Quick Tips for Selling Quickly     Patience is a virtue for just about any circumstance including selling your home. Yet sometimes you must sell quickly when a job opportunity arises or you face an abrupt lifestyle change. Assuming your home is in good condition and free of liens, here are several tips to help expedite a sale. 1. Price your house correctly: Working with your agent, choose a price that’s somewhat lower than what you’re seeing in the market, but not too low that it will send up red flags. Let your agent establish a price he or she feels will make your house the buzz of the neighborhood. The amount may not be what you had envisioned—remember, the market has changed substantially over the last five years—yet when priced slightly below comparable sales you should attract ser... 04/05/2013

Real Estate in Durham County is on the rise. Housing Inventory for some of Durham County is very low. Areas Covered: All areas of Durham County Real Estate. What stands out: List to Sale Price = 97% Average Sale Price of All Durham County = $185,492 Largest Number of Homes Closed = $125k - 149,999 price range # 1 million + Homes = 11 Total Durham County Homes that closed = a whopping 1519 for past 6 months Reaction: Now is a great time to sell your Durham homes as competition is relatively low and very low in certain areas and prices are rising.  It is becomming more difficult to purchase a home. 02/09/2013

                  Believe it or not, after months of searching countless homes, finding the perfect one, negotiating price    finally agreeing to a deal, a sale can fall apart over a disagreement about curtains. When striking a deal to sell a home, it’s important that you are perfectly clear about what you are taking with you and what you are leaving behind. The general rule is that if something is attached to the structure or the ground, it is real property and stays with the house. If removing the item would ruin or disfigure the walls, the item generally stays. If you need a tool to remove it, it stays. Legally, these are called fixtures, which include everything permanently attached to the property such as a fence, built-in appliances, ceiling fans, flowerbeds and shrubs. Conversely... 01/14/2013

Picking a good General Contractor is critical to the succesful sale of your home. Let's examine what makes a good contractor by starting with what could happen if you choose the wrong one. Your sale will be delayed. The repairs will end up costing more due to having to hire another GC to finish the job. Your sale could fall apart if repairs are not done satisfactorily and buyer chooses to termintate the contract. If the result is a lost sale becuase of poor workmanship, the buyer can sue for reasonable damages associated with the breach including; inspection fees, full refund of Earnest Money deposit and Due Diligence funds, etc. Knowing how crucial the contractor is an obvious good first step. Let's see what makes a good contractor. Lifehacker has a pretty good post on the subject of h... 12/09/2012

  Carolina Arbors is  a new Del Webb community opening Saturday December 1, 2012 for active adults age 55 and better • The Clubhouse will feature an on-site Lifestyle Director, a fitness center with indoor running track, an indoor pool, ballrooms, billiard rooms, and craft rooms • Additional amenities offered will be an outdoor swimming pool, tennis, pickleball and bocce courts, as well as a dog park, community garden and greenway trails. • Enjoy low-maintenance living – yard maintenance included in homeowner dues. • Carolina Arbors will offer ranch-style townhomes and master down single family homes   Here are the details of  the new floor plans at Carolina Arbors.  Pricing is Coming Soon- 1,152 Square Feet - 2,562 Square Feet;  I expect the starting prices w/options to be in the low ... 11/29/2012

For the 23rd year in a row, the Duke University Medical Center was included in a report by U.S. News and World Report that ranks the top hospitals in the nation. This year the hospital was named the top hospital in North Carolina, and the 8th best in the entire nation.  This is another point of pride here in Durham, which rightfully dubs itself "City of Medicine." This article ranks 16 medical specialties in the nation's 5,000 hospitals, and eight of these areas at Duke were ranked in the top-10 in the US. These include pulmonology, cardiology and heart surgery, opthalmology, geriatrics, urology, gynecology, orthopedics, rheumatology, nephrology, cancer and neurology, and neurosurgery. These accolades contrubute to the myriad reasons that Durham is one of the best places to retire and m... 07/23/2012

Another accolade has been bestowed upon our metropolis, as stated in the most recent issue of The Atlantic. Check this article out to learn more about the rise of this group of entrepeneurs. Here is a link to Wikipedia to learn more about this group of individuals. This is another indication about how this city is continuing its rise from the downturn of the 1970's and 1980's when many jobs were lost, and is reinventing intself as a Renaissance city of the East Coast! 07/11/2012

Recently there has been a huge boon for clean water for both Durham and Raleigh! The Elerbee Creek Watershed Association (with partners the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund and the Upper Neuse Clean Water Initiative) recently purchased a 193-acre old farm to assist with the purification of the water that runs into Falls Lake, which is one of the sources to Raleigh's water supply. Check out this article to learn more abour this great addition. 07/09/2012

The big news coming from the DOJ and Bank of America (and other banks) is a new global settlement for underwater borrowers. This is great news for those who are current on their payments but are underwater on their loans and for current borrowers involved in the short sale process. Under the new terms BofA will: implement a new program to modify underwater loans by reducing the principal owed Will lower rates (which will reduce payments) for eliglible borrowers who are current on their mortgages Wil continue to assist those seeking a short sale or deed in lieu of foreclosure In my opinion this looks to be like an awesome program for borrowers who want to keep their homes. Indeed it makes sense for a lender to keep a paying customer than going through the hassle of foreclosing on a home... 06/14/2012

  In Durham, we finally completed the Neighborhood Energy Retrofit Program earlier this year, and the City hired a great videographer, Kenny Dalsheimer, to create a video about the success of the program. Please watch this video to learn what we have done in Durham to reduce our collective carbon footprint, and to reduce the utility bills of hundreds of houses. 06/07/2012

 A plumbing checkup should be among your top priorities when preparing your home for sale. Your buying prospects might flush toilets, turns on faucets and inspect the showerheads, while more seasoned “experts” will look under the cabinets for leaks and check for water spots around key areas. The last thing you want is to drench a buyer’s enthusiasm because you didn’t fix a simple plumbing issue.   Major plumbing renovations may be huge selling points, but many homeowners can get as much credit by simply fixing leaks and changing out a few faucets. If you can’t make repairs yourself invest in a reputable plumber.   Before allowing prospective buyers into your home, make sure you have strong water pressure and that there are no stains on any of the porcelain. Hire a local housecleaning co... 06/06/2012

Popular Crystal Pines Home for Sale in Durham, NC Overview Maps Photos Description Neighborhood $79,900 Townhouse Main Features 2 Bedrooms2 Bathrooms1 Partial BathroomInterior: 1,180 sqftLot: 0.03 acre(s) Location 2652 Hitchcock DriveDurham, NC 27705USA To get updates on open home dates and other property events, please click the "Like" button below: Lee & Pamela St. Peter Prudential York Simpson Underwood Realty(919) 645-2522Info@RaleighHomesOnline.comhttp://www.RaleighHomesOnline.com Listed by: Lee & Pamela St. Peter Our recent listings Popular Crystal Pines Home for Sale in Durham, NC3 Bed on Large Cul-de-sac Lot For Sale in Wake ForestDon't miss this short sale in Garner, NC!Classic Fixer-upperElegance & Charm Subscribe to our listing feed Nearby properties for sale 04/09/2012

4 Canary Court, Durham NC Move-in Ready Townhouse! Crown molding, 9′ smooth ceilings, Berber carpet in living/dining room. Kitchen with tile backsplash, hardwood, under cabinet lighting and all appliances. Berber carpet upstairs, vaulted ceiling in Master bedroom. Washer and dryer included! Storage options- finished space under staircase, patio storage room. Great patio for BBQs. Only 10-15 min. to Duke University and Duke Hospital, UNC Campus and UNC Hospital and Research Triangle Park (RTP). Also convenient to Southpoint Mall and the American Tobacco Trail in Durham. Call 919-794-4772 for more details or visit our website to see More Properties www.ParamountRealtySolutions.com! 4 Canary Court Durham, NC 27713 2 Bedroom Townhouse for Sale, Durham - Hope Valley Home Photo Gallery Virtua... 03/05/2012

  We are very fortunate in Durham, NC to have the world-class DPAC that opened here in the Bull City November 30, 2008. Last year I wrote a blog which stated that in 2010 DPAC reached the top-10 list (number 9) of most attended performance venues in the United States. I wrote that with the schedule that we had for 2011, I was sure that ranking would rise for the upcoming year. DPAC announced earlier this month that, in fact, the ranking did rise to number 4 in the U.S. for the 2011 attendance statistics accoring to Pollstar, a concert industry magazine. Last year, the most popular performances included "The Lion King" and "Radio City Christmas Spectacular." There were 68 sellout performances for the year. This year the list of performers are both stellar and diverse: musicians Aretha F... 01/31/2012

As many of you know I've been a specialist in Active 55+ communities for several years now and enjoy the benefits of working with the seniors moving here because we live in such a great area and also to be closer to family members that have gotten jobs here and the parents have followed.   I'm very excited about the new Carolina Arbors in Durham.   As a Senior Residential Estate Specialist (SRES®) and I am constantly keeping abreast of the current developments and future  developments in the area.  As we all know the Del Webb® Community in Cary has been a tremendous success and is anticipated to finish out well before the Charlotte Del Webb Community that launched at the same time at Carolina Preserve™ in Cary in 2006.   That said, Pulte Homes is making plans to build another massive c... 01/20/2012

We are lucky to have several venues in the Triangle to watch performing arts.  One of which, the state of the art Durham Performing Arts Center (DPAC), had the 4th highest theater attendance in the county! http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/news/2012/01/11/dpac-attendance-ranks-no-4-in-country.html?ana=RSS&s=article_search&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+bizj_triangle+%28Triangle+Business+Journal%29&utm_content=My+Yahoo Great entertainment is yet another reason why we love to live in the Triangle!   01/12/2012

During the winter months is a great time to think ahead for your spring and summer plants! Inventory • Inventory the landscape plantings around your house during January. See if any plants have grown too large for the spot where they were planted and need to be moved. Also, determine if other plants need to be thinned, pruned, or even removed if they no longer fulfill their intended purpose in the landscape. • Bare-rooted deciduous plants may be planted in January. These include fruit trees, nut trees, shade trees, and many shrubs and vines, including roses – in short, everything that loses its leaves in the fall. • Plant balled-and-burlapped evergreen trees and shrubs during January. The top of the ball should be at ground level. • If you are moving a plant this month, be sure to dig t... 12/06/2011

          I know that at this time of year we need to focus on weight reduction (okay, maybe just me), but I must sing the praises of a great restaurant that opened earlier this year in downtown Durham, NC. I recently brought some out-of-town relatives there on a vist for a post-Thanksgiving meal, and they were duly impressed.      Bull City Burger and Brewery is located on Parrish Street, between Mangum and Roxboro Streets, in the rapidly developing downtown area of Durham. On my second visit, I had a group of seven eating there with me. This included some in-laws that I wished to impress with the cosmopolitan nature of Durham that has changed significantly since they lived nearby many years ago.      The biggest draw for this great new eatery is the grass-fed, North Carolina-bred beef... 11/30/2011

  It has been my experience that once clients are pre-qualified for a loan, they are often surprised by the amount of additional information required of them for the lender. There are 6 pieces of information that are required to constitute a loan application for a mortgage lender, bank or mortgage broker. They can be provided in person, via phone, fax or email:   1) Applicant name(s) 2) Applicant(s) monthly income 3) Applicant(s) social security number(s) 4) Property address for purchase 5) Estimated purchase price of the property 6) Approximate loan amount applicant is requesting Once all this information is provided to a lender or broker, he/she should issue a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) or estimate worksheet for you. How do you shop around with different lenders and fulfill your legal... 11/16/2011

(Blog originally shared on Amy Shair Durham Real Estate's blog) No doubt about it - the Triangle area in central North Carolina is one of the best places to live in the US. Numerous surveys and studies have proven it for many years. I was reading a local Durham blog called Bull City Rising which prompted me to write this post. The blog raises an interesting point - do we feel we need to compete with other towns and cities within the Triangle in order to say our city is best? Some people are quick to say that Cary and Raleigh are better than Durham, but Durham has been getting many accolades too and most Durham residents will tell you that Durham has more character than Raleigh or Cary. Asking Triangle residents I found that most people feel very strongly that where they live is the bes... 11/09/2011