Weldon Ridge in Cary, NC has great news for first-time homebuyers. A number of homes now under construction in The Arbor will be ready to close by the end of November, thedeadline for the $8000 federal tax credit. Many first time buyers have been flocking to Weldon Ridge the highly acclaimed community of Cary.

The Weldon Ridge amenity center, is open to residenyts of the Arbor, The Park and The Estates. It features a junior olmpic swimmimg pool, with slide and a large clubhouse with a wraparound porch. The clubhouse also has a full kitchen and meeting rooms to host events.

In close proximity is the Research Triangle Park, shopping, many enetrtainment and cultural attractions. Homes in The Arbor at Weldon Ridge start in the mid to upper 200’s. The product by Orleans Homebuilders  has been trusted for quality for over a century.

If your visiting the Triangle area be sure to check out these fabulous homes in Cary. They will sure not to disappoint.

Westminster at Weldon Ridge

For many have taken advantage of the 8k First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit. Were beginning to see elevated activity as the program draws to a close on November 30th/09.

Lenders and Realtors are encouraging these prospective buyers not to wait much longer and may want to start looking seriously now as opposed to later. Lenders I have spoken with want to allow as much time as possible to be sure underwriters can make the deadlines. Some, have encouraged First Time Buyers to be under contract by mid-October.

Builders are also encouraging consumers with great incentives. Inventory levels are shrinking in the Wake County area, and with increased demand we are seeing price stabilization. If your a First-Time Homebuyer please visit the link below.

First Time Homebuyer Kit!

It’s official School bells are ringing.  Another summer is rolling to a quick end. For many parents a relief, for others the fall activities begin football, soccer, basketball and my all time favorite hockey. I am somewhat biased on the hockey front as I am a Canadian living in the great state of North Carolina.

For any matter fall is approaching along with some cooler temperatures. The days at the beach are coming to end for the vacationers and back to work they go.  All in all summers are pretty much great  wherever you go and each season brings endings and new beginnings.

This summer has been no exception and my kids will certainly miss the pool when it closes after labor day weekend. The activity chart for our household will shift to school projects and most definitely a weekend excursion to Asheville, North Carolina for some wine tasting, golf and majestic views.

Oh, don’t let me forget my other favorite the Parade of Homes in October !

Cheers

Pretty much whenever I go for a coffee, I have a conversation with folks and inevitably we talk about Real Estate.  “How’s the market?” to which I always reply “It depends” Fortunately Raleigh, Cary and the Triangle area have not sufffered as dearly as other parts of the country. With a large number of properties on the market it will feel like a lifetime before things improve.

As the old saying goes “One man poison is another one’s punch” To that end short sales, foreclosures have helped some get into the market where at another time they have not had the luxury.

The good news is we are seeing a positive change in the Raleigh, Wake Forest and Rolesville market. One could opine that it is the historically low interest rates, the first time home-buyer credit for $8000 or perhaps sellers are finally lowering prices. Buyers are coming into the market we are moving inventory.

In the end the meeting of the minds, or a reasonable Buyer and Seller negotiation with a great agent will get the job done.

While visiting the Triangle area of North Carolina, one can be overcome by the many communities to chose from for lifestyle. One such community the Villages of Apex is outstanding. Developed by Apex First Development, the company chosen by the town of Apex to create an upscale mixed use neighborhood adjacent to historic downtown Apex.

The 200 plus acre Villages of Apex neighborhood features luxury condo’s, villas, Georgetowns, brownstones, patio and single family homes along with a commercial center for retail and restaurants. For the dog lover they have a two acre  park and miles of greenway trails wind through the community

For Further Information on this or another community of interest please contact by e-mail  jeff@jeffdicks.com or call 919-793-4730

Buying a home in Raleigh can be confusing,frustrating, time consuming process. A free information kit that can eliminate practically all of these problems has just been made available.

“There are so many great opportunities for home buyers in the Raleigh area,” says Jeff Dicks, a specialist in Raleigh real estate. “Unfortunately, buyers often run around in circles and miss the great buys and even better financing that’s available.”

To help home buyers, Dicks has made a free information kit available to anyone interested in purchasing a home in the greater Raleigh area. Included in the kit is information about neighborhoods in Raleigh, including schools, parks museums, shopping, health care and recreation in the area. Also included is a list of home loan providers, home inspection companies, moving companies and real estate attorneys.

“Perhaps the most important part of this kit is the free “Home Buyers Hotline” number. This is a free service offered to homebuyers. They can call 24-7  Leave a message with any home buying questions they may have. Their question will be answered by a specialist familiar with the area. There is no charge for this service.

To get a free copy of the “Raleigh Home Buyers Information Pack,” call (800) 516-9507 #1212

Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?

Dumb question!   At this rate I don’t think I’ll ever get there. So I guess I’ll have to do it the old fashion way… save…save…save… (Not quite as exciting as answering a few questions for a million bucks).

We were thinking of several ways to save a few more bucks and we came across a tip that may help you save thousands of dollars.  We thought we would pass it along to you just in case you don’t actually win the lottery or qualify for a TV game show.

Here’s The Deal!

1.         For instance, if you are paid bi-weekly, you can voluntarily make a bi-weekly mortgage out of your existing mortgage and save, save, save!   The idea is to pay half of your monthly mortgage every two weeks.  At the end of the year, you would have made 13 payments instead of 12.   Viola… one extra payment per year… and that adds up!

2.                  If you are paid twice a month or monthly, simply divide the monthly payment (principal and interest) by 12 and add that number to each mortgage payment. This will make the terms of the loan reduce from 30 years to 18-22 years.  The savings will be phenomenal.

Simply by making a 15-year loan out of a 30-year loan will save you thousands over the life of the loan.   And, if you ever decide to sell before the loan is over, imagine how much equity you would have accumulated when you sell your home.

Well, you’ll probably never see me on one of those crazy, “Win A Zillion Dollar” game shows, but I’m on my way to pay off my 30-year loan on the 15 year plan.   That will save me a bunch in the long run.

If you are still a little confused about the 15/30 mortgage plan, please give us a call and we can refer you to one of our preferred mortgage counselors who can look at your payments and help you make a good business decision about your loan.

Happy savings!

Jeff

www.JeffDicks.com

With interest rates at near-record lows and incentives such as a federal $8000 tax credit available for first-time home buyers, the Tri­angle area real estate market is showing signs of a rebound.
Data for May from the Raleigh Regional Association of Realtors show that pending sales, showings, monthly closings and average resale prices were the highest in six months. Meanwhile, the number of expired listings fell to the lowest totals seen in the same time period.
Statistics also showed some stabilization in home values

http://www.metronc.com/article/?id=1940

Great news coming out of Wake Forest ! Is the recession over ? Recently, new home sales in Heritage Wake Forest, NC have surged. In the same month of 08 New Home Sales were very light and moving into 09 sales have increased five fold. The even better part of the story is that New home inventory is shrinking in Heritage which equates to price stabilization. This should also help the resale market were homes have seen some price cutting.

Although, one month a trend doesn’t make , however it’s encouraging news. We’ll keep a close eye on long term mortgage rates which should also be a benefit to both buyers and sellers in the new and resale market.

The Raleigh real estate market has been soft for the past 18 months. Many home owners have had difficulty selling their homes for the price they want.

“Even though the home prices in Raleigh have been at their lowest point in a few years, there are many things homeowners can do to boost the final selling price $ 5000 to $10,000 and more above the average sale price,” according to Jeff Dicks, a real estate specialist based in Raleigh. “Most home owners feel they’re at the mercy of the market. If the market falls, so does the value of their home. This simply is not true. ”

According to Dicks, there are several easy things home owners can do to substantially boost selling prices. For example, there are over 24 ways home owners can “dress” their home’s exterior so it gives a more appealing first impression. “As people walk up to your front door, they’re getting their first impressions. You want to be sure your lawn, walkway, and home’s exterior looks as good as possible.”

Dicks offers a few simple tips to home owners. “If a homeowner has only half an hour to make their home as appealing as possible, I would suggest the following:  1)  turn on all the lights in the home and open all the curtains,  2)  take almost everything out of the closets, it makes them look a whole lot bigger, 3) be sure the door bell works, The first contact a prospective buyer has with the home is the door bell.

Dicks offers Raleigh home owners a free booklet that is full of tips that can boost the selling price of any house by thousands of dollars. For a free copy of his booklet, “What You Can Do To Ensure Your Home Sells for Top Dollar,” Call Jeff at 919-793-4730 or e-mail jeff@jeffdicks.com