The young and educated – grad students, young professionals, medical residents and so forth – are in the market for classic older homes with lots of character. Looking for affordability and a smaller footprint, they’re not even shying away from smaller homes with just one bathroom.

In some areas of Durham, near Duke, Guglhupf and/or walking distance to downtown, houses selling for up to $250,000 are receiving multiple offers! Who would have thunk that Durham would have become so hot?! It’s true, though. I had one buyer who lost out on three houses to multiple offers – as many as four offers coming in at once! (The good news is that the house they finally got suited them better than any of the others.)

The other hot area is Carrboro, where the competition is really fierce. There have been multiple offers on the past seven houses that my buyers have wanted. Investors can’t touch the houses because there are many offers with owner occupants winning out.

Hopefully this is a sign of things to come – a bit more balance for buyers and sellers!

If you’ve got a house you would like to sell in Durham, Chapel Hill or Carrboro, give me a call! And if you’re a buyer, let me use my experience

Three bedroom and two full baths with lots of living space to spread out. There are energy efficient areas in the berooms, new dishwasher, shower heads, fixtures in the bathroom and kitchen. Outside are beautiful wooded areas and terrific walking trails.

If you’ve been wanting to invest in real estate, this is a great opportunity! Give me a call today and let’s talk!

1. Baby, it’s hot in here. The bulk of your energy bill is spent on heating and air conditioning. A programmable thermostat keeps you honest and consistent day and night.

2. Shop green. If you’re in the market for a large appliance, check out the energy-efficient models. Spending a little more money now will pay off in the long run due to money saved on energy bills.

3. Cold-hearted laundry and other sagas. Is that hot cycle necessary?? Wash your clothes in cold water and save the cost of heating the water.

4. Heatin’ up for less. Set your hot water heater on 120 degrees. Also cover your hot water heater with an insulating blanket to conserve energy.

5. High tech drain? Computers, printers, routers, etc. drain energy if they’re plugged in. Rather than struggling to unplug every electronic device, you could purchase a smart strip for around $25. Smart strips monitor energy consumption and will turn off electronics automatically when they have been idle for a certain amount of time.

6. Light up my life – one room at a time, please. Turn off lights as you exit a room. Although lights aren’t a big ticket item, little things add up.

7. Don’t leave that porch light burning all night! Your long lost love will still find you because motion detector lights will illuminate your porch efficiently. (Even if no one wrote a song about it yet.) Another great idea is solar power lights that store energy from the sun in the daytime to light your path in the evening. (You’ll sing a new song when the light bill comes.)

8. Conditioned to save. Shrubs planted around your air conditioning unit can save you 10% on energy bills — keep their mature sizes in mind when you plant.

9. Green is cool. Did you know that you’re 25% cooler sitting in the shade of a tree than you would be sitting on a paved surface in the sun? Be cool and save money by planting deciduous (leaf dropping) trees to shade east-facing walls in the morning and west-facing walls in the afternoon. Keep in mind that trees should be planted a distance of about four times their mature height from your house.

10. Green is warm too. Evergreens planted on the north-facing and west-facing sides of your house serve as windbreakers and help keep your home toasty warmer in winter.

If you’d like to consult with a professional about your home’s energy efficiency and how it affects the value of your home, give me a call. I won’t leave the porch light on – but the motion detector light is always ready to light your way here.

Image courtesy of Flickr and Bill Barber.

If you’re not familiar with Modernist houses, let me introduce you. Even if most of us never live in one, it’s hard to deny the influence their design has had on floor plans of many traditional homes in the past 40 years.

A modernist design usually combines separate areas into a common living area – for instance a traditional dining room with a living room. Think of the popularity of “the great room” in the past 20 years. Other modernist features are open interior floor plans with vaulted ceilings, lots of windows and glass allowing natural light, flat or low pitched roofs, exposed beams and geometric forms.

I look forward to going on the Triangle Modernist Tour. We get our tickets early because it’s often a sell out. This year’s tour featured fabulous houses in Durham, which absolutely inspired my husband Sim and me with innovations that we’d love to introduce in our next home.

Two of the houses were brand new, designed and built by a local architect. (The architect actually lives in one of these creations.) The other two houses were older and had been brilliantly renovated.

Some ideas aren’t easily duplicated, like the fact that one house had amazing natural light because of a wall of glass, right up to the roofline.

For other ideas, I was taking notes. In one kitchen, I liked the idea that outlet strips were strategically placed under the cabinet.

In another house, I saw a huge walk-in closet that had an enormous island in the middle of it, much like you’d find in a kitchen. The island included a washer and dryer. Can you imagine? They didn’t need a laundry basket. The clothes were washed, dried, folded and put away right there in the closet.

Another appealing idea (particularly to Sim) was the use of a decorative screen to cover up the television.

If you’re interested in learning more about Triangle Modernist houses, our area boasts a nonprofit organization – Triangle Modernist Archive, Inc – committed to documenting, preserving and promoting modernist architecture. During certain times of the year, tours are sponsored that you might be interested in.

Creative little details can make a big difference and don’t need to cost a fortune. If you’d like to learn more about maximizing the value and appeal of your home for sale, give me a call. Let’s market your work of art.

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This town home boasts abundant light, generous room sizes, quality materials and excellent room flow. Lots of extra features, including hardwood floors, granite counters and bonus areas, make this home a must see.

Extremely well maintained, the home has 3 bedrooms and 3 1/2 baths and is priced to sell at $197,000.

Enjoy the one car garage, no maintenance yard, balcony, two parking spaces with guest parking nearby. Although this home is in a townhome area, it’s cleverly designed to give you privacy.

Give me a call today and let me show you this home. I think you might want to turn it into your home!

I drove up to this new development and was so intrigued that I stayed for two hours. You could say I was completely smitten.

My real estate instincts did eventually kick in, and when they did, I called a client in California who had been looking for such an investment.

Then I thought I would do a little more research so I asked one of my colleagues about it. She hadn’t heard, but checked for details about what and where – and she actually bought one for herself to live in! Can you believe it?

Currently, my son and one of my friends want to buy one. Another friend is looking to buy one for her daughter. I tell you this so you’ll know that your list of positive reasons to buy should include “good neighbors.”

I also want you to know that the development is only allowing a total of 25% investors. So you know this opportunity won’t last indefinitely.

Remember the client from California? He works in financial services and doesn’t want to invest in California real estate. Once I contacted him, he researched the builder \, the location, and rent rates in the area.

After his research, he concluded this was the right place for him to invest. He’s even found a property manager who will take 7% rather than the usual 10%. He’ll keep me posted on that!

Maybe you’re wondering why this opportunity is so great. Like any good real estate investment, it’s in a fantastic location. These townhomes are especially attractive to anyone connected to Duke University.

These townhouses are well-built and very nicely appointed. You’ll find spacious living areas filled with natural light, soaring high ceilings and large bedrooms, especially appealing for roommate situations.

When you walk out the front door, you’ll see beautiful communal space, and you’ll also find that getting where you need to go is convenient. The development is an easy drive to Durham or Chapel Hill.

Prices are more than reasonable with upgraded floor plans starting at $160,000. Basic models start in the 130K’s, and top of the line models go up to 213K.

Did I mention these are great? What I didn’t mention is where they are…you’ll have to give me a call for that.

How often does this kind of opportunity cross your path? If you are interested – for yourself, a family member or as an investment, call me. Let’s just say that Crazy Viv is ready to talk details.

Of course if you have a straightforward mortgage situation – all the better. He’ll go over your options and help you figure out what the best options are for your unique situation. In addition to 15 years experience as a mortgage broker, he went above and beyond and did underwriting for a year. If you want to know whether your loan will get accepted or denied, check with Rick.

Go to him for refinancing. Go to him when you want to buy a home or an investment. Rates are at the lowest point ever, so make a move.

Come to me, CrazyViv when you want to buy or sell your home.

Here’s how to contact Rich:
Richard Riano, NMLS 71769
AES Lending – A Division of Mid America Mortgage
1512 E Franklin Street, Suite 105, Chapel Hill NC 27514
Direct 919-439-9862 | E Fax 919-869-2263

The house is on over twelve acres of land*, but it’s only minutes to downtown Chapel Hill, giving you coveted privacy but needed convenience to one of the best area in North Carolina.

Home has three bedroom and three and a half baths. Tile floors are new. You’ll enjoy an in-ground pool with a classic brick patio. There’s a basement workshop for projects and storage.

Let’s turn this house back into the home it was built to be!

*Possible to sub-divide into five lots.

1. Higher rent on the horizon. This may not seem like much of a positive, but high rent can sometimes motivate a potential buyer to kiss a landlord goodbye and make a down payment on a starter home.

2. Research Triangle Draws. Okay, he didn’t say RTP exclusively – he said academic areas. But that’s us, you know! Smart folks are usually in demand for academia and research so it makes sense that real estate within the Research Triangle continues to be a smart investment.

3. More foreclosures to come but less delinquencies. If the current economic trend continues, most borrowers should make timely house payments. However, the drawn-out legal proceedings in some states could drag out ongoing foreclosures well into the new year. These overdue foreclosures aren’t new – but their timing means that 2012 will have more foreclosures on its ledger.

4. Mortgage rates will increase slowly. Economically, this is a good thing. Why? The potential for inflation pushes up bond and mortgage rates. Global uncertainty can cause rates to fluctuate, but more than likely an economic recovery is a good reason for rates to go up.

5. Government’s keeping the status quo. Don’t expect any political risk-taking in an election year. Bold housing packages or reform are not waiting in the wings. We’ll hear a lot from politicians at this time, but it’s very unlikely we’ll see any significant action.

Looking for a home in 2012? I don’t think prices are going any lower – this could be your ideal time to jump in before mortgage rates increase. Give me a call and let’s talk about what’s best for you.

The following list includes some places you may not have heard of, and ways to donate some things you weren’t sure how to pass along.

Happy Donating!
Vivian aka Crazy Viv

The 911 Cell Bank accepts used cell phones. Use their handy shipping labels that you can print at their website. They pay for shipping.

Dress for Success accepts conservative women’s attire suitable for a job interviews. Find a Dress for Success location near you.

Goodwill accepts clothing, household items, and furniture. Some locations will pick up from your home. Use their Goodwill locator to find your nearest store.

Habitat for Humanity’s ReStore will take your used appliances 5 years or newer, furniture, and building supplies.

The Lion’s Club collects used eyeglasses. Visit www.lionsclubs.org for how to donate your old glasses and change someone’s life.

Soles4Souls will recycle your gently worn shoes. There are dropoff locations in many areas.

The Vietnam Veterans of America will pick up clothing and small household items. Schedule an appointment online at http://www.scheduleapickup.com.