Millennial Homeowners are More Focused on Financial Success than The American Dream

A family, a job, a home with a white picket fence: all these things are associated with what we call The American Dream. For decades, Americans have pursued this idyllic life. After graduating college, it’s expected that people will get married, settle down, buy a house, and have kids. But today, The American Dream is changing.

Research shows that millennials are changing the definition of The American Dream.

What is a Millennial?

Many news articles and reports these days discuss trends involving the Millennial generation. Just like the Baby Boomers and Generation Z, millennials are one of the six living generations in America today. Millennials are individuals born between 1981-1997, making them one of the largest and most prominent…

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Tips for Maintaining a Backyard Garden in the Triangle

Maintaining a garden in the Triangle can sometimes be a bit tricky. Whether you just want to grow a few tomatoes, or are planning a full vegetable garden, here are some tips for people whose thumbs aren't quite as green as they'd like them to be.

Add Topsoil

The most important part of any garden is the soil, yet it's something many  take for granted. Unfortunately, the soil in many residential  neighborhoods around the Triangle isn't the best for gardening.

Beneath a thin layer of topsoil—just enough to support a lawn—is clay.  Lots of it. It traps water and contains virtually no nutrients that plants need. If you're planning a garden in your backyard, you'll need to build up a bed of topsoil so your plants and vegetables will thrive.

…

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Y Guides Program Offers Triangle Area Families The Chance Learn Together

The Triangle area is consistently recognized as one of the best places in the country to raise a family, and one of the biggest reasons for that is the Y Guides program which helps make the Triangle family-friendly.

What Are Y Guides?

Sponsored by the Triangle YMCA, the Y Guides program was created to build father-child relationships. It accomplishes this by facilitating opportunities for fathers to spend time with their kids camping, volunteering, creating crafts, learning new things, or just having fun.

By spending this one-on-one time with their kids, the fathers naturally become more engaged and involved in their lives, which has well-documented benefits for kids, including achievement at school, social behavior, and self-esteem.

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Community Spotlight: Briar Chapel in Chapel Hill

It’s rare for a new home community to hit the nail so squarely on the head when it comes to delivering a high-quality, convenient, luxury development. For Briar Chapel homes, homeowners not only get the amazing benefit of living in a premium new construction home, but they also gain access to the incredible amenities and features that come with living in Chapel Hill.

The Neighborhood

We know Chapel Hill as an idyllic little big town, home of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Scattered throughout city are gems and hidden hot spots that make the city such a great place. Additionally, Chapel Hill is known for being a nature lover’s dream come true. With exceptional parks and green space, you will never run out of things to do in…

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3 things to do at the Raleigh Flea Market

One of the most popular shopping destinations in the Triangle is the Raleigh Flea Market. For Triangle residents and visitors, it offers untold opportunities for bargain hunters.

With nearly 1,000 vendors filling six buildings and several acres of outdoor space at the North Carolina State Fairgrounds, the Raleigh Flea Market is a destination for hobbyists, treasure hunters and browsers alike.

It’s so big, it can be overwhelming. So here are three things you can do at the Raleigh Flea Market:

Channel your inner flipper.

The exploding popularity of television programs like “Flea Market Flip” has inspired countless hobbyists and amatuer builders to try their hand at flipping.

Vendors at the Raleigh Flea Market offer countless items that…

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Does Harvesting Rainwater in the Triangle Make Sense?

In the Triangle and throughout the Southeast, water is a plentiful resource. Still, for some homeowners, especially those with green thumbs, a rainwater collection system may make sense.

About 46 inches of rain falls each year in the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area, giving residents a reliable source of water for in-home use as well as for lawns and gardens. Although a rainwater collection system isn't a necessity in this part of the country, it can lessen your dependence on municipal water and reduce some of your utility costs.

Here are some of the benefits of a residential rainwater collection system for Triangle homes:

Automatic Irrigation

Most people who have a rainwater collection system in the Triangle use it to keep their flowers…

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Meet Andrew Palumbo: Real Estate Broker & Co-Founder of My NC Homes

Andrew is one of the founding members of the My NC Homes team. He specializes in new construction transactions, but also loves helping first-time homebuyers reach their longtime goal of owning their own home.

Becoming a real estate agent was a natural fit for Andrew. Growing up, he loved going to the job site with his father and eventually followed in his footsteps by getting involved in the family’s construction and real estate business. During this time he became a licensed appraiser and general contractor for condominium, luxury homes, and vacation homes. After several blustery winters in Vermont, he and his family moved to the Triangle region in search of a better climate.

Why Specialize In New Construction?

Many people think that…

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How Long Should You Keep Your Closing Documents After Buying A Home?

When you buy or sell a home, you have to review, initial and sign many documents. So many that it can feel a bit overwhelming. So when the sale is final and you start to move in (or out), there is a huge temptation to throw all those documents away. That would be a big mistake, because you never know what problems or issues might arise in the future. To avoid those headaches, it’s important to understand what the closing documents are for, and how long you should keep them.

Here is a basic guide to help you:

Keep These Documents When Buying A Home

When you close on a home, you’ll get a mortgage agreement, various addendums and disclosures, the deed and the settlement statement, among other documents. Some documents you’ll get right away, and…

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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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