Twelve Days of Christmas - Carolina Style! Day 3

Wow - it was very hard deciding which pictures to use today! All of the homes were stunning! Tonight I will TRY to get some commercials displays that are around.....TRY! If not, you will definately get more homes tomorrow!

ENJOY!

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Twelve Days of Christmas - Carolina Style! Day 2

Well, folks......here are the pictures from last night! Absolutely gorgeous homes!

Santa's helper? Well, I lay claim to him - the best assistant I ever had!

Enjoy.....

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

World Beer Festival Coming To Raleigh.......

Well, I would know! :)

The World Beer Festival was just recently in Durham, NC and is now scheduled for April, 2008 in RALEIGH! If you missed Durham (I did) DON'T miss Raleigh! Brewmeisters from all over the country and world will be showcasing some of the finest and unique brews available. Check out the link for ticket information (sold out VERY quickly for Durham), list of suds purveyors, and tentative schedule of events! Hope to see you there!

World Beer Festival

Hops and Barley shucking.....

OPEN HOUSE! Last weekend of the 2007 Parade of Homes!

Linville, Raleigh - I cordially invite everyone to visit my open house at 11229 Conley Cove Court on October 13 and October 14 from 12:00 PM to 5:00 PM.

I will be holding this exquisite home open both Saturday the 13th and Sunday the 14th. Come tour one of the most luxurious homes currently on the market! Hope to see you then! Please mention that you saw my OPEN HOUSE mentioned here on The Pink Oyster to be registered to win a free gas card!

Property information

Out with the old, in with the new....

Hhmmm, just a few short weeks ago I had a fantastic couple out with me looking at properties. They were from the Chicago area. At one point, the wife spoke up and asked if Raleigh was following the current trend of tearing down old homes to build new which was the case in her father's neighborhood in Illinois area. I answered no and that I was very proud of how Raleigh is big into protecting and preserving older neighborhoods and that it wasn't very common here. Shortly after that there was an article in the News and Observer to quite the contrary. I was quick to email that link to them and let them know that I mis-spoke. Well, several weeks later there is yet another article regarding "infill". Apparently it wasn't enough for me to say I was srong - now I have to admit that I was REALLY wrong.....hey, I can do that!

588 New Homes Replace Teardowns...

Humble shucking.........




Workers intentionally drop three trees on top of a house being demolished to make way for a larger house.
Staff photo by Chris Seward

How Low Should You Go????

I found this great article that I wanted to pass along. You must admit that the shift to a Buyer's Market has certainly occured. As with all things cyclicle we will eventually stablize and start the pendulum move back in the other direction. However, I have many buyer's that are currently looking for "deals" and the question always arises, "How low should I go?" The following link is for a story about just that from The Real Estate Journal. There is some practical advice for making that initial offer without offending the seller. Hope you find it helpful!

How To Bid Low On A Home Without Offending The Seller....

"Do your research" shucking......

Through the eyes of a buyer.....

I really thought that instructing sellers to have a clean house when it was on the market for sale was like beating a dead horse.......the point should have been long understood! Boy, was I wrong!

After showing many houses this weekend I can safely say that I was appalled at the condition of some of the homes. One of the first responsibilities of any real estate agent worth their salt when preparing a home to be listed for sale is to advise the sellers to CLEAN UP! Get rid of the clutter, scrub walls, clean floors, and keep it neat. Spruce up the entrance, set an atmosphere, open the curtains, etc. But, the fundamental remains - clean your house.

To help you with a visual.......one home in particular was trashed from top to bottom. Dirty dishes all over the living room, important documents strewn about the furniture, dirty dishes in the sink, "sticky stuff" on the kitchen floor, writing on the walls (literally), the master bedroom was PILED high with dirty clothes all over the floor, end of bed and in the closet, bed was not made, master bath was a disaster with filthy shower, dried toothpaste all over the sinks, nasty, nasty toilet, a dresser top that was so clutters and stacked with "stuff" that you couldn't see the dresser. You literally had to side step through the house to move about. My buyers didn't however; I chose to see the rest of the house for myself - UNBELIEVABLE!

The topper came when the buyers had wanted to see the back yard. A dog was in the kitchen with "doors" up so it couldn't run about the house. We stepped over the "doors" and went to the sliding glass doors to exit out onto the deck. What did we step on? A doggie pad that was saturated with dog urine. DISGUSTING!

Seriously, if you are contemplating selling your home you MUST put yourself in a buyers mindset. If you were with me and you saw this house would you remotely be interested in buying? I have to also say that this home was in a neighborhood with gorgeous homes and a higher than average price range. It was not tenant-occupied so clearly the owners had full control over what the property looked like.

Folks, live your life how you wish.....but, when it comes to selling your home - it is BASIC, FUNDAMENTAL, and INESCAPABLE to clean your home. If you can only see through your eyes it is then your real estate agents duty to guide you through the steps necessary to get your home ready to be shown. What a disservice the agent representing the above mentioned house has done to their clients.

Excuse me while I step down from my soap-box!

Shucking on.......

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......

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!