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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.

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

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

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

I happened to come by a recent news article on a couple from Raleigh in the USA Today, James and Macon McDavid.  The McDavid’s had spent a large sum of money to pay for their sons medical expenses whom died. Not only was the story about the passing of their son, however, evolving too a much bigger story.

Sadly, the story turned into the situation of approximately 600,000 AARP members in foreclosure. As a son of parents whom are alive (god bless) I was extremely saddened at the current pandemic. I live some 2500 miles from my parents and being a single child perhaps I feel it more than some. My parents divorced in the mid 1980’s and both are in reasonable good health, however a hip here and a knee there are needed. Not only do they face an uncertain economic future there are many like them.

Many have seen their 401k’s decimated and the coffee room banter turns them into 101k’s. I suppose we get a chuckle when were 47 or perhaps younger believing time is on our side, however this is all to real for the folks who are retired or supposed to be. With the demise of the automakers we’ll likely see a further digression for some retiree’s.

You may wonder where I’m going with all this and some will inevitably say ‘Oh well” the beat goes on. All I can say is these folks built this great nation, so government, private interest, and the public take notice this problem is growing and these folks deserve much better. ask yourself “How can I help”?

For many private clubs offer incredible benefits. Having recently joined the Capital City Club in Raleigh I have nothing to say but great things. After several visits  I decided it’s a great place to be. The business and networking events have been tremendous and above all the atmosphere and food are great.

The Capital City Club located in the Progress Energy Building in downtown Raleigh, is certainly worth the visit for not only business but for special events with family and friends. You can visit their website at

www.clubcorp.com

Have a great week !

Jeff D

The much anticipated return of the Nationwide Tour event at TPC Wakefield is in full swing. The Rex Hospital Open runs May 24th-31st in Raleigh. The Pro-Am event runs May 27th and the Nationwide Tour event the 28th-31st. Funds raised during the event support programs and services at Rex. The event has generated several million dollars over the past 20 years supporting community based programs

Raleigh, continues to be one of the nations top places to live. Todays interview with Barbara Corcoran makes her case. The diverse economy of Raleigh and the greater Triangle explored.

http://www.hulu.com/watch/73633/nbc-today-show-housing-markets-most-likely-to-rebound-fail

Credit Suisse publishes a monthly National Real Estate Report. Here are some excerpts from the April Market Trend.

Highlights- Agents are seeing buying traffic increase over the past 30 days, however below expectations. The interesting piece being of those surveyed 41% stated below, 36% said it met and another 24% said it exceeded.

Pricing and Incentive Trends worsen- Home Prices fell further in April and incentives appear to be trending higher.

Time needed to sell a home lengthened– A negative indicator for future pricing trends. Of the agents surveyed over half stated time to sell was unchanged relative to March, while 41% stated it was longer and fewer said it was shorter. Overall view the longer time to sell was a negative indicator.  ” Buyers, are still uncertain about the economy and their job security despite favorable interest rates and prices”

I look forward to this monthly update, as it does give a National Perspective.  Overall the Raleigh market has faired quite well and as we see a stabilization in the economy and jobs markets will give more buoyancy to our area.