Raleigh Relocation Information Movie Theatres - Cary, Apex, Chapel Hill Area Around and about Raleigh, North Carolina, there are dozens of theatres to enjoy. Most have accomodations for the disabled, including listening devices. Some offer rockers and reclining chairs. There are art theatres, classic theatres, and much more.  Check out these local theatres, to see when your favorite movies are playing. Apex Movie Theatres Regal Beaver Creek Stadium 12 1441 Beaver Creek Commons DriveApex NC 27502 919.676.3456   Adult  $9.50Matinee (All shows before 6pm) $7.00Child $6.25Senior $6.75Military $7.50Student (Sun - Thur Only) $7.50 Cary Movie Theatres Galaxy Cinema - offers documentaries, independent films, live performances, standard films, and ethnic concession snacks.  770 Cary Towne Boulev... 01/26/2010

Market Report - Chapel Hill New Homes Chapel Hill/Carrboro New Home Listings DOWN 32% Chapel Hill Offers Fewer New Homes Looking for a new home in Chapel Hill?  Thinking the choices have gotten a little thinner?  You're right.... New Home inventory in Chapel Hill/Carrboro was down 32% in November 2009 versus November 2008.  Chapel Hill has long been one of the most coveted places to live in the Triangle area. Chapel Hill new home inventory prices will also be affected by the recent increases in impact fees.  The impact fees for a home built in Chapel Hill or Carrboro school districts just increased to $7616.  And it will go up further, to $9,520, for any home beginning construction after Jan 1, 2011.   This is the highest impact fee by far for any location in the Triangle. New Home List... 01/10/2010

You know that letter that arrives in your mailbox periodically from your credit card company? The single page filled front and back in a #8 font, single spaced and with no pictures, clearly formatted to be sure your eyes glaze over before you reach the halfway point? All the better to make sure you don't read it, right? This time you better read it. The changes coming are like none you've seen before. The credit card companies, unhappy about changes passed by Congress and aimed at changing the way they do business, have pulled out all the stops and are reworking their fee schedules and other rules and regs in order to offset what they believe will be a multi-billion dollar loss to them. Even if your credit card philosophy is the same as mine...never charge what you cannot pay off at the... 12/30/2009

The Chapel Hill, NC Fire Department participates each year in a safety campaign called Keep The Wreath Green as a visual reminder to the local community of the danger posed by Christmas trees and other holiday decorations if they are not properly installed and monitored. The wreath hangs on the Chapel Hill fire station from the first day of December until the last and starts out decked with a large red bow and green lights. For every house fire during the month of December a green bulb is changed to a red one.     Today is Christmas Eve and fortunately there is but one red bulb on the wreath. Of course the goal is no red bulbs but this year cigarettes were the cause of a house fire in Chapel Hill which completely destroyed someone's home.   There are still eight days to go until the wr... 12/24/2009

Can't you feel the anticipation? The magic words were spoken yesterday, “The Raleigh Durham area is preparing for a snow event.” Yes, that's what we call it here; a “snow event.” That's because snow in the Piedmont of North Carolina is always an event. The technical reason is that we see so little snow, and it is so infrequent, that the cities and towns around most of North Carolina don't have budgets for the equipment and manpower to stay ahead of mother nature's winter kiss. We have none of the mountainous salt hills of the north. No massive snow moving equipment or fleece clad armies ready to spread out in the middle of the night to take care of the business of erasing the effects of the latest snowfall so business as usual can go on. No, the irritating inconvenience of chipping ice ... 12/18/2009

     Trying to avoid the long lines (and poorly designed parking lot) at the Carrboro post office or the PO near University Mall?  Go to the Franklin St. downtown post office.       Students are gone and the parking is usually easy to find.  There aren't any lines.  The postal workers are NICE.  Another option is driving over the line to Chatham County and using the PO in Popes Hardware Store.       Popes also has all the do dads you go to the hardware store for but end up leaving Lowe's or Home Depot without because you can't find what you are looking for.   Happy Holidays!       12/16/2009

Raleigh Relocation Information Surprising Facts About Gas Powered Lawn Mowers Keep Your Lawn Green and Sustainable with Clean Air Lawn Care Clean Air Lawn Care Uses clean and quiet electric equipment powered by renewable energy Did you know? Electric mowers emit 3300 times less hydrocarbons than gas mowers. Electric lawn mowers emit 5,000 times less carbon monoxide than gas lawn mowers. Electric lawn mowers emit less than half the carbon dioxide of gas lawn mowers.   Clean Air Lawn Care offers a green approach to lawn care:  - Charges its equipment using solar and wind energy. - Runs larger mowers on locally produced biofuels - Purchases wind power and carbon offsets from Carbonfund.org to ensure the entire operation is carbon neutral. - Composts all grass clippings. - Mows at a height ... 12/15/2009

If you have to sell a home that is unoccupied, due to death of owners, divorce, a move, whatever, one of the big questions is should you sell it with the furniture still in the house or move the furniture out?  Long ago, before I got into real estate, I had agents tell me to get everything out so potential buyers could see themselves and their furniture in the house.  Bad idea.  After I got in the business I realized what a big mistake that was!  You want the house to be furnished.  If it is empty, people see an empty house.  If it is well furnished, they see a home.  Big difference.  It is also amazing how ALL the little scratches, chips and dirt are MUCH more evident in an empty house. A big advantage of selling an empty house is that you have the opportunity to really stage the house... 12/14/2009

When it comes time to put your house on the market you have to learn a new level of clean!  And I’m not talking just making sure everything is picked up and tidy.  I mean it has to be cleaner than you thought possible.  When serious buyers comes into your house they are not just browsing.  They are inspecting.  Floors, walls, closets, inside cabinets - everything is fair game.  Anything that is unpleasant or detracts from their experience lessens the chance they will pick your house. If they are taking the time to actually visit your house, it means they are favorably inclined to it.  You DON’T want anything to turn them off from your house now that they are in it.  By the way, this also includes the outside of your house, and your yard.  From the moment they approach your house in thei... 12/13/2009

I'm not real crazy about referring to "Family Friendly" properties, towns, etc when I am talking with clients and potential clients.  Fair Housing issues and all, you know? But... BusinessWeek has published a ranking naming Chapel Hill, NC, as one of the top places in the country to raise kids.   The University influence on the public schools, the highly educated populace, great natural surroundings, and small town vibe seemed to click with them. I wasn't raised there.  Wonder what that portends for me? 12/11/2009

12/10/2009

Raleigh Fun Things to Do UNC Medical Center Staff Host Christmas Breakfast Free Pictures with Santa!  Make Ornaments!  Face Painting! And all for some really good causes... WHO:               Everyone is invited! WHAT:              2nd Annual Charity Breakfast Buffet WHEN:              Saturday December 12th 8 AM - 11 AM WHERE:            Spice Street Restaurant                        University Mall 201 South Estes Dr.                        Chapel Hill, NC  27514 WHY:               To benefit FOUR Charity Organizations!   Cost of Breakfast is only $10 for Adults and $5 for Kids!  Includes tax and gratuity!  What a great charity event, hosted by Spice Street and the UNC Resident Physicians and Employees.  Lots of fun, and all to support some wonderful causes. Bring a New, Unwrapped Toy... 12/03/2009

        Recently I had an opportunity to combine two of my favorite things to do in the Triangle.  A friend of mine, who used to be a former chef, invited me to Southern Season's Cooking School in Chapel Hill. In the past I have written about my fondness for Southern Season, especially during the holilday season with their many basket choices, wine selection, and decorating ideas! That said, my favorite Italian restaurant in Raleigh is Vivace and the head Chef Jeremy Sabo happened to be the featured chef for the evening so I knew I couldn't miss seeing Jeremy cook a few of his culinary masterpieces!  Our menu for the evening included: Grana Padano Angolotti- This is one of Jeremy's signature home-made pastas that they serve at Vivace as a primi, or 1st course.  Jeremy showed us how he ... 12/02/2009

I was going to do an update on the Stoneridge/Sedgefield neighborhood in Chapel Hill.  (Conveniently located in the Chapel Hill School District, but NOT in the city limits.  Thus no city taxes, but great schools.)  It also happens to be MY neighborhood, so I keep an extra close eye on it.  However, there is currently only one house on the maket and in the past year exactly ONE house has closed.  (There have been a few that came on, sat for a while, and were withdrawn.)The current house on the market has been on for a while and has had two price reductions.  No takers so far.  The house that did sell several months ago had been on the market for over a year, though it finally went at a decent price.  It was one of the smallest and lowest priced in the neighborhood and sold just before th... 12/01/2009

Chapel Hill-Carrboro, Durham, and the surrounding areas, also known as "The Southern Part of Heaven", combine a rich quality of life with small town friendliness.  Nestled in the rolling, wooded Piedmont of North Carolina, our towns are ideally located three hours from the Atlantic coast and three hours from the Blue Ridge Mountains, allowing residents and visitors the opportunity to enjoy a variety of recreational activities. As one of the three "points" of The Research Triangle Park, Chapel Hill-Carrboro, along with Raleigh and Durham, continually receive accolades for being a top location to live and do business. Most recently, the A & E channel recognized Chapel Hill as the #2 city in their "Top Ten Cities to Have it All", and Money magazine rated the town of Chapel Hill as the #1 ... 11/18/2009

Vineyard Square Neighborhood UpdateNovember 13, 2009 For the recent Active, Pending and Closed real estate transactions for Chapel Hill's Vineyard Square neighborhood, click here: Vineyard Square.  If you have any questions about any of these homes, please call or email The Rogers Team. Home Search: To set up an automated search for the home of your dreams, click Triangle Home Search and enter your dreams! Your Home's Value: If you are planning on selling your home, it would be our pleasure to provide a no-obligation valuation of your home.  Click Your Home's Value and enter the requested information.  Neighborhood Update: If you would like to receive email notification of real estate transactions in your neighborhood or other neighborhoods, click Neighborhood Updates and we will add yo... 11/13/2009

Living near public transportation has become more and more important for folks when considering a new career or higher education and when looking for a new home near either. That's easy to understand in California, New York, Chicago or any number of cities with reknowned public transportation systems. Did you know that relocating to Chapel Hill or Carrboro, NC doesn't rule out the possibility of replacing some of your drive time and expense with inexpensive public transportation? How inexpensive...well, how does FREE sound? Since 2002, Chapel Hill Transit has served the Chapel Hill, Carrboro and UNC areas with clean, attractive state of the art public buses, a comprehensive bus route and special event service...all for FREE. In fact, Chapel Hill, NC was the recipient of the first place ... 11/12/2009

Southern Village Last weekend I went to Southern Village with my sister,a friend and our dogs for the Walk for Paws. It was a  was a beautiful fall day, perfect for a walk down the tree lines streets of Southern Village.     Southern Village dates from the early 90's and was the first of the "new old neighborhoods" in the area. One of the models for the new neighborhood was Kentlands in Va. When the development of Southern Village first started I really wondered how it would turn out. I was familiar with Kentlands, my sister lived there, it was a wonderful neighborhood concept. But in Kentlands the land was level and Southern Village had so much topography.... How would they ever get it to look good with the density and hills? Well, it turned out great. The developers, D.R. Bryan , Brya... 11/12/2009

The annual Paws4Ever Dog Walk was held this past weekend at Southern Village in Chapel Hill, NC. The event was well attended on a beautiful Saturday which brought out pooches, some in costume, and their people for live music, browsing the booths of pet centric vendors, a silent auction of some unique hand crafted dog houses donated by local builders and many other unique handcrafts. A lively demonstration by the Paws4Ever Drill Team was followed by the dog agility course demonstration and a popular round of Musical Sit! Finally, the pet parade left the village green for a walk around Southern Village. Thanks to all who attended! We look forward to seeing you again next year! (A Big thank you also to C Tann-Starr and her "mad" music production and video editing skills for this wonderful ... 11/08/2009

Raleigh Relocation Information Impact Fees Increasing in Orange County Chapel Hill School District Cost of Building Going UP! There are a multitude of different permits and fees required to build any new home.  Orange County and Chapel Hill have long had some of the highest fees in the Triangle. And they're going up. These fee increases were approved in December 2008, with new increases taking affect each January. Building in the Chapel Hill or Carrboro City School Districts? Before January 1, 2009, the Chapel Hill School District Impact Fees were $4407 per home.  On January 1, 2009, these impact fees increased by 38%, or $1685 per home. On January 1, 2010, the Chapel Hill School District Impact Fees will increase again, to $7616 per home, another 25% increase.  These impact fees are in... 11/04/2009