Real Estate Information

Falls Lake is located in the upper portion of the Neuse River Basin, extending for 28 miles from Falls Dam just north of Raleigh to the confluence of the Eno, Flat, and Little Rivers near Durham. Prior to 1978, flooding of the Neuse River caused extensive damage to public and private properties within the Neuse River Basin. But the US Army Corps of Engineers forged ahead with a plan to control the flood waters, completing the dam in 1981. Today the man-made reservoir is comprised of a 12,000 acre lake surrounded by 26,000 acres of woodlands. In addition to providing the water supply for Raleigh and several surrounding towns, the lake also provides ample recreation and wildlife enhancement for the Neuse River Basin.

Falls Dam is constructed of earth and rockfill, and has a side channel uncontrolled spillway. It utilizes a multilevel intake structure and oblong-shaped conduit to discharge water. It has a top elevation of 291.5 feet (msl) and an overall length of 1,915 feet, and its height above the streambed is 92.5 feet. At its normal level, the lake holds about 43 billion gallons. If storm conditions prevail, the lake will discharge water through the spillway when the lake reaches about 115 billion gallons.

But most people are interested mainly in the recreational aspect of the lake. You can learn about this and more by visiting... www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/fala/main.php.

Anthony Williams

The Harris Plant is a nuclear power plant owned and operated by Progress Energy. It is located 22 miles southwest of Raleigh, near New Hill. On a clear day, you can see the cooling tower on your left while traveling down Highway 1 below Holly Springs and Apex. The plant is named after Shearon Harris, a prominent figure within the U.S. energy industry during the 1970’s, who worked with the company from 1957 until 1980.

Originally conceived in the 1960s, the company announced in 1971 plans to file with the NRC for a construction permit to build the Harris Plant. After extensive review, a permit was issued in 1978 which allowed the company to construct a four unit nuclear power plant. However, the company revised its forecast for energy consumption and decided that one generating unit would meet demand. Completed in 1987, this unit generates power for more than 550,000 homes; and provides 12 percent of the total electricity generated by Progress Energy Carolinas.

The original license allows the Harris Plant to operate for 40 years, a term selected on the basis of economic and antitrust considerations — not technical limitations. To ensure that safe, reliable power will continue to meet electricity needs in the future, the plant is filing for a 20-year extension of its operating license. Also, in 2005 the company notified the NRC of plans to submit plans for the possible addition of a second reactor at the Harris Plant site. A decision to build has not been made finalized yet, but it might be necessary since approximately 300,000 new customers are expected to be added by 2016.

You can learn more about the Harris Plant by visiting... www.progress-energy.com/aboutenergy/powerplants/nuclearplants/harris.asp.

Anthony Williams

Submitted by Lisabeth Tunell:

 

I used to think that Dining Rooms were  used for Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter Diners while growing up until I had a dining room all my own…..

I am thankful that builders still put dining rooms in new homes…there is a reason the dining room never lost its popularity.

We have family night in our home every Monday night and try to have dinner and sometimes a movie to try to reconnect with each other after going separate ways all week. How many of us are so busy going in so many different directions that we forget what is important…family and spending time together. This is why we need to make an effort to make a date with the whole family each week, set the dining room table, that is hardly ever used, sit down and have a reconnect session. Its great to find out what each other has done that week, is planning on doing for the next week or just talk about what it is you did that day. You would be surprised how easy it is get the conversation going and how much laughter will be heard around the dining room table that USED to be used at holiday time only!!!!!   

Posted by Leslie Tunell:

We now offer "Staging Services" to our Sellers. When your home is For Sale it then becomes a PRODUCT-A HOUSE FOR SALE- and prospective buyers look at it more critically than the way you normally live in it . Things that you probably don't notice anymore, BUYERS WILL in fact notice. The staging process by our interiors expert allows your home to be viewed in the BEST possible way by the buyers. This may involve removing clutter, certain items and furniture etc. in order to SELL YOUR HOME FASTER AND FOR MORE MONEY!!  Ask us to evaluate your home TODAY!

Posted by Judy Burrell:  As of May 10, 2008 Southwest Airlines has begun flying nonstop from RDU to Denver.  The flight is only four hours and you avoid having to have a layover at another airport, hoping that flight comes in on time, etc.  Nonstop is so great. 

One thing we have learned with Southwest is you can go online the night before your flight and get your group number for the following day.  That saves a lot of the "Southwest Hastle" of getting to the airport extra early to get a low number to board so you can get seats together and where you want them.

We're going to try this new nonstop service to Denver on our next trip to see the Grandkids.  We also got a pretty good deal on the flight with the return flight only being $99!  What a deal.  And nonstop also!

Posted by Tim Burrell - While the Triangle area has a much better real estate market than the rest of the United States, there has been an increase in foreclosures.  For a while, we actually had a decrease in the number of foreclosures, but in the last few months they have gone up by 20%.  Since the number of foreclosures was originally low, the 20% increase is not a huge number of additional foreclosures.  However, it is a significant increase on a percentage basis.

I get the information on every property in Wake County where the foreclosure process is started.  I also get the dale and place of all foreclosure sales.  Some days, there are none, one or two.  Other days there are over 20.  For a county with such a big population, this is still not a large number of foreclosures.  But, the trend is a definite increase.

I represent several banks and asset managers in the sale of properties that have been foreclosed and taken back by the bank.  I started selling these types of properties in 1993, so I have a great deal of experience in this field.  As a result, I have been selected as one of the best agents in this area to represent financial institutions in the sale of their Real Estate Owned (REO) by prestigious REObroker.com.  If you look at www.REObroker.com and seach for a Realtor in Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, Holly Springs, Apex, Fuqua-Varina and other parts of this area, you will see the information about this part of my business.

Selling a foreclosed property is more difficult than a normal home, as the process is more complicated and involves more paperwork.  However, it is a great improvement to the neighborhood when we get a new family into the home so that they can turn the blighted property into an asset to the neighborhood.  I sold a foreclosure and a "short sale" property in the Glen Ridge Subdivision in Clayton.  The homeowners association was so pleased that they invited me to the annual meeting and said some wonderful things about our efforts.   

So, if you are looking for a foreclosure property to purchase, your Team has extensive experience in that field.  If you are in charge of managing REO properties, we are certified as being among the best in this area to sell the property. 

I hope the trend will reverse itself, so that the number of foreclosures decreases.  In the interim, I will help to get them sold and improve the neighborhood.

 

Submitted by Lisabeth Tunell:

Triangle Transits and Triathlons!!!

I have just completed my 6th triathlon (sprint distance) all located within driving distance of the Raleigh area.  For those of you moving into the area and either already participate in Triathlons or if you are thinking about doing your first...you have LOTS of choices.  Just a warning for those of you thinking about doing one, once you finish your first one you will be hooked as I was.  I wanted to do "1" before my big "50" birthday and now I can say that by the time I turn fifty I will have done 8!  One of those will include the Olympic distance, in which I hope to at least finish the race.  If you are unfamiliar with the distances here is a brief description:

Sprint----500 to 750 meter swim/14-18 mile bike/3.1 mile run

Olympic- 1500 meter swim/24 mile bike/6 mile run

Half- 1.2 mile swim/56 mile bike/13.1 mile run

Iron Man-2.1 mile swim/112 mile bike/26.2 mile run

I never realized just how popular this sport is until I really started to train and compete (well compete is not really the correct word as I am not really a competitor in my age group except with myself---I try to beat my own time each race!)  Most Triathlons will have 600-1000 entries and the age ranges from 12 to 80 (yes I said "80" and HE was right behind me).  It is quite an experience on race day and your nerves and stomach are all in a knot until you hear the horn and you start the swim segment, all is quiet and you understand that it is all up to you to pull it out from within!

Once out of the water the cheers begin and the encouraging starts and you get rejuvenated from an exhausting swim and on to the bike where there are so many spectators encouraging you and volunteers with kind words....but you need to remember to leave enough fuel for the run. Just when you think you are at the end of your rope you see the finish line and your adrenaline kicks in because you hear the announcer calling names and the music is playing so you kick it up a few notches and come across the finish line like you could keep going but your body tells you otherwise...

Crossing the finish line and feeling that sense of accomplishment is something you cannot explain so I will just say that I have already set a goal of doing a "half" next May and yes my Husband thinks I have lost my mind but to those of you that have been there, done that, you know exactly what I am talking about!!!  Thanks Triathlete's

Posted by Judy Burrell.  We recently completed a cross country driving trip, taking our time over 20 days, to "See the USA".   We drove from Southern California to Raleigh, North Carolina.  By far the best and most wonderful part of the trip was seeing the Grand Canyon.  No pictures you see or tales of people telling you about it can ever do it justice.  IIt is absolutely AMAZING.  You just have to see it in person to truly appreciate it.  I took over 200 pictures of the just the Grand Canyon! 

After you enter the National Park in Arizona, you drive along the southern rim and you can stop at numerous lookouts, get out of the car and go look over the edge at the beauty of the Canyon, then go on to the next turnout and take a look there.  Each place is different and magnificent.

We were there for 2 1/2 days arriving at sunset the first day, racing a snow storm the next day and then the last day the sky was blue with puffy white clouds and 4-5 inches of frresh snow in the foreground.  Wow!  My pictures are beautiful.  You couldn't have asked for a better setting for photographs. 

So, if you can, get yourself to Arizona and see the Grand Canyon.  It is truly one of the things EVERY American should see in their life.  It is absolutely MAGNIFICENT!  After all, it is one of the 7 natural wonders of the world. 

Posted by Tim Burrell - As a part of the new stimulus package recently signed by President Bush, the loan limits for Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and FHA loans were increased to 125% of the median price of a home in the area, up to an amount of $729,750.    The Department of Housing and Urban Development has released the increased limits for the state of California yesterday, and the limits for other states are expected to follow in short order.   The new loan limits are set county by county for the entire state.

What does this mean for North Carolina, particularly Triangle real estate?  The initial projections were that it would probably mean very little.  Most of the counties in North Carolina have homes where 125% of the median price is still under the old limit of $417,000.  All of the four counties in the Triangle fit into this category. 

However, it just came out today that the loan limits for Wake County went up from $224,000 to $295,000 and the loan limts for Durham County was raised to $331,000.  So, there are more homes that can use FHA, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac loans (called GSE loans).  This will help Triangle real estate, particularly Wake County real estate and Durham county real estate, as homes that are priced near $300,000 to $350,000 will have better financing available to encourage their sale.

 

  

Posted by Judy Burrell -   Hey Guys.  Are you wondering what to get your sweetheart for Valentine’s Day that’s unique, not fattening, totally appreciated and every woman will love?  I actually requested this as a gift this year for Valentine’s Day from my hubby  --  it’s having a Maid Service come clean the house for your Sweetheart!  How wonderful to walk back in after a long day at work and be greeted by a sparkling clean home.  Every woman loves a clean home, but it’s quite an effort to get there on your own.  How much of a reaction will you get from another box of chocolate?

 

We live in Raleigh, North Carolina and use a service called The Maids.  They’re part of a national franchise and they’re insured and bonded so I never have worries about them in our home. They come with three or four people, spend 1-2 hours cleaning and then they’re gone and the house is beautiful

 

So guys, if you’re stumped on what to get your sweetie this year for Valentine’s Day, consider the gift of a wonderfully clean home!  Call Becky or Angela at The Maids at 919-828-8400 and tell her Judy Burrell sent you.  We have used them for more than 10 years, and their service is excellent.

Your sweetheart will have more time and energy to pamper you!