Earlier this week I went and listened to William “Bill” Kalkhof speak to a group of Durham Realtors about Durham. I've had the pleasure of hearing Bill speak before over the past few years and have always found him to be interesting as well as informative about what's going on here in my adopted home town of Durham, NC. This time I left the meeting really pumped up after listening to him Speak.

Bill is one of the founding members and President of Downtown Durham Inc. a nonprofit private organization devoted to the revitalization and development and promotion of Durham's downtown and historic district. Founded in 1993, DDI has been instrumental in Durham's tremendous renaissance, playing a significant part in bringing about such additions as The…

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Living and working here in the Research Triangle area of North Carolina one of the things I enjoy most about my job as a Realtor is the people I get to meet and help find a good home. At heart I'm a people person which is why I love what I do and here in Durham, Chapel Hill, Hillsborough, Pittsboro and Cary where I work there's no shortage of interesting and talented people for me to meet.

The ON Button - Durham's Computer Guru's

Over the summer I had the real pleasure of helping one new couple find a great house in Southwest Durham. Ashleigh's here attending Duke and Neil left his job where he was overseeing an IT department for Deutsche bank and after taking some down time and exploring the area a little has started his own tech business,…

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how to choose a real estate agent

With over twenty years working full-time as a Realtor I have often found myself wondering how so many people get hooked up with so many really bad Realtors and I've come to the conclusion that the reason is they don't take time to actually interview them. Thinking all Realtors are alike can lead to a lot of heartache and problems for the inexperienced home buyer or seller. It's comparable to believing all lawyers or doctors are the same so it hardly matters who you use.

Interview The REALTOR®

Having gone through numerous "interviews" with potential Buyers and Sellers I realize that even those that do want to interview and choose a Realtor often don't know what to really ask. Here's a list of five questions I think are the critical ones any home…

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Chapel Hill, NCThe largest public visioning and planning process in the history of Chapel Hill begins on Tuesday, Sept. 27, with the kickoff of Chapel Hill 2020, a community wide effort to create a new comprehensive plan.

Chapel Hill 2020 is all about involving the community from the beginning. There will be gathering at East Chapel Hill High, 500 Weaver Dairy Road. An open house is scheduled from 5 to 6 p.m., and the visioning process will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. All residents - and others who live, work, play and invest in Chapel Hill - are invited to this free and open event. Food is available for purchase, thanks to the East Chapel Hill High PTA. Child care for children ages 5 and older is available, thanks to the YMCA Teen Leaders' Club.

"You have made…

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I was sitting at a home inspection in Chapel Hill, NC; for an out-of-state Buyer client a few days ago and was pondering the old maxim: Knowledge is Power.

Modern Misinformation In The Real Estate Industry

In today's Internet driven, 24/7 news cycle world; if there's one thing we don't lack it's the availability of information. I don't know about you, but there are times I feel like I'm being inundated with information to the point where my head figuratively feels as if it's exploding. If knowledge is indeed power, than why do I often find myself feeling this way? I believe the reason is that we so often confuse information for knowledge.

Perhaps this is why so many people struggle with making well-informed decisions regarding real estate, their…

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Get Pre-Approved For A Mortgage

1. Get pre approved for a mortgage. This is the first and most important thing any home buyer can do. Unless you are a cash buyer, neither you nor your Realtor can determine whether you can get a mortgage and if you can for how much. You are not ready to start looking at homes until you've done this. You can get recommendations on good local lenders from friends, family or your Realtor.

2. Be Realistic In Your Expectations

This is your first home not a showcase dream home and more important than glitz and glamor is location. Statistically you'll likely going to sell this home within the first 5-7 years of purchasing it and you'll want it sold as quickly and for as much as the market will bear when that time comes.…

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It’s a great question and one I hear all the time. There are many potential home buyers who are presently “waiting”. However more often than not, their waiting for the wrong things to happen and when those things do happen they’ll realize they missed the best deals.

I’ve been buying and selling real estate for nearly 35 years. I’ve been a full-time licensed real estate Broker for just over 20 years. I’ve been through Buyers, Sellers and neutral markets. I’ve had and worked with mortgages between 4% and 18%. I’ve made and lost money. In short I’ve seen a lot of markets, been through many real estate cycles and have gained the knowledge and perspective that only comes with time spent mastering whatever it is you do. It’s the main reason my clients hire…

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Sorry, this isn't about UNC Fraternities, Sororities, Undergrads, Medical Students or any thing else related to college life, it's about The Meat House; Chapel Hill's newest butcher shop catering to the area's lovers of fine foods.

I had a few spare moments yesterday and thought I'd stop in and check them out and will admit I was impressed. It's looks great, clean, contemporary and focused on customer service. The staff was friendly and the guys I spoke with behind the counter seemed to know their meat. The prices were pretty good for the quality of their products, certainly comparable to other higher end stores like Whole Foods, A Southern Season, Cliffs Meat Market and others. They had a nice selection of wines, spices, pastas and the usual upscale…

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Buyer broker I see and answer this basic question countless times on Zillow, Trulia and other real estate websites that are a daily part of my business, and I guess what surprises me the most is just how often these questions are posted by homebuyers. What's obvious to me is apparently not so obvious to all.

Be Weary Of Dual Agencies

Homebuyers do you honestly believe that one agent will do a great job getting you, the best possible terms and prices while at the same time their getting their Seller the same?

Dual Agency is designed to end run Buyer Agency and was bought about by pressure by state Realtors specifically for one purpose; to keep all the commission with one agent in complete and utter disregard for the contractual obligations made to their buyer…

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Real estate investments I feel like the William Tell Overture should be blasting over my sound system as I look at the cover of this months Fortune Magazine trumpeting the return of real estate. Forget stocks, forget gold, and put your money where it's bound to grow over time good old real estate.

You can read the entire article for yourself, but honestly this comes as no real news to me, it simply mirrors what I've long been saying, as long as population continues to rise, there will always be a demand for real estate.

Real Estate Is Still A Top Investment Choice

It's simple, most of the planets land is either uninhabitable or undesirable, leaving a limited supply of places people can and want to live. If you don't believe me go online and take a look at some US…

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