Christine Khoury's Blog

Forbes Ranks Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill #1 for Best Plae for Business & Careers!

Christine Khoury (PRUDENTIAL YSU) — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 20:22:56 -0700

Why buy a new home in the Triangle? Great question! If you haven't heard, this area continues to receive many accolades year after year as the best place to live, work, learn, play and retire in the country. A superior quality of life and affordability makes the Triangle the ultimate destination for many looking to relocate to this wonderful area. As your Neighborhood Experts, we have the Chapel Hill new home market covered!

Recent surveys indicate the following reasons why people relocate to the Triangle:

Abundant Job Opportunities - the key driver of employment is the Research Triangle Park. Forbes Magazine recently voted the Triangle as The #1 Best Place for Businesses and Careers
Wonderful Location - From the Triangle, it's a short drive to the Coast of North Carolina (2-hour drive) and the Western NC Mountains (3.5 hour drive). Superior access to air travel via the RDU International Airport, excellent network of roads with Interstates #40 and #85, close proximity to Interstate #95 to the east. Rail access via Amtrak with passenger stops in Raleigh, Cary, and Durham. Short train ride to Charlotte, or Washington DC or NY area. Many native Northeastern families are relocating from Florida to the Triangle and are called "Halfbacks" as these families live half way back to their original home.
Ideal Weather - 4 distinct seasons without harsh winters and excessive summer heat
Superior Educational Opportunities - (both primary and secondary education)
Affordability - cost of living remains affordable
Outstanding Selection of new homes and new neighborhoods
Superior Cultural Events & opportunities: The NC Symphony - The Carolina Ballet - Theater-in-the-Park, UNC Playmakers, Durham Performing Arts Center
Outstanding Restaurants - Downtown Chapel Hill and Durham offer some of the very best in fine dining as well as causal meals, wine bar, coffee, etc.
Collegiate Sports Teams , Outstanding Pro & Semi-Professional Teams to cheer for: UNC Men's Basketball, NCAA Champions 2009; The Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes NHL Hockey - The Durham Bulls Triple A Baseball Club - The Carolina Mudcats Double A Baseball Club - NC State University - Duke University - The University of North Carolina @ Chapel Hill

Christine Just Completed The CRS Class....

Christine Khoury (PRUDENTIAL YSU) — Sat, 07 Mar 2009 11:07:37 -0800

Yahoo! After setting this as my goal to accomplish this year, I completed the CRS (Certified Residential Specialist) already! The CRS Designation is given to the top 4% of Realtors in the Country; it shows a commitment to learning the most about the business and providing first class service. If you or any of your friends or family need assistance in moving to the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area, please give me a call (919-225-1393). I would be happy to show you this wonderful area I call home!

Bio-Refinery is coming to town......

Christine Khoury (PRUDENTIAL YSU) — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:46:38 -0700

Bio Refinery Opening

Pittsboro, N.C.-On Monday, October 6th, 2008, Piedmont Biofuels will cut the ribbon on the newest wing of their biofuels facility, known as the Bio-Refinery.

The first facility of its kind in the state of North Carolina, the Bio-Refinery will dramatically reduce the ecological footprint of each gallon of fuel which comes from the plant, and improve the sustainability of the biodiesel production process.

Specifically, the facility will allow large-scale methanol recovery, reducing the inputs required and turning waste streams into useful co-products.

built in part by a loan from the North Carolina Biofuels Center, a grant from the USDA, and money from private investors.

Piedmont Biofuels is a successful grassroots movement fighting for sustainable food and fuel and eschewing dependence on foreign oil. Beginning as a three-person co-op in 2002 it has since climbed to a coalition of over 600 members.

Piedmont Biofuels is now nationally recognized as the premier center of sustainable biodiesel education, advocacy, and expertise on the eastern seaboard, and a model of small-scale, locally-based biodiesel production.

It is the only community scale biodiesel plant with BQ-9000 quality certification from the National Biodiesel Board.

Piedmont Biofuels has worked in partnership with the NC State Energy Office, the NC Division of Air Quality, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Energy, the North Carolina Solar Center, the North Carolina Department of Natural Resources, Triangle Clean Cities, the NC Biomass Council, and the NC Biofuels Center on their quest for sustainable biodiesel production.

Climate Change and Chapel Hill's Progressive Invovlement

Christine Khoury (PRUDENTIAL YSU) — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 06:42:51 -0800

There are many "green building initiatives" taking place in Chapel Hill, and now the town is inviting mayors from the NC area to be involved as well in climate change and transportation. The Town of Chapel Hill will host a gathering of mayors Jan. 9 and 10 to discuss climate change and transportation as part of a meeting of the N.C Metropolitan Coalition.

"We are pleased that topics of this importance are going to be discussed in Chapel Hill," said Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy. "We are striving to become a model community for reducing greenhouse emissions and are actively pursuing sustainable initiatives."

Chapel Hill became the first U.S. municipality to commit to a 60 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions by 2050 through the Community Carbon Reduction Project.

Some of the ways the community will realize this goal is by increasing greenways and open space and establishing new tree protection rules. In Chapel Hill, new or expanded Town government facilities must be built to green building standards and private developers are encouraged to incorporate energy efficient features into their projects. The Town also has set aside funds to install energy efficient features into existing public buildings.