raleigh real estate: Wake County Market Trends: April 2016 - 06/08/16 11:05 AM

Here is a snapshot of the current real estate market for residential real estate in Wake County. 

SEARCH ALL AVAILABLE TRIANGLE HOMES FOR SALE, LIKE I DO!
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raleigh real estate: The Master Stager -- Spring! - 04/05/16 12:10 AM

There’s a reason why Spring is high season for buying and selling houses.
“Add color!” my stager is always saying. We mortals can stage the interiors, but it’s Nature that stages the yard with all the colors of spring: white dogwoods against a blue sky, yellow forsythia, and stunning azaleas from a palatte of reds, corals, and lavenders.
Every home looks its best set amid flowers. Mother Nature knows what she is doing, when it comes to staging!
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raleigh real estate: Raleigh Real Estate: Going Above and Beyond - 10/31/14 02:25 AM
I pride myself on being a full-service real estate agent.  This means that I take care of my clients, whatever it takes.  Within reason.  I really prefer to draw the line at criminal activity.
Early in my career, I had a vacant listing.  The seller had moved to another state and left me to get her home sold.  The house was built in the 1950's.  In the lockbox we had a key to the front door deadbolt, but that was the only key my client had.  We had no key to the doorknob.
I put on the MLS instructions, "Do not … (10 comments)

raleigh real estate: NORTH RALEIGH REALTOR: THE JAGUAR IN THE BEDROOM - 03/22/14 02:48 AM

I enjoy houses.  Each one is unique, with its own personality, its own strengths and weaknesses.  I also enjoy seeing how people decorate their homes.  You can see what's important to the owners by the photos and collections they have chosen to display.
And sometimes it's just fun to see a way-out expression of personality.  This is one such expression -- a jungle mural in the bedroom of a foreclosed home.  I don't think I could sleep with the jaguar up there, looking down on me.  Admittedly he doesn't look hostile or hungry.  Maybe he's a friendly jaguar.
Murals in bedrooms are tricky, … (7 comments)

raleigh real estate: NORTH RALEIGH REALTOR: A JOURNAL AT LAKE LYNN - 01/06/14 06:43 AM

I often write about Lake Lynn, a City of Raleigh park that consists of a small lake and a 2 1/4 mile asphalt track around it.  I usually walk around the lake four or five times a week.  It's beautiful in all seasons!
Recently I discovered a new addition to the Lake -- a box that proclaimed itself "Lake Lynn Journal."  Inside were two laminated pages that explained its purpose.  Apparently, journals such as this one are a nationwide movement, and everyone is invited to write an entry.  Also inside the box was a small spiral-bound notebook and several pens. … (5 comments)

raleigh real estate: RALEIGH REAL ESTATE ~ WHEN THE CLIENT BOLDLY GOES - 05/07/13 12:51 PM

What's wrong with this picture?  Those pull-down stairs are missing, like THREE STEPS!  My investor-client lept and/or levitated himself up there somehow, while I'm watching with my mouth open and  wondering if I'm liable if he injures himself.  Liable or not, an injured client would not be a good thing.
Fortunately, the step he was on didn't break and  he was able to leap back down.  No harm was done.
One thing I will say for investors, at least this one:  He doesn't let anything stand in the way of inspecting a property he might want to buy.  We typically … (6 comments)

raleigh real estate: RALEIGH REAL ESTATE: MOVING FORWARD, LOOKING BACK - 01/23/13 11:36 AM
The Triangle Area Residential Real Estate (TARR) Report has just come out with the figures for 4th Quarter and a retrospective on 2012.  Things are looking up!  As you can see from the graph below, Wake County home sales in 2012 were the highest since 2008.

Looking just at Q4 2012 vs Q4 2011, showings were up 15% while inventory was down 32%.  Distressed inventory (short sales and foreclosures) was down 32% and now accounts for 9% of total inventory, down from 10% at the end of 2011.  
Home prices fell 9.5% during the recession, but did tick slightly upward … (10 comments)

raleigh real estate: REALEIGH REAL ESTATE: WINTERFEST - 12/16/12 09:59 PM



 

Temperatures may be mild, but downtown Raleigh embraces winter with its annual Winterfest celebration. Lasting two months -- from the first of December till the end of January -- Winterfest offers a unique opportunity for outdoor ice skating in the South.
The AT&T Raleigh Winterfest Ice Rink is located in City Plaza, on the southern end of the 400 block of Fayetteville Street next to the Bank of America building. The rink is 45' X 90' and has a capacity of 140 skaters. Hours are Tuesday through Friday, 4-9 pm; Saturday, 11 am to 11 … (2 comments)

raleigh real estate: RALEIGH REAL ESTATE: HOUSES ARE LIKE PEOPLE - 11/26/12 09:11 PM

Houses are like people -- Each one is unique, and has its own story to tell.  
This sad old house is right across the highway from  a new townhome commmunity where I have a listing, so I see it fairly often. What stories would it tell, if it could? This part of North Carolina was sparsely populated and agricultural, not so long ago.  Now the highway is busy with traffic from the newly built homes nearby.
The sagging roofline tells me that no one loves this house anymore.   One day soon it will be torn down.  A convenience … (8 comments)

raleigh real estate: RALEIGH REAL ESTATE: A BABY BEAR CLIMATE - 11/09/12 07:57 AM

We all remember what happened when Goldilocks sat down to try the three bears' porridge.  The first one she tasted was too hot!  The second one she tasted was too cold!  But the third was  "Just right!" and she ate it all up.
Here in the Triangle area of North Carolina, we have a Baby Bear Climate.  It's not too hot and it's not too cold.  It's just right! 
People from Up North move here because it's warmer.  They're tired of the short, dark days of a Northern winter.  They're tired of shoveling snow.  The Triangle does get an occasional … (6 comments)

raleigh real estate: RALEIGH REAL ESTATE: MARKET UPDATE Q3 2012 - 11/01/12 11:37 AM

During the recent presidential campaign season, there has been a lot of negative talk about the economy.  Nevertheless, crunching 3rd Quarter 2012 housing data here in the Raleigh/Wake County area yeilds some pretty postive results. 
          ~ The number of expired listings decreased 42% and the number of withdrawn listings decreased 28%.                     ~ The average list price was up 1% to $305,000 and the average days on market decreased to 119 from 144.             ~   There were 96,427 showings during the quarter, an increase of 13%.             ~   Combined pending and contingent … (3 comments)

raleigh real estate: RALEIGH REAL ESTATE: COUNTING OUR BLESSINGS - 10/05/12 09:27 AM
 
 

 
Accordidng to RealEstate.com, the housing market lost $9 trillion dollars in value during the recession, and now has gained about 1/3 of it back. Here is an explanation of their methodology:
We calculated the total value of the housing market for three separate months – the peak (March of 2007), the trough (Nov of 2011) and the latest (June of 2012). We then calculated the theoretical value of the housing market during each of these periods, by multiplying the average price of a sold home by the estimated number of housing units, using numbers supplied by the … (8 comments)

raleigh real estate: RALEIGH REAL ESTATE ~ TAKING THE PAPER OUT OF PAPERWORK - 09/17/12 10:20 PM

Not all, but a lot of the paperwork that a real estate agent deals with has to do with contractual agreements. In case of a dispute, complaint, or lawsuit, these documents will be called for and scrutinized.  The agent, as well as the brokerage he or she works for, both have a vital interest in making sure these documents exist, are properly done,  and stored where they are accessible for several years, in case any questions come up.
In early 2011, my brokerage started using BackAgent, a web-based office system.  For the first time in my 14-year career, I … (8 comments)

raleigh real estate: RALEIGH REAL ESTATE ~ TOP 10 REASONS THE TRIANGLE IS A GREAT PLACE TO LIVE! - 09/08/12 05:30 AM

Reason # 1. Businessweek says so!   In 2011, Businessweek voted Raleigh America’s Best City. “Among its many attributes, the city sports 867 restaurants, 110 bars, and 51 museums, according to Onboard Informatics, as well as a thriving social scene, good schools, and 12,512 park acres.”   
Reason # 2. Money Magazine says so!  In 2012, Money magazine ranked Chapel Hill as #10 in the nation on its list of Best Places to Live.  See all the stats here.
Reason # 3. Kiplinger says so!  Durham ranked #9 in the 2012 list of Best Cities for Singles in 2012, and … (8 comments)

raleigh real estate: RALEIGH REAL ESTATE: LOGAN'S ART FESTIVAL - 08/11/12 11:21 AM

Take a train station that's now a nursery, the kind that sells plants, and add some art!  Logan's  recent Festival of the Arts combined the elements of nature and creativity to show both to advantage. The long platform provided ample space to showcase the wares of sculptors and painters, potters and jewelery makers -- and one friendly artist who transforms gourds into objects d'arte.

Some portion of the day's sales and a silent auction benefited ComeUnityNow, a local charity which "celebrates the spirit of Raleigh through art, music, and service."
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raleigh real estate: RALEIGH REAL ESTATE: ART FOR CHARITY IN A NURSERY - 08/10/12 06:13 AM

Everyone knows Logan's, or should. It's a wonderful nursery and cafe` located in the old Seaboard train station off Peace St. in downtown Raleigh. They have plants outside, plants inside, giftware, and practical items for the serious gardener like gloves and plant stakes.
This weekend Logan's is hosting  a charity event featuring 42 artists in the genres of "2D, 3D, performing, musical, and more."  The charity that will benefit is called ComeUnityNow, and their purpose is "to enrich lives through art and service." This year their project is to help the homeless in Raleigh.
This event promises to be … (5 comments)

raleigh real estate: RALEIGH REAL ESTATE ~ MARKET UPDATE - 07/26/12 11:20 PM


The 2nd Quarter T.A.R.R. Report (Triangle Area Residential Real Estate) for Wake County finds our local real estate market outperforming the national average. Showings are up, sales are up, closings are up. Even prices are up -- 2% on average for a detached resale home.* Inventory is down, days on market are down, and distressed properties as a percentage of inventory are down.  Overall, we now have a four-month supply, which is getting close to being a sellers market.
What’s driving the good news? In a word, jobs. According to the North Carolina Employment Security Commission, the peak in … (5 comments)

raleigh real estate: RALEIGH REAL ESTATE ~ THE DANGEROUS SEDUCTION OF NEW - 07/21/12 01:11 AM

People who are looking for a home are looking for love.  This makes them vulnerable to Charm, which may or may not be a valid reason to buy.
I remember my second house.  The model home I fell in love with had a big picture window in the master bath over the garden tub, and outside the picture window was a delightful fenced couryard  containing a garden statue of young girl surrounded by beautiful flowers.  Charming!  Later I laughed at myself, because I never had time to tend an area that nobody ever saw but my husband and myself for … (3 comments)

raleigh real estate: NORTH RALEIGH NEIGHBORHOODS ~ WOOD VALLEY - 06/28/12 12:26 AM

Taking a photo of a representative Wood Valley home turned out to be a challenge! The neighborhood is well-named. Large, gracious homes sit back from the street on thickly wooded lots. Wood Valley appeals to people who want to live near Raleigh but apart from urban annoyances. It's off Norwood Road, convenient to the airport and Research Triangle Park. The downside of an otherwise-perfect location is a certain amount of airplane noise. Homes were built in the 80's and 90's, and sell in the $300-400 range.

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raleigh real estate: RALEIGH REAL ESTATE: NOT ALL ISSUES ARE CREATED EQUAL - 04/24/12 01:23 AM

There is no perfect house; every one of them has issues.  However, not all issues are of equal significance. Some are instant deal-breakers, while others  can be fixed with a screwdriver.  
Level Five issues immediately knock  a home out of consideration.  Level Five issues include problems with the home's structure or environment that can't be changed.   Facing or backing up to a four-lane highway, for example, or having an interstate less than 1/4 mile away.  High-tension power lines in the back yard.  A driveway that goes straight down like a roller-coaster.  The price may be good, but a … (6 comments)