Cary NC Real Estate, Carolina Blue Sky Photography - 01/30/08 09:32 PM
I just love a perfect blue sky day in Cary.  With a few pine trees, and a pretty house, a fellow can run down a camera battery in no time.
It is even more fun with my new camera.  I bought a Kodak P880, for the 8 megapixels, the zoom lens, but particularly the 24mm wide-angle ability of lens.  The wide-angle is great for interiors, but also for shooting large homes from the curb.  I can stay close and get the entire home in the frame.
My 1 gigabyte SD card will hold up to 320 photos.  Enough that I need to pick up … (8 comments)

Mike's Pep Talk: "Funiculi, Funicula" vs. "Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?" - 01/30/08 08:30 AM
"Some think the world was made for fun and frolic, and so do I..."
You can sing 'Funiculi, Funicula' for FREE!
Some Words, and some fine Music.
The English and the Italian are not the same, but, heck, ride the melody!
I always find "Funiculi, Funicula," uplifting and energizing.  It's a GREAT melody that appeals to young and old around the world.
And there are many versions and renditions available on YouTube:
Mario Lanza:
More Pavarotti, and a few young friends:
The 4 Squeezin's threw in the Flintstones theme and made me laugh out loud:
Some Argentines whom I have never met; with whom I feel immediate kinship:
"Some think it well to be all … (6 comments)

Cary NC Real Estate Blog: 1.26.2008 Saturday Night Special: Ripped from the headlines! - 01/26/08 10:55 PM
To keep the saw sharp, a feller should consult the news and ponder current events from time to time.
Thanks to my friends at Yahoo:
Hospital dietiticians squeek by on sub-prime budget.  Patients revolt.
Missing identity.  Wrong house demolished.  "Oops" won't cover this one.  If it was in Raleigh, NC, the owner might get picketed.
Farmer hides Castle from building inspectors.  I need to know:  Can one get a building permit for a cannon turret?
"What Men Want"   (Digressing from hard new and into personal attributes.)  Based on the K.I.S.S. principle.
From the Kansas City Star:
"Free-range organic frog frolics in lettuce"  Rrrrribit
And the Winston-Salem, NC, Journal folks … (9 comments)

Raleigh, NC: 4th annual Krispy Kreme Challenge! - 01/26/08 05:50 PM
I love this event, and missed it again.
Next year, for sure.  From the sidelines, but I will be there.
3000 North Carolina State University stalwarts braved the chilly morning.
The challenge?
Run two miles from the NC State University Bell Tower to the iconic Krispy Kreme store downtown.
Eat a dozen glazed donuts, and run back to the Bell Tower.
Go the distance.  All in under one hour.
And this year's winner got it done in 31 minutes, 20 seconds. 
$20,000 raised for the NC Childrens' Hospital.
Wait 'til next year!
… (10 comments)

Morrisville, NC, Real Estate: Wexford offers large homes with stylish detail. - 01/21/08 07:35 PM
Let's visit Wexford in Morrisville, NC: 

View current Active Listings in Wexford.

Wexford is a recently completed neighborhood in the center of Morrisville, NC.  Wexford is situated off McCrimmon Parkway near Davis Drive.   Access and egress to and from the neighborhood are easy. 
Raleigh  and NC State University are an easy 25-30 minute commute.  The Research Triangle Park, "RTP," is about 5 minutes.  Both commutes can lengthen during heavy drive-time traffic.
The neighborhood was developed between 2003 and 2006, with a selection of very livable transitional homes built by Orleans HomeBuilders.  Home sizes range from 2600 to 4900 square feet. 
 
Typical amenities include 4 to 6 bedrooms, 2.5 to 4 baths, beautiful .18-.25 … (7 comments)

Cary NC Real Estate Adventures: "I am not a Lead." I love it! - 01/20/08 11:01 PM
A friend in the office told me he had picked up a good lead.
He asked, "How many leads are you working now?"
Me:  "I don't work with leads."
Kind of a conversation-stopper.  I had to offer more.
Me:  "I'm in the people business."
And, what a coincidence....
The very next day, I came across Chris Drayer's AR blog post: "How many homes did your dog sell last year?"
Thanks, Chris.  Come to Cary, NC, and you have a standing offer of a complimentary cajun-burger and a cold one!
This video says it ALL!
I sent it to my buddy, and got back an email, "Cute."
Not at all the word I would … (16 comments)

Cary NC Real Estate Adventures: Closing Coordinator Keeps Grateful Agent On Track! - 01/19/08 06:50 PM
Yep, that's right.
Claire Hanes helped me slip out of the transaction strait-jacket.  It helps me be a better agent.
And that is what I owe my clients, continuously improved agency.
I'm a little bit of a control freak, so sometimes it is hard to let go of details.  And I would be pulling my hair out with a few transactions going at one time, and trying to stay on track with buyer or seller, dates and places, vendors and closing attorneys.
Recently our Keller Williams, Cary, NC, office was blessed that Claire Hanes offered to begin contracting to coordinate closings.  I knew it was a good … (4 comments)

Cary NC Real Estate Adventures: I'm ready for a Supra... - 01/18/08 10:21 PM
I have heard folks grumbling about Supras, and expenses, but I think I am ready.
Ignore the combo lockbox that is so old its dial is a stone wheel.
Forget the antique combo lockbox that is full of grime and worn smooth and can hardly be gripped to turn.
I'm talking about the combo lockbox that some agent used once, and remembers the combination, or worse yet, passed the combination on to someone else.
I got the call from my Seller today:  "Did we have a showing this morning?"
Me: "No.  What's up?"
Her:  "I'm over at the house and someone has been in today."
Me:  "Oh, boy.  Any problem?"
Her:  … (7 comments)

Cary NC Real Estate, Wake County Public School System Reassignment... - 01/16/08 09:12 AM
With the dynamic growth of Wake County, NC, providing seats in schools is a difficult task for the Wake County Public School System.  WCPSS is subject to criticism because of the nature of the beast.
Too many kids are added faster than facilities can be provided.
This is compounded by a policy of attempting to achieve an economic balance in schools, that schools across the county have similar levels of Free and Reduced (F & R) Lunch recipients. 
Magnet schools are historically desirable for the opportunities they offer, and this persuades some higher income families to apply for the lottery to get into the magnets.  Magnet schools … (2 comments)

Cary NC Real Estate, "Please don't eat the REALTOR!" - 01/16/08 06:56 AM
Too much variation in Realtor quality?
Too many business approaches that confuse the consumer?
A new day is dawning.  Ripped from the headlines in today's New York Times:
"FDA says Cloned Food is Safe!"
Jon Foster's quote is the clincher, "When you buy a box of Cheerios in New York and one in Champaign, Illinois, you know they are going to be the same. By shortening the genetic pool using clones, you can do a similar thing." 
I don't know why some cement industry guy's opinion is relevant but I can see the FTC just jumping on that bandwagon, cloning Realtors.
To wit:  "When you engage a real estate … (14 comments)

Cary NC Real Estate: Internet presence. Design for current and future users or dial-up? - 01/16/08 06:18 AM
Scrolling through the Real Estate Agent Web Design Tips group postings this morning, I came across this post by Agent Web Design about designing for screen resolutions to cater to as many users as possible 
We are being dragged kicking and screaming into a broadband/widescreen world.
I understand the inclination and relative desirability of designing for the median or lower common denominator of technology, but now $599 computers coming with widescreen monitors and wireless internet access is widely available to near broadband service speeds.
And Cary and Raleigh, as well as the surrounding Wake County, NC, areas are fairly well wired, with DSL and Cable access most common.
I'm leaning towards … (0 comments)

Cary NC Real Estate Adventures: An Epiphany from Connecticut: TeeVee is not for real! - 01/14/08 01:46 PM
Thank you, Hartford Courant for this news flash!
A cutting edge investigative report has gathered evidence that HGTV is not always Realty Reality TV.
Who would have thought it?
Why, I figured that all I had to do was put in air fresheners and bake cookies and people would pull out their checkbooks and preapprovals and we would go under contract!
One note worth pondering, is the mention that popular TV shows have raised consumers' expectations regarding staging.
I see that, and will be expressing it to sellers more frequently and persuasively in 2008.
Some nice exposure in the article for fellow KW agent, Carol Cole, of Keller Williams Realty … (9 comments)

Cary NC Real Estate Adventures: Red clay, drought, and cracked foundations. - 01/11/08 09:54 PM
We live with our famous red clay in the Raleigh-Cary, NC area.  It expands and contracts when it absorbs water or dries out.
This movement can be stressful to a home's foundation.  Masonry is meant to be rigid, not flexing and moving.
CRA-A-A-ACK!  And a beautiful home is now a beautiful question mark.  I like to take a walk around the perimeter of the home and specifically focus on finding signs of cracking.  As the agent, I prefer to point them out to my Buyers, so we can talk about them before they make an offer.  Why let something so evident pass, to be … (15 comments)

Dog Bombs, the Sequel: Passive Crime Deterrent, like Lojack for trespassers... - 01/11/08 09:05 PM
Just when you thought it was safe....
A guy can't make this stuff up.
Straight from the Raleigh News and Observer:
18 year old kid quaffs a couple of cold ones and manages to park poorly in Durham.  In this other feller's front yard. 
Miscreant dismounts his ride and makes a run for it on foot.
Durham's finest come by and track him down.  See, he parked in the front yard of a feller who keeps about a quarter-ton of dogs, with the two largest making regular and generous deposits in the front yard.
The gendarmes see a footprint in one of the deposits, and a trail … (18 comments)

Cary and Raleigh, NC Real Estate: News and Observer gets one right! No need to buy foreclosure lists! - 01/10/08 07:08 PM
The Raleigh News and Observer seldom misses an opportunity to get real estate facts twisted.  But today, they got one right, pointing out that foreclosure lists are free, and there is no need for the average person to pay for those lists.
"Ads sell foreclosure info that's free" on the front page of today's Business section brought that point home fairly well.  They quoted a broker at a local firm who correctly mentioned the lack of margin in most foreclosure listings.
This is interesting to me.  Recently, the requests for foreclosure listings in Cary, Raleigh, Apex and other areas in and around Wake County, NC, has peaked again, … (5 comments)

Cary NC Real Estate: So, the law says I have to convey all offers to my Seller? I really don't care! - 01/05/08 09:49 PM
That's right, I don't care.
Sort of.
I was chatting with my friends Bill Fletcher and Michelle Roberts yesterday; talking low-ball offers.
And wounded pride.
A couple of Cary real estate war stories came up, and Bill says, "...I tell my Sellers that I must bring them all offers."
Me:  "Why?"
Bill, a little taken aback: "I tell them the law requires me to present all offers."
Me:  "Bill, I would never say that!"
Bill, more than a little taken aback, possibly shocked, "But that is the law!"
I interrupted him, "You want to know what I tell them?"
At that point he either saw the twinkle in my eye or my … (14 comments)

Cary NC Real Estate Blog: Saturday Night Special: Rrrrrripped from the headlines! - 01/05/08 09:17 PM
Some people go out and get drunk and tattooed on Saturday night.
I just work on enlightening myself on current events.
With a little help from Yahoo:
From our "No Regrets" file "102 year old heads for New Zealand."    Telling words, "When I'm 105 I don't want to be thinking: "I wish I had moved to the other side of the world when I was 102.'"   I hope he got a great relo package...
Russell Crowe's role in "A Beautiful Mind' sequel?"  Can it be: "Speeder hides by burrowing into ground?"  I mean, there is a role model of detached world class intellect at work there.  Suitable … (2 comments)

Cary NC Real Estate Adventures: Foggy windows - 01/04/08 08:20 AM
Double pane windows are standard on homes in the Wake County, NC, area since the 1970's.
Unfortunately, they are built to different quality levels. 
Some just fail before others, and it is not uncommon to walk into a 15 year old Cary or Raleigh home and see multiple windows with fog, or even dripping water, between the panes.
Buyers and Sellers can get heated over the issue after a home inspection.  Well, it isn't the end of life.  The entire window usually does not need to be replaced.  It is usually possible to replace only the two glass panes, with a new glazing package that has a new … (10 comments)

Cary NC Real Estate Adventures: Going to Elevate my photography Game! - 01/03/08 11:50 PM
I bit.
Everyone tells me I need a wide-angle lens to get the best shots of small rooms, or larger rooms even, for listings and flyers.
Jeff Turner promoted the Kodak V705.  Discontinued.
I was stalking cameras on EBay, and up popped a used Kodak P880.
8 MP, 24mm-140mm lens.
Several et ceteras.  Wondering how it will work, wide angle and all, in my Real Estate Shows...
Why is it when you buy something on EBay that you are awaiting with bated breath, it always seems to be coming from the other side of the country?  Without fail.
UPS Ground Tracking says delivery will happen on 1/9/2008.
I should … (0 comments)

Cary NC Real Estate, How to avoid selling your home: Aggravate the Buyer with weird negotiations. - 01/03/08 10:53 PM
Three weeks before Christmas in Cary, NC.... 
Me:  Buyer will go $108,000.
LA counters at $119,000 from list price of $120,000.
Buyer says whoa.  Just doesn't want to push nickels back and forth to get there.
No deal.  No problem.  It happens.  They can't all be deals.
Three weeks pass.  LA calls me.
LA:  "Seller will do the deal at $114,000."
I talk to my Buyer. 
Me:  Buyer says $112,000.  We'll close by the end of the year.
LA:  OK.  Great!
I get the offer together, make a run to Raleigh for signatures and initials, send it over.
LA:  Oh, He won't pay for the home warranty.  Too good a price.
I … (12 comments)

 
Business_portrait_photos_2008_011 Rainmaker_large

Mike Jaquish 919-880-2769 Cary, NC, Real Estate

Realty Arts

Cary, NC

More about me…

Realty Arts

Address: 109 Saint Lazare Drive, Cary, NC, 27513

Cell Phone: (919) 880-2769

Email Me

Cary, NC, blog. I'm in Cary, North Carolina, writing about Real Estate, including Cary, Raleigh, Apex, Wake County, NC, and around the USA..



Listings

Links

Archives

RSS 2.0 Feed for this blog

Find NC real estate agents and Cary real estate on ActiveRain.