USB flash drive.

Or, offer property listings or content via Real Simple Syndication (RSS) feeds - feeds that deliver syndicated content from various sites directly to subscribers' desktops - and be able to respond to prospects in real-time through instant-messaging and text-messaging. 
 

Recently I read a blog about tenants and how some of them respond to their landlords. I can relate to that. I used to own a Property Management company with more than 50+ units and I have seen some crazy things.

The tenants have a lot of rights and whether they are behind in rent, not paying, or trashing the place - you need to be very careful and follow the "Landlord/Tenant" laws for your city and/or state. In North Carolina, once you have filed for eviction with the court, the tenant still has time to vacate and that time can be prolonged depending on the circumstances. 

Landlords should use precautions with tenants. When going to the property that the tenant(s) are currently living in, the landlord should, if possible,  give a 24 hour notice. When you do go to the property, try to have someone go with you. Some tenants may accuse you of stealing their personal items if you go while they are not at home. That's another reason why you want someone to go with you - to be a witness. You may even want to take photos (with the correct date) or video in case you need to provide evidence in court.

I have had tenants to pretty much destroy the homes that they were living in before they left. I learned the hard way that if you do not possess before and after evidence, you are out of luck and out of pocket.

* Not all tenants or landlords are alike - some are better than others. But there is no reason not to be safe than sorry!

Below is the last page of the article written by The National Realty News on May 15, 2007.

Total existing-home sales in the South were at an annual rate of 2.51 million units in the first quarter, down 7.3 percent from the first quarter of 2006. After the District of Columbia, the next strongest increase in the South was in Arkansas, up 8.8 percent from a year ago, followed by Kentucky, which rose 3.9 percent, and Texas, up 2.7 percent.

The median existing single-family home price in the South was $177,800 in the first quarter, which is 0.6 percent below a year earlier. After the Cumberland, Beaumont-Port Arthur and Gulfport-Biloxi areas, the strongest increase in the South was in the Oklahoma City area at $134,400, up 12.1 percent from a year ago, followed by the San Antonio area with an 11.2 percent gain to $148,300, and Baton Rouge, La., at $169,400, up 9.7 percent.

In the West, the existing-home sales pace of 1.28 million units fell 11.9 percent from the first quarter of 2006. After Wyoming, the best performance in the region was in Colorado where sales rose 0.8 percent from a year earlier.

The median existing single-family home price in the West was $336,200 in the first quarter, down 1.8 percent from a year ago. The strongest increase in the West was in the Salem, Ore., area, at $221,600, up 15.6 percent from the first quarter of 2006, followed by the Albuquerque area, at $193,700, up 12.7 percent, and the Salt Lake City at $206,900, up 12.3 percent from a year ago.

The National Realty News article from May 15, 2007 continues below..... 

The strongest condo price gains were in the Salt Lake City area, where the first quarter price of $164,600 rose 25.6 percent from a year ago, followed by Albuquerque, where the median condo price of $147,100 rose 17.9 percent from the first quarter of 2006, and the Austin-Round Rock area of Texas at $169,000, an increase of 14.4 percent.

Metro area median existing-condo prices in the first quarter ranged from $91,600 in Bismarck, N.D., to $584,700 in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont area. The second most expensive condo market reported was the Sarasota-Bradenton-Venice area of Florida, at $413,900, followed by Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana at $403,500. Other affordable condo markets include Wichita, Kan., at $94,500, and Greensboro-High Point, N.C., at $112,100.

Regionally, existing-home sales in the Northeast rose 1.2 percent to an annual pace of 1.13 million units in the first quarter from the same period a year ago. The biggest gain in the region was in New Jersey, where sales rose 7.6 percent from the fourth quarter of 2006, followed by New York state, up 7.4 percent, and Massachusetts with a 3.9 percent increase.

The median Northeastern resale single-family home price was $268,900 in the first quarter, down 2.5 percent from the first quarter of 2006. The strongest price increase in the Northeast was in Binghamton, N.Y., with a median price of $98,100, up 8.9 percent from the first quarter of last year, followed by the Reading, Penn., area, at $141,300, up 7.3 percent, and the Trenton-Ewing area of New Jersey, which rose 7.1 percent to $283,800.

In the Midwest, total existing-home sales fell 6.1 percent to a 1.49 million-unit annual level in the first quarter compared with a year earlier. The largest sales increase in the region was in Iowa, where sales rose 8.2 percent from the fourth quarter of 2006, followed by North Dakota, which rose 4.7 percent from a year ago, and Indiana, up 2.9 percent.

The median existing single-family home price in the Midwest was $154,600, down 2.8 percent from the first quarter of 2006. The strongest metro price increase in the Midwest was in the Bismarck, N.D., area where the median price of $149,400 was 14.1 percent higher than a year ago. Next was the Champaign-Urbana area of Illinois, at $145,400, up 9.2 percent from the first quarter of 2006, and Akron, Ohio, at $111,000, up 6.5 percent.

The National Realty News has an interesting article written on May 15, 2007. Below is Part 2.

According to Freddie Mac, the national average commitment rate on a 30-year conventional fixed-rate mortgage was 6.22 percent in the first quarter, down from 6.25 percent in the fourth quarter; the rate was 6.24 percent in the first quarter of 2006. Last week, Freddie Mac reported the 30-year fixed rate dropped to 6.15 percent.

The biggest total annual sales increase was in Wyoming, where existing-home sales rose 19.9 percent from the first quarter of 2006. In the District of Columbia, the first-quarter resale pace rose 9.3 percent from a year ago, while Arkansas experienced the third strongest gain, up 8.8 percent.

In the first quarter, the largest single-family home price increase was in the Cumberland area of Maryland and West Virginia, where the median price of $100,000 was 17.1 percent higher than a year earlier. Next was Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas, at $115,800, up 16.5 percent from the first quarter of 2006, followed by the Gulfport-Biloxi area of Mississippi, where the first quarter median price increased 15.7 percent to $153,700.

Median first-quarter metro area single-family prices ranged from a very affordable $75,300 in Elmira, N.Y., to more than 10 times that amount in the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara area of California where the median price was $788,000. The second most expensive area was San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, at $748,100, followed by the Anaheim-Santa Ana-Irvine area (Orange Co., Calif.), at $697,300.

In addition to Elmira, other affordable markets include Decatur, Ill., with a first-quarter median price of $76,200, and the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman area of Ohio and Pennsylvania, at $78,300.

In the condo sector, metro area condominium and cooperative prices - covering changes in 59 metro areas - show the national median existing condo price was $224,500 in the first quarter, up 1.0 percent from the same quarter in 2006. Twenty-seven metros showed annual increases in the median condo price, including seven areas with double-digit gains; 31 areas had price declines and one was unchanged.

The National Realty News has an interesting article written on May 15, 2007. Below is Part 1.

State existing-home sales in the first quarter generally are below a year ago but more states are improving than reported in the fourth quarter of 2006, and home prices in most areas show that conditions are favoring buyers, according to the latest quarterly survey by the National Association of Realtors^®.

Total state existing-home sales, including single-family and condo, were at a seasonally adjusted annual rate1 of 6.41 million units in the first quarter, down 6.6 percent from a 6.86 million-unit pace in the first quarter of 2006, but are 2.4 percent higher than the fourth quarter 2006 level of 6.26 million. Fourteen states and the District of Columbia showed increases in the sales pace from a year ago, up from only six states showing gains in the fourth quarter report. One state was unchanged, and complete data for two states were not available.

In the first quarter, metro area existing single-family home prices, comparing changes in 145 metropolitan statistical areas 2 show 82 metros had price increases from a year ago, including 11 areas with double-digit annual gains; 62 had price declines, and one was unchanged. In the fourth quarter, 71 areas had reported price gains.

The national median existing single-family home price was $212,300 in the first quarter, down 1.8 percent from a year ago when the median price was $216,100. In the fourth quarter, the median price was reported to be 2.7 percent below a year earlier. The median is a typical market price where half of the homes sold for more and half sold for less, but there is a downward skew in the national comparison because sales have shifted away from many high-cost areas.