Outdoor home maintenance: outsource or DIY?

A home requires regular maintenance both indoors and outdoors. The maintenance required on the exterior of the home is dictated by the weather climate where we reside. Maintenance is time sensitive due to the exposure to the elements.  Making sure you keep up with regular exterior inspections as a critical first-step. This gives you the option to do it yourself (DIY) and save money in the long term. 

Your House

The roof

Your roof is your first defense against the weather. The roof is also taking the majority of the beating from the sun, wind, rain,  hail, and snow. It is important to regularly inspect your roof for major   damage and signs of wear that may need repair. However, we encourage   our

Indoor home maintenance: Outsource or DIY?

Homeowners face a multitude of decisions as they manage their households. Whether it is regularly needed maintenance or special situations, homeowners will inevitably make decisions to either outsource or DIY the work themselves. New homeowners especially may be especially keen to save money at every opportunity.  Not all DIY maintenance work is created equal. The more experience with DIY will inevitably show you that, some jobs are better left to the professionals. In this blog, we will look at some common indoor home maintenance tasks that will make homeowners ask, “Should I outsource this home maintenance job or do it myself?”

Inside the Home

Some homeowners keep a regular schedule of tasks to

The topic of moving during the college years or right after was not a big deal. In the later years when you approach the subject of moving there are many groans and sighs. Sympathy from friends is a given; moving often means the juggling of work schedules, when to pack, school activities, finding new veterinarians, and more. As adults, we become more established. We tend to accumulate and our families grow to include children or furry friends. In the case of some of our clients, we have witnessed the coordinated move of dogs, cats, fish, and chickens.

Some families need to consider school districts, the timing of selling a home, or whether the home they are building will be ready. Sometimes there isn’t a permanent place to land immediately after a

According to a new study by Apartment List, 59.4% of Raleigh metro renters choose to move to the Raleigh metro for the job, making it #2 metro in the nation for job-first movers.

Growing job market with large technology companies, start-ups and job opportunities in science and academia make the Research Triangle surrounding Raleigh appealing to new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematic (STEM) grads. Combined with relatively low housing prices, the Triangle is the next go-to destination for tech workers around the nation. Despite rapidly increasing rent prices, Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill are still more affordable than most tech centers.

According to the study, only 25% of Raleigh metro renters are plan on settling down in the

Moving. We have all experienced arriving at a new destination and trying to figure out what to unpack first, while at the same time pushing off hunger or thirst and possibly dealing with our kids and pets. Who can't empathize with the experience of being overwhelmed and exhausted when we see new neighbors arrive with the moving truck and carting boxes into the house. It is often good to let the dust settle the first night before heading over for a meet and greet, but we have identified some of the best housewarming gifts sure to endear you to your new neighbors.

Without knowing what your new neighbors like, their hobbies, or sense of style don’t run the risk of picking out decor they feel obliged to keep. Keep to items that they can use and

It's a question we hear on a regular basis, "We love your site but we were hoping you could get a "free online valuation. Why don't you offer this on your site?"   

My NC Homes has reviewed a dozen or more of them, trying to find one we felt good about offering our clients/customers. The truth is we haven't found a single one that we felt was worth putting on our site. They're all flawed for the same reason; they calculate your home's value using a number of false assumptions. The first is that all lots within a neighborhood are the same. They don't know whether your lot backs to a beautiful glade or a powerline, whether it's level, hilly, a corner lot, backs to a highway or is positively (or negatively) impacted by adjoining properties. Next they

At the top of every home seller’s checklist is a universal goal. Regardless of the market’s climate, whether it favors buyers or sellers, every home seller wants the most for their home. It is the most asked question we hear from our seller clients, "How do we maximize the sales price?"

Before your home hits the market

Choosing the right real estate agent is the first and most important step in maximizing your home’s value. Every home and each seller is different, at My NC Homes we understand this and provide our clients with detailed information about the home’s value, market conditions and the competition. We supply professional resources and support to get them "Show Ready." We coach our clients in terms of repairs, negotiation tactics

If you're reading this, then you're clearly wondering what it's like to buy or sell a home with My NC Homes.

We felt the best way to answer this was to have clients who have bought, sold, and referred friends and co-workers to us share their experience.

Stacy and her husband Jon have worked with Larry as first-time home buyers, move up buyers and first-time sellers. In 2012, just having moved to Durham from Maryland, Stacy and Jon had been in the area for less than a year when they decided to buy a house. Still being new to the area they had a lot to learn about the different neighborhoods and what to keep in mind for value, resale, and what they considered important.

How did you first meet Larry and My NC Homes?

Stacy: Larry had a

As we thaw out from winter, many of us are looking forward to enjoying the warmer spring weather and rediscover what we love so much about the Triangle. Spring in the Triangle is a wonderful time, we  delight with the early blooms of daffodils and redbud which serve as reminders: Warmer temperatures are approaching.

Time to get our patios and decks ready, open up the garden sheds and start sprucing up the yard, and getting out on a few more walks as the weather warms up.

Before the heat of summer kicks it, make sure we take advantage of these glorious spring months. The Triangle offers a bounty of activities to enjoy that take us outside. Whether you are into new hikes or want to find a enjoyable spring festival, we have a list that highlights

Montclair is one of Chapel Hill’s loveliest custom-built neighborhoods, presenting elegant one-and-half and two-level homes situated on private lots surrounded by towering trees. This premier David Weekley community features the latest in modern living with high-end designs, as well as boasting the EnergySaver guarantee which is supported by the Environment For Living®. Montclair is rare in the sense that it’s surrounded by nature, yet is only a 5 to 10-minute drive to major points of interest including the core of Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, stunning Jordan Lake, with easy-access to the I-40, Raleigh Durham Airport, and Research Triangle Park. With a perfect marriage of peace and city, Montclair homes offer a