Just Listed - Great Greymoss Home!

Roomy and open with sunlight pouring in the numerous windows.  Nestled in the Greymoss subdivision among the tall pines and leafy hardwoods is a special one-level home waiting for a new owner to call this four (4) bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom HOME.  Situated on .49 acres on the edge of Bessemer Place's cul-de-sac, this home has soaring vaulted ceilings, a formal living and dining room for large family gatherings, and a stone fireplace just waiting for cooler temperatures to arrive.  To tour this home, call Robin Thomas at (919) 730-7068. 

Just Listed - Trinity Park beauty!

This spacious home is located in Durham's popular and best-selling neighborhood, Trinity Park.  Situated on the edge of Durham's edgy downtown, this home is a stone's throw from the park.

It boasts a large family room and separate dining; five (5) bedrooms, and three (3) full baths, and 1/2 bath.  The bedrooms are large and have lovely hardwood laminate floors.

The yard is large, about 1/3 acre, and the back yard is fenced.  The surrounding homes are lovingly maintained and cute as a button.  Click here to view the virtual tour.

A picture is worth a thousand words, or at least more buyers

Most buyers begin their real estate search online, so it only makes sense that having an abundance of high-quality photos of your clients' homes are a necessity.  So why do so many agents overlook this simple fact?  Maybe to save time and money, or they just don't see the value in eye-catching, jaw-dropping photos.  More pictures and high quality pictures will draw more buyers in to see your home. 

Many public real estate websites rank listings higher with more photos.  High-quality pictures are essential to compete in this market of high inventory and low sales volumes. 

I hire a professional real estate photographer to take as many pictures as possible.  His camera is better than mine, and he brings additional lighting to highlight the home's best features.  He sends me the pictures in digital format that can be used for print and electronic media.

Pricing a home for sale

We just finished a delicious dinner of grilled chicken, fresh steamed broccoli, and red, juicy watermelon.  Now to finish some pricing evaluation work for a new listing in Cary, NC. 

Pricing is the most important work we do for our clients, both buyers and sellers.  I'm a rather analytical person, plus, I like to work with numbers so this comes easily for me. 

The comps (closed sales) in this neighborhood which are similar to my seller's house are few and far between.  She owns a ranch or one-level; most homes in the neighborhood are two levels or much smaller ranches. 

There are several other properties for sale in this neighborhood, and their prices vary quite a bit, making it tricky to determine market position for my client's home. 

Our office employs a state-of-the-art price modeling tool which greatly simplifies the arithmetic, but it requires starting with high-quality data.  You know the saying "garbage in...garbage out" really applies to the pricing process. 

~  Robin

Dealing with condition issues

I met a contractor/handyman this morning at a home that I have had listed for a while.  We finally got a contract on the home, but the buyers withdrew their offer before the ink was dried.  The house has odor issues. 

I brought in a specialist from Sparkkles to find the source of the issue and devise a solution for correcting it.  They laid out a strategy, and with the help of the contractor, we are tacking it.

I went to Lowe's a purchased some pleasing air fresheners that are installed in the cold air return vent.  Once the work is complete, and these are installed, I believe everything will be just fine.

103 Lanier Valley Drive, Durham, NC, Grove Park - Linkside

Sold on 8/3/2010 for $193,000 in 2 days

2715 Tanglewood Drive, Durham, NC, Durham Academy Area

Sold on 06/07/2010 for $237,500 in 15 days.

109 Graylyn Drive, Chapel Hill, NC, Southern Village

Sold on 05/14/2010 for $680,000 in 117 days.

106 Arvo Lane, Cary, NC, Brookgreen

Sold 04/29/2010 for $190,000 in 46 days

1108 E. Hardscrabble Drive, Hillsborough, Hardscrabble Plantation

Sold on 04/01/2010 for $395,000 in 2 days.

Walgreens about ready to open doors

We've all watched the builders working on the new Walgreens for what seems like years.  The landscaping is now in, as is the parking lot, complete with an access to Subway/Ice Cream Club.  It rounds out the development on that corner of Horton at Guess Road. 

It's nice to have some new infrastructure in North Durham.  We didn't necessarily need another drug-type store, did we?  How about a new dry cleaner to replace Hollywood Cleaners who vacated the far reaches of the old Harris-Teeter complex.

I know developers are scared to dip their toe in the pond right now with the sluggish economy, so I'm grateful for Walgreens and other businesses that bring much-needed life to our little quiet neck of the woods.

518 Ramcat Road, Durham, NC, Huntington Ridge

Sold on 01/22/2010 for $330,000 in 92 days.

2 Roswell Court, Durham, NC, Hope Valley Neighborhood

Sold in 01/15/2010 for $470,000 in 188 days.