Is Now The Time To Buy A Home?

Well, there's your answer! There is such a variety of homes on the market right now - assortment of styles and the prices are great! Below are statistics for Wake Forest - with a 15 month supply there is sure to be a home for you!

Active Listings:

*January Statistics run through February 15, 2008

There were 1336 active listings for the month of January 2008* which includes townhomes and condos. In comparison, there were 961 actives listing for the month of January 2007 (which were computed through February 15, 2007). A substantial increase of 39% is noted.

Closed Listings:

There were 87 closings for the month of January 2008 (computed from Jan. 1 - Jan. 31, 2008) in Wake Forest. Of those closings 17% had a price point of $400,000 or higher. The supply of homes in Wake Forest has jumped from a 7 month supply in the last report to a staggering 15 month supply. Wake Forest currently has the HIGHEST absorption rate in Wake County.
Average days on market for Wake Forest for the month of January was 111.

Additional Statistics: The top 2 subdivisions for listings in all of Wake County were located in NoRa and Wake Forest. They are Heritage (146 listings) and Wakefield Plantation (94 listings). There were 862 closings for ALL of Wake County for Jan. 08 compared to 1431 closings in Jan. 07.

And You Thought You Had To Go To New Orleans for Mardi Gras......

Mardi Gras - Meet Wake Forest, NC!!!!

The third annual Mardi Gras Masquerade will be held Saturday, February 23rd. This black and white formal has been wildly successful in the past and the momentum has just propelled it to the next level!

This year's entertainment will be the Emily Rich Band and our own local, Freddy Greene. Tickets are available for purchase at $55 per person with proceeds benefiting Wake Forest Boys & Girls Club. Hors d'oeuvres, beer, wine and Hurricane cocktails, rich desserts and King Cakes will be available.

Tickets can be purchased in advance at The Old Magnolia Trading Company, The Cotton Company and the Wake Forest Chamber of Commerce.

Wakefield Plantation - Will there be new zoning?

If you live in Wakefield Plantation then you have seen the proposed re-zoning signs as well as the signs protesting it.

The City of Raleigh has proposed to rezone approximately 5,000 acres in North Raleigh which includes Wakefield Plantation, Bedford and Falls River. Why? To protect the water supply of the Neuse River at the old Burlington Mills textile plant off of Capital Blvd. The targeted area runs north-south between N.C. Highway 98 and Durant Road and east-west between Falls of Neuse Road and Capital Boulevard. It is in that area that you find some of the largest subdivision in the area. One could go so far as to say mega-subdivisions.

The impact of the propsed rezoning would include homeowners having to comply with the stormwater requirement if they wanted to add a deck or pave a driveway. Also, homeowners can capture stormwater by building rain gardens, sand filters and other devices to manage stormwater. They cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars to tens of thousands, but on the lower end for individual homeowners. There are a few more restrictions and implications tied to this proposed rezoning. If you would like to lean more The City Council and Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on the proposal 6:30 p.m. Jan. 22 at 222 W. Hargett St. in downtown Raleigh. For more information, go to www.raleighnc.gov/planning and click on Z-003-08 Richland Watershed.

Wake Forest Arbor Day Poster Contest! Deadline - Jan. 18!

• Attn all kids in Grades K-5!!!!

Once again this year Wake Forest will have their Arbor Day Poster Contest. The theme for this years contest is "Trees are Terrific...inside and out!". The contest is sponsored by the Wake Forest Urban Forestry Advisory Board and members of the Board will judge the posters. Posters will be judged on creativity, artwork and depiction of this years theme. There will be four categories which are:

• Best picture
• Most Creative
• Honorable Mention
• State Entry

The winner for each category above will receive a $50 U.S. Savings Bond. For more information please visit the contest rules and be sure to check out the Wake Forest Arbor Day Celebration scheduled for March 13th where the poster contest winners will be recognized!

Get those creative minds working, grab your poster board and start designing!! My son participated last year (didn't win) but had a blast creating his poster!