Yesterday, I wrote ADORABLE Bungalow...walk to Duke University, Ninth Street and Brightleaf Square! JUST $83,500!!! profiling one of my listings that is just outside of Historic Trinity Park in Durham, NC. In my profile, I included a little (virtual) tour of the neighborhood...highlighting Ninth Street, Brightleaf Square and Duke's East Campus. Today...I'd like to continue the 'tour' and show you some other homes that are currently for sale in the Trinity Park area. So...grab your most comfortable tennis shoes, your sunglasses and a bottle of water...LET'S GO! The first stop on our tour is 401 N. Gregson Street...one of the oldest row houses in North Carolina. Built in the 19th century for Brodie Duke as his guest house...this home has been lovingly restored to its original luxury and c... 10/02/2008

If you've considered stepping up your investment portfolio and diving into apartment communities...start your search with us! We have access to several smaller investments under $1,000,000 that cash flow and show strong rental history.  Many folks who wanted to buy cannot purchase a home quite yet.  The rental market continues to hold steady. Here's an example of a new property that hit the market today: 16 Units 2 bedroom/ 1 bath $400/month for each unit (1 vacancy)  Units recently renovated and the buildings are all vinyl siding for low maintenance Asking $575,000 This complex in on a large lot with potential for some expansion. Call Erica McClenny @ eRealty for more details.  919-844-4686 *Pre-approval is required for showings due to tenant situation. 09/30/2008

Jodi Bakst | The Home Team | jodi@teamjodi.com | 919-672-4377 4100 Five Oaks Drive, Unit 41, Durham, NC Spacious end unit town house in immaculate condition. New paint, carpet, Pergo in foyer and more! 3BR/2.5BA Townhouse offered at $157,000 Year Built 1974 Sq Footage 1,758 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 2 full, 1 partial Floors 2 Parking 2 Lot Size 0 sqft HOA/Maint $163 per month DESCRIPTION Spacious end unit town home in highly desirable Durham Five Oak's neighborhood. This unit sparkles. It is immaculate and in move in condition. The unit has all new interior paint and carpet, new pergo in the foyer, a remodeled half bath and new updated light fixtures throughout. The kitchen also has had a nice face lift. The kitchen has a good size eat-in area and there is a large dining room, family room a... 09/29/2008

To see all of North Carolina's High School SAT scores, including Orange County schools, Chapel-Hill Carrboro Schools, Wake County Schools and Chatham County Schools, click here.   How our students are doing in surrounding counties is shown in recent SAT scores and in special enrichment programs offered in the schools. See: Chatham County, NC 2006-2008 SAT Scores Wake County, NC Schools 2007-2008 SAT Scores Orange County NC School SAT Scores 2006-2007 Chapel Hill-Carrboro High School's 2008 SAT Scores Shine Are You Looking For A Language Immersion Program For Your Child? 09/25/2008

  In Money Magazine's 100 BEST PLACES TO LIVE AND LAUNCH 2008 LIST...Durham, NC is number 12. Durham, NC is number 8 on Forbes Magazine's BEST PLACES FOR BUSINESS AND CAREERS 2006.   As a native of Durham, NC...this announcement comes as no surprise to me. 'The City of Medicine'- Durham, NC- is home to Duke University and Duke University Medical Center. Durham is the fifth largest city in North Carolina, with a population of 457,600.   IF you are planning to BUY or SELL a home in Durham, NC...give me a call today. I'll tell you why I LOVE calling NORTH CAROLINA home!     The following chart shows the TOTAL home sales for the month of August (2005 - 2008) for Durham, NC.   The following chart shows the HIGHEST and LOWEST Sales Price for August (2005-2008).   Durham, NC is a great place t... 09/20/2008

Credit Suisse has reported that a second wave in the foreclosure crisis may be on the horizon. Option ARMs, which I've probably ranted about enough (see Wachovia Reigns In Pick-A-Pay Parts I and II), are scheduled to start resetting en masse around 2009, with the most reset volume coming in 2010-2011. A particularly onerous feature of these loans is that even if your first scheduled reset is five years, the loan can reset sooner once your negative amortization reaches a certain point. The payment shock is expected to be much more severe for option ARMs than for subprime ARMs. You think a 10% increase in your payment was bad, wait til you see the projected 80% increase that will happen with some option ARMs. According to an article at BusinessWeek's website, the good news is that a combi... 08/20/2008

Durham has always been a mulit-cultural town.  What most residents don't realize is that Durham is full of things to do with art and culture It's time to get the word out about all of the neat things to do in Durham.  I thought I'd write today about some of the cool things to do annually in Durham.  We've missed most of these events this year but you can mark your calender for next year! 1.  Duke Children's Classic - This is an annual celebrity golf tournament held at the end of May.  2009 will be the 36th Anniversary.  The festival is renowned and attracts some top celebrities including Gerald Ford, Arnold Palmer, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Jay Leno, Michael Jordan, Dinah Shore, and Jeff Foxwothy. 2. Bimbé Festival - In West Africa, Bimbe is a harvest festival, during which villagers gat... 08/20/2008

Self-Help was featured in a local paper, the Raleigh News & Observer, over the weekend. Our mantra when selling homes and lending money is to use common sense and always look at the big picture. It's kept us afloat so far, and hopefully will allow us to continue to do good things for the people and communities that need our services. As an organization, we usually go out of the way not to blow our own horn, but I'm glad the N&O decided to do a story on us. I think it's good for people to know that not all lenders have acted irresponsibly, and that it is possible for a lender to succeed by caring about people as much as it cares about its bottom line. As my fellow real estate agents know, the end of a long day feels much more rewarding when you know you have really helped someone achiev... 08/18/2008

Time certainly has changed since the boom market of 2007.  Year-to-date prices have declined in all areas of the Triangle except Wake County.  We're seeing longer Days on Market (DOM) and total area sales down 29%.  However, Durham is still a bargain compared with the other areas around the Triangle. Through 2007 the average sales price was $190,000 compared to $252,000 in Cary and $330,000 in Chapel Hill. For most areas across the United States we have seen declining prices, fewer sales, and increased days on market.  Overall inventory across the US stands at over 11 months.  In the Triangle we've seen a slow down and increased inventory at 7 months but nothing like other areas in the country.  This year Bankrate.com and others indicate that the Triangle Market is one of the healthiest... 08/07/2008

  Veterans Wanted For Documentary PBS Documentary Series to Film Veterans in Durham If you watch PBS television, you're probably familiar with the "Lest They Be Forgotten" series.  The film titles include "Korea - The Forgotten War" and "Omaha Beach, D-Day June 6 1944". Filmmaker Larry Cappetto is continuing to capture the stories of veterans who have served their country - and will be in Durham on September 10th and 11th to film interviews. Veterans to be interviewed include those who served in World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and even Iraq and Afghanistan.  To find out more about the series, click here.  Anyone interested can contact Larry Cappetto at 970-254-9262, or email larry@veteranshistory.org.   Local Veterans History Project Ongoing "Lest They Be Forgotten" isn't the only histori... 08/07/2008

If you were bamboozled by a lender, read on there's hope. I'm talking about you guys that were duped into interest only loans, ARMs or "creative financing". About 40% of subprime market loans were made to no down payment or no doc "liar loans" buyers.We can't lay the whole blame on the mortgage industry, after all it takes 2 to Tango. However, lenders were the ones pushing these outrageous loans on unsuspecting buyers. Working in the real estate industry myself I can only say, home buyers place a lot of trust in the professionals.Assuming the lender agrees; the original loans have to be rewritten to 90% of the home's worth. This means they'll be taking a huge cut in some cases. A new appraisal will be done to determine the home's current value as well as examine and verifying of income,... 08/01/2008

Lee & Pamela St. Peter | Prudential Carolinas Realty | 919-645-2522 604 Weeping Willow Dr, Durham, NC Endless Possibilities 4BR/3BA Single Family House offered at $179,900 Year Built 2005 Sq Footage 2,982 Bedrooms 4 Bathrooms 3 full, 0 partial Floors 2 Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size .17 acres HOA/Maint $20 per month DESCRIPTION Endless possibilities with this floor plan - ideal for the growing family. This home appears to be in good condition. There is an eat in kitchen, living/dining room combo, family room and office/study or 5th bedroom on the first floor plus a full bath. There are four bedrooms upstairs, a huge loft, add a 2-car garage and a rear patio and you're good to go! see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES Central A/C Central heat High/Vaulted ceiling Walk-in closet D... 07/31/2008

Are you an artisan that wants to get a little more exposure for your arts or crafts?  Here is a perfect opportunity!  The 3rd Annual Craft Fair has both indoor and outdoor spaces available for this September 13th event.  The event will last from 8am to 5pm and has been a huge success in the past!  Here are some arts and crafts that they are looking for: Quilting and Sewing Wood Working Floral Arranging Home Decor Children's Items Seasonal Items Stained Glass Art Jewelry Pottery If you don't see your forte on the list don't fret!  They are interested in all arts and crafts. In addition, space is available for food vendors provided you have the proper NC permits as well as vendors with activites geared primarily to children. Cost for booths are $35 for a single space and $60 for a double ... 07/27/2008

This year is the 20th Anniversary of the Durham Bulls Movie and low and behold Kevin Costner decided to grace the Triangle on July 4th in remembrance.  His visit brings back a lot of memories and a few reasons why you should try to catch a game at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park(D-BAP) if you're in town.  I moved to the Triangle just about the time Bull Durham was being released and the team was still playing in the old athletic park.  Times have changed and the Durham Bulls are still a minor league Baseball team for the Tampa Bay Rays but their digs have changed.  The Durham Bulls play baseball in a beautiful stadium in downtown Durham called the Durham Bulls Athletic Park that opened in 1995.  The stadium is fabulous and seats up to 10,000! Another favorite pastime at Durham Bulls game... 07/19/2008

                                                             At a time when financial institutions are crumbling, citizens are struggling to make ends meet, and the economy seems incredibly bleak, it's nice to know that our city's creditworthiness remains strong. And their excellent financial management benefits us as citizens by ensuring that the most money possible is available for community improvements, such as municipal capital projects like street improvement, parks and recreational facilities, and renovations to municipal buildings. Three of the biggest of the big bond rating agencies (Standard & Poor’s, Fitch Ratings, and Moody's Investors Service) have each re-affirmed their ‘AAA’ bond rating for the City of Durham.  The ‘AAA’ debt rating is like an 800 FICO consumer score! It'... 07/17/2008

Posted by : Dawn Grasty, Broker                 dgrasty@nc.rr.com, www.dgrasty.com                 919-210-5418 After successfully navigating through serious drought measures, Durham has settled on an innovative way to encourage its citizens to continue to be smart about their water usage. Simply put, the less water you use, the lower your rate. They're calling it Tiered Water Rates. The Durham City Council voted to implement rate increases while at the same time introducing a tiered rate structure designed to encourage single-family residents to conserve water. The lowest Super Saver Tier 1 will be given to customers who are the most efficient with their water us, reserving it for more essential needs. Less critical water use, such as irrigation, car washing, and filling pools, will li... 07/10/2008

Why now may be the best time to buy a home in the Durham. Interest rates.Interest rates have stopped going down (an indicator that they may start going up again). Interest rates are historically low right now, so if you were waiting for them to go any lower, your wait might just be over. Lock in that low rate!Renting.Why give your hard earned money over to someone else? Every time you make a mortgage payment, your investing in your future, your kids future and your retirement! If you don't think you qualify, it's probably because you haven't tried! They ran your credit when you rented your home, didn't they? Chances are you may qualify without even knowing it!Tax benefits.This is one of the most overlooked benefits of home ownership. A home owner can deduct the interest paid on a mortga... 07/10/2008

City:  Durham, North Carolina Directions: I-40 to Hwy 751S (exit 274) towards Jordan lake. Entrance to Colvard Farms is 1.7 miles on right Neighborhood Facts: Distinctive estate homes priced from the $700,000s to over $2,000,000 School System:  Chatham County Schools HOA Fees:  $2,048 per year including recreation center Builder Team: Helton Homes Inc. - With a home building history and reputation for 30 years, Helton Homes, Inc. is one of the most respected companies in the Triangle area. President Rick Helton now runs the award-winning company begun by his father in 1972, and prides himself in maintaining the level of excellence they have achieved in producing quality homes. Loyd Builders LLC - Trip Lloyd was born and raised in North Carolina and specializes in custom homes in the Tr... 07/06/2008

Durham County NC Property Taxes - How to Find out How Much You'll Pay View updated North Carolina county property tax information   Whether you're considering relocating from one side of the Triangle to the other, are relocating to Fort Bragg, or are coming to the Raleigh area from Florida, New Jersey, New York, or elsewhere, you've probably wondered what the yearly property taxes might be for your new home. A Little About Durham County Durham County is just west of Wake County, and has just one major city, Durham.  There are also smaller communities such as Bethesda, Gorman, and Oak Grove.    Durham is the north corner of the "Triangle", which consists of Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill.  Falls Lake State Park is a great recreation area, located on the northeast side of the county.  F... 06/20/2008

CNN money has voted Durham 12 out of 100 to live and start a business! Wow! Durham out of Triangle? How do you like them apples? Of course with the tech and bio and research companies here it would make sense that Durham was rated as such. Let's not forget Duke Basketball! All of this diversity makes Durham a great place to start a business or just to meet nice people in general. There's plenty to do; a stroll in Brightleaf Square which has nice shops and some great pubs to drink a pint on  a hot summer day; Ninth Street has cool shops and restaurants as well. Of course Southpoint Mall in South Durham is probably one of nicest malls in the state. I took a drive in South Durham last night and saw all kinds of building activity just south of the Research Triangle Park. This is great beca... 06/18/2008