According to the Triangle Business Journal today...
Sales of existing homes in the Triangle dropped 24 percent in September as woes in the national housing market continued to chip at the local economy.
Data released by the Triangle Multiple Listing Service show that 2,347 homes were sold in September, down from 3,098 in September 2006.
Local home sales had been trending down for months, most recently dropping 8 percent in August and 11 percent in July. But the area hadn't yet seen such a sharp downturn equivalent to those in other markets, where declining home costs and troubles with subprime mortgage markets have embroiled economies.
Prices weren't the culprit. The average closing price on a home rose 6 percent year-over-year to $242,885.
But as foreclosures grow locally and the national economy slows, local home inventory rises. It continued to rise in September, when there were 17,929 active listings - up 22 percent from the year prior.
And unlike in recent months, when wealthier ZIP codes dominated home sales, the top three ZIPs for sales all came in areas that have seen high foreclosure activity. Fuquay-Varina's 27526 topped the list with 96 home sales, while southeast Raleigh's 27610 was No. 2 with 90 and Wake Forest's 27587 was No. 3 with 88.
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Friday, September 21, 2007
275 Winfred Drive, Raleigh, NC 27603
http://www.therealestatehomeshow.com/ns_viewListingDetails.asp?listID=10852#theShow
Check out this really neat video. I think it really shows off the house.
Check out this really neat video. I think it really shows off the house.
Monday, August 27, 2007
Schools
Alot of relocation families want to know about the school system. I am a little bias when it comes to this. My kids go to Johnston County and I don't care what anyone from Apex says, we have a terrific school system.
A client of mine had a father from Apex tell her son they should have moved to Apex not Clayton. I couldn't believe it when she said he called Clayton "too country". Of all the things to say.
It seems to me that closed-mind people should wear a sign so we know they are coming and to dis-regard what they say.
Apex has alot to offer families. I'll give it that. But when it comes to lot size, Clayton has them beat.
I don't care what my clients are looking for. I listen and take them where it fits for their family.
If you want to check out a great site to use for searching schools, try www.TheFamilyRealtor.com and click on Great Schools.
Good luck and I look forward to helping.
A client of mine had a father from Apex tell her son they should have moved to Apex not Clayton. I couldn't believe it when she said he called Clayton "too country". Of all the things to say.
It seems to me that closed-mind people should wear a sign so we know they are coming and to dis-regard what they say.
Apex has alot to offer families. I'll give it that. But when it comes to lot size, Clayton has them beat.
I don't care what my clients are looking for. I listen and take them where it fits for their family.
If you want to check out a great site to use for searching schools, try www.TheFamilyRealtor.com and click on Great Schools.
Good luck and I look forward to helping.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
Parents divided over Wake school board actions
I found this article in the Triangle Business Journal today and wanted to post it for you.
If Triangle Business Journal's latest online poll is any indication, the only thing that can divide Triangle residents as much as a Duke-Carolina game is controversy over where and when their kids will go to school.
From May 23 to May 29, visitors to TBJ's Web site were asked, "Are you satisfied with the way the Wake County School Board handled the controversy over year-round schools?"
During that time, 409 people responded to the poll. Fewer than half, or 194 (47 percent), said yes; a slightly smaller group, 175 people (42 percent), said no. Forty respondents, or 9 percent, responded, "I don't care."
The poll also generated a wealth of user comments, with respondents on both sides of the argument fired up. What follows is an edited sample of those comments, which were made anonymously:
"The school board botched this issue from the start. There's no doubt that the board faces tremendous challenges from our growth, but their attitude and indifference towards the parents and students is what fueled this fire. The parents didn't feel like the school board members truly listened or cared about their concerns. This whole situation could have been avoided with better communications, more listening and a willingness to discuss other alternatives."
"They have made the best of the untenable situation the public has handed them - huge growth and taxophobia."
"The school board basically blackmailed parents into choosing the year-round option by telling them which school they would attend year-round, but leaving it unknown if they chose a traditional school calendar. How is that fair? What would you do, given that choice? While the problems of school capacity are real, I think the school board has acted arrogantly in addressing this issue."
"I think the school board handled the situation with more grace than the opposing side. Memo to the lady who asks us every week in church to pray against year-round: Do you really think this issue is on God's radar?"
"The school board has acted in a totally callous and reprehensible manner. They have no respect for what citizens want and recklessly impose their views on parents. They had no reasonable contingency plan and put parents in a no-win position with their last-minute actions. If they were in private industry, they would all be fired."
"We had already resigned to/accepted the fact and prepared for the year-round conversion and got the track we requested. It's too bad a small group of inconvenienced mothers, i.e., WakeCares, couldn't adapt to the change like the rest of us!"
"We are victims of our own success. We knew growth was coming, but when we don't have impact fees for housing growth, we are going to be faced with either large tax increases or creative solutions for growth. Year-round schools are a creative solution to the growth problems we have."
"Very few citizens understand the complexity of the issues overcrowding and growth present to the school system every year. Take any business and tell the owner he is to expect 6,000-8,000 new customers every year for the next 10 or so years, and he can't refuse them service, and he has to ask the public for the money to serve them. See how he/she would do."
If Triangle Business Journal's latest online poll is any indication, the only thing that can divide Triangle residents as much as a Duke-Carolina game is controversy over where and when their kids will go to school.
From May 23 to May 29, visitors to TBJ's Web site were asked, "Are you satisfied with the way the Wake County School Board handled the controversy over year-round schools?"
During that time, 409 people responded to the poll. Fewer than half, or 194 (47 percent), said yes; a slightly smaller group, 175 people (42 percent), said no. Forty respondents, or 9 percent, responded, "I don't care."
The poll also generated a wealth of user comments, with respondents on both sides of the argument fired up. What follows is an edited sample of those comments, which were made anonymously:
"The school board botched this issue from the start. There's no doubt that the board faces tremendous challenges from our growth, but their attitude and indifference towards the parents and students is what fueled this fire. The parents didn't feel like the school board members truly listened or cared about their concerns. This whole situation could have been avoided with better communications, more listening and a willingness to discuss other alternatives."
"They have made the best of the untenable situation the public has handed them - huge growth and taxophobia."
"The school board basically blackmailed parents into choosing the year-round option by telling them which school they would attend year-round, but leaving it unknown if they chose a traditional school calendar. How is that fair? What would you do, given that choice? While the problems of school capacity are real, I think the school board has acted arrogantly in addressing this issue."
"I think the school board handled the situation with more grace than the opposing side. Memo to the lady who asks us every week in church to pray against year-round: Do you really think this issue is on God's radar?"
"The school board has acted in a totally callous and reprehensible manner. They have no respect for what citizens want and recklessly impose their views on parents. They had no reasonable contingency plan and put parents in a no-win position with their last-minute actions. If they were in private industry, they would all be fired."
"We had already resigned to/accepted the fact and prepared for the year-round conversion and got the track we requested. It's too bad a small group of inconvenienced mothers, i.e., WakeCares, couldn't adapt to the change like the rest of us!"
"We are victims of our own success. We knew growth was coming, but when we don't have impact fees for housing growth, we are going to be faced with either large tax increases or creative solutions for growth. Year-round schools are a creative solution to the growth problems we have."
"Very few citizens understand the complexity of the issues overcrowding and growth present to the school system every year. Take any business and tell the owner he is to expect 6,000-8,000 new customers every year for the next 10 or so years, and he can't refuse them service, and he has to ask the public for the money to serve them. See how he/she would do."
How do you know its a good school when its brand new?
Community Matters
When demographic, academic, and financial data are analyzed in tandem, educators, decision makers, and parents are better situated to understand problems, take action, and make better-informed decisions that can improve student achievement.
One factor, often overlooked, is the profile of the community in which a local school resides. It's important to know that demographic characteristics help to put academic achievement into context. On SchoolMatters.com, you have a wealth of demographic information that can help you gain more insight about the challenges and strengths of your own community and those of neighboring communities. Specifically, SchoolMatters.com provides demographic information on adult education levels, median household income and home value, household income distribution, population distribution by age, and other household information, such as the percentage of single-parent households with children.
Education research has revealed that student characteristics, familial circumstances, and home environments are strongly correlated with student achievement (e.g. whether the student lives in poverty, has limited English proficiency, or has a learning disability). Generally, as student poverty, limited English proficiency, and learning disabilities increase, student academic performance tends to decrease. Students with any of these challenging circumstances are commonly described as "at-risk," and often receive and need additional resources to help them reach academic proficiency. While these are not the only factors that place students at risk, they are the most commonly accepted and available indicators of the challenges that many students face.
It's also important to be aware of the strong relationship between adult education levels and performance, which is similar to poverty in that academic performance tends to decrease as the percentage of adults with low levels of education increases. Additionally, challenges faced by urban students and teachers typically differ in many respects from those of their rural or suburban counterparts.
So, how can you use the demographic information on SchoolMatters.com to help you better understand the performance of your school or school district? Review your community demographic data in tandem with the community's academic and financial performance data. Then, go a step further and compare your information with a neighboring school district. Do you see any differences or patterns? Are there questions worth investigating further?
By discovering the relationships between academic performance, expenditures, and student needs, those interested in improving education can begin to focus on the root causes of problems, not just their symptoms, and develop more effective strategies for academic success.
When demographic, academic, and financial data are analyzed in tandem, educators, decision makers, and parents are better situated to understand problems, take action, and make better-informed decisions that can improve student achievement.
One factor, often overlooked, is the profile of the community in which a local school resides. It's important to know that demographic characteristics help to put academic achievement into context. On SchoolMatters.com, you have a wealth of demographic information that can help you gain more insight about the challenges and strengths of your own community and those of neighboring communities. Specifically, SchoolMatters.com provides demographic information on adult education levels, median household income and home value, household income distribution, population distribution by age, and other household information, such as the percentage of single-parent households with children.
Education research has revealed that student characteristics, familial circumstances, and home environments are strongly correlated with student achievement (e.g. whether the student lives in poverty, has limited English proficiency, or has a learning disability). Generally, as student poverty, limited English proficiency, and learning disabilities increase, student academic performance tends to decrease. Students with any of these challenging circumstances are commonly described as "at-risk," and often receive and need additional resources to help them reach academic proficiency. While these are not the only factors that place students at risk, they are the most commonly accepted and available indicators of the challenges that many students face.
It's also important to be aware of the strong relationship between adult education levels and performance, which is similar to poverty in that academic performance tends to decrease as the percentage of adults with low levels of education increases. Additionally, challenges faced by urban students and teachers typically differ in many respects from those of their rural or suburban counterparts.
So, how can you use the demographic information on SchoolMatters.com to help you better understand the performance of your school or school district? Review your community demographic data in tandem with the community's academic and financial performance data. Then, go a step further and compare your information with a neighboring school district. Do you see any differences or patterns? Are there questions worth investigating further?
By discovering the relationships between academic performance, expenditures, and student needs, those interested in improving education can begin to focus on the root causes of problems, not just their symptoms, and develop more effective strategies for academic success.
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
What makes me different.....
There is SOOO much competition out there for listings and buyers. Some people say there are too many agents. Who knows?
I feel I'm different because I am not out collecting listings and throwing up signs. I care alot about my clients so I go that extra mile. I can offer alot of options that bigger companies can't. Choices, Caring, Competitive......
Are you selling a house and buying another and want to work out a deal on the commission? I can do that.
If you find a house to buy and you ask me to help you as your buyer's agent, would you also like a commission rebate? I can do that.
Are you moving away and want a realtor to totally take care of your house? I can do that.
Do you like to market on your own but need to put your house onto the MLS only? I can do that.
As you can see, sitting down with me to discuss options could be in your best interest. I look forward to hearing from you.
I feel I'm different because I am not out collecting listings and throwing up signs. I care alot about my clients so I go that extra mile. I can offer alot of options that bigger companies can't. Choices, Caring, Competitive......
Are you selling a house and buying another and want to work out a deal on the commission? I can do that.
If you find a house to buy and you ask me to help you as your buyer's agent, would you also like a commission rebate? I can do that.
Are you moving away and want a realtor to totally take care of your house? I can do that.
Do you like to market on your own but need to put your house onto the MLS only? I can do that.
As you can see, sitting down with me to discuss options could be in your best interest. I look forward to hearing from you.
Strawberry Fesitval Gift Basket Winner
Congrats to Heather Dudley of Garner. Her name was drawn to receive our Southern Season gift basket.
We had 207 entries this year. Thank you so much for entering.
See you next year.
We had 207 entries this year. Thank you so much for entering.
See you next year.
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