Seriously, another list.....

Folks, I am not doing this intentionally but, Raleigh just keeps showing up on these lists. Here is another to add to the ranks of popularity......

Raleigh Could Crack US Top 50 in Population

Talk about your healthy growth!

Expanded shucking..........

Raleigh Makes Yet Another Elite List....

Raleigh just keeps popping up on lists! These are the lists we WANT to be on! Following is an article regarding the best places in the US to sell a home. Hhmmm.....guess who was number one?

The 5 Best Places To Sell A Home...

If you are hesitant about the Raleigh area and don't quite want to take one person's word for it - check out the articles that I provide - some good reading!

Some list-topping shucking going on......

Downtown Raleigh has seen the light...

Here is another great article regarding downtown Raleigh and the efforts to revamp, revitalize and make us an even bigger contender.....

Building Booms in Downtown Raleigh

Entrepreneurial shucking at it's finest....

McMansions, Estates and Lotsa Money

It seems that home sales are down in most of the country - you would agree with that, right? Well, not all home sales! Even in the Raleigh area the sales of luxury, high-end properties have drastically picked up. Following is a story relating the country as a whole.

Soaring Into The Stratosphere

As for Wake County here are some statistics that might surprise you.

In Wake County ONLY sales jumped from $546,765,433.00 in May to a whopping $601,819,487.00 in June. That is the highest monthly sales in over a year - now I ask you, are we in a slump? Keep in mind, that is WAKE county only. It does not include Durham, Chapel Hill, and smaller areas such as Youngsville and Franklinton. Pretty astounding.

The zip code with the highest amount of sales is 27587. That includes all of Wake Forest and part of Wakefield Plantation. According to statistics there were 198 home sales in the month of June for just that zip code.

If you would like monthly updates on statistics for Wake County and surrounding counties please just send me an email and I will be happy to oblige.

Some serious house-buying shucking going on.....

We Built This City.....

Well, the following article is tandem to the article a few days ago about growth creeping into Creedmoor. When I lived in Charlotte (years ago) the exact same thing had happened. Charlotte became synonomous with Mecklenberg County. I remember when I would get new clients back then they would specifically say, "We only want county taxes!" I had to disclose that I could sell them a house with county taxes but that there was no way I could predict when their home would be annexed by Charlotte. It was inevitable - everyone within the county was scopped up by Charlotte. Not only was Charlotte the same as Mecklenberg County -there was also a fine line between North Carolina and South Carolina. Rock Hill, SC was growing north and Charlotte (at the time) was growing South - the two met at one point.

My friends, the same is happening here. I am constantly getting requests from people that they want a house in Wake Forest (where I live), Cary, Knightdale, Apex, etc......my friends, it is all the same. There is rarely a defining line between the two and as evidenced by the article, soon there will be no difference between the "city" and the "county". It is the price we pay. We have some of the best schools in the country, best universities and colleges in the country, the biggest research area in the country, a fantastic cost of living and, interestingly enough, a slower pace compared to the rest of the country despite our achievements.......as I said, it is the price we pay.

Farmland Threatened By Wake Development

Busting and booming shucking.......

Like your momma said - Gettin' too big for your breeches....

Bound to happen! There is no more room in Wake County! Okay, not exactly true - but, I got your attention! Many smaller bedroom communities have experienced a boom in the influz of residents. Why, duh! First was Cary, Wake Forest, then came Zebulon, Knightdale and along came Holly Springs, Apex and "The Quay". If I left anyone don't scream and throw a fit - it wasn't intentional. Now, slowly creeping in is Creedmoor. Honestly, I am surprised that it took this long.

Wake Growth Spilling Into Creedmoor

from WRAL.com

Would you live in Creedmoor? (I would!) What do you think of the bedroom communities becoming mainstream?

Just a curious shucker....

How about a side of real estate with that? Smotherd and covered.....(thanks Waffle House!)

Oh, come on! You have all seen the red and white badge plastered all over my blog and website....you know you want to go. Don't be shy!

Free cup 'o joe, free pastries, free home tour, free advice - did you get the FREE! I am so excited for the first tour. I have quite a few that have signed up! Should be interesting how it all turns out. I have high hopes....For those of you that have signed up but not registered on the website will you please do so? It is so much easier to keep track of all of you that way!

Countdown begins -

T-minus 12 days and counting - Communications a go! We're rollin' her out to the pad....

Raleigh Bound....

Well, I have to say that CBS Early Show did a FANTASTIC job showcasing Raleigh and the Triangle area. They touched on everything from the southern charm, local wineries, local restaurants, research and BBQ. Applause! The ONLY thing that they touched on which really tripped my trigger was the year round schools. They had the two least equipped people to interview - it was awful! I don't know how they picked them. The gentleman on there was a School Board member and he was an opponent of mandatory year-round. Hey, everyone has an opinion. But if you are going to speak on a subject at least know what you are talking about. At one point he mentioned that with "tracks" you get two-week breaks throughout the year. Huh? Two-week breaks? Sorry, dude, it's 9 weeks on and THREE (3) weeks off. The other interviewee offered no information, insight or reasoning. She kept repeating something to the effect of "Education and growing". I am not sure what that meant. You could tell that Hannah was frustrated with her answers and kept deferring to the other guy. Oh well, maybe a more in-depth interview next time with educated guests both for and against!

Regardless, if I lived somewhere else and had seen the show - I would definately consider moving to Raleigh! Wish I had been there!

A few links:

Getting To Know Raleigh

Pigging Out on NC BBQ

Southern Spin on Summer Steak Salad

Dave Enjoys Raleigh NC

Raleigh's Southern Charm

North Carolina BBQ Capital

Happy shucking.....

"I'm gonna be a star........"

Here's your chance! The Early Show is coming to Raleigh LIVE and you can be on TV. Unfortunately, I can't make it down there but if someone wants to make a sign for me and get it on the air there might be something in it for you!!! :)

If you GOOGLE it there are several articles and links. Here are a few with some additional information:

WRAL.com

Raleigh NC - The Early Show

CBS News

Atomic Ranch? New dressing or funky diggs?

So, I meet this great couple from Massachusetts and they start inquiring about "atomic ranches". They also used terms such as borax - huh? It was a new one to me but like all things placed before me I had to run out and learn what this craze was all about! Barnes & Nobles was a great place to start. There are a few magazines specifically dedicated to this trend. FYI, here is one: Atomic Ranch

Pretty darn cool! The term references homes built in the atomic age. You know the ones.....many times the brick ranches, split-level homes and the like all built in from the 1940's - late 1960's. There seems to be quite a sub-culture, which is now going mainstream, of collectors that purchase the homes, remodel and period decorate. While I was skeptical at first it was amazing to see all of the homes that are being scooped up specifically for that. Don't get me wrong, I am used to the historic homes being updated but this was new. See, you can teach an old oyster new things!!!!

I'll keep you updated on my clients progress and hopefully will be able to get some pictures along the way. It will be interesting to see the before, during and after.......

Shuck on......

What should you know?

Michelle Young Home Is for Sale (from WRAL.com)

Posted: Jul. 7, 2007 Updated: Today at
7:15 p.m.

Raleigh — The home where a Raleigh woman was beaten to death
is up for sale.5108 Birchleaf Drive, the 11-room home of Jason and Michelle
Young, was listed this week on the Triangle real estate market at $424,900.
Described in the listing as a "beautiful, all-brick home on a large 1.8-acre
lot," it has four bedrooms, 2½ baths, a bonus room and French doors "leading to
a back deck overlooking a large fenced-in back yard."

Click here for the rest of the article

For those of you that are local I am sure that you are familiar with this tragic story which still has not come to a resolution and I know that there will never be closure for the friends and family of the victim. It appears now that the home where the devastating murder took place is now up for sale. Again, this brings up the question of disclosure. While a Listing Agent is not required by law to disclose any crime related information regarding the home you are certainly well within your rights to have your Buyer's Agent research the property.

Again, educated shucking.....know your rights!

Kijiji.....Say What?

Check it out! Brand new site out there from the creators of Craigslist. Funky name (gotta love those!), clean design and nationwide!





Happy shucking...........

Hoping you and yours celebrated a very safe and Happy 4th of July!

As the end draws to a close on the nation's celebration of Independence I just wanted to say Happy 4th of July! There was a multitude of activities from kid-friendly fairs, explosive fireworks, and in my neighborhood alone, the grills were working overtime!

For my family and some of our friends we chose the celebration at the Wake Forest-Rolesville high school last night. The entertainment was stellar with the Band of Oz, the crowd was in awe of the Don Carrington Skydive team and the fireworks were spectacular. It was amazing was $5 per ticket got you! I highly recommend you check it out next year.

Festivities were carried over to today with a festival at Holding Park here in Wake Forest. Referred to as "Art in the Park" there were food vendors, watermelon seed spitting contests, tug-o-wars, sun visor painting, Wake Forest firetrucks for the kids to explore and a demonstration by the Wake Forest Police K-9 unit. Very entertaining and family oriented day.

If you get the chance, check out the Town of Wake Forest website. There is a calendar of events that showcases all that Wake Forest has to offer on a monthly basis. Not too bad for a smaller town - not too bad at all!

Have a very safe evening!

Don't Bite Off More Than You Can Chew....

Realtors Spread the Word on Avoiding Foreclosures

Posted: Today at 5:31 p.m.
Updated: Today at 6:01 p.m.

Raleigh — A group of local realtors wanting to put a stop to the growing number of foreclosures in Wake County took to the streets Wednesday to help educate people about their options when buying a home.

"We don't want to see people losing their homes. So, we're trying to get out and educate people and work with people so they don't have to," realtor Darlette McCormick said.

Click here for the rest of the great article.

I am so happy to see this happening. Time and time again I have seen the same thing with my own buyers. They "qualify" for an astronimical mortgage payment, don't do the homework, get a glazed look in their eyes and less than a year later are not able to keep their heads above water. As the article says, they can't refinance because they are late on payments and it just snowballs from there. Please, keep a level head when searching for a home......stay within a level that you are comfortable.

Educated shucking.......what it's all about!

Wow - Happy 40th to me!

No words will ever describe skydiving! There is that moment when the parachute opens and you literally “stand still” in the air! No noise, complete silence and the most awe inspiring moment of your life – EVER! Will I go again – om my god, I can’t wait!!!!!

See more progress on: Skydive

And I'm Free, I'm Free Fallin'

"I wanna glide down over Mulholland
I wanna write her name in the sky

I wanna free fall out into nothin'

Gonna leave this world for awhile"

Oh faithful readers.........nothing prepared The Pink Oyster for her 40th birthday!!! May not be real estate related but I just had to share. My wonderful husband bought me the present of a life time - a SKYDIVE!!! Let me just say, no words could ever describe the experience. I want to extend a huge thanks to Carolina Sky Sports for helping to make this the most memorable birthday EVER, a big hug and kiss to John Terry, my instructor and a shout out to Peter my photographer and videographer! I can only describe my experience as the most peaceful, quiet, reflective and awe inspring moment of my life.

When that parachute opens and the deafening stillness and quiet seeps in, there is nothing but you and big open sky. Folks, if you ever, ever think you might want to do it, JUST DO IT!!

As soon as I get my head out of the clouds, we'll be back up and blogging!!!

Make a Free Flash Slideshow

Just a teeny disclaimer - this is my own amateur video - the real one will be up later in the week!