SarahGray Lamm ~ Chapel Hill / Carrboro / Durham Real Estate Blog ~ Agent Outlier

Home For Sale ~ 7 Knightsbridge Court, Durham, NC 27707~ $262,500 in SW Durham ~ SOLD

Thu, 01 Jul 2010 17:09:06 -0400

~7 Knightsbridge Court, Durham, NC 27707~
$262,500

Meticulously Updated!
SW Durham's Knightsbridge Court
Small subdivision of just 14 homes
Private, fenced back yard on a level lot
Four Bedrooms + Three Full Baths
Hardwood floors
Family Room has gas log fireplace and pass through from Kitchen
Spacious Kitchen has hardwood floor, custom cabinetry and quartz countertops
Separate Dining area off Kitchen with door to Deck
Large Master Suite on main level
Two additional Bedrooms plus full Bath on main level
A large Bedroom with walk-in closet, Full Bath and Bonus Room complete upstairs
Two Car Garage
Utility Room on main level
Deck, easily accessed, has retractable awning

Video Tour and Clickable Floorplan Here or Below

Check out other SW Durham County homes by clicking here

It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!

SarahGray Lamm is a licensed, full time, residential real estate professional in the Raleigh Durham area of North Carolina with over 60,000 hours of experience. She specializes in serving the real estate needs of home sellers, home buyers and investors in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Durham and Northern Chatham County and is proudly associated with Allen Tate Realtors, the Carolinas #1 independent realty company.

Use of content from the AgentOutlier blog without the express permission of the owner is a violation of federal copyright laws.

Disclaimer: Comments and contributions via ActiveRain.com (or other electronic or print media) do not establish an agency relationship with any third party. Blog posts are intended to be informational only. Please be advised that real estate practices vary by region, from state to state and from market to market. The information contained herein does not constitute legal advice. All parties in need of legal, accounting, tax, or real estate guidance are directed to consult with the licensed professional of their choice. Please seek specific guidance from a retained professional in the specific field(s) required to service your interests.

Planning To Sleep In Your New Home Tonight...What's Plan B?

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 09:59:01 -0400

It's Closing Day! Everything has gone like clockwork and you have nothing but the formalities of closing between you and home ownership! The mover's truck is in the driveway and your family and friends have gathered to help you move in. Tonight you will spend your first night in your new home!

THE PLAN: You'll spend an hour at your attorney's office with your Realtor, signing all the closing documents, and then you'll be presented with the keys to your new kingdom. You'll head straight to your new home, open the door for the waiting crowd and let the unloading begin! You will happily eat pizza while sitting on the floor, hang sheets over the windows for instant privacy and search high and low for the bath towels that somehow ended up in an unmarked box. But that's all part of the fun. What could possibly mess up this day?!

REALITY: The phone rings just hours before closing. The loan package from the lender has still not arrived at your attorney's office. They cannot prepare your HUD-1 closing statement for signature. The underwriters have been doing their final perusals before issuing the package and releasing the funds you need to buy your home. They have hit a snag. (I'll leave it at that...the form those snags can take in this new world of lending can be myriad.) Your attorney, your lender and your agent all assure you that it will be worked out. But...your closing is going to be delayed! A couple of hours? Maybe. A full day or even two? Possibly.

PLAN B: First, let's talk about what Plan B is NOT. It is NOT that you will call your agent and ask them to get you the keys so you can move in anyway. It is not that you will unload the entire contents of the van into the driveway and wait. The movers need to unload and get on to their next job? I hear you. You have a tight schedule the next day/week/month and NEED to have the initial phase of moving behind you by tonight? I hear that too. The whole family is with you and a hotel will cost you a fortune? Yep, I get it.

Unfortunately this is what you need to hear. The seller still owns the home. This means the seller STILL carries the insurance on the property OR may have canceled it effective this morning. Stuff happens. This new home is unfamiliar territory so how about a worst case scenario; a child or a friend is seriously injured on the property. Someone leaves packing paper on the stove and a fire starts. Insurance only covers “stuff” if they can't prove it isn't their responsibility. Your “stuff” is not the sellers “stuff” and therefore the seller's insurance is most likely NOT going to pay for it, especially if you are in the home without the seller's agreement. Since you do not own the home until you have closed on it, your insurance is most likely not going to pay for anything that happens either, under the theory that you cannot insure what you do not own. A better Plan B is clearly in order.

A BETTER PLAN B: Give yourself a buffer of at least a day between closing and moving in.

Don't close on a Friday because if things go south you will be waiting until Monday to close. (Talk about a quick way to mess up your carefully laid plans!)

If you absolutely must move in on your scheduled closing day, negotiate ahead of time, through the agents involved, exactly what will happen if your closing is delayed. In North Carolina you may be able to negotiate a Buyer Possession Before Closing agreement. Keep in mind that the seller is not required (and in most cases not smart) to give you occupancy until you own the home.

Talk to your insurance agent and ask if there is a plan available that would cover such a scenario.

Above all, understand that some things are simply out of the hands of even the best lenders, agents and attorneys. Plan B may not necessarily be your ideal but it is always better than the alternative...especially if you don't have one!

It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!

Real estate sales is a service business. So please understand when we ask you to schedule our time in advance.

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 09:10:03 -0400

Thanks to Richard Weisser for eloquently explaining why a successful real estate agent schedules business by appointment! There seems to be a perception that since the "real estate market is bad" many agents have nothing to do all day and will always be available to anyone on a moment's notice. Nothing could be further from the truth for those of us who are committed to providing the levels of service and skill that have made us successful over many years. Might I humbly suggest that finding a truly experienced agent, whose advice will be invaluable to you, is absolutely worth making an appointment!

Via Richard Weisser Coweta Fayette Real Estate:

I got a call from a nice young man yesterday afternoon. He was here from out of town for the weekend and had found a house on the Internet and wanted to see it right away.

The problem was, my business partner and I were already scheduled out for the day and we were physically unable to set aside enough time to properly help him.

We did manage to squeeze in enough time to show him the house he wanted to see which did not meet his expectations, and then he asked if we had “others” that we could show him.

We did have others that we could show him, but we did not have the time to either set up the appointments or to show the properties. We told him that we would be glad to allocate some time the following day, but he insisted that he would be returning home in the morning.

I explained that real estate sales was a service business, and that we worked by appointment. And in reality, our time was better spent with pre-qualified, ready, willing, and able buyers that had been scheduled in advance.

I suppose that many people assume that we sit by the telephone and wait for it to ring. Nothing could be further from the truth.

We are constantly adjusting our schedules to both meet with clients and to deal with all of the necessary paperwork and follow-up. It’s a struggle just keeping up with everything that needs to be done.

And in order to best serve our clients, we need to set aside enough time to take care of THEIR needs! Otherwise, we will both be disappointed with the outcome.

All content, including text, original art, photographs and images, is the exclusive property of Coweta Fayette Real Estate, Inc., and may not be used without the expressed written permission of Coweta Fayette Real Estate Better Homes and Gardens Metro Brokers, Newnan Georgia. All information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted, Copyright 2003-2009. Richard Weisser REOS, E-Pro. licensed Auctioneer. 770-827-6225.
Learn more about Coweta County and Fayette County Georgia Real Estate, and to search the entire Georgia MLS for free with no registration required visit CowetaFayetteRealEstate.com! Photos of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Get the latest GA Foreclosure List Updated Daily! We Do HUD bids in Georgia! 770-827-6225

It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!

Home For Sale ~ 210 Wild Oak Lane, Carrboro, NC 27510 ~ $325,000 in Bolin Forest ~ SOLD

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:58:02 -0500

~210 Wild Oak Lane, Carrboro, NC 27510~
$325,000

Artfully updated home in Carrboro's Popular Bolin Forest Neighborhood
Easy walk to Bolin Creek Greenway and Neighborhood Playground
Living Room and Dining Room have bamboo floors
Living Room has volume ceiling and gas log fireplace
Eat in Kitchen has dark cherry cabinetry and tile floor
Stainless Steel Appliances
Master Suite on main level
Master Bath with Garden tub and separate shower
Utility Room and Half Bath on main level
Spacious Loft perfect for Family Room, Office or Exercise Room
2 Bedrooms Upstairs + Hall Bath
Two Car Garage
Huge Walk in Storage upstairs, finished, heated and cooled

Video Tour and Clickable Floorplan Here or Below

Click here for Youtube video of Bolin Creek Greenway filmed near this home

Check out other Carrboro Properties between $275,000 and $375,000

It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!

Home For Sale ~ 208 Wild Oak Lane, Carrboro, NC 27510 ~ $355,000 in Bolin Forest ~ SOLD

Thu, 08 Apr 2010 13:59:42 -0400

~208 Wild Oak Lane, Carrboro, NC 27510~
$355,000

Carrboro's Popular Bolin Forest Neighborhood
Covered front porch
3 Bedrooms Upstairs, all with hardwood floors
Master Bedroom has vaulted ceiling
Entry, Dining Room, Living Room and Breakfast Area have hardwood floors
Living Room has a ventless gas log fireplace and french door to Deck
Spacious Kitchen has breakfast area and granite counters
Half Bath off Kitchen has granite topped vanity
Separate Large Dining Room
Spacious Bonus Room with dormers has hardwood floors and stairs from Kitchen
Fenced Backyard with Patio
Two Car Garage

Video Tour and Clickable Floorplan Here or Below

Check out other Carrboro Properties between $335,000 and $400,000 by clicking here

It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!

Home For Sale ~2802 Winton Drive, Hillsborough, NC 27278~ $385,000 in Winton Place ~ SOLD

Tue, 08 Jun 2010 13:50:09 -0400

~2802 Winton Drive, Hillsborough, NC 27278~
$385,000

Hillsborough's Winton Place
Small country subdivision of just 9 homes
Privately situated on a level 4 acre lot
Gracious wrap around, covered front porch
Two story entry has hardwood floors
Separate Living Room with adjacent Library
Family Room has gas log fireplace and french door to deck
Spacious eat-in Kitchen has hardwood floor, pantry and island with bar sink
Half Bath off Kitchen
Separate Dining Room
Large Master Suite upstairs has cathedral ceiling
Master Bath has separate garden tub and shower
Three additional Bedrooms, a Hall Bath and Bonus Room complete upstairs
Two Car side entry Garage off Kitchen
Deck is accessed from Kitchen or Family Room

Video Tour and Clickable Floorplan Here or Below

Check out other Orange County homes with acreage by clicking here

It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!

5 Things You Must Know Before Selling Your Home By Yourself In Chapel Hill / Durham, North Carolina

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:14:46 -0400

Lisa Udy may be in Utah but the challenge of selling your home by yourself is the same everywhere. Be up front about what you are trying to accomplish when you talk to an agent (we are pretty savvy about picking up the clues anyway) and you might be surprised how much assistance you will get.

Of course while you are talking to the agent keep an open mind and understand that they can do all they are suggesting and more in a timely and professional manner and get you to your goal as quickly as possible.

Still want to try to sell yourself? Go for it! But set yourself a time frame for know ing when you have done all you can. Then call the agent who was open and honest and willing to help you!

Via Lisa Udy Realtor Utah Real Estate Specialist (Logan Utah Real Estate The Platinum Real Estate Group):

Original Source: 5 Things You Must Know Before Selling FSBO In Logan Utah

Are you thinking about selling your Logan home on your own? If so, you need to be aware of what’s going on in the Logan real estate market, and what you need to do to get your home sold fast and for more money. Here are 5 tips you can use to put yourself in the best position to get your home sold:

Price It Right:

As of today, there are over 900 homes on the market in Cache Valley surpassing any other inventory level in our history. Our market is flooded with inventory and if you want to sell your home, you have to price it competitively. Home buyers are few and far between, and they know their in the drivers seat when it comes to purchasing.

If your home is over priced, home buyers won’t even bother setting up a showing. There are to many homes for them to choose from to waste their time on an unrealistic seller. How do you price your home right? Since you’re selling your home on your own, it will be difficult to get the right price.

I would recommend putting your home on the market, and see what type of activity you receive. If you’re not getting any activity on your property after a few weeks, you’re likely over priced and need to reduce it. You can also ask a real estate agent to do a market analysis for you, as most agents would be happy to provide this service. They have access to sold data from the MLS, and can usually provide you a pretty good ball park of your homes value.

Prepare Your Home For Showings

If you want to sell your home for the most money in the shortest amount of time, your home has to look sexy. Putting a sign in the yard and not taking care of the cosmetics will not cut it. Home buyers are picky. They like updated homes that are clean, de-cluttered, well manicured, and fresh.

Staging your home for home buyers is like going to a party at the white house. Your home has to look it’s best to impress, and if you don’t take care of the cosmetics, you’re home isn’t getting through the white house gates. Wow potential home buyers by taking care of the little things from curb to curb.

Clean gutters, wash off sidewalks, mow the lawn, remove weeds, plant some flowers, open up your front porch with some inviting potted plants, and freshen up the paint on the front door.

Remove any personal clutter, pictures, shoes, coats, and unsightly furniture to give buyers a canvas to paint their own pictures. Remove wall paper and paint all rooms with some neutral colors. And don’t forget to remove pets, and get your carpets cleaned!

Market Your Home Aggressively

Many FSBO sellers put a sign in their yard and leave it at that. Give yourself a better shot at selling by doing a few extra things. You never know who might buy your home, and you never know who knows someone looking for a home like yours. So anyone you talk to, let them know you’re selling your home.

Also, there are many websites that will let you advertise your home is for sale. You can check out sites such as KSL.com, CacheValleyDaily.com, and Craigslist.org. These websites get a descent amount of traffic here in Utah, and should help you get your home some fresh eyeballs.

There are also some real estate brokerages who offer a fee service allowing you to list your home in the MLS. They usually cost between $300-$500.

Keep your marketing updated. Many FSBO signs, after a month or so, start to fade. Make sure people can see your phone number clearly. You will also need to re-post your online ad’s about once every two weeks. If anything changes with your price or selling conditions, be sure to update your advertising to show it.

Get Creative With Your Selling Options

What can you do to entice a buyer to pick your home over another home? Adding extras such as closing costs for buyers, furniture, or new appliances can be the difference in getting an offer or not. If you can carry seller financing, you open yourself up to more buyers.

Also, consider doing a lease option if you feel desperate. The rental market here in Cache Valley is extremely competitive right now. There are many people with descent incomes that want to buy but can’t quite qualify. A lease option could be a good way to pay your mortgage and have a chance to sell the home later on down the road.

According to the National Association of Realtors, only 13% of homes sold in 2008 were FSBO’s. Offering these extra incentives will give you a greater shot at selling your home. Be prepared to make the pot sweet enough to entice a potential buyer.

Who Are You Kidding? Hire An Agent

Did you see that last statistic? Only 13% of sold homes are FSBO. If you’ve been on the market for a long time and your time is running out.

Hire a Realtor to get your home sold. Yes, Realtor fees are high, but we provide a valuable service, and statistically will bring you more money than if you sell on your own.

Hate real estate agents? So did I before I became one. The reason I became an agent was the frustration I had with working with them. If you had a bad experience with a Realtor, don’t judge everyone by that experience.

Since becoming an agent, I have found most agents are respectable business people with high integrity. Sure, just like all professions, we have our bad apples. But you can avoid them by doing a little homework and talking to friends.

I admire anyone willing to take on the challenge of selling a home in today’s tough market. Be sure to get all the information you can and speak to agents about pricing your home correctly. I would also recommend you keep an open mind on paying a commission to a buyers agent for a potential sale, and have plenty of patience. Good Luck!

Lisa Udy

Platinum Real Estate Group

Please Help Carolyn Capalbo

It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!

Understanding Short Sale Transactions | A Guide to Short Sale Facts & Myths

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 19:02:16 -0400

If you live in Chapel Hill, Durham or even Raleigh, NC you may be asking "What's a Short Sale?" My colleague in Massachusetts, Bill Gassett has written a phenomenal guide to Short Sales.

We, the homeowners in the Triangle of NC, are lucky that we are not in a market that has been plagued by foreclosure and short sale as many others have across the country. We are just beginning to see an uptick in the number of these financially distressed properties. In fact currently only about 3% of sales in Orange County are foreclosures or short sales.

Great agents are successfully marketing short sales and patient, flexible buyers can get some pretty fantastic properties as a result. I'm in the process of closing one as we speak for a lucky buyer and have just today entered a BEAUTIFUL short sale opportunity in Chapel Hill into the MLS.

Read Bill's blog post then check out my new listing. We can still do everything possible to effectively market your home so you can take advantage of a success Short Sale to put your financial issues behind you!

Via Bill Gassett Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate (RE/MAX Executive Realty):

Understanding Short Sale Transactions | A Guide to Short Sale Facts & Myths

A short sale unfortunately has become a common buzz word in the Real Estate industry. For those that have been hearing the term "short sale" and don't quite understand what it means, a short sale is a legal lender approved solution designed to assist a home owners who is financially strapped to get out from under their mortgage debt.

A short sale is negotiated through the mortgage holder of an owners home where by the mortgage holder agrees to take less than what home owner owes on the property.

A quick example of a short sale would be if a home owner owes $400,000 on their current mortgage and their home is only worth $350,000. The lender in this example would agree to take a short fall of $50,000 at closing.

In some cases the mortgage holder may completely wipe out the debt and the home owner does not have to repay the 50,000. Many lenders may require a seller to sign a note and repay the debt over a certain amount of time. Typically the debt will be reduced and the owner may receive favorable repayment terms of the short fall.

There is quite a bit to know about short sales from both a buyer's and seller's perspective. I have been successfully been completing Massachusetts short sales over the last three years. In fact (knock on wood) I have never had a short sale that did not get approved! Successfully completing a short sale is about understanding the process.

Many consumers make extremely poor choices by working with Real Estate agents that don’t have a lick of experience with getting short sales approved. Picking a good short sale Realtor is critical to your success.

The following is a number of specific topics about short sale transactions that you would want to be aware of if you are planning to either buy or sell one of these types of distressed properties.

Stop making mortgage payments during a short sale? ~ Whether or not a home owner should continue to make mortgage payments is a common question that many sellers want to know when considering a short sale. The most common answer to this question is YES, however it really depends on the lender! Click the link to understand all the considerations.

Picking the right short sale Realtor ~ Picking a Realtor to work with in a short sale is very different than a traditional transaction. You want to work with an agent that has experience successfully closing this type of transaction. Remember as a seller you could potentially be facing a foreclosure. There are many mistakes that are made by agents handling short sales. Don't get caught with your pants down!

Questions to ask a short sale listing agent ~ If you are thinking about buying a short sale there are some specific questions you can ask the listing agent to determine the probability that the short sale will be approved or not. These short sale questions will also help determine if the Realtor handling the short sale knows what they are doing!

Acceptable hardships for a short sale ~ On many occasions when doing a short sale the lender is going to require some kind of hardship on the part of the seller. Short sale hardships however, have become less rigid recently and some lenders are becoming more concerned strictkly on whether the short sale would benefit them more than a foreclosure sale.

Short sale tax consequences ~ Understanding the tax consequences in a short sale is one of the most important considerations for a home seller. Whether the short sale home was a primary residence or an investment property can have different tax implications.

Getting short sale debt released ~ Getting the debt released on a short sale is obviously a very big deal. Many Realtors that are working with short sales don't have any knowledge of how to get the debt released. A seller needs to pay particular attention to this detail as you can expect to be hearing from a collection agency without it!

When to do a short sale home inspection ~ This topic is important to understand from both a buyer's and seller's perspective. A home inspection should be done before short sale approval and NOT after. Read the article to understand why it benefits both the buyer and seller to do so.

Strategic default vs short sale ~ There are many home owners who are deciding just to walk away from their homes. Fannie Mae has started to crack down on this practice and is now penalizing borrowers from getting a mortgage for up to seven years! A perfect alternative to a strategic default is a short sale.

These articles were published on my Massachusetts Real Estate blog where I talk about numerous topics that are important to consumers who may be thinking about buying or selling Real Estate.

I am successfully completing short sales through out the Metrowest Massachusetts area. So far, knock on wood, I have a 100% success rate for short sale approval! If you need to complete a Massachusetts short sale please feel free to get in touch.

If you are outside of the Metrowest Massachusetts area and need to do a short sale please give me a call or email and I would be happy to refer you to a Realtor in your location that handles short sales and knows what they are doing! I have referred short sales to other Realtors all around the country.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

About the Author: The above Real Estate information on understanding short sale transactions was provided by Bill Gassett, a Nationally recognized leader in his field. Bill can be reached via email at billgassett@remaxexec.com or by phone at 508-435-5356.

Have a home to sell in Metrowest Mass? I have a passion for Real Estate and love to share my marketing expertise!

For Metrowest Massachusetts Real Estate and homes see Massachusetts Real Estate. Want to have MLS access to beat other buyers to your dream home? Sign up with no obligation at my MLS Property Finder Site.

I service short sales in the following towns in and around Metrowest Massachusetts: Hopkinton, Milford, Upton, Southboro, Westboro, Ashland, Holliston, Mendon, Northboro, Shrewsbury, Hopedale, Medway, Grafton, Northbridge, Uxbridge, Franklin, Framingham and Douglas MA.

Click here to view Bill Gassett's Real Estate profile.

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Building lasting relationships by helping people move in and out of Metrowest Massachusetts for the last 24 years.

It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!

~SOLD~Home For Sale ~ 74 Scottish Lane, Durham, NC ~ MacKenzie Place Townhomes~ $179,000

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 09:27:38 -0500

~74 Scottish Lane, Durham, NC 27707~
$179,000

Durham's MacKenzie Place Townhomes
Convenient Location Between Durham and Chapel Hill
Bright, open floor plan features 9' ceilings and large windows
Entry, Dining Room and Kitchen have hardwood floors
Living Room has wood burning fireplace and door to Deck
Deck overlooks green area
Eat in Kitchen open to Dining Room and Living Room
2 Bedrooms upstairs, each with walk in closet and attached Bath
Utility Room on second floor
Two assigned parking spaces

Video Tour and Clickable Floorplan Here or Below

Check out other Durham Properties between $150,000 and $200,000 by clicking here

It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!

Anyone Seen A Six Foot Tall Orange Girl Walking Down The Street In Chapel Hill, NC?

Sat, 24 Jul 2010 08:43:23 -0400

A juvenile prank or someone's opinion of what is or is not art? It doesn't really matter. What matters is that someone felt compelled to make off with a large sculpture installed in front of the financially troubled Chapel Hill Museum on Franklin Street in Chapel Hill, NC.

The sculpture was on lease from a Florida artist and intended to be on display until October of this year. It is gone. Surely someone noticed it being removed or has seen it someplace where it doesn't belong...which is anywhere except in front of the Chapel Hill Museum.

Come on boys and girls. This is art theft even if you prefer Rodin. Chapel Hill is fortunate enough to have a dedication to displaying public art in public places. For some reason there are always those who think it is a challenge to remove it. On previous occasions, when public art, or even art that is on personal property, has been "moved" it has always been found in a friend's garage or a fraternity house. Let's hope this will be the case this time as well.

The Town of Chapel Hill is offering a reward of $250 for information leading to its return. Personally I think you should provide any information you might have for free. How embarrasing for our lovely community that there is always somebody who thinks their fun is more important than our town's commitment to making our public spaces pleasing. And if you are one of those who didn't like this particular choice of art...you only had to wait until October.

Click the picture below to go to the Town of Chapel Hill website for a better look at the sculpture.

It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!

Cocktails Under A Wisteria Draped Pergola? Not in Carrboro, NC!

Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:59:15 -0400

I've just had a pergola built over my deck in Carrboro, NC. As our daytime temperatures reach over 100 degrees for the third time this summer, I cannot tell you how much I am looking forward to sitting under my new pergola with its soon-to-be-installed ceiling fans and Coolaroo UV blocking exterior shades.

I'm a Carolina girl, born and raised, and you'll forgive me if I daydream about serving my guests cocktails and dinner by candlelight at a garden party under my new pergola, on my mother's china and table linens, with ceiling fans spinning slowly overhead. Ah believe ma southe'n accent got thicka just thinkin' about it but...I digress...

How much more true to my southern roots could I be if I were to let thick vines of purple flowered wisteria curl around the posts and hang through the beams of my pergola? The answer is NOT VERY! Wisteria is a highly invasive exotic plant and spreads easily in our local climate, displacing the native North Carolina plants which belong here.

There are many non-native plants which were brought to our region by surely well meaning folks who simply wanted a beautiful, exotic garden. English Ivy, for instance. As the local Southern States garden shop employee told one of my neighbors; "Ivy is the gift that keeps on giving. You better hope all your neighbors want ivy if you plant it!"

If you live in North Carolina, or any other southeastern state, and you aren't already thinking "Kudzu", you haven't been paying attention. Brought to the USA from Japan in 1876 for a gardening exhibition, it was widely planted during the Depression to provide erosion control. Kudzu planted in North Carolina is the very definition of an invasive plant. Growing up to a foot a day in the summer, it is a common sight along our highways as it chokes out native forests and tugs on overhead power lines.

So it was with appreciation that I read that Carrboro, NC has decided to update it's zoning rules list of invasive plants which cannot be included in new plans submitted by developers. Not to worry. This is not intended to tell Carrboro residents what they can and cannot do with their own property. Rather it is a step toward bringing some intelligence to the process of deciding what kind of plants we should be propagating in Carrboro.

The invasive plants list is based upon continuing work by the North Carolina Native Plant Society and includes rankings of plants as severe threats, significant threats and lesser threats as well as watch lists. But the NCNPS website isn't just a DON'T DO IT list. It also provides valuable information about native plants and how planting them honors our regional heritage as well as providing food and shelter for our local wildlife. I would encourage anyone interested in planting a garden in any part of the Triangle to consider using only NC native plants.

As for the image in my mind of a garden party under a vine covered pergola...I can just as easily see a native climbing Hydrangea fitting into my daydream. I'm willing to keep an open mind when it comes to recreating my heritage. Thank goodness because I can't really see myself in a Scarlet O'Hara dress on a hot summer evening, even if I am sipping sweet tea.

It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!

SOLD ~ Home For Sale ~ 1546 Pathway Drive, Carrboro, NC 27510~ $360,000 in Bolin Forest

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 17:05:08 -0500

~1546 Pathway Drive, Carrboro, NC 27510~
$360,000

Carrboro's Popular Bolin Forest Neighborhood
Quarter Mile walk to Bolin Creek Greenway and Neighborhood Playground
Floor plan features Formal and Informal Living Areas
Entry, LR, formal DR and Kitchen have hardwood floors
Family Room has Wood Burning Fireplace with marble hearth
Kitchen with Breakfast area open to Family Room
Spacious Kitchen has hard wood flooring, solid surface counters and stainless appliances
3 Bedrooms Upstairs + Bonus Room with Closet
Master Suite has cathedral ceiling and walk in closet
Master Bath with Garden tub and separate shower
Utility Room and Half Bath on Main Level

Video Tour and Clickable Floorplan Here or Below

Click here for Youtube video of Bolin Creek Greenway filmed a quarter mile from this home

Check out other Carrboro Properties between $275,000 and $375,000

It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!

Home For Sale ~ 3700 Chimney Ridge Place #208, Durham, NC 27713~ $79,900 in SW Durham

Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:09:11 -0400

~3700 Chimney Ridge Place #208, Durham, NC 27713~
$79,900

SW Durham's Woodcroft Community
Miles of Walking / Biking Trails
Adjacent to American Tobacco Trail
Easy Access to I-40, RTP, Duke University, Southpoint Mall
Private Second Floor One Level Condo
Overlooks Green Space
Two Bedrooms + Two Full Baths
Wood Laminate Floors Throughout
Living Room has wood burning fireplace and pass through from Kitchen
Separate Dining area off Kitchen
Refrigerator, Washer/Dryer, Microwave
Large Master Suite
Laundry Closet
Covered Balcony off Living Room

Video Tour and Clickable Floorplan Here or Below

Check out other Durham County townhomes & condos under $100,000 by clicking here

It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!

Mentoring New Agents – Like We Aren't Having Enough Fun Already

Sun, 11 Jul 2010 10:08:43 -0400

My favorite part of my real estate career has always involved teaching my clients what I know about real estate. So I suppose it isn't much of a stretch to figure I would also love teaching new agents how to be the best at their new career. There are some who might figure that now, the strangest time we have seen in real estate in quite some years, might not be the best time for a new agent to begin a career in our industry. I beg to differ.

As my mentor told me when I began my career in 1980 and prime rate hit a high of 21%, “you don't know what it was like to sell real estate before this so how can it get in your way now?”

Granted, the entry level materials are a little more expensive. I had my newly minted brokers license along with a pad of paper, a nice pen and an HP calculator. Today a new agent needs a license, a computer and software plus at least six months of living expense tucked away.

But the most important thing I had was my mentor. He was also my broker-in-charge. He set me on the right path from day one and I have never looked back. I sold houses with 16, 17, 19 or 21% interest rates because I didn't know that was impossible. He is still a dear and trusted friend.

Today I am the mentor. I am thrilled to be part of the start of a new agent's career. There is absolutely nothing in the buying and selling process I will not include them in with my client's permission. I know that many real estate agents are generally loathe to share their “secrets of success” but I prefer to think of it as adding future value to our industry. I have always shared techniques, skills and experiences with colleagues, inside my company and out, and I can't say I have ever been put at a disadvantage or lost a client because of it. If you are a great agent there is plenty of business to go around.

I'm training a new agent these days and I know that I will continue to take opportunities to do so for a long time. The fun of doing it may even extend my “retirement”, when that day comes, because I really only do this for a living for one reason...I love it and I want to help others love it too.

There is one little selfish reason though. At the end of an eight hour day last week, when my first time home buyers, my new agent and I were debriefing after a long day of looking at homes, the new agent was ready to take her leave of us. She turned to the buyers and thanked them for allowing her to be included. Then she said “You have a great agent!” They beamed and said “We know.” After 30 plus years in this ever changing, always interesting industry; I know how to take a compliment.

It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!

Why You Don't Get To See Pictures From My Client Barbeque

Thu, 08 Jul 2010 07:23:49 -0400

I have a very special group of clients who show up in Chapel Hill every May. I've worked with them for many years now and I cannot tell you how much I enjoy them. Living in a university town has lots of perks but for me one of the best one is the opportunity to work with the young medical residents coming to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill every year to begin their specialized studies in obstetrics and gynecology.

Every spring is a blur for me as I work non-stop for several weeks getting the incoming residents into homes appropriate for their new lives. Many have spouses or soon-to-be spouses who come with them and quite a few of them will begin families during the four years they are here so, in addition to being affordable and reasonably close to the hospitals, they need all the things in a home that a growing family requires. They have a very small window between "matching" (the process by which they are notified that they have been accepted into the program at UNC) and starting their residency. In a matter of weeks they must find a home, close on it, move to North Carolina, set up housekeeping and take a much needed break between med school and the non-stop intensity of residency. I also make it a point to educate them on how to care for the home in order to make sure they can sell it as quickly as they had to buy it.

At the same time I am diligently working to get the homes of the outgoing class on the market so they can go on to their next phase of life and career. My four year commitment to them includes being their point of contact for anything they need done on their home (their schedules do not permit interviewing and waiting around for contractors and repair folks) and culminates in making sure they have the smoothest possible sale at a time when they are once again going through major life changes.

It is exciting to be part of this time in their lives. I have enjoyed their friendship and meeting many of their proud parents; folks my age who are just so grateful to know that someone is available to assist their child with a transition that is difficult at best, even when it isn't taking place hundreds or thousands of miles away from home. It is also a time of very mixed emotion for me as I know that my only contact with many of the outgoing class will be via Facebook, birth announcements and holiday cards.

So this year I sent out an e-vite to one and all and invited them to bring their families and come on over to my house for an afternoon bar-b-que. What a blast we had! I fully intended to take pictures and brag to you all about what wonderful people they are, how beautiful their children are and what great successes they will be in their careers.

But something happened as they all came through my front door. They were just so happy to be together (let's just say down time is at a premium for them) and so inspiring to talk to and so RELAXED that I simply wanted to soak up the moment and not spend it recording it on film for others. What good is served by documenting that they made time to come hang out with their Realtor, that they enjoyed each others' company, that they may have had an adult beverage on a hot day? Some things are not for public consumption.

There are many of their generation who choose to share their lives in very public ways via all manner of social media. These young folks have chosen to share their lives in a way that truly serves their communities and I, for one, want to allow them whatever privacy they can possibly maintain. For me that means not even asking them if I can post pictures of them...I simply chose not to even take them!

It's Simple...When You Have A Great Agent!