Many people moving to the Cary, Raleigh area do so for various reasons: our great school system, local Universities, low unemployment etc. There is another great reason to move to Cary and Raleigh…the fees for basic services these cities provide is relatively low compared to other cities in North Carolina. I can tell you that Cary has a bad rap for high taxes but it is quite unfounded. Below is a chart which shows that the costs of water/sewer fees and taxes combined put Apex and Raleigh are lower than 75% of the other NC cities; Cary is less expensive than more than half.
Read more of the article by Micheal Jacobs “Charting Cities’ Financial Stewardship”:
This has been a really really busy Dec, Jan and February for Raleigh and Cary area Real Estate Sales. Inventory is down, and showings are up. I had a Cary home for sale show 28 times in 6 weeks!! We were under contract lickety split. (It was priced right and staged well, which is still totally key to selling in this market).
The strength of the Cary and Raleigh Real Estate Market was noted last week in Inman’s annual ranking of theTop 10 Real Estate Markets to Watch.
Andrea Brambila noted, ” To compile the list of 10 markets to watch this year, Inman News looked for markets with above-average median sales price growth, a low unemployment rate, a high rate of sales per population, high affordability, low and falling foreclosure activity, a low share of distressed sales, above-average projected job growth, median household income growth, low and falling vacancy rates, growth in the number of building permits issued, above-average population growth, high projected population growth, and a rise in in-migration from other states.”
If you are thinking of buying or selling Wake or Chatham County real estate, you need to know that mortgage lenders look up what seems like every detail of your life now to determine if they will lend you money. A primary factor that determines the interest rate that they will extend to you is your credit history. Once a year you can get your credit report for free at www.annualcreditreport.com . Do not buy anything from any site. This report does not give you your credit score; however, for that go to a site called Credit Karma.
Credit Karma is a completely pro-consumer service to empower consumers to learn about how to improve their score and to come up with action plans. Watch this short video by consumer advocate Clark Howard (he’s so geeky he’s cute) click: CLARK’S VIDEO
We all want to have our homes appreciate…but in this economy many are worth less than what we paid for them. If you want to strategically target your next home purchase to be in a subdivision which is Appreciating in Wake County, check out the top 30 appreciating subdivision below per area:
The most appreciating subdivisions in Cary, Apex, Morrisville in 2011:
Top Appreciating Subdivisions for the South West Cary, Holly Springs and Fuquay Varina areas of Wake County are shown in the chart below. These rates reflect the past 12 months of appreciation…
We all want to have our homes appreciate…but in this economy many are worth less than what we paid for them. If you want to strategically target your next home purchase to be in a subdivision which is Appreciating in Wake County, check out the top 30 appreciating subdivision below per area:
The most appreciating subdivisions in North Raleigh in 2011:
Selling a home is really tough in Raleigh / Cary area. Fortunately, our market is better than most and homes ARE selling! In order to beat your competition, we have to use stellar marketing strategies. I advise my clients to watch this video before we get going in the selling process so that they fully understand the selling strategies that work and why. It is a total of about 15 minutes long, but it is divided into short segments so you can watch the parts your are interested in:
Here is a nice little video that shows the before and after effects of proper home staging. For Wake County homes, staged home nets 1% more in the sale of homes…so staging a home typically pays for itself plus you sell your home much quicker!
It is a buyers market out there, for sure. Your home has to win the beauty contest and the price contest to get sold. Did you know that homes that are staged sell for 1% more than homes that are not? That does not sound like much, but take into account that 1% of a $200,000 home is an additional $2,000….so basically if you were to invest $2000 into staging your home, you will get is sold faster (between 40% – 70% faster according to RESA) AND recoup that money.
In an article by Melissa Tracey from her blog Style Staged and Sold:
Image by cindylinsf via Flickr
The following are the changes Brown most recommends to her clients in getting a home ready to list:
1. De-cluttering and removal of all personal pictures and items. Have the buyer to see the space as something they could own. Too many personal items crowded in a space makes that a challenge for buyers and clutter can detract from the features of a home.
2. New neutral, good quality rugs.
3. Re-painting several rooms into neutral colors, if needed.
4. Replacing and updating lighting fixtures.
5. Make any small repairs (or big ones if needed).
6. Purchase of matching appliances in the kitchen for a cohesive, finished look.
7. Update major furniture (furniture can be rented for the duration of the sale).
8. Move furniture to show the rooms to their best advantage, including moving very large furniture out of rooms to give them a more spacious feel
9. Incorporate decorative details that help give the home an inviting, finished feel. See the before and after photos below.
For more information about selling your home, check out the Sellers Section in TeresaBowen.com
After you have made an offer on a home to purchase, it is vital that you quickly find out what your insurance premiums will be. If the existing owners had a lot of claims on the home in the past, it can very well affect YOUR premiums for the home. Some homes may not be insurable in this market at all. You need to know this before you get too far down the path to closing! VIDEO:
Wake Real Estate Tips 