Purchasing a home is one of the most important financial decisions you will ever make. In the current real estate landscape, where we are post pandemic, low inventory, and with fluctuating interest rates, it is imperative that you have an expert guiding your hand in a decision of this magnitude. Whether you're a first-time buyer or a seasoned seller, partnering with an expert who has decades of experience analyzing historical data in addition to block on block local knowledge will be essential to making sound decisions and protecting your investments.

Experience is Key

No one is perfect and no Realtor is a mind reader, however, Realtors with more experience have the ability to put mortgage rates, home negotiation and pricing, and discussions…

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There's no doubt about it that the housing market this year has felt extremely uncertain. From mortgage rates to a slower pace in home sales and fluctuating prices, homeowners, sellers, and buyers have been grappling with a landscape that requires reassurance. The Triangle area is still a great place to buy and definitely it's a great time to sell, if you have the right team and guidance. Don't take our word for it, let's take a look at the current state of the housing market, drawing insights from experts and industry projections, to shed light on what the rest of the year might hold for prospective homeowners, first time home buyers, and investors.

Mortgage Rates and Financing

The year 2022 witnessed a doubling of interest rates, a trend that…

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Inspections play a critical role in ensuring the safety and, in turn, the value of a property. It is important to understand the distinction between permit inspections and home inspections when buying or selling real estate. Often buyers and sellers confuse permit inspections for home inspections. These two types of inspections are both important for different reasons. To best protect your investment, you should understand the difference to make informed decisions during the buying or selling process.

Permit Inspections: Compliance with Building Codes

Permit inspections ensure that construction or renovation work adheres to local building codes and regulations. These inspections take place during or after construction projects, such as home…

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Many people are thinking about buying homes in 2023. If you are new to home buying, you might be wondering if now is really the best time to buy. It is normal to second guess yourself when so much money and your future is on the line. There are a few national factors and also some considerations that are common knowledge to realtors, but might not be known to you, regarding the soundness of investing in real estate in 2023.

National Market Conditions

We are not seeing home prices fall dramatically. On the contrary, in some local markets, home prices are inching up. The Triangle is still experiencing a shortage of homes and many buyers can be frustrated by bidding wars and a continued advantage of sellers, however, this is indicative of a strong…

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4 Surprising Things That Will Increase Your Homes Equity

Investing in real estate is generally considered a sound strategy for growing wealth, especially in areas where home values are rising, like The Research Triangle. Home equity is a homes value minus liens or debts against a home. There are a number of factors within and outside of a homeowner's control that amounts to a home's equity. To grow home equity and its’ values there are some surprising things you may not be aware of. As experts in home values in The Triangle, we are sharing some of our top "surprising" tips.

  1. Meticulous Renovation Documentation

It is well known that investments in renovations such as a new roof, a kitchen upgrade, or bath upgrades increase the value…

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Many metropoles in the US are undergoing big shifts in how we use and value space, or occupancy. Where we are working and living and what is more desirable for work, and for life, have changed pretty dramatically. Work at home? Work at work? Work at home some, work at work some? It can be confusing to understand how occupancy, the job market, and how people are working, relate to real estate values, especially when real estate values for local sellers and buyers depend on the "at the moment" value. We would like to share insights on the state of development and projections on the Raleigh Durham area and how rankings nationwide for livability can mean for 2023 sellers and buyers.

Frequently, we report on the job market in Raleigh Durham, and how…

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What's Ahead For Home Prices?

This fall has been a rocky one for financing. With the federal reserve continuing to raise interest rates, borrowers are facing more higher financing costs than in the past several years. We understand that there is a lot of uncertainty in today's market and wanted to share the latest perspectives from economists. Much of our content regarding market fluctuations discusses historic trends in housing and economics and we want to reinforce that when other sectors of the market are more volatile, it does not necessarily mean that housing suffers as well. Let's look at what the market is doing and what the experts are forecasting.

What goes up must come down

Interestingly and not necessarily very reassuring are…

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Inside HOA Fees

Are you considering purchasing a home with a homeowners association? Wondering what the fees cover and how often they are assessed? Some buyers avoid purchasing properties with homeowners associations. Whether the fees seem steep or they worry that the association will have too much control over their property, there are pros and cons. Some buyers appreciate knowing that the HOA will insure the community is well kept, some enjoy lawn maintenance and the fact that neighbors have restrictions and duties, which can help retain the value of the total neighborhood. There may be security advantages if the community is gated or patrolled. We wanted to offer an inside look into HOA fees for our buyers. If you are looking to purchase a home…

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We go over many of our buyer concerns on our blog and usually, one of the most common ones is, "Is right now a good time to buy", accompanied by, "Is right now a good time to borrow?" Depending on what your finances look like and how much you have saved for a down payment, it is almost always a good time to invest in real estate. Even with limited inventory, inflation, and increasing interest rates. Let's talk about why this is the case and why you should not necessarily delay home ownership plans in the face of inflation.

First, housing is an asset that over time grows in value so if you have cash and would like someplace to put it so it does not lose value, housing is a great option. Ali Wolf, economist at Zonda posits "If you have cash and are…

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We have been experiencing constricted inventory for nearly three years here in the Research Triangle area and buyers are becoming increasingly anxious as mortgage rate increases are on their minds. Doing everything they can to win multiple offer situations from making sight unseen offers, waiving appraisal contingencies, making their offer "As-Is", and granting seller possessions after closing for free. Simply being truly "Pre-Approved" or offering cash is standard practice and expected. However none of these accomplish much if you are outbid. The best strategic advice for buyers in looking in the Chapel Hill, Durham and Raleigh NC area, is to shop below budget. Here are the reasons why.

Bidding Up

It can be very deflating news to read that you…

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