Dianne Goode's Blog

The economic downturn put a pause on new construction; very little new housing was started in the years 2008-2010.  Now that we're coming out the other side, we can see that the style in new homes has changed.  Flat-faced trasitionals are out; craftsman is in.  However, the custom homes being bu...

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 R...

Bedford is a North Raleigh community that, unlike many others, has gotten prettier with time.   Part of its charm comes from the rear-entry garages, so the street view isn't dominated by big blank garage doors. But most of Bedford's appeal, I've decided, is the trees.  The streets have been plan...

I remember when I got my first laptop, I was  so excited that I could travel and have my database with me. How primitive technology was in those days!  Now all I need is my phone and I'm good to go. I owe my easy mobility not just to my iPhone itself, but the iPhone in conjunction with a data ma...

Technology is not an unmixed blessing.  Now that it's possible do things faster than ever before, there are expectations that we can and we will do just that. Last Friday I was working with clients till 2:00 pm.  When I turned my phone back on, I had an email and a voice mail from the listing age...

Since I downloaded Snagit a month ago, I have used it almost every day.  I didn't realize how much I needed exactly this piece of software until I found it. What does it do? Snagit clips web pages and converts the image to a jpeg. I came across it when I was trying to put together a listing pres...

Pullen Park is the oldest public park in North Carolina, dating back to the donation of a "rocky cow pasture" by Richard S. Pullen to the City of Raleigh in 1887. Mr. Pullen himself began work to transform the land into a park by planting trees, adding a fountain, and building a wooden swimming ...

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...

If I were really good, I'd write this blog in Seussian rhyme!  Except, it's not funny. I heard of this first from another agent a couple of weeks ago; now an article in the Raleigh News and Observer has provided more information.  Here's the deal:  New home builder D.R. Horton has been deeding h...

I recently posted a referral request on Active Rain, looking for an agent in another state to work with my client. Over the next couple of days, 20 agents responded that they would be happy to help me out. As I always do, I proceeded to work through the list.  One by one, I looked over their AR P...