Buying a home can be a scary thing! 

Whether you're a first time home buyer

or you're looking for your dream home in the country,

Buyers are always thinking "Are we making the right decsion?"

 Sometimes  nervous Buyers have asked me if they can "back out" of the contract at any time. As usual, the answer is "It Depends"

Until the Seller SIGNS the Offer, it's not a contract. So the buyer can cancel his offer. However, after the seller (whether it's the owner or the bank) accepts the offer and signs it, then it is a legal contract and there are only certain reasons that the buyer can be released from the contract.

According to our contract in North Carolina, here are the reasons, or contingencies, that allow a buyer to get out of a contract. 

1. Repairs -  If the seller doesn't do the repairs requested by the buyer (after they've had an inspection), or make an allowance on the price for work needed, the buyer can walk away and get his earnest money back.
2. Cost of repairs- if the inspection shows that the repairs will cost more than the dollar amount the buyer and his agent insert in the contract, then the buyer can back out, even if the seller will agree to make those repairs.
3. Appraisal- If the home doesn't appraise for the amount that is the agreed upon price on the contract, the buyer can back out, or the seller can lower the price.
4. Loan- if the buyer's loan doesn't come through, he obviously can't buy the house.
5. Selling you present home- If you present home is on the market and doesn't have a buyer by an agreed upon date, the buyer can withdraw his offer

All of these contingencies have time deadlines to them of course. 

These dates are filled in at the time the offer is written, so the time deadlines will vary.

The seller has to have some protection, so that the buyer can't back away just because he get's buyer's remorse or finds another house.

 Oh, and just to make things more complicated, as of January 1, 2011, the whole Offer to Purchase In North Carolina is ready to change, with new guidlines and deadlines!

   You can easily see why you would need an expert to help guide you through this very important contract.

As a buyer's agent my job is to PROTECT you when you make an offer on a home so that you can be comfortable with the house that you're buying.

As a seller's agent, my job is to PROTECT you so that the buyer honors those time deadlines and we know that we're one step closer to a closing.

If you're thinking of moving in the Raleigh, Cary, Apex area of North Carolina,

start your home search here, or give me a call and I'll help you get started.

Many times while touring a potential seller's home I'll be asked by the seller about the hand painted mural on the wall or the old stained carpet.  Or  the kids rooms have been painted bright red,  maybe the wallpaper is pealing in the bathroom.

I know what they want me to say- "No, it's fine, leave it the way it is." The buyer's will love it!

Unfortunately, that's not the answer I usually give them. 

If you were the buyer, what would you think?  

 Yes, then there's a big sigh from the hopeful seller.  Most sellers know what needs to be done and will end up painting that custom wall and cleaning the carpet! 

 One of the ways I show my sellers what they need to do is to show them to see other houses for sale, either on the Internet or in person. Once they see their competition, or start looking for a new home for themselves, the seller will realize the importance of getting their home in top condition. 

As a potential seller, you'll have to roll up your sleeves, get out those paint brushes, and start cleaning out the cabinets in order to get TOP dollar for your house. And of course that's the goal of everyone now-a-days.

My motto:  

When you're a seller, think like a buyer!

Free Search of every home in the Raleigh Cary Apex area!

Want to know what your house is worth? Call or email me, No obligation!

It's a great time to buy a house!

Although the results of the US Census won't be out until the end of 2010, North Carolina keeps it's own statistics in able to spot growth trends.

The News & Observer, the major newspaper of the Raleigh Durham area has published the population numbers that North Carolina projects for July of 2010.

And wow! What growth!

The state's capital city of Raleigh doubled in size from 1990 to 2009.

Cary has grown from being a small "suburb of Raleigh" with 43,858 to more than tripling it's in size. With 136,600 people living in Cary, it's now larger than Wilmington and High Point.

In my hometown of Apex there were less than 5000 living here in 1990. In 2009 more than 34,000 people are enjoying the "Peak of Good Living".

Even more amazing is that a little town like Holly Springs that had only 908 people in 1990 now has 21,743 happy residents.  (I think there's one cranky guy too)

Although the migration from other states that had bolstered much of the growth has slowed down by 20% in the last few years, North Carolina continues to be a hot destination for anyone looking for a better life style.

 Thinking of moving to our area?  Want to see why so many others have relocated here? Give me a call or email me and I'll be happy to get you started.

Not only are we as people hot during this record breaking heat spell here in the East, but our plants are showing signs of stress too.  The leaves on the maple trees are a little droopy, and the grass is turning brown.  Those "widely scattered thunderstorms" that are predicted every evening rarely occur on our neighborhoods, it seems.

If you're trying to sell your home and want to keep the "curb appeal" of your potted plants looking fresh, this weather could be a challenge. Even if the plants are watered every morning, by the end of the afternoon, they can still look wilted.

 Last week I came upon a great idea to keep my potted plants from wilting all day.

 I fill some empty plastic bottles with water, stand them up in the freezer and freeze them over night. In the morning, I put the frozen bottles upside down on the soil of the plants.  It takes all day for the ice to melt, so the plants have that "time released water pellets" thing going that keeps them from looking like death by the end of the day.

This is a picture of a green pepper plant that even though I had watered in the morning, it was still wilting by late afternoon.   I had  forgotten to put out the water bottle on it. 

But on other days when I do give it the iced water drip, they look healthy when I come home from showing houses in this heat.

Easy, free, and ecological!!

I love staging a home, and this post shows what a great difference it can make. As  Michelle Finnamore says:

Light and space sell homes.

Give buyers what they are looking for and they will make an offer.

Another great post from a friend on Active Rain. 

As one of my Promises to my Sellers,  I will keep you informed of what's going on in YOUR neighborhood and with the homes that are your competition.

If another house has lowered their price, just been listed, or gone under contract, you'll know in the weekly update that I email to you every Thursday. Together we can decide what needs to be done to get your house sold!

Here's good advice from a friend in California. Even though she's  3000 miles away from us here in Raleigh North Carolina,  the lenders use the same rules.

If you're thinking of buying a home in Cary, Apex, and the Raleigh area, DON'T CHANGE a THING until you've got the keys and are moved in.

The First Time Homebuyers Tax Credit may be expired, but there are still plenty of affordable homes in the Cary Apex Raleigh area of North Carolina.

I've recently been showing several buyers- from first time home owners to relocation buyers to people wishing to downsize, some lovely townhomes in Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, and Raleigh.

 As you can see from the chart above, Cary currently has 236 townhomes listed for sale, priced from a low of $76,900 to the high end home listed at $925,000.

For the first time home homeowner or investor, Cary has 76 homes priced below $150,000. Many of these homes are in the heart of Cary, within walking distance to stores and parks.  I viewed several last week including some really adorable homes in Concannon Ct that were newly remodeled and priced right!

To see all of these homes, click here.

Thinking of giving up all the yard work and upkeep of owning a large home?  There are 112 beautiful townhomes between$150,000 and $250,000 currently listed for sale in Cary. Many of these homes are new construction in such desirable areas as Weston Place, near RTP.  And of course, with new construction comes all the upgrades that you would want, along with modern floor plans and amenities.

These homes can all be seen by clicking here:  Townhomes in Cary under $250,000

More new construction townhomes can be found at Creekside at Tryon Villas, as well as newer townhomes built since 2005 in Cary Park and Stonecreek Village, among others.  To see all the MLS information on the 38 townhomes priced between $250,000 and $500,000 in the Cary area, just click here.

Looking for something very upscale, and perhaps on a golf course?  Cary has those for sale also! Currently there are 10 homes listed at over $500,000, the highest being priced at $925,000.  These homes can be seen in such beautiful new communities as Lions Gate at Regency Park,  Tryon villas, and the golf course community of MacGregor Downs.  Interested in what these homes have to offer?  Just take a look here!

Because of our Multiple Listing Service rules, I can't put any specific pictures here of houses that aren't my listings.  But I'd be happy to show you these homes in person!  Just give me a call at 919-621-1691, or email me at Linda@lindajandura.com.

Here in the Cary Apex area of North Carolina we have an abundance of beautiful homes for sale, many of which are in planned communities.  Finding a home for a buyer who wants to live in Brackenridge, Holly Brook, Brighton Forest,  or any of the other lovely neighborhoods can provide a wealth of choices.

However, many of today's buyers have particular needs out side of the usual for the property they want to call home.

For instance, I recently helped a young couple who were first time home buyers fulfill their unusual needs. They wanted a home with a nice piece of land, not in a neighborhood with many restrictions, and most importantly, they wanted a LARGE garage!. A fenced yard would be nice, plus  they wanted to pay no more than $150,000.

The first time I took the new buyers out looking at homes we drove to many neighborhoods and saw a large variety of houses.  Some of these houses may have looked nice on the Internet, but once we were at the home the buyer's wouldn't even go inside! 

What can't you tell on the Internet? What the neighbors house looks like, what condition the exterior and interior are in, and what the home SMELLS like!.

By the end of the first day with them, I knew how to expand their search to include homes that might fit their needs.  And then I watched every day for new listings.

After a few weeks, this home in Fuquay Varina, North Carolina came up on their daily search. I called them right away to draw attention to it. They were excited to add it to their weekend list of homes that we were seeing.

Was it the "perfect" home? Well, no house is perfect. Did it fit all of their NEEDS? Yes! It had a huge garage, almost an acre of land, the back yard is fenced, and the house was newly remodeled and very livable. Were there some things my buyers wanted that they didn't get? Of course, But for right now this home fits their specific needs.  And best of all the closing price was  (drum roll here) - $149,000!

Are you thinking of moving in the Apex, Cary, Raleigh area of North Carolina and have a very specific need?

• Maybe you need to be in a particular town or neighborhood?
•  Or do you need a yard for the pets? 
•  A home zoned for a specific school? 
• A "mother-in -law' apartment or situation?

Let me know what you're looking for! If it's out there, I'll find it for you.

Start your search here, or email me your specific needs, Whenever you're ready to look, I'll be here.

Have a home to sell that might have some rare qualities? Give me a call, I can help you sell it too!