Triangle Area Real Estate News & Information - Buyer Info

Homeowner Associations In Durham & Chapel Hill

Some homes in Durham and Chapel Hill are in Communities that have Home Owner Associations, and those dues could be charged on a monthly, annual or quarterly basis – depending on the Association and the Amenities that Community has.

Makes sense – especially if you are moving to an area that has a playground, a large entryway or Swimming Pool. Townhouse Communities and Condos generally have Association costs that cover part or all of the exterior maintenance of your home or landscaping around your property. But, there’s more to Home Owner’s Associations than just paying dues for maintenance.

Dues generally pay for the association insurance policies, landscaping services by a professional landscaper, management of the association by a professional…

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Neighborhood Spotlight: Southern Village in Chapel Hill, NC

Southern Village in Chapel Hill, NC

An urban planned community where homes and shops and schools are all within a small village type atmosphere within walking distance.

The community was built in the mid to late 1990s and boasts the highly rated Mary Scroggs Elementary School part of the Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools district in the neighborhood, greatschools.org gave this school 9 out of 10! Market Street is the retail area of Southern Village anchored by the Weaver Street Market supermarket. There are specialty stores, pizza and coffee shops and professional offices.There is a wide range of housing options in Southern Village, from loft style apartments to large single family homes. 2015 YTD data (11/15/2015) shows that condos are selling in…

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Neighborhood Spotlight: Duke Forest - Durham NC

Duke Forest in Durham is a neighborhood of homes built from the 1930s to the 1980s and all of the decades in between. The homes are an eclectic mix of traditional, modern, contemporary and colonial styles most just carved out of the wooded area that is Duke Forest. 2015 YTD data (11/15/2015) shows home prices can range from under $200,000 to $850,000 some of the homes have been completely renovated with the latest energy efficient building codes, appliances and structural needs while others are sold as they were built.

About The Duke Forest In Durham, NC

The average sale price of homes sold in Duke Forest from Oct 2011 through Oct 2012 was $318,000 which is an average of $121 a square foot. The average days on market for homes in Duke Forest was 150…

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Neighborhood Spotlight: Chancellor's Ridge - Durham NC

Chancellor’s Ridge in Durham, NC consists largely of single family homes with about fifty townhouses. Amenities include sidewalks, a pool, and lots of community events such as egg hunts, Halloween celebrations, a book club, wine nights, and movies on the lawn. The great walking, nature trail system connects the Chancellor's Ridge community to The Streets at Southpoint, one of Durham's best shopping areas.

Chancellor Ridge is also just a few minutes away from Jordan Lake, so if you have a boat - this might be the in Durham, NC neighborhood for you! Year to date 2015 (11/15/2015) shows that there have been no distressed sales in the Chancellor’s Ridge neighborhood. The average price per square foot for a single family home has been $112 with some homes…

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Neighborhood Spotlight: Fairfield, Durham NC

Fairfield Subdivision in Durham, NC is a friendly community whose $155/quarter Home Owner Association dues include the pool and tennis club. Conveniently located in south Durham, it is minutes from the American Tobacco Trail and Southpoint Mall. If you work in RTP, you’ll have a mere 10-15 minute commute, and UNC is only a twenty- minute drive.

Are you hearing us say that there's TONS to do in Durham near this great neighborhood?

Fairfield Subdivision is a lively Durham, NC neighborhood with a strong Association that's always organizing activities that neighbors can join in on. One other advantage is that this neighborhood pays county taxes while enjoying all city services. This saves the average homeowner in Fairfield about $1000 a year!

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How To Find The Best Neighborhood

Finding the right neighborhood is probably the biggest job anyone who is new to an area faces. It’s also the one thing that will make your new move to Durham, NC a huge Success. In the past 20 years, I’ve helped hundreds of families find the “best” neighborhood for them - based primarily on factors that are important to their situation.

Be sure to put together a list of features you are looking for. I’ve had customers who needed:

• to be near the airport
• near a horse farm
• near a certain school
• near baseball or soccer fields
• a neighborhood with a pool
• a neighborhood with no Homeowner dues

The list is endless - and we’ve been able to find the right neighborhood each time!

Here are some methods for finding the right place for…

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Housing Market Continues To Improve In 2013

Single-family housing starts slipped by a minuscule amount in October, just the second month of eight for which starts fell. The new construction housing market continues to show strength, which lends credence to a strong 2013 housing market forecast.

The Housing Market Is Recovering Well From 2011.

What does that mean for folks here in the Durham, Chapel Hill, Cary real estate market? When you look at our Real Estate Market for December of 2012 compared to December of 2011 - you see just how positive this is!

• The number of sold homes in the Durham, Chapel Hill, Raleigh Market area has increased by 33%
• Homes in parts of Durham, Chapel Hill and Cary are selling for more money (Orig list price received is up over 2%)
• The number of Days…

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The Value Of Online Real Estate Estimates

First there was Zillow and their Zestimate, now we have Trulia offering their own online free estimate and I won't be surprised if before long before Realtor.com starts offering the same.

The public sees these “valuations” and many get confused and occasionally angry at these valuations failing to understand that this purported “data” is about as worthwhile as the answers you get from a childhood toy of mine (that's still being sold today) the Magic 8 Ball. For those of you who don't remember this toy it's a plastic 8 Ball with a small window in it. Inside it's filled with a liquid (I suppose it's water) and there's a die with pre-printed answers on it. You ask the 8 Ball a question, give it a shake and then look in the window for your answer. It's…

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To Rent Or Buy In 2012 - Real Estate Market Update, August

Today on Good Morning America, Zillow.com was referenced for a recent report they released where they analyzed the data in over 200 US metro areas and 7,500 cities to determine the actual time frame it would take to come out ahead if buying rather than renting. Unlike most analysis which typically only looked at price to rent when considering buying versus renting; Zillow new report factors in data such as taxes, tax deductions, down payments, utilities, appreciation/depreciation, maintenance, opportunity expenses and fluctuations in the rental market. These type of calculations would very extremely difficult for most people to accurately calculate with a high degree of accuracy (including even someone like myself) for a couple of reason, the most…

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North Carolina Discount Brokerages: Why You Should Avoid Them At All Costs

As a realtor actively engaged on the Internet I regularly see Sellers and Buyers asking questions about getting rebates from their agent, looking for someone who will simply post their home in their local MLS, and in general seeking Realtors who will discount their services.There's no doubt in my mind that they have no trouble finding an agent willing to do this for them, what surprises me is that anyone would actively seek such a person/service. I wonder for example; if they would seek a discount doctor or surgeon, or perhaps actively choose to use a discount lawyer if they were in need of legal advice/defense. I can't help but hear in my head the old sayings, “There's no free lunch” and “You get what you pay for”

Why You Should Never Choose A…

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