home search: Foreclosure? What does that mean to me as a buyer? - 03/04/10 09:06 AM
Foreclosure? What does that mean to me as a buyer? I had that question asked of me last week while I was showing homes to a lovely young couple. The previous week I had the opportunity to explain to them what a short sale was and how it affected them as buyers, as we had toured homes and came upon one home listed as such.
Now, I was explaining foreclosures to my move up, not first time, home buyers. Foreclosures have never been a big part of our market here in the Raleigh Cary Apex area in previous years and I … (4 comments)
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home search: Buying your first home in Cary North Carolina - 01/09/10 09:11 AM
Have you ever driven through Cary, North Carolina and dreamed of living there?
Driven through the charming older neighborhoods of Cary and wondered if you could afford one of those homes?
Maybe you think that you can't afford to live in Cary, consistently ranked as one of America's "safest' cities?
Yet, you still want to live in an active vibrant growing city (population of Cary- 137,483) that lives like a small town.
Now, have you been wanting to own a home and take advantage of the First Time Home Buyer's credit before it expires, but don't know where to start?
… (3 comments)
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home search: semi WORDLESS WEDNESDAY- March went out like a Deer in North Carolina - 04/01/09 07:36 AM
In a follow up to my post March coming in like a lion in Apex on March 3, this is North Carolina on March 31, going out like a lamb deer.. We have a beautiful warm sunny day. The tree are just starting to bloom. And to make it even more perfect, I was visited by my deer family.
There are actually 4 deer here, but 2 were lying down while these 2 stood guard about 30 feet from my back door where I was standing. I talk to them very softly and they'll just stand there and listen. My daughter … (8 comments)
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home search: What do you Need in a house, instead of what do you Want - 02/01/09 12:05 PM
Many times when we meet a new buyer for a home in North Carolina, either in person, on the phone, or more likely, through email or our website, we ask them what they need in a home.
Buyers will often start with a litany of such "needs" as fireplace, crown molding, nice neighborhood, granite countertops, cozy feeling, etc. Describing the ideal and perfect storybook home is fun to dream about!
People looking for a new home often miss that most important word- NEED. As a buyer, do you NEED a fireplace? You would LIKE a fireplace, and you WANT a nice … (7 comments)
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home search: Dream Home Wanted in Wake County North Carolina - 10/22/08 11:03 AM
We have a buyer looking for their family's dream home in the Triangle area of North Carolina.
Well, actually, all of our buyers are looking for their dream home, but these buyer's have some specific criteria.
They would like a newer home built after 2000, about 2500 square foot or more, with a master bedroom on the first floor, for under $275,000. Now, here's the part that isn't always listed in the MLS - they want maintianance free vinyl siding, a great school district, and about 1 acre of land, a private wooded lot, and yet driving distance to RTP and the employment areas … (2 comments)
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home search: ABC's of Fine Wine in Apex, NC - Local Wine Tasting Event - 09/07/08 02:50 PM
We recently received a postcard in the mail for the grand opening of a new wine store in Apex, The Apex Beverage Company. Yes, direct mail postcards apparently do work!
Having recently been to the central California area of wine country, my husband and I thought we'd stop in and check out a wine tasting in our own town this weekend.
Although the Apex Beverage Company has been open since July, they held off on holding the grand opening tasting weekend until they felt ready. My opinion..... they were ready!
The owners, Jake & Eric, were both very knowledgeable and friendly. Eric poured us … (0 comments)
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home search: Home Value Calculator- Value of a typical home in Cary NC vs San Diego, NY, Buffalo - 08/10/08 08:42 AM
What does the government think your home is worth?
The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight has a Home Value Calculator to give an estimate.
I've used this calculator to look at a typical home bought in the first quarter of 2000 for 200,000 in the Raleigh Cary area and what the government estimates your house would be worth today:
While a $79,100 increase is a nice profit, it's not as much as many other areas that I've looked at.
For Example, the NY White Plains area had an appreciation of $226,000!
In San Diego, the appreciation of a … (4 comments)
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home search: Fun and Useful Information from the Fed's -National Market Indicators - 08/09/08 02:10 PM
With all the concern lately about the stability of Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac, I thought a little background information might be helpful:
The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight
The Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight (OFHEO) was established as an independent entity within the Department of Housing and Urban Development by the Federal Housing Enterprises Financial Safety and Soundness Act of 1992 (12 U.S.C. 4501 et seq.).
OFHEO's mission is to promote housing and a strong national housing finance system by ensuring the safety and soundness of Fannie Mae (Federal National Mortgage Association) and Freddie Mac (Federal Home … (0 comments)
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home search: Real Estate Help for when Life Happens - 08/09/08 08:40 AM
Life happens, we're here to help.
Families split up Mortgage payments become too high Companies go under, leaving employees without a job Health issues change, causing a need for different type housing. These days, it feels like more & more people need to sell their home or buy a different home, not for the usual "happy" reasons of a few years ago, but because their life circumstances are forcing them to move.
If difficult life changes are causing you to need to find different living arrangements, no matter what the situation, we're here to help.
While respecting your privacy, we can … (1 comments)
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home search: Rent Vs Own ratio - One List Cary North Carolina isn't on! - 08/05/08 02:22 PM
In thier latest article titled America's Most Overpriced Zip Codes, Yahoo.com reported on Saturday that Forbes.com has come out with an interesting way to look at investing in real estate.
In a report for Forbes.com, Hotpads.com produced a price-to-earnings spread for each ZIP code in the nation's 40 largest cities by comparing rental costs with buying costs for similar properties, based on number of bedrooms, location and price per square foot.
Price-to-earnings, or P/E, expresses how much one has to pay for each dollar of return. A neighborhood with a high P/E is overvalued because a buyer is getting a low return based … (4 comments)
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home search: News from the Kraft Family YMCA, Apex, North Carolina - 08/04/08 01:37 PM
Because of vacations, hot weather, and just generally taking time off, summer months traditionally show a drop in attendance in classes and training at gyms through out the country. To encourage more class attendance, the Kraft Family YMCA started a "Fitness Challenge" contest for the month of July. The person with the most classes taken wins.
Try something different in your workout. This month we are offering you a challenge to take more group fitness classes. Try our Dance Party and dance like the stars, or maybe you want to tone up, take Muscle Conditioning, or if you need more tranquility, try … (0 comments)
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home search: Ten Ten RD area ---- Apex / Cary North Carolina communitites - 08/04/08 10:26 AM
The area of Wake County located between the town of Apex, Cary and Holly Springs, home of Middle Creek schools, is one of the fastest developing areas in the county. With many upscale new home communities being built in the last 5 years, it is no longer thought of as being "out in the country".
An August update on a few of the many beautiful communities:
Wrenn Meadow-Built by Shea homes,Wrenn Meadow homes feature open & spacious floor plans, hardwood floors throughout, first floor master suites, screen porches, gourmet kitchens, security systems, and yard of sod with sprinkler systems. Basement lots available.
… (0 comments)
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home search: Update on Abbington and Bella Casa Communities in Apex, NC - 08/02/08 10:59 AM
August update on the various beautiful new home communites in Apex, North Carolina.
The Abbington subdivision, located in Apex, NC, boasts estate-style custom homes ranging in price from $500,000 to $700,000, with all the amenities you'd expect from the award winning builder team assembled there.
Abbington features a competition-sized swimming pool, a tot lot, and tennis courts for residence use.
Lot sizes for the homes in Abbington range from .33 to .50 acres and home sizes range from 3,000 square feet to just shy of 4,000 square feet. Many basement lots are available too! Currently there are 8 inventory homes ready … (0 comments)
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home search: McMansions on sale in Cary, Apex, Raleigh North Carolina - 07/11/08 09:29 AM
I recently had a client ask me if there were any homes in Cary & Apex, formerly priced in the $500-600,000, range that he could get for in the $400,000's now.
Knowing what he was looking for; something relatively new, over 3000 sf, all the bells and whistles, etc, I did a search on the MLS and found over 100 homes in the Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, Morrisville area that met his criteria. Of those homes I did a history search and found 32 homes with significant price reductions- many reduced at least $50,000- 70,000!!!
Click here to see the beautiful … (0 comments)
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