Many people have asked me recently “What is going on with the Raleigh real estate market?”  Last month I created a Raleigh real estate market update video and I thought I would share it with you today.   Read the rest of this entry

Raleigh’s Hedingham Subdivision will be hosting their annual open house event this Sunday, May 16, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm.   Approximately 40  homes will be open to the public and it is a great opportunity to see many  of the Hedingham homes for sale  in one quick trip.  Read the rest of this entry

Tuesday is a special day for the Linda Craft Real Estate Team.  I fondly call it Team Tuesday. It is the day we all pile into our wrapped passenger van and ride around the Triangle area previewing our new listings in the Greater Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, Garner, Clayton, Apex and Holly Springs areas.  We sharpen our  Triangle Real Estate market knowledge,  share ideas and information for approxiamtely 3 hours every week.   A think tank of top professionals sharing their best practices. 

This past week one of my buyer agents,  JV Lavery, mentioned that prices on large tracks of land had dropped significantly and what a great time it was to buy land and hold it. He is so right but, I don’t know many developers  with $500,000 to a million dollars cash in the bank to buy land in these tight economical times. We all know land has always been a great investment and everyone I know is looking for something to buy cheap and hold onto for high profits later so we started brainstorming who could buy this well priced land.

Here Are Some Ideas On How To Buy Land:

1.   A group of individuals could buy the land to use as a hunt club. For the price of a yearly membership they could own acreage together. Use it to hunt now and hold it for a later sale when the value increases. Now that is a great real estate investment with no risk.

2.  A church could buy land now to hold for a future church plant

3.  A group of individuals could buy land to hold for future development or to sell when the next housing boom hits

4.  A family could buy land and put it into a family trust which would benefit their children

What are some other ideas you may have?  If you are interested in finding out about the best tracts of land for sale in the Greater Raleigh area please contact my team, JV Lavery or myself.  We would love the opportunity to work with you.

Have a great weekend,

Linda

News concerning USDA is fast circulating however this year’s exhaustion of mortgage funds may in fact be quite a bit different than the past.  USDA mortgages allow qualifed home buyers to purchase homes with zero money down in certain parts of the county. USDA and VA are the only 100% financing programs still available for home purchases. USDA is important to the Raleigh Real Estate Market and if they run out of money in April as expected it will push many home buyers out of the market and may leave sellers in a contract that is delayed for months or may never close!  

First Let Me Explain The TWO Types Of USDA Approvals:

 Approval with “GUARANTEE OF FUNDS” 

1. This approval type states that funds are available and have been guaranteed for a specific loan.
2. The loan can close.

Approval With “CONDITIONAL COMMITMENT – SUBJECT TO RECIEPT OF APPROPRIATED FUNDS”

1. This OCCURS WHEN USDA RUNS OUT OF FUNDS
2. It is an approved loan.
3. It states that “WHEN FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE (appropriated from Congress) IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVE A GUARANTEEE”
4. The loan can close however it is up to the lender.
5. Funds are NOT available to be guaranteed – Increased risk to the lender.

 With regard to Approval #2 above:  Some lenders WILL go ahead and close the loan with a conditional commitment from USDA while others choose NOT to.  It is typical that USDA runs out of funds in September/October time frame as October is their fiscal year end.  We have all experienced in the past!

 What Is Different RIGHT NOW?  Read the rest of this entry

Over the past two years I have met with many Raleigh area home sellers who wanted to sell and buy a new home. However, the declining Raleigh real estate market wasn’t going to allow them to net enough money from the sale to be able to purchase a new home. The Government  has now stepped up and is helping Raleigh area move up buyers by giving them a $6,500 tax credit if they buy before April 30, 2010.  

How Will A Raleigh Homeowner Benefit?

The $6,500 tax credit will really help many sellers offset any depreciation they may have experienced in the Raleigh Real Estate market and will give them the extra funds they need to buy a new home. When selling a home you have to deduct the mortgage pay off, property taxes, real estate commissions, revenue stamps and other miscellaneous charges for selling a home. The remainder after everything is paid is the net proceeds. Or better described the check the seller gets at closing to spend on their new house. The Government is giving them an additional $6,500 tax credit to help home sellers in Raleigh buy new homes. This is pretty exciting especially when you consider mortgage interest rates are still around 5% for a 30 years fixed rate mortgage. The low interest rates and the tax credit will help many homeowners get into better houses than they ever dreamed.

Raleigh Mortgage Lending Guidelines Have Changed

Today in order to buy a home most lenders require a minimum of 5% down. We can usually negotiated to get the mortgage closing cost paid by the seller but, when the Raleigh housing market hasn’t appreciated over the past several years it makes it really hard to sell and be able to net enough money from the sale for the down payment on a new home. The $6,500 tax credit will put many home buyers in the market now that could only sit and wait before. Here are some details:

Who is Eligible   Read the rest of this entry

First time homebuyers are busy looking for great houses under $300,000 in our Raleigh Real Estate Market.  Here are a few homes that have just come on the market or have had recent price changes:

For more properties in the Greater Raleigh Area feel free to check out my raleigh real estate website where you can create your own search.

This week my real estate office has been very busy with several out of state families who are relocating to our Greater Raleigh area.  One of the neat things about having a large real estate team is that  we all work together sharing our knowledge and experience to best meet the needs of our clients.  When families relocate to the Triangle sometimes their needs are more complexed than just which Raleigh area home or neighborhood they want to live in. They need to know where to find the best doctors, playgrounds and daycare options just to name a few.    Many of our Team members have children and have relocated themselves so they are a great resource for families. We know that Moms and Dads have so many things to take care of in a move and my Team loves to all pitch in to help relocating families in their transition .  Here are some tips you may want to know or share with someone relocating with children.

A Few Quick Moving Tips For Raleigh Area Families:  Read the rest of this entry

Over the last several months many people have asked me if home sales have been picking up for the Raleigh real estate market.   While we have seen an increase in appointments scheduled to view our current inventory of  Triangle area homes for sale, we have not seen them turn into equal sales.  Home sales around the Raleigh region are still very sluggish and the luxury market  has been hit the hardest. 

The Biggest Real Estate Problem We Have in the Raleigh Region

is that we are not seeing many move up buyers. This is causing many sellers to compete for a sold sign and has driven home prices down. The listing inventory of homes for sale is still high and many sellers have reduced their home prices several times and still are not sold. The average home list price to sales price is  96% if sold in the first 30 days and 89% if price reductions occur. With declining home values, low interest rates and tax credits you would think real estate here in the Greater Raleigh area would be booming but, it isn’t. Everyone is busy showing a lot of houses but, the truth is Triangle real estate home sales are still lower in 2009 than they were in 2008.  

Let’s Look At Some Contributing Housing Market Factors

1.  First Time Home Buyer and Tax Credit   Read the rest of this entry

My team meets every Tuesday to keep our skills sharp in this ever changing Raleigh real estate market. Each department gives an update on  current business, we discuss new listings coming to the market, what our current home buyers are looking for, and then we train on different topics.  Sometimes the topics are new rules and form changes from the Real Estate Commission. Other training topics are economic, mortgage and appraisal issues affecting the Raleigh, Cary and Triangle market. Last week we focused on practical applications that can help us be more efficient by managing our time better. Each Team member started with making a list of the  5 worst time wasters and their 5 best time saving ideas.  I thought I would share some of our team’s top tips with you:

The Linda Craft & Team’s Top Time Saver Tips:

1. If you are working on a project or in an appointment let incoming calls go to voicemail until you complete the task.  This will help you stay focused and be proactive instead of reactive.
2. Check Voice Mail at regular times during the day, not after every call. It takes time to dial into voice mail so pick up several messages with one call.
3. Follow a schedule and stick to it. Everything is important but, very few things are urgent.  Plan your day the night before and protect your schedule.
4. Text Someone verses Calling Them.  This can save up to five minutes of idle conversation and alot of voice mail tag.
5. Make your coffee the night before and schedule it to brew the next morning when you get up.
6. Use a Free Dry Cleaners Pick Up Service.   This will save you alot of time driving around town or standing in line.
7. Use a Grocery Shopping Service.   Shop Online and schedule your groceries to be brought to your car in the store parking lot for a cheap as $5.95 a trip. It also protects you from impulse buying.
8. Clean out your inbox daily by one of these three actions; delte, file or answer and delete.
9. Schedule your shampoo and hair cuts first thing in the morning so you are not doing your hair twice in one day.
10. Close Your Office Door and Concentrate.  People popping in with Chit Chat can waste 1/3 of your day.

Do you have more tips you can share with us?   We would love to hear from you.

I hope that you have a great Monday-

Linda

Raleigh, North Carolina is always ranked in the top 10 best places in the USA for work and play. Many people believe with such high accalades that a great home in Raleigh must come with a huge price tag. Well, I have good news for you…Raleigh real estate is very affordable.  

Check out this Raleigh Real Estate Market Data :

April 2009 T.A.R.R. Report

Average detached resale Raleigh home price $263,310

Average new construction Raleigh home price $281,935

Average Raleigh condo price $168,961

Average Raleigh town home price $179,018

To view every home for sale in Raleigh, including Raleigh new construction and surrounding cities such as; Cary, Apex, Morrisville, RTP Research Triangle Park, Chapel Hill, Durham, Wake Forest and others visit: LindaCraft.com

Raleigh real estate is affordable!