The next in our list of neighborhoods is Kirkwood. This townhome community is located at the intersection of Erwin and Weaver Dairy, making it extremely convenient to everything. I know I say that about every community in the area, but it is still true. As you can see from the chart the homes sell in the low $200’s. Built in the 80’s, some of the homes have been nicely updated by their owners over the years. Some units, quite honestly, could use some renovation. But, given the size of the units, if you are at all handy with a hammer, you can do a lot of updating on your own. If you are in the market for a home where you don’t want the hassle of outdoor care, for either the house or the yard, give Kirkwood a look. Drive through and check out the neighborhood. You will be glad you did. A... 03/10/2008

Green Home Trends - Rainwater Collection Systems   Rain, and water, is on the minds of North Carolinians right now.  Water, and the lack of it, is mentioned in almost every newscast, and there's at least one story in every newspaper edition.    People are wondering what to do.  You and I are used to being able to go outside, turn on the hose, and water the lawn.  Heck, it's almost a tradition in some families to pull out the hose and wash down the cars every Saturday morning.  What better way to spend a warm, sunny Carolina morning than spraying down the cars (and the kids)?  At Stanton Homes, we started looking into ways to help conserve water, both now and in the future.  We found that Rainwater Collection Systems, while very popular in some countries, were ALMOST unheard of in the Un... 03/04/2008

Parkside Neighborhood UpdateMarch 4, 2008These are the Active, Pending and Closed real estate transactions for Chapel Hill's Parkside neighborhood for 2008.  If you have any questions about any of these homes, please call or email The Rogers Team.StatusPending DateClosed DateAddress  BRBAHalf BASq FtGarYr BuiltAsking PriceSale PriceDOMActive   504 Palafox Drive 3 2 1 2323 2 2000 $375,000 22 Active   203 Worsham Drive 4 2 1 3334 2 2003 $429,000 175 Closed 1/8/20081/22/2008104 New Parkside Drive 4 2 1 2662 2 1999 $389,900$375,00023 Closed 1/30/20082/27/2008430 New Parkside Drive 3 2 1 2724 2 2000 $399,900$395,00027 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 you... 03/04/2008

You’ve decided it is time to buy a house. It could be your first house, you could be downsizing, whatever. The important thing to remember is you have to get ready! You do not want to wait until you have found the house of your dreams and then scramble to get everything done. Your buyer agent can do most of the work for you, but some stuff is up to you. The first order of business is to get all your financial papers in order, or at least find them. Tax returns for the past few years, current paystubs , investments, etc. When you have all you can lay your hands on, get in touch with a mortgage person. (If you are paying all cash, great. Make sure it is available at a moments’ notice.) You can talk to your local credit union, bank, or get names from your agent. I do recommend you deal wi... 03/04/2008

The next neighborhood I have picked is Providence Glen condos. These condominiums are located of Sage Road an Old Sterling. Therefore, as you can imagine, they are convenient to everywhere you might need to go. These are pretty new condos, the final phase just recently being completed. (The units on the market now are re-sales.) Each building has 12 condos, four to a floor. You usually have a choice of two and three bedroom units. Some come with a detached garage space. There is an elevator in each building so you don’t have to use the stairs if you don’t want the exercise. There is a great clubhouse and pool, as well as a tennis court. The chart shows the units on the market and those that have sold in the past six months. They are well priced for anyone who wants the ease of owning a... 02/29/2008

Enclosed below are past and current statistics from the Chapel Hill Market this year.   As expected, the market is picking up.  Then number of single family homes on the market in one month increased by 40 homes and the number of pendings increased by 6.  The percentage of homes pending in January at 4.89% of the actives and in February then number increased to 5.5%.  This amount should continue to increase in March.  02/29/2008

Chatham Downs - Groceries, Coffee, Banking and More - on the Southern Tip of Chapel Hill   When considering an area to relocate to, the availability of nearby shopping can be a top deciding factor.   Chatham Downs, a beautiful shopping center on Interstate 15/501, is easily accessible by residents of Fearrington Village, Pittsboro, Silk Hope, Chapel Ridge Golf Club, and popular areas around Jordan Lake.   It's just one of many options available to Chatham County, Carrboro, and Chapel Hill residents.  It is the first larger shopping center heading towards Chapel Hill on 15/501 from Jordan Lake/Pittsboro.    The anchors in the Chatham Downs shopping center are Harris Teeter and Ace Hardware.     Harris Teeter is a popular Raleigh/Triangle grocery store.  There are new stores popping up al... 02/25/2008

Relocating to the Triangle? Have you thought about where you'll be banking?  One of the first things my husband and I had to do when we moved to the Raleigh area was find a new bank.  We had no idea what banks were available or how many branches each of the banks had - we just knew that we couldn't deposit a paycheck or write a check until we set up an account with a local bank!  If you're relocating to the Triangle, here's a guide to local banks, along with where they are headquartered, how many branches they have, and some features of each.  This information is geared to the Chatham and Orange county areas, specifically to the towns of Pittsboro, Carrboro, and Chapel Hill, as well as communities like Silk Hope, Eli Whitney, Jordan Lake, and Farrington.  Bank of America -  I think ever... 02/25/2008

There are several new subdivisons being built in Chapel Hill/Carrboro.  Both Claremont and Winmore are being built on Homestead Road.  Claremont will have 79 homes, a pool, clubhouse and playground.  The pricing starts in the upper $500K.  Winmore will have 86 townhomes and 98 single family homes, playing fields, playground, swimming pool and a mixed use village.  The pricing will start at $400K for the townhomes.  There will be several affordable townhomes built slated to start in the $250K.  Triple Crown Estate is on Dairyland Road.  Triple Crown Estates is a 15 multi-acre lot development prices starting from the $700K upwards of one million.  The Orchard is off of Jones Ferry Road.  It is an 18 multi-acre lot development pricing ranging from $900K and up.  Chancellor's View is off of... 02/25/2008

This chart is a summary of the market conditions in the East Chapel Hill High School district.  It represents the detached single family houses which closed from 1/25/2008 to 2/25/2008, as well as those active on the market.    As you can see there are 116 detached homes shown as active on the Triangle Multiple Listing Service, up from 109 a month ago.  There were only 10 homes which closed in that same period.  This means an absorption rate of 10 homes per month for a 12 month supply.  Of course, it would vary depending on the price of the house, but you get the idea.For a seller this means you absolutely HAVE TO be fully committed to getting your house in show condition.   You have LOTS of competition!  For a buyer, it means you can be in a great negotiating position, if you have done... 02/25/2008

When I moved to North Carolina, one of the first things I had to get used to was an entirely new set of grocery stores!  I was used to Safeway, Albertson's, and Save Mart.   Here in Raleigh NC, I ran into new names like Harris Teeter, Food Lion, and Lowe's.  They're all fairly similar, and I can shop interchangably.  But one store I didn't discover until just recently was Trader Joe's.  Yeah, I'd heard about it.  The office got all excited when the news spread that Trader Joe's was coming to the Triangle.   I wasn't sure what the big deal was - after all, wasn't it just another new grocery store?   When I went shopping at my local Trader Joe's in Cary, NC I was pleasantly surprised at what I found there.  But first, a little Trader Joe's history. Originally known as Pronto Market back w... 02/22/2008

The next neighborhood I picked for some statistics is Silver Creek.  It backs right up to East Chapel Hill High School.  The homes in this neighborhood are truly magnificent.  You need to take a ride through Silver Creek just to see the designs and landscaping of some of these homes.  And if you want to work those calf muscles take a walk through the community.  It is hilly!  It is convenient to pretty much everywhere you would want to go!The chart shows the number and stats of the active homes in Silver Creek as well as the houses that have closed in the past six months.  Like its neighbor to the east, Springcrest, at the moment there is not a lot of activity, so don't take the statistics too seriously.  But, yes, they are high priced homes.  Activity should pick up as the Spring seaso... 02/19/2008

Southern Village Shopping in Chapel Hill, NC Shopping Near Jordan Lake   Out for a drive in beautiful Chatham County this past weekend, I decided to head up 15/501 from the Jordan Lake area to see what I could see.  I discovered a charming shopping area called Market Street at Southern Village, just inside the southern tip of Chapel Hill.     This hidden treasure is worth incorporating into a weekend country drive.  The oval Market Street offers browsers and shoppers plenty of wide, well planned sidewalks, a movie theatre, restaraunts, small shops, even a bank, church, medical clinics and child care center.  The oval is surrounded by assorted townhomes and larger homes.  If you're considering relocating to the Chapel Hill area, this is a must see on your tour of the area.     If you've ... 02/13/2008

Natural Food Stores in Raleigh Whole Foods Market If you're looking for a new grocery shopping experience, check out these great green grocers! Here is the first installment on Raleigh area natural food shopping: where to go, what kinds of goodies you'll find, and what brought these markets into being. Whole Foods. What do you think of when you hear someone talk about a Whole Foods market? It made me think of Santa Cruz with the hippy lifestyles, all organic foods and well, I just didn't think it was for me. Man, was I wrong. I walked in the door and my opinion changed so fast I couldn't believe it! Whether you're relocating to the Raleigh/Triangle area, or have lived here for quite some time, you may be as unaware of all the shopping choices as I was.   Here is some history of the stor... 02/13/2008

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... 02/13/2008

Students at Two Triangle Universites Battle it Out in the "Shortest Shower" Competition    Two of our local universities have come up with a great way to combat the significant drought in our area.  In the tradition of heavy competition between the schools, the Tarheels and the Wolfpack are battling it out - to see who can use less water. Daily water use had dropped by about 4 gallons, per student, per day at both UNC Chapel Hill and NC State since the contest began in November, when the Wolfpack beat Carolina during the end of the football season.  The competition is set to end on Feb 20th, when the two schools meet up again on the sports fields, this time in basketball. There are water meters on each residence hall, which makes gathering the data for the competition fair.      The win... 02/10/2008

A great aspect of living in Chapel Hill is the number and variety of neighborhoods you have the opportunity to live in.  In this blog I will be showcasing various neighborhoods to help the reader learn a little bit about our area.  The latest neighborhood is Springcrest.  Springcrest is located on the east side of Erwin Road just north of the Sage Rd. intersection.  It is convenient to everything, and is within walking distance of East Chapel Hill High School.  (OK, it is a long walk, but high school kids can use the exercise.)  It is just a short hop to 15-501, Duke, UNC, shopping and other area services.The chart shows the number and stats of the active homes in Springcrest, as well as the houses that have closed in the past six months.  At the moment not a lot of activity, but since ... 02/09/2008

The title shows two words that should be in your mind when buying OR selling a house.  They refer to "fixtures".  When you are the buyer, you want to keep in mind that not everything you see stays with the house.  On the other side of the sale, the seller needs to make CLEAR what is NOT staying.  I guarantee that if a buyer sees your favorite chandelier in the dining room they think it is staying, even if you put a yellow stickie on it that says "Does not convey".  You want to make sure the contract shows what does not stay.Basically, if something is glued or screwed  onto the wall, ceiling, etc., it is probably required to stay.  So, if you plan on talking that chandelier with you, get it down before you put the house on the market.  Go to the store and get a decent replacement for it ... 02/08/2008

If you are looking for a home that will give you the privacy you want, yet still be close to everything in Chapel Hill, as well as being in one of the best school districts in the state, look no further!  The neighborhood known as Stoneridge/Sedgefield is for you.  Located off of Whitfield Road about 1 mile east of 86 this community is in the Chapel Hill School district, but not in the tax district of the City of Chapel Hill.Most homes were built in the late 70's early 80's with lots of yard space.  Homes, when available, range in price from the mid $300K to over $1,000,000.  The community also has an outstanding clubhouse with pool and tennis courts.  And as I mentioned, the location is perfect!  Close to everything but with the feel, and privacy, of the countryside.  I know all this b... 02/07/2008

I've mentioned before how nice it is to live in a school district that is considered one of the best in the country.  It is also nice that we have a wide range of neighborhoods that allow parents in all income brackets to move into the district.  The chart shows just a small sample of the many neighborhoods in the district and their average selling prices over the past six months.Of course, there are homes well above the figures on the chart, but you get the idea.  There is a home for you in the district if you want to move here,  At the lower end of the price scale you will find mostly condos, then townhomes at higher prices, then single family homes, but there are some of each in every price range.For more information on ALL the areas in the East Chapel Hill High School district hit t... 02/07/2008