Front Yard Farms, Larry Tollen's GardenAs an avid home gardener who among other things enjoys growing as many of the vegetables we eat as possible I can attest that my wife and I have noticed a visible decline in the number of bees we see. Several years ago we started planting a wide variety of flowering plants specifically to attract more bees to our yard so that we could attract more bees without which our vegetables wouldn’t get pollinated. Check out this excellent article about how you can be a part of the solution to help save the bees.

Help Save Bees In North Carolina | Durham, Chapel Hill, & Cary

One of the most effective ways each of us can help bring save bee colonies is also a wonderful way to improve your own personal environment; simply plant a variety of bee friendly…

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Free things to do in Durham, NC In 2015Now that summer is upon us, we have opportunities to get out and explore our surroundings. But summer activities don’t have to be expensive. In fact, here are ten activities you can do that are absolutely free.

Sarah P. Duke Gardens

These gardens are located on 55 acres in the heart of Duke University. The gardens consist of four separate gardens: the Historic Gardens, the H. L. Blomquist Garden of Native Plants, the W. L. Culbertson Asiatic Arboretum, and the Doris Duke Center Gardens. There is a fee for parking at the gardens, but the overflow lot has free parking and is just a 5-minute walk from the gardens. Tours are available for a fee, but maps of the gardens are free, enabling you to explore all that the gardens have to offer. The gardens are…

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Homes in Fores Hills, Durham, NCForest Hills is a historic neighborhood in Durham, with buildings dating as far back as 1923. The Forest Hills Historic district was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 28, 2005. Durham architect George Watts Carr (1893-1975) and his firm designed many of the early structures.

One of the more charming elements of Durham that I’ve grown to love since moving to this area is the fact that you can enjoy quiet country living without sacrificing any of the amenities of living near a city. Durham and Chapel Hill both have a vibrant and dynamic energy, being located in a thriving economic area near a major university and replete with beautiful parks and hiking trails.

Look and Feel Of Historic Forest Hills

A lot of the…

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Here are 10 famous people from North Carolina. How many of these did you know about?

John Coltrane (1926 – 1967)

The famous saxophonist was born in Hamlet and grew up in High Point, where he lived until shortly after he graduated from high school (source: High Point Museum).

Charlie Daniels (born 1936)

Singer-songwriter Charlie Daniels was born in Wilmington in a family that raised tobacco. Throughout his childhood, he traveled with his family throughout the Southeast. In the early years of his band, he found work playing in local clubs in Jacksonville, NC. (Source: NCpedia.org)

Clay Aiken (born 1978)

American Idol runner-up and Congressional candidate Clay Aiken grew up in Raleigh and studied at UNC-Charlotte (source: ClayAiken.com).

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Over the past decade, the Triangle area has become one of the most popular areas of the country to live and work, and for good reason. A prime geographical location and a robust economy have paved the way for a huge influx of families and individuals relocating from out of state. At some point, most of these people eventually play host to visiting family and friends. Luckily, there’s no shortage of fun and interesting things to do.

Here are a few good ones:

  • Heart of NC Wine Trail: Established in 2011, this wine trail includes five small, unique vineyards. It runs from Durham southwest through Apex and Pittsboro, ending in Siler City.
  • Duke Gardens: The Sarah P. Duke Gardens is free and open every day of the year. This world-renowned public…

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Chapel Hill, NC fire truck Here are some fun facts about Chapel Hill and Durham that you might not know.

  • In Chapel Hill, fire engines have been Carolina blue, and not the traditional red, since 1996.
  • UNC Chapel Hill is the oldest public university in the United States. The school was founded in 1789.
  • The Morehead Planetarium was the first planetarium in the south and a NASA training facility from 1960-1975.
  • 73.5% of adult Chapel Hill residents hold a Bachelors degree or higher, based on the most recent us Census data from 2012. This is higher than both the national average (just under 40%) and North Carolina’s statewide average (just under 30%).
  • 7.8 million people visited Durham in 2011 (source: Durham Convention and Visitors’ Bureau).
  • Durham is called the City…

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Larry Tollen and Angela At NZMG Foundation galaThe Noah Z.M. Goetz (NZMG) Foundation 2014 Fall Gala was a great success. The NZMG Foundation is dedicated to helping adopting couples navigate the challenging legal adoption process in North Carolina. They also provide financial assistance for adopting couples in need. The Fall Gala is their only major fundraising event of the year. We’re happy to announce that this year’s event raised just over $7,000 for the charity.

Angela and I are active supporters of the NZMG Foundation and personal friends of the founder Nathaniel and Parul Goetz. Earlier this year we were privileged to help establish a new grant program. At the Gala, we got to meet Dori and Terrence Wilson, the recipients of the inaugural Angela and Larry Tollen Family Grant. The charity…

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North Carolina SchoolsAlthough most real estate agents have the gift of gab, we are actually restricted by law on some subjects. There are some things we cannot talk about due to the Fair Housing Act. Off-limits topics consist mostly of demographical information, but the majority of agents avoid addressing the quality of the local schools as well. Despite the best of intentions, this information could be misconstrued as “steering.”

Commentary on school quality could end up directing buyers towards or away from certain areas based on race, ethnicity, religion, or other protected categories, and this can have serious consequences for the agent.

Agents usually want their buyers to independently research school districts where they are house hunting. So, what are the best…

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It's every parents favorite time of year, you know what it is, it's the first day of school. I can't wait until Monday when I will get up early and run into my kids rooms and start screaming, “First Day of School Baby!” This has been a tradition in our house since kindergarten. My kids of course will hate it as usual, but their mother and I will be doing the happy dance all day long.

This time of year does remind me of one of the most often asked questions I get as a Realtor in Durham, “What about the schools?” Or that strange look I often get when I tell people proudly that my kids go to public school in Durham. Durham? Really? Yes, Durham! It is no secret that the public school system in North Carolina is struggling lately, budgets are down, teacher…

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Durham Bulls Athletic ParkIf you listen closely you'll hear the crack of the bat. Spring is running late this year but the 2014 Baseball Season is up and running here in Durham, North Carolina. From T-Ball all the way up to the Durham Bulls we are in full swing this April. Now I like baseball but I am not a huge baseball fan. However, spend some time at a Durham Bulls game and you can't help but become a fan. When my family and I were first considering a move to Durham one of my friends took me to a game. This one night certainly helped to put Durham at the top of our list of places to move. I was amazed by my first sight of the American Tobacco Campus and the ball park itself was also a sight to see. Now game night will be even more exciting with a huge renovation of the park…

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