Just sharing how our  REALTOR® network is contributing to the relief in Haiti:

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Dear Fellow REALTOR®,

By now, we all know about the severe devastation caused by the earthquakes in Haiti. NAR is helping answer the calls for help in two key ways.

First, we are contributing $550,000 to charities that will help bring much-needed supplies and care to the people of Haiti. Included in that sum is $100,000 donated by our REALTOR Benefits® Program partner, Lowe's®, which we have matched at $100,000. From that we will donate $50,000 to The Harvest of Haiti, founded by REALTOR® Patrick Moore, a 2007 Good Neighbor Award winner. Patrick has done great work for several years in Haiti supporting orphans, delivering clean water and providing medical care for more than 3,500 people a year.

http://www.realtor.org/press_room/news_releases/2010/01/donate_haiti

We are also contributing $500,000 to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, which is supporting earthquake recovery efforts with immediate relief and long-term support to earthquake survivors. For up-to-the-minute information about these efforts, visit NAR's Haiti relief page on REALTOR.org.

Second, I have asked NAR to accept donations from REALTORS® through the REALTORS® Relief Foundation. Please consider giving today. To make a donation, go to www.realtor.org/relief and complete the contribution form.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. once said: "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."

REALTORS® have earned a reputation for our compassionate work on behalf of others - both here in the United State and around the world. I hope you will join our latest efforts and bring that same compassion and hope to people who desperately need it.


Sincerely,
Vicki Cox Golder, CRB
2010 NAR President

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According to Research Economist, Selma Lewis, a recent study titled "Location Efficiency and Mortgage Default" revealed that "the probability of mortgage foreclosure increases as neighborhood vehicle ownership levels rise".

According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, location-efficient communities are neighborhoods where residents have access to a variety of transportation options. The most important determinants of location efficiency are: the compactness of residential development and the proximity of public transportation. Location-efficient areas are located in close proximity to a number of services, require shorter travel distances to access those services. They are also characterized by a concentrated business district or downtown area, and more opportunities to walk, bike, or use transit.

Based on the same idea, The Center for Neighborhood Technology developed The Housing and Transportation Affordability Index which takes into account not just the cost of housing, but also its location efficiency, by measuring the transportation costs associated with place. Find the Affordability Index for your metropolitan area at http://htaindex.cnt.org/.
(Copyright National Association of REALTORS®, Reprinted with permission.)

Contact me today for more interesting real estate industry facts or local market data. 

Can you really afford NOT to buy a house?  If you are currently sitting in the "renting boat", consider the following ownership vs. rent example below:

Suzy has a $900 mortgage that includes $700 of interest.
Her total house payments are $10,800 annually.
At the end of the year, $8,400 (12 months x $700) is tax deductible in the United States.
She is in the 28 percent tax bracket, so her tax savings are $2,352 ($8,400 X .28).
Her actual housing costs for the year are $8,448 ($10,800 - $2,352).
So Suzy has built $2,400 in equity!

Suzy's friend James currently rents because he believes he "can't afford" to buy.
He pays $800 in rent each month.
His housing costs for the year are $9,600.
So, even though James thinks he's saving money, he actually spends about $1,150 more than Suzy!
And he's not building any equity!

Contact me to begin your NC Triangle area home search today!

AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE $8000 FIRST-TIME HOMEBUYER'S TAX CREDIT!  Contact me for details.

Please be aware of the current scam being executed via texting.  This scam, known as "smishing", is the text message version of phishing emails created to try to steal personal information from unsuspecting consumers.  The following text message is one version currently circulating:

"Wachovia alert - your card starting with 4828 has been deactivated please contact us at 804-715-9368 to reactivate your card."

Wachovia, of course, has no hand in this except to inform customers that this is a scam. 

For more information, click here for the original Better Business Bureau article, or copy the link below into your web browser.