Linda Jandura North Carolina Real Estate News

How to sell the "Spare Bedroom."

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:44:17 -0600

How important is staging? Take a look at the difference in these 2 pictures of the same room. Not much money spent, just rearranging and decluttering.

Via Honey Johnson (Triangle Staging and Design / founder of Stunning Solutions):

Many properties on the market have the "spare bedroom" that is a catch-all for the odds and ends of the homeowners. Usually, they are supposed to support more than one function and get all the hand-me-down decor. Agreeably, these rooms are not the first impression areas of the house, but they do matter, none-the-less.

A spare bedroom is a great place to add value to a home. It's staging transformation is often the most dramatic of all the rooms in the house. And, typically, sellers express regret that they never capitalized on the potential of these spaces while they were living in the home. Agents are also wowed by the transformations as they now have a much more competitive product that they can market.

A case in point: A beautiful 3 bedroom ranch in Clayton, NC. In it's price point and specific zip code there are over 60 homes on the market. To stand out in this crowd the seller can't afford to show 2 working bedrooms and a "spare" room. And, at 1600 SF the property needs to prove that every inch is functional, beautiful, spacious, and worthy of a great offer.

Sellers usually run out of steam, here, when it comes to protecting their ROI. Home stagers do not! We see the transformation in our minds and then make it a reality. The result . . . this house had a fabulous offer the first week. That is ROI protection!

Email me with questions about your sellers' homes.

Stunning Solutions is a proud member of Triangle Staging and Design.

Contact our design team at 919-995-4116.

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

Linda Jandura is a North Carolina Residential Real Estate Specialist that can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of homes in the Raleigh Cary Metro area, or any place else in the country by connecting you with a relocation professional in your destination of choice.

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Is December the Friday of the Year?

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:35:34 -0600

Is December the Friday of the Year?

It's that time of year again when every day is Friday.

Sitting here after lunch, it hit me that it felt like it must be Friday. I had to think about the fact that it was still Tuesday. The lady who waited on me in the grocery store didn't know what day of the week it was either, she thought it was Friday.

Had a closing this morning at 11, so I got some paperwork and emails done early. After the closing my work day was basically over. Now all my closings for this month are done and my buyers are settled into their homes for Thanksgiving. Big sigh of relief that all the post contract inspections and paperwork are done and the closings went well. All those "things to do" erased from my white board. Much like getting everything done on Friday afternoon before the weekend.

Tomorrow, which is only Wednesday, will feel like the start of the long weekend with all the cooking and cleaning going on, and preparing for family and friends coming for the weekend. So of course, it must be Friday already!

Then Friday is the big shopping day for women and snoring on the couch for men. They're preparing for all the football games on the weekend. Therefore, Friday is Friday too.

Next week we have 5 whole days before the weekend. How will we ever make it? However, all week long Christmas songs are being played on the radio and the office will be filled with goodies. So it'll feel like one big party time and a Friday afternoon.

Not many people are starting their house selling or buying process in December. We Realtors just sort of maintain the clients we are already working with. Most of December will be spent planning for next year and generating leads.

December is one big long Friday. Our bodies and minds need a rest before we gear up for the new year in January, much like resting all weekend before starting the new week on Monday.

So to all - Thank Goodness it's Friday, even though it's only Tuesday. Let December begin!!!

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Special Financing on over 100 New Homes in the Raleigh area!

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:24:17 -0600

Special Financing on over 100 New Homes in the Raleigh area!

Here's a deal too good not to pass the news on to my buyers, sellers, clients, people I know, people I hope to know, and anyone who's been thinking about a new home.

One of the lenders that I work with at Capital Bank called me to let me know about some homes that Capital Bank has arranged special financing for. Although some of the homes are foreclosures, most of these homes are BRAND NEW Builder spec homes that need to be sold.

Here's the situation: Because of the economic climate, some builders have "spec" homes, finished or mostly finished, that are sitting unsold. The builders are paying the construction loans on these homes, but want to build more homes. The bank, in an effort to help the builders so that they can loan them more money to build more houses, has arranged a special program to make it easier for buyers to get into the homes.

Here's the deal:

There are 115 homes throughout North Carolina- although the list of homes available changes daily as homes are sold. The homes range in price from $150,000 to over $3,000,000. They are in areas such as Angier, Cary, Morrisville, Wake Forest, Garner, Fuquay Varina, and throughout North Carolina.

Capital Bank is offering mortgages at 3.95% interest on a 30 year loan, no loan origination fee, no Private Mortgage Insurance, and 100% Financing (no money down), for qualified buyers! **

If you'd like more information about which homes these are and how to get into the program, email or call me and I'll send you the list of homes.

Here's the usual financing disclaimer from the bank:

** Annual Percentage Rate (APR). Payment Example: $350,000 purchase price, zero (0) down payment, loan amount $350,000 payable in 360 payments of $1,661.42 (principal and interest) results in an APR of 3.965 effective as of August 8, 2009. Clients must meet Capital Bank´s underwriting and credit guidelines. Offer can be withdrawn by Capital Bank at its sole discretion without prior notice. Other terms and conditions are available. Primary residences only.

**Please contact a Capital Bank Branch Manager or see below for full list of selected homes. List subject to change. Sale prices subject to change.

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Easiest Houses to Sell Ever- Buyers will eat it up!

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:09:13 -0600

No, they're not in a new community in Apex or Cary North Carolina. Nor are they a few wonderful new homes that I just listed in the Raleigh area.

These were Gingerbread Houses!

Living in the Raleigh, North Carolina area allows us an easy 4 hour drive to Asheville in the Blue Ridge mountians or a 2 hour drive to the Atlantic Ocean and the beach communities.

This past weekend my family and friends were lucky enough to see the 2009 National Gingerbread House Competition Display held annually at the beautiful historic Grove Park Inn.

Hundreds of contestants from all over the country come up with imaginative and intricate designs for these displays that have to be made entirely of food. The rules state that the baker didn't have to use exclusively gingerbread, although most of the houses and structures seemed to be using it for a base. There was creative uses of shredded wheat for shrubbery or roofing material, pretzels for fences, gumdrops, licorice, etc.

If you get the opportunity to visit this display, make sure that you enjoy the Grove Park Inn while looking at the Gingerbread. This beautiful resort was built in 1913 and has had many famous and important guests, including President's Obama. Clinton, and Bush.

The display is free to the public on Monday- Thursdays from November 18 until Januaary 3. Hotel or restaurant guests only view it on the weekends.

I've heard that by the end of the contest most of the homes are looking quite melted though! Apparently the term "too pretty to eat" is taken literally here!

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Sunday Morning Funnies

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 16:45:10 -0600

No beautiful Silent Sunday picture today, although it was a gorgeous fall day here in Apex.

No picture of Apex Town park where I went walking yesterday, but my camera batteries had died.

Nor am I writing any local real estate stats or news stories about happenings in the Raleigh area.

Just a few musings to get me past my bloggers block and start the week.

Like a lot of people, my husband and I enjoy reading the Sunday morning newspaper together. The kitchen table is often covered in ads, coupons being clipped out (and rarely used) and coffee cups.

And of course the best part- the comic page! However, have you noticed that in order to save paper and therefore save money, newspapers are shrinking the size of the individual comic strips? A comic strip that used to take up a whole width of a single page is now being squeezed in to half the space. Some comic strips are becoming almost too hard to read.

Every comic strip is shrunk, except Prince Valiant! Now Prince Valiant has probably been around for 150 years or so. I remember seeing it as a kid. HOWEVER, I have never read it! It always seemed so dark and old fashioned. Of all the great strips that are being written today, why is Prince Valiant even wasting space being printed still, much less taking up a full third of the page?

As my husband says- what happened to the Jackson Twins? Prince Valiant is sill alive, but we still don't know how to tell the difference between Jill and Jan Jackson?

Isn't it great to live in America, and be of an certain age that we can have the time and nothing more important to do at this particular moment in our life than to laugh with your family about old comic strips?

On to Real Estate things and work on Monday!

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

8 Myths of Staging to Sell - Busted.

Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:54:57 -0600

Think that staging your home is only popular in this area of North Carolina? Or something that local Realtors are trying to convince their sellers to do? Well, here's a great article from a friend in Austraiia. Good advice is good advice where ever it comes from.

Via Donna Ross - Home Staging, Sydney, Australia (Great Impressions Real Estate Staging & Consulting - Sydney):

Home staging (or property styling as it's commonly known as on the Australian property scene) is really an art, not a science. One of the many things a professional home stager understands is that it's the house that's up for sale, not the home owner's bread baking ability or taste in music. So, from the sublime to the rediculous - here's 8 myths of staging to sell - busted!

1. Buyers can see past my stuff
No - they can't. 95% of house hunters shop with a 'what you see is what you get' eye. You'll be maximising your chances of a better and quicker sale if you take the time to clean out, clean up and keep your look simple.

2. Baking bread, brewing fresh coffee and playing soft music will make a buyer fall in love with my house.
Maybe once upon a time this was true - but most would-be buyers are onto that old trick. It's more likely to trigger alarm bells, with many wondering what it is you're trying to hide. Your buyers will be happy with a place that looks and smells clean.

3. I'll need to clear everything out to help buyers see themselves living here.
This is only partly true. Wall to wall family photos are distracting, as is your porcelain rooster collection. These things are best put away. But don't go overboard, otherwise you'll end up with a look that feels cold and sterile.

4. If it's an original feature - it adds value.
Sometimes yes - but often no. Generally a property built less than 50 years ago without being updated is more likely to appear dated, rather than classic.

5. My place isn't worth staging.
All homes are worth taking the time to present in a positive light to buyers. The trick to knowing where to start and what to do is in having a good idea of what buyers in your target market will expect, along with learning more about what competing properties in your area are offering.

6. Empty rooms look bigger.

This is rarely the case. Buyers will always prefer to see how a room is used and what will fit in it, rather than be left to guess. Very large rooms can also be too intimidating for some. Even borrowed furniture can help buyers get an idea of scale and give the eye something of interest to focus on.

7. Converting a bedroom into a home gym won't be a problem.
Bedrooms are one of the most valuable commodities of the 'for sale' property. Having a home gym set up in a bedroom will prompt buyers to wonder why that is. I remember once looking at a house where this was the case. When I came across the bedroom with the gym in it, I immediately began to question if a bed would even fit. Always give the rooms in your house a purpose.

8. No need to worry about wardrobes and cupboards.
Home storage is a big deal to most buyers and is surprisingly valuable. Prospective buyers will open storage cupboards in kitchens and bathrooms, so keep them tidy. Keep only what you're using on a daily or weekly basis, and pack the rest away ready for the move.

Have you got a staging myth you'd like busted? Share them with me here.

Donna Ross

Great Impressions Real Estate Staging

"I love helping Sydney home owners and real estate agents catch the eye of choosy buyers with their 'for sale' listings, with fast, simple and inexpensive decorating fixes."

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Beautiful Update Home in Apex North Carolina- Reduced to $275,000!

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 13:34:45 -0500

Links

Photo Gallery

New Range	Breakfast nook with bay window	Formal dining room
Family room has wood burning fireplace.	Bonus Room w/ 2 closets could be 4th bedroom	Luxurious master bath
Guest Bedroom	Back of house showing oversized deck

Description

Beautifully landscaped & wooded yard backing to permanent Green Space buffer make this one of the best lots in the neighborhood!

Brand new Stove & Dishwasher, plenty of cabinets, and huge pantry add to the Spacious Kitchen. Breakfast room is open to the Family Room. Hardwood floors throughout most of first floor, including Kitchen, breakfast area, hallways and family room. Woodburning fireplace in the family room will be wonderful on those cozy winter evenings. Formal dining room with French doors and tile floors.

Light & Bright office looks over front yard and neighborhood. The French Doors allow you the privacy to get your work done while still letting you be part of the family.

Second floor has hardwood floors in hallway and both secondary bedrooms. Spacious owner's suite has it's own sitting area and walk in closet. The luxurious master bath has ceramic tile flooring, garden tub, separate shower, and two sinks.----PLUS a linen closet!

Huge Bonus Room for the family to play. With 2 closets, this room could be a 4th bedroom!

Holly Brook is a lovely community only minutes to Apex and Cary shopping and freeways. With a pool and play field, lush mature trees and landscaping, and neighbors that wave while walking the dogs, this is a place you can call home.

Features

Bedrooms:	4
Bathrooms:	2.5
Year Built:	1991
Subdivision:	Holly Brook
Lot Size:	.25
Garage Size:	2
Square Footage:	2610
Agent Name:	Linda Jandura
Broker:	Raleigh Cary Realty
MLS #:	1675728

Location

4817 Holly Brook Drive Apex NC 27539

vFlyer Id: 2644418

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

An Autumn Day in North Carolina, Lake Wheeler Park

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 11:19:12 -0500

A day at Lake Wheeler Park

Lake Wheeler Park, part of the City of Raleigh parks system, was developed in the 1950's and has grown into a wonderful place for families and friends to share the outdoors.

With many picnic tables and grills for free use for the public, as well as nature trails, fishing, and playgrounds, there is much to do here.

History:Lake Wheeler serves as Raleigh's secondary auxiliary water supply, and this 800-acre lake park (650 acres of lake; 150 acres of park and land buffer) has rapidly become a favorite capital city getaway... . In 1958, Lake Wheeler was approved for controlled fishing and other recreational activities as established by City of Raleigh Ordinance. A Master Plan was developed for Lake Wheeler Park in 1959, noting that this reservoir would provide opportunities for fishing, motor boating, water-skiing, sailing and canoeing. Many improvements have been initiated since those early days and the current site bears little resemblance to the initial structures that were put in place in the 1950's.

Available for rent are 3 medium picnic shelters and one large shelter, as well as a extra large "corporate" shelter for groups of 150 -200.

The Waterfront Program Center was built in 1998 and consist of a conference center with warming kitchen, outside covered deck, concession area, restrooms, and outside playground.

WPC lends itself well to all types of special events and various rentals [for weddings and/or receptions, business/sales meetings, faculty meetings/retreats, team building seminars, small musical engagements, birthday parties, family reunions, company parties, etc.].

Do you enjoy boating? Bring your own boat (small launch fee by the day) or rent a canoe, peddle boat, or jonboat by the hour and have a great time.

Lake Wheeler is just one of many parks in the city of Raleigh and Wake County area, that make the Triangle area a great place to live.

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Wake County September Housing Market Report

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:59:23 -0500

It's the middle of October and here in the Triangle area of North Carolina we've had our first frost warning The leaves are starting to turn colors as the weather cools off from the heat of August. Autumn has always been my favorite season, and living in North Carolina is especially enjoyable.

In the Real Estate market, the last 2 months have been extremely HOT with first time home buyers hurrying to meet that November 30 deadline to qualify for the $8000 tax credit. Because of this, homes priced in the lower price range, or under $200,000, were selling well.

Looking at the chart below of residential sales for resale homes in Wake County, you can see that the number of homes sold per month has steadily increased from our low in February 2009 to September 2009 (the last month for which numbers are available.) The average price of a resale home has increased to $226, 535. Average days on market have decreased from 106 days to 96 days for the period of those months also.

The next chart shows sales for NEW & RESALE homes for the year through September. As you can see, the bottom of the market seemed to hit in January with sales steadily climbing for most months.

Want to know how homes are selling in Cary and Apex? Or perhaps you'd like to know what's going on in YOUR specific town or neighborhood. If so,just email me and I'll send out your free Personalized report.

Whether or not you're thinking about buying a new home or selling your present home, almost everyone is interested in what the Real Estate market is doing in these volatile times.

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Detroit- Give those houses away!

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 18:22:49 -0500

The headline on the front page of Yahoo states "The town where you can't almost give a house away". Well, reading on, this story takes a different turn, almost like a headline from the Enquirer.

No, they are NOT giving the houses away. The City of Detroit wants to be paid all of the back taxes owed on each property. So after 4 days of auctioning over 9000 houses, very few are sold.

Many people were interviewed who wanted to buy one of those homes, but the good ones were snatched up by banks or investors. For others there was so much red tape that they couldn't possibly work their way through it.

After reading this story, I came up with an idea.

The city of Detroit should REALLY give those houses away. Give them to police officers, fireman, teachers, social workers, and other well deserving citizens who will promise to fix them up and live there for a minimum of 3 years. Make the closing easy. Reward people for wanting to help the city.

Wouldn't it be better to loose $500/ house then to have a city the size of Boston composed of vacant run down houses?

Just think how much taxes will eventually be paid on those homes with families in them. Think of the jobs that will be made for contractors, construction people, plumbers, etc. that the families will need to fix the homes. Think of the big picture with economic stimulation, not the little "how much can we get now" picture.

Yes, the auto industry in Detroit is dying. Time to move on and grow, with new jobs and new industries.

No, I don't live in Detroit, But what happens in other cities affects us all. And although the the saying "all real estate is local" has a lot of truth to it, we care about other markets as well as are own.

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Silent Sunday- Lake Wheeler Park, Raleigh North Carolina

Sun, 25 Oct 2009 13:38:27 -0500

It's a bright, cloudy, cool, lovely fall day, the first weekend day since the leaves started to change that it's not raining. A perfect day for a walk in the park

While the crowds are enjoying the last day of the State Fair, barely 5 miles away, my husband, granddog, and I were enjoying the peacefulness of Lake Wheeler. Not a sound was heard except the crunching of leaves under our feet as we walked. Even the swimming ducks were silent.

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Highlights from the Light the Night Leukemia Society Event

Sun, 18 Oct 2009 19:34:17 -0500

The evening was cold but everyone hearts were warm as the crowd of Supporters, Survivors, and people walking in Memory of Leukemia victims gathering Saturday night at Halfiax Mall in downtown Raleigh for a 2 mile walk around downtown to raise money for leukemia and blood cancer research.

Meals were provided for all walkers by Cici's Pizza, Panera Bread, and Remington Grill. Starbucks provided some much needed hot coffee, and the Vitamin Water was passing out cold liquid refreshment.

Each participant was given a balloon with a light inside- red for supporters, white for survivors, and gold balloons for those walking in memory of their loved ones.

Entertainment was provided by local dance troupes as well as DJ music to warm the crowd up. (Did I mention it was cold?)

The Welcoming Ceremony mentioned several corporate sponsors who raised over $10,000. The top sponsor was Capital Broadcasting Company, followed by Rex Hospital.

Finally the "walk" started. Over 2500 people walked through the downtown Raleigh streets that were closed off to traffic and guarded by the Raleigh Police force.

What a sight it was to see the thousands of balloons lit up marching downtown.

(Difficult picture to get, but it's still kind of cool)

Pledges are being accepted until the end of the year, so no totals were announced. The Leukemia society is hoping to raise $400,000 this year.

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Freddie Mac- Is There Anyone There That Knows How To Read?

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 21:10:42 -0500

Thanks to the Nestors for letting us all know how frustrating and difficult it is to work a short sale, even for the experts.

Via Nestor & Katerina Gasset Realtors® Wellington Florida Luxury Homes (International Properties and Investments, Inc.):

Freddie Mac- Is there anyone there that knows how to read? Our last hope is that someone there in your office has the decency to respond to our many requests and the homeowner's many requests for help.

Freddie Mac- You rejected a short sale work out program for this homeowner and we had 2 buyers ready to pay the appraised price for this property. Your appraisal came in below what the buyers are willing to pay for this house.

Freddie Mac- The homeowner even hired an attorney to make sure there was nothing amiss in the short sale documents. You sent this file to your legal department and then never disclosed the reason it was sent to your legal department. So much for the transparency that was promised.

Freddie Mac- Chase is the servicer for this note that you own. Our negotiator at Chase is the trainer for Freddie Mac loss mitigation.We know she knows what she is doing. She is highly respected and competant. She saw no issues with this work out package. In fact, she was fully expecting an approval from Freddie Mac.

Freddie Mac- You send Chase a denial letter for the short sale along with stating that you will not approve any work out program for this homeowner. So you want to own another home in Port St Lucie and then sell it in a declining market as a foreclosure instead of providing a home for a new buyer who is qualified and ready to buy this property?

Freddie Mac- Chase stopped the sale of this house back in July in order to process the short sale. The negotiator was so sure this would go through as we did also and the homeowner's attorney also thought this was a slam dunk short sale approval that they stopped the sale at the courthouse. As soon as you reject the short sale you put the property back up on the auction block with a date of October 27.

Freddie Mac- The homeowner has asked you over and over again for a reason for this rejection in case there is something that could easily be worked out. You stated back on August 16th that you would generate the letter. As of today neither us nor the homeowner have received any thing from you with a reason for the rejection. This is the first time since 1995 of doing short sales that we have run into such a stumbling block and one that is created by Freddie Mac.

The homeowner and we who are her agents have written letters, faxes and emails to all the chain of command at Freddie Mac and the Senators and Congressmen in Washington DC to beg for someone to care enough to respond. Time is of the essence. There has to be a reason and this rejection needs to be overturned because there is no possible legitimate reason why this short sale was rejected when it met every criteria that Freddie mac requires. (Unless you are discriminating against female senior citizens- we have not ever seen anything like this in our entire careers.)

The following people have NOT responded!

Mr Bruce Witherell, Chief Operation Officer at Freddie Mac,

Mr Donald J Bisenius, Executive Vice President Freddie Mac,

Mr Charles E Halderman CEO of Freddie Mac,

Senator Bill Nelson,

Congresswoman Caroline McCarthy,

Congressman Tom Rooney.

Senator Charles Schumer is the only one who responded. He sent a letter he wrote in behalf of the homeowner, our letter and our homeowner's letter directly to Mr Bernard Fulton who is the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Congressional Relations for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. We have not heard from Bernard Fulton as of this date. We are very thankful to Senator Charles Schumer for his help in trying to get this situation in the right hands.

Freddie Mac- You can contact Nestor Gasset and Katerina Gasset at 561-753-0135 to get us the answers and remedies we are seeking.

FTC Disclosure: This post may incite, motivate or encourage a homeowner somewhere to contact us to list their property as a short sale because they see that we will fight to the bitter end to make sure our sellers get a fair shake and positive outcome to their short sale.

T o view Florida Short Sales- Click here . We know Palm Beach County Short Sales and Port St Lucie Florida Short Sales and will help you get your home Sold if you need to Sell your home and help you buy your home in Palm Beach County Florida : Call us today.

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As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

"Light the Night"- Walk for Leukemia in Raleigh North Carolina

Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:16:31 -0500

I know this is very late, but I've just been asked by a client of mine to join her tonight in this very important cause.

We will be walking 2 miles (it's pretty cold out today for Raleigh) and are supposed to ask for sponsors to help raise funds to fight leukemia.

My client's 20 year old daughter has a best friend who has this terrible disease so of course anything we can do to help her is appreciated. Even if you don't want to donate, your thougths and prayers for Anna will be appreciated.

Here is the link and info from the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society:

I'm raising money for a very important cause: finding better treatments and cures for blood cancers so patients can live better, longer lives through The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light The Night Walk. I'm asking you to help by making a contribution! Please use the link in this email to donate online quickly & securely. You will receive an email confirmation of your donation as soon as it is made. I thank you in advance for your support which will make a difference in the lives of thousands of patients battling blood cancers.

I really appreciate your generosity!!

http://pages.lightthenight.org/nce/Raleigh09/LJandura

Thanks to all! Pictures and news of tonights event will be posted soon.

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

A No Brainer for Seller's- if you want to sell your house, you have to let the Buyers's SEE It!

Sat, 10 Oct 2009 15:15:34 -0500

Although we as Realtors are doing all we can to get our seller's homes sold in this economic client, I've noticed an interesting trend with sellers lately.

I've spent the last 4 weeks with 3 different buyers in different sections of the Raleigh Cary Apex area. What I'm seeing with sellers is amazing me. Things weren't this bad even in the old days of a few years ago when it was a seller's market.

I'm talking about not being able to show homes that are listed for sale!

When I talk to my potential sellers, I always explain to them what they, as seller's are responsible for and are expected to do in order to sell the home.

1. Condition of the house- keep it clean, keep up the staging.

2. Price- follow my advice and the comps I send you to keep the home priced right.

3. Convenience- for the Buyers to see, NOT for you to show!

You would think that #3 would be the easiest thing for the seller to handle. When a buyer's agent calls to view a house- LEAVE!

Generally, if I'm showing houses on a Saturday, I will try to make appointments by Thursday or Friday.

This week was no exception. I had a list of 9 homes to show a client on Saturday. One house went under contract between the time I looked at it on the MLS to the time I printed it out.- Okay, good for them. Now we're down to 8 homes.

5 of the remaining 8 homes were "appointment only". I had to wait on hold while Centralized Showing Services confirmed the appointment (wasting all my cell phone minutes). Of those 5, 2 wanted me to schedule my appointment for later in the day. Apparently 11:00 am on a Saturday was too early for them! One seller suggested we come sometime after 3pm, as she had a meeting going on in her house that day. Well, by that time I would be long done showing homes! And really, if your house is on the market, don't schedule a Saturday morning meeting of your club there.

Last weekend- same type of thing. Only one house was perfectly accommodating. That house happened to be the home that was immaculate & staged beautifully. And priced right. Guess what? It's still on the list of possibles.

We arrived approximately 3-5 minutes early at another home. The seller was rude and made us wait outside while he finished vacuuming. (The house needed a lot more than vacuuming!) One other homeowner declined showings for any time on that Saturday.

The weekend before last- different buyers, different area. These buyers were slower lookers, so we ran a few minutes late. Got to our last house 20 minutes late. I rang the bell, apologized to the seller for being late, and asked if we could still see the house. He checked with his wife and after 10 minutes the family came out. The wife was obviously furious! She walked right past us and refused to look at us or acknowledge my apology. The house was gorgeous, but we decided we could never negotiate a deal with that seller!

As Realtors we know that selling your house can be a nuisance and to some extent an invasion of your privacy. BUT, you knew this when you signed the listing agreement (or should have anyway). You've surely heard that it's a Buyer's market out there.

As a buyer's agent, I spend a lot of time and work very hard picking out homes for my buyers to see, then mapping them out and arranging appointments. When sellers ask me to come back hours later, I just can't rearrange my whole schedule to accommodate one seller. So that home is off the list. There are a lot of other homes available for us to see.

The moral of the story is:

If you want to sell your house, you have to let the buyers see it!

Please make it easy for me to show my buyer's your home. I want to sell it for you!

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Progress in Apex North Carolina - 2 Huge new Stores Opening in October!

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 21:34:22 -0500

So much for the Recession! Here in Apex North Carolina several national companies have enough faith in this area to be opening 2 large stores in the next few weeks.

Scheduled for an October 14 opening, Walmart will be welcoming guests to it's latest super store. Located on the Apex Peakway by the intersection of Hwy 55 and Hwy 1, Walmart will be a great addition to our town.

Meanwhile, over at Beaver Creek Commons, a great crew is busy setting up the new A.C. Moore store. A very popular craft & art supply store, AC Moore sells everything from scrap-booking supplies to picture frames to kids toys and art supplies. This store will also be offering classes in cake decorating and many other of the popular crafts. An end of October opening is planned.

These two new stores will probably prove to be very popular to the retail market in Apex, especially in time for the upcoming holiday shopping.

Of course if you want to buy a house in Apex or Cary, Linda Jandura is always the one to call!

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Up Up and Away at Terrington in Raleigh NC

Fri, 09 Oct 2009 15:48:22 -0500

With high end homes sales still soft in the Real Estate Market here in North Carolina, as well as most of the country, it takes something different to get agents to visit the communities.

Last weekend the onsite sales team at Terrington in the Raleigh Cary area of North Carolina held a truly unique Broker's event by inviting a select number of agents for a HOT AIR BALLOON ride! Since I had previously visited this beautiful community,talked to the builder, Jay Summers and wrote a blog on it, I was one of the lucky one to be invited.

My husband and I were both excited at the chance to take a hot air balloon ride. Who among us has ever looked at balloons flying in the sky and dreamed of being up there, just floating in the clouds, watching the world go by?

After waiting for all breezes to calm down, the crew took the balloon out of the van and spread it on the ground.

Using a big fan, they start to blow air into the balloon.

(no huffing and puffing here!)

The children were excited as the balloon was filling up.

Finally taking off with it's first 2 passengers! Because of safety reasons, and time, the balloon only went up about 30 feet- higher than the trees.

Our turn- we floated up about 30 feet- no feeling of "taking off", only a bump when we landed.

Inside of "My Beautiful Balloon"

Our Balloon's shadow

The little boy standing with his father behind us was a little nervous about going up. I told him that we were doing it so we can always say we went up in a hot air balloon. When would we ever have a chance to do that again? His father agreed, and said that's why he was going up- just to experience it and say that he took a Hot Air Balloon Ride.

The little boy decided to be brave and try it, just to be able to tell the kids at school all about it.

Thanks to the Goldstein's from ReMax for arranging this experience.

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Every Seller Needs To Know, What Sells a house?

Sun, 04 Oct 2009 18:39:40 -0500

It's so much easier for a seller nowadays to blame their Realtor when the house doesn't sell, but the following information is what I talk to my soon to be sellers about before I list the house.

Selling a house with your agent is like a partnership- the agent can market it to the utmost, but the seller controls the price and condition. And ultimately that's what sells a home.

If you'd like to know more about the market in the Raleigh / Cary / Apex area and how I can sell your home, email or call me!

Via Carra Riley CRB, CRS, GRI (Carra Riley Inc.- Real Estate Consultant, Author, Speaker ):

Every Seller Needs To Know, What Sells a house?

There are four varibles that sell a house.

1. Price

2. Terms

3. Condition

4. Location

All four of the variables go together to create the "perfect sale." Each aspect must be taken into consideration if you want a property to sell.

1. Price fixes everything! Don't let anyone tell you different. When the buyer perceives there is a value because of the price, they will buy the home.

The other three varibles always can effect the price.

There are circumstances where a buyer has lost the ability to qualify for a traditional loan because of a foreclosure or bankruptcy and the buyer needs owner financing. With Owner carry Terms that particular buyer may be willing to pay more because they have ownership with possibly a small down payment.

Conversely, if the Condition is bad the price will have to be reduced to reflect a value in the home where a buyer will have to come in and do repairs or cosmetic updates.

Location is the toughest variable in the sale to compensate for. Most people have heard about in Real Estate the terms Location, Location, Location. If the location is bad.. ONLY price will sell the property possibly combined with terms so exciting that a buyer will not be able to pass up the deal.

2. Terms. If the Terms are attractive, sometimes a seller can get more money for the home. For example: a home with a value of $325,000 listed with owner carry terms of $25,000 down and no bank qualifing might be able to sell at $350,000 because of the terms.

Under any owner carry situation, it is important the seller speak with their accountant and attorney before accepting any contract and agreement to finance. The seller should be completely aware of the liability and consequences in owner financing. This is just an example how price can increase with the right terms.

3. Condition is a key factor in selling a home. When the property is in top condition, looking like a show home the seller may get top market value for the property. In times where homes are selling at a slow pace, in order to procur a sale, the home should be the BEST property at the Lowest price to get to the closing table.

Taking a seller on a preview tour of the homes in the area similar to their property can save months of discouragement with a home not selling. When a seller can see the competition and accepts the fact their home needs to be the Best house at the lowest price to sell, the home will sell and the seller will see what they are up against in comparison.

Carpet or paint allowance does NOT work in selling a home. If the home needs carpet, put it in. If the home needs painting, get it painted. Many times this can cost a seller $5,000 to $8,000 to do those upgrades. Investing, yes, investing is the correct term, for getting the house sold. The money invested will come back in the form or a quick sale at full market value.

A picture is worth a thousand words so think about how the property looks and even take some pictures to see what a buyer is looking at. Sellers should look at the pictures like they were a buyer and ask, "would I buy this house in this condition for this price?" Are the kitchen counters cluttered? Are the closets a mess? What does the front door look like and the yard when people drive up to the house?

A seller has 8 seconds for a buyer looking at a home to decide if they really like the house and if it will go on the A list. The buyer starts the decision making process when driving up to the home while looking at the surrounding properties and the entrance to the home.

There are many agents are trained in "staging" a home and there are "staging services" which help a seller to understand what needs to be done to create a "marketable product." Listen to these people if you want to get the house sold.

The seller needs to separate from the house and see it as an investment or product that needs to be sold. The seller needs to take all the emotions out of the happy memories in the home if they are serious about selling.

4. Location is the only variable which cannot be changed. A bad location, is a bad location so only price and terms are going to help this situation.

It does not matter that the same model home across the street sold for thousands more, because it was ACROSS THE STREET and did not back to the highway. A seller needs to get a reality check on location and think about when they purchased. If the seller got a good deal when they bought because it had a bad location then they have to give the new buyer the same good deal to sell.

Sellers should take all the emotion out of the business of selling a home and treat the transaction as an investment decision.

If the goal is to get the home sold then listen to the professionals and let them do their job.

As Donald Trump would say, "It's only business."

Cosmic Cow Pie

Carra Riley

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Wordless Wednesday- Reflections of Vancouver Canada

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 08:16:44 -0500

I love views and pictures where the subject is reflected, generally nature on water. But in the middle of Vancouver, Canada, I caught these buildings reflecting all of the neighboring building.

Almost like a game- how many buildings can you find in the reflections?

I realized after the first few comments that there were no cars & people. This was taken on Mother's Day, a Sunday in May. We had just arrived from the East Coast, so were up early on EST. It was a beautiful sunny day, and from what I heard the locals talking about later, one of the few days that they didn't have rain in weeks. Glad we were there to enjoy it.

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Wake County North Carolina August 2009 Housing Market Report

Mon, 14 Sep 2009 12:27:54 -0500

Now that the summer is over ,

how did the Wake County Housing market fare during this national downturn?

(all numbers are provided by the Triangle Multiple Listing Service)

Compared to August 2008, which was about the last good month before the market started going down here in the Raleigh area, our current sales are quite a bit lower. At 241 closed contracts in August 2009, sales were down about 275% compared to the 2008 sales of 661.

However, the good news- homes under contract were way up from 2008!! Even with less homes on the market, to choose from, we went from 1031 homes under contract in 2008 to 1257 homes under contract last month! Does this indicate an increase in consumer confidence?

More good news for buyers. The average price for homes sold has dropped a bit here in the Raleigh, Cary, and Apex area compared to 2008.

Looking to sell your home? Need some information about what the numbers are showing in your area? Give me a call or email me and I'll be happy to talk to you about what your area is doing and what your home is worth.

Thinking about buying a home? Let me know what you're looking for and I'll create a custom search of homes just for you!

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Apex, North Carolina September Market Report

Wed, 09 Sep 2009 10:49:12 -0500

September is heralded as the end of summer, and in real estate our traditionally busiest season of the year.

After the apparent National free fall of the Real Estate Market, cushioned somewhat here in the Raleigh area by our relatively low appreciation rate of the last few year, we still like to see how the numbers add up.

With Apex being named as America's No.3 place to move by Forbes this year, has this inspired thousands to relocate here. Well, maybe not this year!

This information is for Area 15, the town of Apex proper as provided by the Triangle Multiple Listing Service.

As with the Cary Market report that I posted yesterday, the total # of homes for sale seemed to hold steady throughout the summer. However, the total # closed in August was way down. Looking at the number of homes under contract for August though, we can see that perhaps many of those will close in early September, or may not have been counted yet.

As with Cary, the average price of homes sold in the Area 15 section of Apex , rose significantly from June to August.

Like to know what the numbers say about your area? or more specifically, what your home is worth? Give me a call or email and I'll be happy to talk to you and get that information out to you.

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Cary North Carolina Summer Market Report and Statistics

Tue, 08 Sep 2009 13:31:42 -0500

The Labor Day holiday is over and the kids are back to school, so it's time to see how the housing market faired this summer here in Cary North Carolina. These numbers were provided by the Triangle Multiple Listing Service.

While the number of homes for sale and under contract held pretty steady for the past three months, the number of homes sold (closed) in August went down drastically. Hopefully the number of homes that went under contract in August will result in more closed sales for September.

The Good News for home values is that the average sales price has gone up dramatically from June through August.

If you'd like information about your particular area or neighborhood, email me or call me and I'll get the reports right out to you.

To Find Homes in the Cary, Apex, and Raleigh North Carolina area, follow this link.

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Apex Rocks! Something old is new in Crowder Park, North Carolina

Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:42:44 -0500

I've written many times about Crowder Park in Apex, North Carolina. Part of the Wake County Parks System, this 33 acres of land off Ten Ten Rd was donated by the Crowder family in 1992 to be used for the enjoyment of the people as a park.

Filled with walking/running trails, a pond, playgrounds, picnic areas as well as natural areas, Crowder park is a favorite of the residents for miles around. You'll often see families with their little children on the tricycles and playground equipment, groups of people holding a barbecue in one of the three shelters, and every kind of dog imaginable being walked by their owners.

Sunday was a beautiful day here in North Carolina; sunny, breezy, about 75 degrees. What better time for a walk in the park with my husband and "grand-dog". Having been there hundreds of times, you'd think we'd know it pretty well by now.

However, we discovered a new trail, leading to the "amphitheatre". We'd seen one end of this trail before, but now it was extended to make a full loop.

So off the beaten trail we went to see what we could see. Low and behold, in the middle of the woods, what do we come across but this sight (see right).

From far away, with the sun shining on it, this almost looked like a pile of dirty snow. But let's get real, it's Labor Day in the south, no chance of that happening.

Walking closer, we could see that there were 2 huge pieces of quartz poking out of the ground. Seems almost like the tip of an iceberg, where maybe this is only 10% of the actual rock.

I've seen a lot of small to medium quartz in the area. When the house next door to us was built we actually collected 1-2 foot sized rocks for our garden.

This is the only rock that I've seen in Crowder Park.

From the natural shapes and edges you can almost see faces. Maybe this will be the Mt. Rushmore of Apex, North Carolina!

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Do You Need a Place to Call Home? 7 reasons to buy a house.

Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:27:49 -0500

Do you need a home?

Of course you do! Everyone needs a home. And even if you're technically not "homeless" right now, there are still many reasons you may need to buy a house.

"Why would I possibly want to buy a home in this economic climate?" you may be asking yourself.

There's no better time than now to start looking. Interest rates are still low and home prices couldn't be better.

1. Are you tired of renting? Do you cringe every time you give your landlord that monthly rent check? Want to pay that money on something that you own?

2. Is your lease expiring? Rent going up? Don't want to be tied down to the same rental with the same noisy neighbors and same problems for another year?

3. How about a change in jobs? Do you need to lessen your commute time? Is it time to move closer to that new job and save $$$ on gas as well as your time.

4. Are you finally ready to move to North Carolina? Have you been thinking about a move here for a while, but kept "waiting" for a better time? Now is a good time!

5. Do you want to use that $8000 Tax Credit before time runs out? December 1, 2009 is the deadline for First Time Home Buyers to get a tax credit from Uncle Sam for up to $8000.

6. Is your house too small? Have an addition to your family? Or just need room for all of your "stuff?"

7. Maybe your House is too large? Are your children leaving home? Marriage breaking up? Or just tired of paying for all that unused space?

What's your reason for wanting to buy a home now?

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions

Wake Forest, North Carolina, 6200 Turning Point Dr.

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 08:10:18 -0500

First Time Home Buyers! Affordable Country Living- Immaculate and Spacious Home on 1 acre! - $99,900.00

Bedrooms: 4

Bathrooms: 2

Parking Spaces: long driveway

Year Built: 2000

Subdivision: Robertson Place

Lot Size: .94 acre

Garage Size: 0

School District: Wake Forest

Square Footage: 1548

Agent Name: Linda Jandura

Broker: Raleigh Cary Realty

MLS #: 1679671

Price: $99,900.00

6200 Turning Point

Wake Forest, NC 27587

Range/Oven
Dishwasher
Microwave
Satellite

Hardwood Floors
Security System
Vaulted Ceilings

Secluded setting
Tool Shed
Deck

Where else can you find an immaculate home only 9 years old on almost an acre of land for under $100,000?

This spacious 4 bedroom manufactured home is situated at the end of a cul de sac on a wooded lot just 15 minutes from North Raleigh and Triangle Town Center. Huge front deck overlooks wooded front yard, even larger back & side deck backs to private woods.

Cathedral ceiling. ceiling fans, hardwood floors, separate shower & garden tub, walk in closets PLUS security system are just a few of the extras that you'll find here.

Call for more details or visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Linda Jandura

linda@lindajandura.com

919.621.1691

Equal Housing Opportunity

VFLYER ID: 2709502

All information in this site is deemed reliable but is not guaranteed and is subject to change

As your local specialist, Linda Jandura knows Apex and Cary!

Call me today at 919-621-1691.

About The Author

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.NCHomesFinder.com

Call me TODAY at 919-621-1691

Email me with your Raleigh Cary area questions