Triangle Area Real Estate News & Information

Is It Really Better To Rent Instead Of Buying A Home?

These days, people are questioning the value of homeownership and wondering if it's better to rent instead. Some experts have concluded that renting is better, and they've come up with several reasons, listed below.

However, those reasons are dubious at best and just plain false at worst, at least as it pertains to buying vs. renting in the Triangle region. Here are three common reasons why renting is better than buying, and our answers to them.

You don't have to pay taxes and fees

The argument goes that when you rent, that's all you pay. You don't have to pay the property taxes and other fees that go along with owning a home.

While it's true that you don't write out a tax check every year, you are covering the cost of those taxes and…

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How to Maintain Your Home: A Guide for New Homeowners

Buying your first home is an exciting time, but many new homeowners may not be sure of what maintenance needs to be done and how soon to do it. Unfortunately, unlike buying a car or almost anything else, homes don’t come with owner’s manuals.

To help first-time homeowners, here is a handy checklist of maintenance tasks you should be completing throughout the year:

Every Month

• Replace the air filters - Air filters take dust out of your home, but if you let them get too dirty, it can affect the performance of your furnace or air conditioner.
• Check your fire extinguisher - A fire extinguisher is a must for every kitchen, and they should be professionally certified every few years, according to the instructions on the label. Every month,…

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Four Can’t-Miss Breweries in the Triangle

The Triangle is a beer-lover’s paradise. With dozens of breweries in the area, and new ones popping up all the time, the area is experiencing a craft-beer renaissance. But what are the can’t-miss breweries in the Triangle?

We asked Kyle Rubeling, an area beer enthusiast who blogs about North Carolina brews, to tell us the four breweries visitors and residents alike should be sure to visit. Here are his recommendations:

Fullsteam in Durham

Visitors to Durham will want to pay a visit to Fullsteam. The brewery’s mission is to put some South in your mouth, creating beer that “celebrates the culinary and agricultural heritage of the South.”

To do this, they buy ingredients from southern farmers when possible. The result is beers like their…

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Raleigh & Durham Named 7th Best Place to Live In The U.S.!

U.S. News & World Report recently ranked the Raleigh/Durham area as the seventh best place to live in the U.S.! With an overall score 7.2 out of 10, this area showed impressive scores in net migration as well as value and desirability; area that seem to go hand in hand. Raleigh and Durham beat out other major metropolitan areas such as Boston, San Francisco, and Nashville, while Austin took the first place ranking with an overall score of 7.8.

Every year, U.S. News & World Report releases their list of the top 100 metropolitan cities in the U.S. based on how the populations scores each city based on five categories: desirability, value, job market, quality of life, and net migration.

Here's how Raleigh and Durham ranked on the scorecard:

• …

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Building From The Ground Up: The Pros & Cons Of Different Foundation Types

Types Of Foundations

When it comes to building a new home, it all starts with a solid foundation. Most people take their homes’ foundation for granted, especially if they come from another part of the country. People from the Midwest are used to having a basement, while people in Florida are accustomed to having homes built on a slab.

But for people who relocate to the Triangle, or even those who have been here awhile, thinking about the different kinds of foundations is likely unfamiliar territory, because all kinds can be found here. Understanding the different kinds of foundations, and the pros and cons of each, is important for anyone considering buying a home here.

There are three basic kinds of foundation, each with its pros and cons:

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Community Spotlight: Claremont South in Chapel Hill, NC

Straddling the line between Carrboro and Chapel Hill, Saussy Burbank’s Claremont South community has something for everyone. From its quality crafted unique homes to the community itself, which borders Bolin Creek and offers numerous amenities, Claremont South homes for sale give buyers the opportunity to settle somewhere convenient, safe, tranquil, and beautiful.

With a significant price range, Claremont South is perfect for young families, professionals, retirees, and more, making Claremont South a diverse neighborhood that is desirable among a large group of buyers.

More About Claremont South Real Estate

With 14 unique floor plans at varying prices, Chapel Hill real estate in Claremont South has something for everyone. Open concept…

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What You Need To Know About Buying A Home In A Floodplain

When buying a home, something you need to know is whether it’s located in a floodplain. Knowing what and where they are can help you make better decisions about buying a home and obtaining the proper insurance. You may think of floodplains being limited to areas affected by hurricanes and tropical storms, and while this is true, floodplains can exist almost anywhere there’s low lying land and rain.

How To Know If You're Home Is In A Floodzone

By definitions, a floodplain is any area that is likely to have flooding from rising water levels in a river, a stream, lake, or tidal area. It may surprise some people to know that flooding is the biggest natural disaster that occurs in the United States.

An area can get flooded from several causes,…

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Let's get ready for the Spring Market

It will only be a few short weeks before the temperatures start to rise, the Forsythia and Jasmine will be showing off their bright yellow buds, then the Azalea's will start to bloom. So, let's get ready for the Spring Market.  

You must be prepared because right now inventory is still very low and prices continue to clime. We are often asked why prices seem so high in Durham as of late and it is true that they have risen quite a bit, Zillow is reporting a 7.7% increase for 2016. Durham is a great place to live, with a good job market, great research and medical facilities, outstanding restaurants, arts, and recreation so it is no wonder prices are high right? However, if you take a deeper look, prices really aren't that high...

If you compare…

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Hot New Durham Development: 555 Magnum

If there’s a new project in Durham to get excited about, it’s 555 Magnum Flats. Located right beside the Durham Bulls Athletic Park at the corner of Jackie Robinson Drive and South Roxboro Street, this up-and-coming development couldn’t be more perfectly located for tech startups or a medium-sized agency or firm. The project, which was announced in June of last year, is slated to begin construction in the early months of this year and the commercial spaces should be available for move-in as soon as fall 2018.

About 555 Magnum

555 Magnum Flats will be one of the most revolutionary mixed-use developments in the Triangle area. So far, just the commercial building has been approved for development while the upscale apartment units are still being…

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NC Home Builder Spotlight: Homes by Dickerson

Homes by Dickerson builds high-performance homes around customers’ lives.

One of the nation’s leading builders of high-performance homes can be found right here in the Triangle. Homes by Dickerson is known for building homes to the highest environmental and energy-efficient standards, but what they do best is create happy homeowners.

Every home built by Homes by Dickerson is Energy Star® rated, but it doesn’t stop there. “Energy Star® is just the start,” said Julia Reinert, Marketing Manager for Homes by Dickerson, adding that the company also builds all of its homes to meet the National Green Building standard and North Carolina HERO code.

The reason for building this way is simple. “It’s our passion,” Reinert said. “All of our homes are…

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