Most of us know a friend or family member who has had a major water leak at their house. They are often found when people get back from vacation or when they were out of town for work. Many people who have gone through it call it “the flood” because of the amount of water that caused damage inside the house. The best thing you can do to prevent this from happening to you is knowing where the main water shutoff is in your home. Whether a toilet overflows, a water heater leaks, or you have a frozen water pipe, you can minimize the damage by shutting off the water to the entire house before you call the plumber or your insurance company. You can turn off your water before you go on vacation so you don’t have to lose sleep over what could happen. If your house is vacant you can shut it off ... 09/02/2015

For many years, water heaters have not changed. You had a round cylinder in your closet, attic, crawlspace or garage. It was either powered by electricity or gas and the burners kept the water in the tank hot for washing dishes or taking a shower. Tankless Water Heater.  The newest technology in gas water heaters is called atankless water heater. It is about the size of a small suitcase. The new design does not have a holding tank for water; the water is heated on demand as you turn on your dishwasher or shower. Like a traditional gas water heater, you can control the temperature of the water. The traditional water heater has a control knob on the heater while the tankless models have a digital readout panel that is often installed inside your home. Advantages.  Although more expensive... 06/09/2013

  I am amazed at how often Peeps are mentioned as people get ready for the Easter holiday. Mass Production:  Peeps were a product of the Rodda Candy Company.  In 1953 Just Born candy company purchased the Rodda Candy Company.  Peeps turn 60 years old this year! Bob Born of Just Born loved the way the marshmallow chick looked.  In 1954 Bob Born created a machine that would produce large quantities of marshmallow chicks.  Bob Born also trademarked the name “Peeps”.  The Peeps were created in three colors:  pink, white and yellow. Peeps All Year Long:  The Peeps were so successful that Just Born became the largest Marshmallow candy manufacturer world wide.  Just Born began creating seasonally manufactured peeps in the 1960s.  The Marshmallow Peeps Bunny was introduced in the early 1980’s. ... 03/29/2013

Many people are receiving notices of increasing insurance premiums for their homeowners and auto insurance. You can get quality insurance at a reasonable rate if you know how to shop for insurance. Not all companies are offering the same options so it is important to shop around to get the best combination of rate, coverage and customer service. Here are 5 tips for getting insurance for your home or car: Shop Coverage, Not Annual Premium - While saving money on the premium seems like the obvious choice, if you are underinsured and have a claim you will lose a lot of money. The replacement value of your home and how much you insure for your contents are important so if you have a major claim like a house fire, there is enough money to replace your personal items and furniture. Increase D... 03/05/2013

Whether you just bought a house or are getting ready to re-arrange a room, touch-up painting is inevitable. Even if you just had your house painted, small marks can show up from additional work that was done or re-positioning your furniture back into the rooms. All of us have gone into a home where you can see every spot that was touched up because the paint didn’t quite match or you can see the brush strokes or roller lines along the wall. Here are tips to make sure no one can see you touched up Use flat paint - Flat paint is designed for easy touch up. If you have eggshell or semi-gloss on the walls, they will not touch up. On eggshell finishes you will need to paint that wall completely rather than touch up or you will be able to see in the finish where it has been touched up. Use th... 02/10/2013

  Photo courtesy of Cohesion Environmental Services. Used with permission. Older homes in NC were originally heated with oil heat which required the homeowner to have a tank, often called “ust” or underground storage tanks. Since the tanks were large and held several hundred gallons of oil, they were often buried so they wouldn’t be an eyesore. Most of the oil heating systems have been replaced with newer systems fueled by electricity, natural gas or propane gas and the underground oil tanks were just left in place. Over time, many of the tanks have leaked, allowing oil to contaminate the soil. Superfund Sites:  Now, there is a superfund to help cover the costs of having the tanks removed from residential properties. The state of NC has information about the superfund program on their w... 01/24/2013

I saw this great article in Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate and thought it had some great points that I would like to elaborate on. Today’s Homebuyer is looking for certain characteristics in their Real Estate Professional.  All of the points below are what I am seeing as I work with buyers. 1.  Brutal Honesty:  The Buyer in today’s market is looking for guidance and support.  Often this means that they want to hear the truth of a situation (even if it is hard to hear).  They want to get to a resolution quickly and most effectively reach the desired goal. 2.  Exceptional Service:  Today’s Buyer is looking for top level service.  They desire an expert in a desired area who can answer the questions they have, but also help answer the questions they did NOT ask (but should). 3.  Clear... 01/17/2013

Everyone likes sitting next to a roaring fire in the wintertime, hearing the crackling of the logs and smelling the wood. So whether it's a natural gas fireplace, fireplace with gas that is ventless, or a corner electric fireplace, they all encourage the same type of feelings. The fireplace mantle is the focal point of many family rooms, holding family photos and Christmas stockings.  Fireplaces are associated with happy memories. Builders have decided that buyers should choose whether a fireplace comes with their new homes. Details:  Here is a list buyers provided of reasons for not including a fireplace in their new homes: 1) Gas log fireplaces are not romantic 2) People do not want to deal with getting real wood for a wood burning fireplace 3) Some new fireplaces do little to heat th... 09/01/2012

I have been asked by many clients about the annual North Carolina Property Tax Bills. The state of North Carolina issues property tax bills on an annual basis.  Often the bills are mailed out to Taxpayers at the end of July or August each year. Here is some information by county: Durham County:  Durham County mailed out their 2012 Property Tax Bills at the end of July.  Taxes must be paid on or before January 7, 2013 to avoid interest and additional collection costs. You can search for your Durham County tax bill.  Durham County also offers an option to pay your tax bill in person, by credit card or online. Orange County:  Orange County will have their property tax bills delivered by mid August 2012 Tax Bills.  Taxpayers may pay their property tax bill by cash, check or money order, cre... 08/12/2012

The Triangle real estate market has been picking up during first quarter of 2012. One clear indication is the number of properties for sale that have received multiple offers. That means the sellers have 2 or more offers simultaneously to consider and negotiate. Buyers need to understand the things that can make their offer stand out to the Sellers: 1) Price: work with your agent to determine what price you should offer. Keep in mind that the seller will note if you ask them to pay any closing costs, home warranty or any type of allowance for decorating or known repairs/updates. 2) Dates:  including the closing date and dates for loan approval and inspection items which in NC is usually considered the due diligence date. 3) Deposits: the amount of the deposits can be relevant in a multi... 05/10/2012

  How do you define “easement”?  An easement is the legal right of a person or company to have access of another’s real estate land for a specified purpose.   Easements can be found on the survey, the deed, or a recorded easement agreement found at the county register of deeds office. Types of easements include: Utility  – electric, natural gas, water, sewer Access Driveway and Shared Driveway   Examples frequently seen in residential real estate are for city sewer, drainage, underground power lines, shared driveways, and access to community walking trails. Things to remember about easements: 1) Changes to Residence:   If a homeowner builds a fence, driveway, garden, etc within the easement area, the person or company that has an easement can move or take down those items without having... 04/20/2012

There is definitely a buzz around Raleigh.   You can feel it in all aspects of the real estate market these days. I just saw a great post from DownTown Raleigh Alliance about some additional awards the Raleigh Area has recently won: #2 Smartest City in North Carolina – American City Business Journals – November 2011 Cary and Durham also ranked very high Chapel Hill received additional recognition for the smartest communities with population less than 99,999.  #4 Best City for Technology Jobs -Forbes.com – November 2011 Technology jobs outpaced the overall rate of unemployment Raleigh rated #4 for this list  #5 Top 10 Metro Areas for Growth Since the Recession – Urban Land Institute - October 2011  In just 10 percent of the nation’s 50 largest metropolitan areas, total economic growth ex... 02/15/2012

The real estate news for the Raleigh Durham Chapel Hill area keeps improving.  Inman News, a top real estate technology blog, noted Raleigh as the #1 Real Estate Market to Watch in 2012. Inman noted the end of the year home value appreciation as a top value with the median sales price jumping 7.3% from third quarter 2010 to third quarter 2011. Also noted in the article was the median sales price for Raleigh-Cary metro was $224,300.  This is one of the highest median sales prices around. I am seeing increased activity with both Buyers and Sellers, and it is a breath of fresh air in the real estate market for certain. 02/07/2012

I saw this article this morning from Forbes Magazine and was encouraged by additional recognition of the amazing assets that Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill area offer people of all ages, in this article, specifically Young Adults. I have personally seen an increase in activity from Young Adults in the past few months and this articles shares some of the reasons why. Forbes Magazine - Raleigh #2 City Young Adults 2. Raleigh, N.C. M.S.A.: Raleigh-Cary, N.C. Average Annual Job Growth (2010-2012): 2% Median salary: $51,500 Cost-of-living index (U.S. average is 100): 104.4 Percent of pop. with college degrees: 42.2% 1 small business for every 49 residents 1 large business for every 770 residents Unemployment rate: 7.9% The college town has one of the best job growth projections of any city ... 01/12/2012

Planning to go back to graduate school is big step to further your career. For people who have been working and currently own a home, townhome or condo, the possibility of moving needs to be considered before you go back to school. Top Reasons The top 2 reasons graduate school students consider selling their home are: 1) Moving closer to school or 2) Cut costs and lower maintenance responsibilities Consult with your local real estate professional to assess your options. If selling or renting your current home is an option, you need to know the details about how that process works and if it would fit in your overall plan for the next few years. Remember that qualifying for a mortgage will change once you change your current job or if you don't have income while you are in graduate school... 12/02/2011

In an effort to help encourage the declutter of your home, your families' homes and your co-workers' homes, I came across two meaningful holiday gift ideas that won't take up space in anyone's home: DonorsChoose.org is an online charity that benefits public school classes around the country. Here's how it works: Public school teachers from every corner of America post classroom project requests on DonorsChoose.org. You can choose a project based on school location, subject or urgency. Then, you can browse project requests and give any amount to the one that inspires you. Once a project reaches its funding goal, we deliver the materials to the school.You'll get photos of your project taking place, a thank-you letter from the teacher, and a cost report showing how each dollar was spent. I... 11/30/2011

I have lots of young clients who accomplish awesome things. This young woman ranks really high on my list of courageous people. She works for Duke University as a scrub nurse and was invited to accompany a team of Duke doctors and nurses who went down to Haiti to assist the victims of the horrendous earthquake for 10 days. She didn't hesitate to say yes. Her family and friends supported her decision and her two young daughters have another reason to know their mom is a hero. She isn't the one talking in this video, she is the one in the ladybug scrub cap and you will never recognize her on the street. But I know her and I'm really proud to say I do.   02/17/2010

Contemporary and Classic Chinese Art Performance, will be held at Page Auditorium of Duke on 11/25/2009 by the Carolina China Council (CCC), Chinese-America Friendship Association (CAFA) and Duke Chinese Student and Scholar Association (DCSSA).ArtBeijing 2009The Grace and the SplendorContemporary and Classic Chinese Art PerformanceNovember 25，7:00 - 9:00pmOn November 25, "ArtBeijing 2009", a Contemporary and Classic Chinese ArtPerformance, will be held ceremoniously at Page Auditorium of DukeUniversity. "ArtBeijing 2009" represents the new productivity powers ofChinese contemporary and classic Art, the visionary artistic viewpoints of Asiaand the unique context of Chinese heritage. Attending this new performancewill be the top performance companies, the Beijing Dance Drama Opera, andthe... 09/25/2009

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 you to the system.  You may select as many neighborhoods as you wish.   03/19/2009

Hello again!  Nice to see you back. Yesterday I promised you a short tour of the Sara P. Duke Gardens that are on the ground of the illustrious Duke University.  Duke University is located in Durham, North Carolina, and is one of the most impressive campuses I have seen in my entire life. And that's saying something for a girl that grew up around Harvard!   Our spin through the gardens was brief this time.  We had spent the afternoon doing some serious goofing off and time had just gotten away from us.  But in the spring you will grow weary of my photos of these beautiful gardens.  They are really something to see!   Keep in mind these photos don't reflect the lushness that would be present in spring and summer.  The trees are rather dormant now, and the flowering plants are in "nap mod... 11/17/2008