Based on my experience in real estate over the past several years I've found one of the biggest assets that an experienced Realtor can bring to the table as a buyers agent is top notch negotiation skills.  It's also one of the most challenging aspects of real estate too.  The week before Thanksgiving I wrote an offer for a property where they had 5 showings the 1st week on the market and 3 offers.  How did that happen?  Doesn't the seller know its the holidays?  That said, my clients fell in love with a home and just HAD to have it.  You know how the story goes. I told them that negotiating the terms of the sale can be a real roller coaster ride.  And, oh boy, this transaction wasn't any different.  Needless to say we went back and forth on the terms of the agreement with both sides com... 11/28/2007

Cynthia Tilghman wrote a blog entitled, If You Could Live Anywhere in the World? Where Would That Be? I started thinking -I believe I live in the most incredible place in the world. I am fortunate. I've been to many countries, have seen many cultures, and it makes me happy to know that I live in America - in my town of Cary, North Carolina. I also have a bug for travel.  Not everyone has this bug and it is especially difficult to have this bug when you are in real estate.   So, I try to travel during my off season - during the winter months.  I've been fortunate enough to grow up in a family that loves to travel.  My immediate family is small - my husband, my daughter, my parents, and my sister.   We've all traveled the world - something we cherish.  My sister played professional tennis... 11/25/2007

Cary, North Carolina was once again ranked one of the safest cities to live in the US by CQ Press.  This group compiles a yearly list of the safest and most dangerous places to live based on FBI crime statistics. Cary ranked the 14th safest city with a population >75,000.  This is not surprising to local residents as Cary has consistently ranked among the safest cities for several years.  Within the last year the Cary Police Department has also grown and added a new patrol, which will hopefully keep Cary among the top places to live.Other Triangle cities making the safest cities list were Raleigh at 174 and Durham at 276.  To see the full list of the safest and most dangerous cities, click here.Roland Carrillo, PhDBranch ManagerVanDyk MortgageEmail: rjcarrillo@gmail.comWebsite: www.MyMo... 11/22/2007

  Picardy Village entrance sign Picardy Village is a cozy neighborhood of custom-built homes in Cary, NC.  Picardy Village is off the west side of Lake Pine Road, between the Cary Parkway and US 64.    Picardy Village is adjacent to Picardy Pointe. Click here to view currently available Active Listings in Picardy Village. See the Picardy Village photo set on Flickr. Downtown Raleigh and NC State University are about a 15-20 minute commute from Picardy Village.  The Research Triangle Park, "RTP," is about 25 minutes.  Heavy drive-time traffic can increase those commute times. Picardy Village was developed in the mid-1990's by MacGregor Development Company.  Mostly 1.5 and two-story homes comprise Picardy Village, with home sizes ranging from 2300 to 3800 square feet.  You will see in the... 11/19/2007

Sure, I press my clients to remove shoes in a nice clean home, when the Seller makes the request.  It is courtesy, and reasonable.  And some cultures just do not wear shoes in the house.  Respect.  I'm all for it.  But we are approaching winter in North Carolina.  NC winter is not Arctic, but it does get cool.So, the first two homes I showed on Saturday were vacant.  One had laminate floors.  The other had a lot of hardwoods.And the heat was OFF in the first one, and very low in the second one.I was in the company of a young family, with three crumb-crushers age 6 and younger.  "Remove shoes?"   They were very willing, as they know the drill.The first house was 47 degrees inside.  My fiduciary status prevents me from telling a two year old to remove shoes and walk in socks on cold lamin... 11/19/2007

I've recently been working with the Active 55+ age group which have given me ideas about the communities and reasons why seniors should consider the Triangle.  Here are a few posts about  Active Adult Seniors in the Triangle and the communities that are available in the area: Best Place to Live for Retires in 2006 -Raleigh, NC #4 and #3 Best Place to Reinvent You Life Retirement in Wake County NC - Triangle Active 55+ Communities help older adults stay active & involved Active Adult Triangle Communities - Top 10 New & Affordable I've also spent some time at Carolina Preserve watching the community grow and develop in a short period of time.  Carolina Preserve by Del Webb Active Adult Living Community in Cary, North Carolina Amberly in Cary - A Hot New Community in Northwest Cary Carolin... 11/17/2007

It's Fall, a beautiful time of the year in North Carolina, as the trees turn colors and light up the streets with the brightness of their foliage. And it is the time of year when furnaces come on for the first time in months.  Also a great time to have an inspection performed on an older unit, to make certain it is ready for another heating season.The most common furnace safety issue in Cary, Raleigh, and all of Wake County, NC, is the failure of the heating unit's "heat exchanger."  The heat exchanger is a chamber, or series of tubes, through which the combustion flue gases pass after burning.  Interior air from the house is passed over the heat exchanger to warm the air before it passes back into the home to heat it.  And the flue gases, being contained within the heat exchanger, pass... 11/15/2007

Is the ranch house coming back?  Oh...you know:  The classic '60's rancher.  Single level living, with no stairs and low maintenance.   Oakwood Heights, Cary, NCIt seems to me that it is, and that spells good news for many Raleigh and Cary residents who should see great price support for their classic ranchers. Enchanted Oaks, Raleigh, NCMy legs get tired chasing up and down the stairs in our pleasant, but decidedly TWO story home.  And I have determined that those luxurious 9 foot ceilings serve to add a step or two to the climb to the second floor.  Our main-level master suite helps, but the allure of all one-level living is building.  Two Scottish Hills ranchers, Cary, NCOne very nice benefit to many of these classic homes is the large lots that they were built on.  Many '60's, '70's... 11/14/2007

What is the absorption rate for current homes on the market in Apex, Cary and Morrisville, North Carolina?First of all, let me define what I mean by absorption rate. Absorption rate is the number of months it would take to sell all the homes currently on the market if they sold at the current rate (number of homes sold through October divided by 10 months).Even though the supply of inventory is up in all three of these areas, the absorption rate is still pretty good. Morrisville's supply for all residential property types is just under 3 months. Cary has a 3.2 month supply and Apex has a 4 month supply of homes for sale. When one examines just detached single family homes, Cary's absorption rate stays about the same and Morrisville moves out to about 4 months.The selection of single fam... 11/14/2007

Again, a Buyer who didn't use my referred mortgage lender called me after the lender let him down.And the scramble starts, to get the clients in front of someone I know can perform, offer clarity, and get the job done within a short closing window.  I use up a little of my stock of good will with good people who have to hustle to catch up to where they should have started a few weeks ago.It goes with the territory.  I heartily support a Buyers' right to select a lender.  I know it isn't a perfect world.But... when I talk to people who believe they need to source their own service vendors, because they can't trust me to link them up with quality, bad things happen to my blood pressure.  It goes up even more when people hint that I have something to gain by offering referrals to professio... 11/14/2007

 Picardy Pointe entrance sign Picardy Pointe is a neighborhood of custom-built homes on the edge of Cary, NC.  Many of the homes have a view of the Apex Community Park Lake. Click here to view currently available Active Home Listings in Picardy Pointe. Picardy Pointe is off the west side of Lake Pine Road, between the Cary Parkway and US 64.  See the 47 photo set slideshow on Flickr. Downtown Raleigh and NC State University are about a 15-20 minute commute from Picardy Pointe.  The Research Triangle Park, "RTP," is about 25 minutes.  Heavy drive-time traffic can lengthen those times. Picardy Pointe was developed in the mid-1980's.  Many pleasant classic 1.5 and two-story homes comprise Picardy Pointe, with home sizes ranging from 2600 to 3900 square feet.  As the photos indicate, Picard... 11/10/2007

Sometimes getting the keys conveyed properly is a small hurdle.Folks sign all the paperwork, and expect to get the keys.  Legally, they do not own the home in North Carolina until the deed is recorded.  And that is the best time to hand over the keys, after recording of the deed.  The final title search for liens is performed just before recording.  Things happen.  Issues arise.  Not often, but often enough to justify holding the keys until recording.That can be difficult to understand, when they have driven across the State, or across Country, and the moving van with all their belongings is circling the attorney's office...It is common in Cary, NC, to give the keys to the Buyers at the closing table.  Most Sellers do so, and I wonder if they truly understand the risks involved.I tell m... 11/10/2007

My clients travel a little, and live just a few miles farther than our Keller Williams Cary real estate office from the new home site.  And the spouse works long hours, and will have a difficult time seeing the construction of the home through its phases.What to do?I can usually find a few minutes most days, and have driven to the home site, and taken photos on a few occasions.  Email would have been a little bit clumsy to send photos.Hmmmm....Flickr!  Oh, for sure!With my Flickr Pro account, I can post unlimited monthly photos.   And now I have delighted clients who are grateful that I have posted 56 photos this week showing their new home construction.  I figure by the time they close next spring, they will have one of the largest folders in my Flickr account.And I'm just getting warm... 11/09/2007

We cruised through Royal Ridge in Cary, NC, last Saturday night to view the beautiful custom homes and the heavily wooded lots.  Royal Ridge is a mature  residential  neighborhood  in the center of Cary, NC.  Royal Ridge is located off the Southwest Cary Parkway, between Kildaire Farm Road and Lake Pine Drive.  See the Royal Ridge slideshow on Flickr. Raleigh and NC State University are about a 15-20 minute commute.  The Research Triangle Park, "RTP," is about 25 minutes.  Heavy drive-time traffic can lengthen those times. Royal Ridge was developed in the mid-1980's.  Many pleasant classic 1.5 and two-story homes, and several contemporary styles comprise Royal Ridge, with home sizes ranging from 2000 to 4100 square feet.  As the photos depict, Royal Ridge  is heavily wooded with mature ... 11/07/2007

My wife accompanied me for a Saturday evening drive through the Woods of Kildaire, Cary, NC.  Many of the photos show the development of dusk, and the quietude of life in a wooded preserve. Woods of Kildaire is a mature affordable neighborhood in the center of Cary, NC.  Woods of Kildaire is situated off the SW Cary Parkway.  Access to the neighborhood is also available from Kildaire Farm Road, and through MacGregor Downs.  Access and egress to and from the neighborhood are convenient.  Raleigh and NC State University are about a 15-20 minute commute.  The Research Triangle Park, "RTP," is about 25 minutes.  Heavy drive-time traffic can lengthen those times. Click here to view currently Active Home Listings in the Woods of Kildaire. Woods of Kildaire was developed in the mid-1970's thro... 11/05/2007

I went out for the morning paper and saw the early morning pre-dawn glow.  Dawn is the finest time of the day, I think.  It holds the promise of the day ahead.  And today it occurred to me, a series of sunrise photos might make a neat Real Estate Show.  So I gave it a go.I enjoyed the result, and like the music that came up by default, so I left it in the Show. 11/05/2007

Hey!  Let's meander through the shade in Farren Forest, Cary, NC:    Farren Forest is a mature affordable neighborhood in the center of Cary, NC.  Farren Forest is situated off the SE Cary Parkway.  Access to the neighborhood is also available through Stonehaven.  Access and egress to and from the neighborhood are easy.  Raleigh and NC State University are a 15-20 minute commute.  The Research Triangle Park, "RTP," is about 25 minutes.  Heavy drive-time traffic can lengthen those times. The neighborhood was developed in the mid-1980's-early 1990's.  51 pleasant classic 1.5 and two-story homes comprise Farren Forest, with home sizes ranging from 1500 to 2400 square feet.  As the photos show, Farren Forest is heavily wooded with predominant hardwoods, and also many huge pine trees. Typica... 10/31/2007

One of the great things about living in Cary, NC is that it has so many resources to offer - parks, jogging trails, athletic facilities, and much more.  That list just grew a bit longer today when the Triangle Aquatic Center  (TAC) opened next to the Cary Town Center.   This facility is incredibly impressive for the first aquatic center in Cary to say the least.  The facility is 72,000 sq. ft. and is the largest public aquatic facility in North Carolina.  The Triangle Aquatic Center facility includes: Three pools - a 50-meter Competition Pool, a 25-yard Training Pool as well as a warm water Instructional Pool Comfortable spectator seating with capacity for up to 1000 people Full-service café All American Swim shop Dryland fitness area Classroom & Admin offices Michael Curren, the Presid... 10/29/2007

As most of you know I've been writing about the extreme temperatures we had over the summer, and more recently about the severe drought in the area.  While this has impacted the water supply in the area, I didn't think it would it this close to home.  The drought is now impacting the homes in our area.   The News & Observer reported today, from Charlotte, that the prolonged drought is causing home foundations to sag and crack all across North Carolina.   There are a number of issues that can effect your home as the clay soil dry and shrink during a drought that include: Foundations sinking Walls cracking Doors sticking Concrete floor slabs collapsing (thank goodness most homes are on a crawl space) Chimneys can pull away from a home Most foundation repair services are seeing a dramatic ... 10/25/2007

I've been working with some buyers from New England since May of this year.  I got them to sell their house back home and now they are renting short-term in Holly Springs until we can find them the perfect home.  My clients are looking in the $300k price range and, in this price range, homes tend to move quickly.   In a hot market buyers must be prepared to buy.  Even the best agents on the planet can't help a buyer that's not prepared to buy.   I guess the big question is "How badly do my clients want to buy a home?  I've tried to explain to my clients that if they want me to work really hard for them, then they have to be ready to buy. These are a few things that I recommend to my clients to demonstrate they are ready, willing, and able to buy a home.   1. They get pre-approved for a ... 10/25/2007