Tuesday, March 31, 2009
What We Already Knew...Winston-Salem "Open for Business" according to Yahoo!
Great news from Yahoo! Real Estate! In the online article dated March 26, 2009 Raleigh and several other NC towns are listed as being very attractive to businesses. As the headline indicates, this is something that any of us that have lived in NC any length of time are well aware of. So in this 11th annual ranking of the Best Places for Business and Careers, Raleigh grabs the top spot, while Winston-Salem turns up #18. The study looks at job growth over the past five years and future projections. It also looks at living cost data and well as income growth and migration trends according to the Yahoo! article. The article goes on to state that these areas all have "high tech" investments which tend to be one of the first things that comes back once we begin to see economic recovery. Winston-Salem leads the nation in bio-technology research and is making waves in nano-technology.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Hitting Bottom....
There is a great deal of speculation out there as to when the proverbial bottom of the real estate market is going to occur. The fact of the matter is no one knows for certain and statistics vary state to state, region to region, city to city and n'hood to n'hood...you get the picture.
What we do know is that interest rates are LOW! Waiting to buy a home until prices hit bottom may mean taking a higher interest rate, as rates are anticipated to go up at some point.
My little stint on the local news station raised some questions from my loving husband and some of the locals at Smittys. "How", they say "do the numbers that you cited during the interview work out? Seems like fuzzy math!"
What they are referring is the statement I made about prices falling significantly and rates rising 1-2% which is a very likely scenario given all of the economic indicators. So I enlisted a lender partner of mine, Luann Davis at WR Starkey Mortgage to run some scenarios for me to prove my point. Now keep in mind, the term "nominal" is subjective depending on your economic status and comfort level, but I think these figures prove the point very well.
Assume a $200,000 loan amount-30 year conventional loan-4.5% interest rate (fixed)
PRINCIPLE AND INTEREST: $1013.37--TOTAL PAID TOWARDS PRINCIPLE (thus reducing your loan amount)-$3266 in the first year
Assume the price of the home falls 10% and your new loan amount is $180,000-30 year conventional loan-rates RISE ONE POINT to 5.5%, doesn't sound like a big deal--right? Plus, you got a great deal on the house, 10% off asking price (average list to sell is 3-5%)!! WRONG!
PRINCIPLE AND INTEREST: $1022.02!
So the payment is $9.02 higher and the TOTAL PAID TOWARDS PRINCIPLE in only $2424.76
Total cost of waiting for prices to fall is this scenario is $842 per year or an extra $70.17 per month!
Ok, so let's move on to a doomsday scenario...PRICES FALL BY 20%!
You are now only borrowing $160,000 but rates are at 5.5%--sounds great huh? You are really wheeling and dealing now! :0
You are right that your payments are lower, only $908.46, about $104.92 each month lower than the original scenario at $200,000 for a yearly savings of $1259.04. However, the principle reduction of $2155.32 is $1110.68 less than the $200,000 scenario at the 4.5% interest rate. This equates to a savings of $12.35 per month by NOT WAITING!
YOUR HEAD IS SPINNING...where do all of these numbers fit in you say?
Bottom Line (literally) :) **Thanks Luann!**
The lower rates equate to more buying power as opposed to waiting for lower prices.
Brooke
What we do know is that interest rates are LOW! Waiting to buy a home until prices hit bottom may mean taking a higher interest rate, as rates are anticipated to go up at some point.
My little stint on the local news station raised some questions from my loving husband and some of the locals at Smittys. "How", they say "do the numbers that you cited during the interview work out? Seems like fuzzy math!"
What they are referring is the statement I made about prices falling significantly and rates rising 1-2% which is a very likely scenario given all of the economic indicators. So I enlisted a lender partner of mine, Luann Davis at WR Starkey Mortgage to run some scenarios for me to prove my point. Now keep in mind, the term "nominal" is subjective depending on your economic status and comfort level, but I think these figures prove the point very well.
Assume a $200,000 loan amount-30 year conventional loan-4.5% interest rate (fixed)
PRINCIPLE AND INTEREST: $1013.37--TOTAL PAID TOWARDS PRINCIPLE (thus reducing your loan amount)-$3266 in the first year
Assume the price of the home falls 10% and your new loan amount is $180,000-30 year conventional loan-rates RISE ONE POINT to 5.5%, doesn't sound like a big deal--right? Plus, you got a great deal on the house, 10% off asking price (average list to sell is 3-5%)!! WRONG!
PRINCIPLE AND INTEREST: $1022.02!
So the payment is $9.02 higher and the TOTAL PAID TOWARDS PRINCIPLE in only $2424.76
Total cost of waiting for prices to fall is this scenario is $842 per year or an extra $70.17 per month!
Ok, so let's move on to a doomsday scenario...PRICES FALL BY 20%!
You are now only borrowing $160,000 but rates are at 5.5%--sounds great huh? You are really wheeling and dealing now! :0
You are right that your payments are lower, only $908.46, about $104.92 each month lower than the original scenario at $200,000 for a yearly savings of $1259.04. However, the principle reduction of $2155.32 is $1110.68 less than the $200,000 scenario at the 4.5% interest rate. This equates to a savings of $12.35 per month by NOT WAITING!
YOUR HEAD IS SPINNING...where do all of these numbers fit in you say?
Bottom Line (literally) :) **Thanks Luann!**
The lower rates equate to more buying power as opposed to waiting for lower prices.
Brooke
Monday, March 23, 2009
Kernersville Home Sweet Home Event A Success!
Great turnout, beautiful weekend for the event and lots of interest...I had 15 couples on Saturday and between 30-40 on Sunday...several folks that came by on Saturday came back on Sunday with friends or family...From what I gathered from agents that were at other listings of mine that were open, they also had good traffic--especially Oakmont, Abington and Browns Run.
You've heard me say it before and I will say it again--low rates (4.5 on Friday), tons of inventory, money to be lent and I will be posting graphs/charts very soon with correlations regarding waiting for the market to hit "bottom" and what that means to those of you who are thinking of waiting to purchase.
Check out the link on WXII that includes coverage from this weekend's event:
http://www.wxii12.com/money/18988297/detail.html
Have a great Monday!
Brooke
You've heard me say it before and I will say it again--low rates (4.5 on Friday), tons of inventory, money to be lent and I will be posting graphs/charts very soon with correlations regarding waiting for the market to hit "bottom" and what that means to those of you who are thinking of waiting to purchase.
Check out the link on WXII that includes coverage from this weekend's event:
http://www.wxii12.com/money/18988297/detail.html
Have a great Monday!
Brooke
Monday, March 16, 2009
Budgeting in a tough economy...
Ok, we're all doing it everyday...looking at and readjusting our personal and company budgets to meet tough economic times. As I said in yesterday's blog, I spent one of my days last week listening to department head presentations for the Town of Kernersville. Our town manager, Curtis Swisher did a great job of prepping each department for tough times, not that they aren't painfully aware already. Most of our departments were making cuts to their budget and trying to save the town money long before it was en vogue.
Ok, back on track...the meeting...every request for the most part was lean and mean but that doesn't mean that each department will get everything or anything that they want. With tax values increasing, folks on a shoestring as it is and no cuts in existing services projected, that leaves raising taxes in order to provide for these items, programs and positions, unless they are subsidized by a grant as some of the Police department's requests are.
So the opposite of raising taxes is cutting taxes, something that I have been a proponent of for years. A couple of ways to do this would be to cut back on the intensity of some of our services such as brush, white good and bulk trash pick up...we run three or more trucks by some residences in one day to provide these services. This service could be curtailed to once per quarter or once in the Spring and in the Fall like our neighbors in Winston do. We could still provide year-round drop off for those items needing immediate attention.
Something else suggested by another board member is to look at privatizing the way we handle payroll. There was a request for a new staff person in Finance to alleviate some of the obvious burden on the staff in this department. Even though outside payroll servcing was looked at several years ago, it may be, as one alderman put it, a great time to re-visit the idea, given the economy and the growth of the town staff. An additional suggestion was to go to a monthly pay period for some, not all, departments.
We could also look at privatizing some of programming with Parks and Recreation if the program is not "break-even" or profitable...I will say that I was impressed that the current director, Ernie Page, understands that a mega-recreation center is not something that Kernersville can sustain and he seems to be working very hard to make sure that any future facility built would be utilized appropriately without unnecessary burden to the taxpayers.
I am sure that there are various other ways to cut back, re-configure our services and the way they are delivered so as to not have to raise taxes and to hopefully start our town on a plan to cut taxes as the commercial and industrial base continues to grow. These discussions are just the beginning of a long process leading up to the approved budget in June...So if you have any ideas that you would like to share regarding this issue, I invite you to comment or to send me an email at bcashion@toknc.com
Have a wonderful rainy Monday!
Brooke
Ok, back on track...the meeting...every request for the most part was lean and mean but that doesn't mean that each department will get everything or anything that they want. With tax values increasing, folks on a shoestring as it is and no cuts in existing services projected, that leaves raising taxes in order to provide for these items, programs and positions, unless they are subsidized by a grant as some of the Police department's requests are.
So the opposite of raising taxes is cutting taxes, something that I have been a proponent of for years. A couple of ways to do this would be to cut back on the intensity of some of our services such as brush, white good and bulk trash pick up...we run three or more trucks by some residences in one day to provide these services. This service could be curtailed to once per quarter or once in the Spring and in the Fall like our neighbors in Winston do. We could still provide year-round drop off for those items needing immediate attention.
Something else suggested by another board member is to look at privatizing the way we handle payroll. There was a request for a new staff person in Finance to alleviate some of the obvious burden on the staff in this department. Even though outside payroll servcing was looked at several years ago, it may be, as one alderman put it, a great time to re-visit the idea, given the economy and the growth of the town staff. An additional suggestion was to go to a monthly pay period for some, not all, departments.
We could also look at privatizing some of programming with Parks and Recreation if the program is not "break-even" or profitable...I will say that I was impressed that the current director, Ernie Page, understands that a mega-recreation center is not something that Kernersville can sustain and he seems to be working very hard to make sure that any future facility built would be utilized appropriately without unnecessary burden to the taxpayers.
I am sure that there are various other ways to cut back, re-configure our services and the way they are delivered so as to not have to raise taxes and to hopefully start our town on a plan to cut taxes as the commercial and industrial base continues to grow. These discussions are just the beginning of a long process leading up to the approved budget in June...So if you have any ideas that you would like to share regarding this issue, I invite you to comment or to send me an email at bcashion@toknc.com
Have a wonderful rainy Monday!
Brooke
Sunday, March 15, 2009
Sorry for being slack...
Last week was a wild week...we had our Allen Tate Spring convention in Charlotte and I had our department head budget presentations for the Town of Kernersville...that didn't leave a tremendous amount of time to blog, however, it did give me lots of material.
I'll start with some of our presentation highlights from convention...great speakers, very helpful and time-appropriate topics. One of our speakers, Steve Harney, spent a great deal of time breaking down the current economic crisis and how it is shouldered on the backs of Realtors everywhere...basically if every Realtor (over 1 million strong) would sell one house tomorrow we would be out of the majority of this mess...the world economy isn't so great and it relies heavily on the United States economy...the US economy relies heavily on real estate and housing...and where my friends, does that end or begin, depending on how you are looking at it---it's the Realtor's responsibility to spread the word that NOW is the best time to buy since 1971 when this data started tracking regularly...Steve showed us numerous slides from various studies to prove his points...some of which are...
1-Even over the past ten years, though the economy has taken some tumbles...every major investment engine was down by double-digits...Dow, NASDAQ, S &P...but housing, was STILL up by over 60% even with the most recent depreciation.
2-Interest rates are low, prices are dropping but even if you are waiting for the "bottom" and no one knows where that is...your differential between payment and pricing (even if prices dropped 40%) would not change your payments by more than a few dollars per month...even if rates did go to 6 or 6.5+...I am waiting to see if I can post his charts so that you can have a visual...
3-North Carolina may just be "last to the party" to quote Harney...meaning that where other areas of the county seem to be straightening out, we are just now feeling some of the effects of job loss nationwide as folks come to NC looking for the jobs that we have been creating and thus pushing our unemployment up even higher...its not that we aren't creating jobs, its just that we have been inundated with new folks that are absorbing these jobs...and as unemployment rises, foreclosure rates usually follow...
This isn't being written to depress you into a further funk, but to help you to understand, especially if you are a seller, that we need to, as Harney said it "catch these prices from the bottom up"...that means that even though we saw tiny amounts of appreciation in the 1st and 2nd quarter of 08, we are now seeing 3-4% depreciation in NC and expected to see 14+% by year end...so the moral of this story is that aggressive pricing now may save you since prices are not expected to return to TODAY'S levels until Fall 2014 according to Case-Shillings....just by not realizing this...you lose close to $400 a week in VALUE (expenses not included) on a $240K house...
On a brighter note...activity with buyers is up...just on Friday during a one hour span I had over 15 showings scheduled for my listings and I showed property to buyers all day Saturday and am showing again this afternoon...That means folks are out there, but you have to be the best in condition, most aggressive in pricing and realistic when it comes to the market...Have a great day! Stay dry!
Brooke
I'll start with some of our presentation highlights from convention...great speakers, very helpful and time-appropriate topics. One of our speakers, Steve Harney, spent a great deal of time breaking down the current economic crisis and how it is shouldered on the backs of Realtors everywhere...basically if every Realtor (over 1 million strong) would sell one house tomorrow we would be out of the majority of this mess...the world economy isn't so great and it relies heavily on the United States economy...the US economy relies heavily on real estate and housing...and where my friends, does that end or begin, depending on how you are looking at it---it's the Realtor's responsibility to spread the word that NOW is the best time to buy since 1971 when this data started tracking regularly...Steve showed us numerous slides from various studies to prove his points...some of which are...
1-Even over the past ten years, though the economy has taken some tumbles...every major investment engine was down by double-digits...Dow, NASDAQ, S &P...but housing, was STILL up by over 60% even with the most recent depreciation.
2-Interest rates are low, prices are dropping but even if you are waiting for the "bottom" and no one knows where that is...your differential between payment and pricing (even if prices dropped 40%) would not change your payments by more than a few dollars per month...even if rates did go to 6 or 6.5+...I am waiting to see if I can post his charts so that you can have a visual...
3-North Carolina may just be "last to the party" to quote Harney...meaning that where other areas of the county seem to be straightening out, we are just now feeling some of the effects of job loss nationwide as folks come to NC looking for the jobs that we have been creating and thus pushing our unemployment up even higher...its not that we aren't creating jobs, its just that we have been inundated with new folks that are absorbing these jobs...and as unemployment rises, foreclosure rates usually follow...
This isn't being written to depress you into a further funk, but to help you to understand, especially if you are a seller, that we need to, as Harney said it "catch these prices from the bottom up"...that means that even though we saw tiny amounts of appreciation in the 1st and 2nd quarter of 08, we are now seeing 3-4% depreciation in NC and expected to see 14+% by year end...so the moral of this story is that aggressive pricing now may save you since prices are not expected to return to TODAY'S levels until Fall 2014 according to Case-Shillings....just by not realizing this...you lose close to $400 a week in VALUE (expenses not included) on a $240K house...
On a brighter note...activity with buyers is up...just on Friday during a one hour span I had over 15 showings scheduled for my listings and I showed property to buyers all day Saturday and am showing again this afternoon...That means folks are out there, but you have to be the best in condition, most aggressive in pricing and realistic when it comes to the market...Have a great day! Stay dry!
Brooke
Monday, March 09, 2009
Happy Monday...Just a Few Funnies to Brighten Your Day...
These bust on both sides and given the mess across the board it's comforting to know that this has been going on since the inception of government. It's nothing new, just very cylical...enjoy this gorgeous weather and again, Happy Monday!
1. “In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress.”
—John Adams
2. “If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.”
—Mark Twain
3. “Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But, then, I repeat myself.”
—Mark Twain
4. “I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.”
—Winston Churchill
5. “A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.”
—George Bernard Shaw
6. “A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man; which he proposes to pay off with your money.”
—G.. Gordon Liddy
7. “Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.”
—James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)
8. “Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.”
—Douglas Casey, classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University
9. “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.”
—P..J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian
10. “Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.
—Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)
11. “Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”
—Ronald Reagan (1986)
12. “I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”
—Will Rogers
13. “If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free!”
—P..J. O'Rourke
14. “In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.”
—Voltaire (1764)
15. “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!”
—Pericles (430 B.C.)
16. “No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.”
—Mark Twain (1866)
17. “Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it.”
—Anonymous
18. “The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.”
—Ronald Reagan
19. “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.”
—Winston Churchill
20. “The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.”
—Mark Twain
21. “The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.”
—H erbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)
22. “There is no distinctly native American criminal class...save Congress.”
—Anonymous
23. “What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.”
—Edward Langley, Artist (1928-1995)
24. “A government big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take everything you have.”
—Thomas Jefferson
25. “The biggest difference between Republicans and Democrats is the spelling.”
—Anonymous
26. "Yesterdays are over my shoulder, so I can't look back for too long. There's just too much to see waiting in front of me and I know that I just can't go wrong."
--Jimmy Buffett
Brooke
1. “In my many years I have come to a conclusion that one useless man is a shame, two is a law firm and three or more is a congress.”
—John Adams
2. “If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.”
—Mark Twain
3. “Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But, then, I repeat myself.”
—Mark Twain
4. “I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.”
—Winston Churchill
5. “A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.”
—George Bernard Shaw
6. “A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man; which he proposes to pay off with your money.”
—G.. Gordon Liddy
7. “Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.”
—James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)
8. “Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.”
—Douglas Casey, classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University
9. “Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.”
—P..J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian
10. “Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.
—Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)
11. “Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”
—Ronald Reagan (1986)
12. “I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.”
—Will Rogers
13. “If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free!”
—P..J. O'Rourke
14. “In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.”
—Voltaire (1764)
15. “Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!”
—Pericles (430 B.C.)
16. “No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.”
—Mark Twain (1866)
17. “Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it.”
—Anonymous
18. “The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.”
—Ronald Reagan
19. “The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.”
—Winston Churchill
20. “The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.”
—Mark Twain
21. “The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools.”
—H erbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)
22. “There is no distinctly native American criminal class...save Congress.”
—Anonymous
23. “What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.”
—Edward Langley, Artist (1928-1995)
24. “A government big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take everything you have.”
—Thomas Jefferson
25. “The biggest difference between Republicans and Democrats is the spelling.”
—Anonymous
26. "Yesterdays are over my shoulder, so I can't look back for too long. There's just too much to see waiting in front of me and I know that I just can't go wrong."
--Jimmy Buffett
Brooke
Saturday, March 07, 2009
Feeling Stimulated? Some Markets Are Beginning to Feel Something...
My husband, Jake, travels to and from Raleigh on a semi-regular basis for his job. Once he is in our fair capital city, he tends to ask those who live and work in the area, how things are going in their neck of the woods--economics, real estate, politics, etc.
This past week, he was talking with a former college roommate who had his home on the market for the past year with little to no activity. He finally closed on his home in the suburbs and purchased a trendy little loft in downtown Raleigh. He was gushing over the $8000 tax credit and what a "shot in the arm" it had been to the real estate market. How it had been "dead" and once the tax credit was announced and the details understood, how all of these buyers came out of the woodwork, showings immediately picked up and lo and behold, he had an offer on his home within weeks.
Jake of course arrives at home, tells me the story and proceeds to interrogate me as to why our area just doesn't seem to "get" the advantages of this credit and what it means to home buyers who are currently looking or considering purchasing over the next few months.
My response was this:
Our area is usually a little slow to respond to things that seem to come "without strings".
Generally, we are a pretty conservative bunch when it comes to our finances, especially those folks in the greater Winston-Salem area. A local bank exec, told me several months ago, that folks in our area incur less debt than their neighbors in other cities and have a good deal more liquid assets or "cash on hand" than their counterparts. For the most part, we're skeptical when the government says "hey, take this and give us nothing in return". Also, we like to know all of the details...
-Do we have to pay it back?
The first tax credit which expired in Dec 08 did have to be paid back, this one does not have to be repaid.
-Does it have limitations that apply to first-time buyers only?
As long as you have not owned a home in the past three years, you qualify as a first-time buyer.
-Are condos and townhomes allowed?
Yes, as long as it is your primary residence.
-Is the credit refundable?
Yes, It will reduce or it can eliminate income tax liability for the year of the purchase. Any unused amount can be refunded.
-Is there an income limit? What if I make too much money?
Yes, you cannot make over $75,000 individually or $150,000 jointly.
-How long do I have to make a purchase?
As long as you close before December 1, 2009 you qualify for the credit.
-When can I start looking for new homes?
The program is already in effect, so start now while rates are low and inventory is high!
Hope this information helps and allows folks some comfort while they are out looking for a home and STIMULATING the Triad's economy by purchasing real estate!
Brooke
This past week, he was talking with a former college roommate who had his home on the market for the past year with little to no activity. He finally closed on his home in the suburbs and purchased a trendy little loft in downtown Raleigh. He was gushing over the $8000 tax credit and what a "shot in the arm" it had been to the real estate market. How it had been "dead" and once the tax credit was announced and the details understood, how all of these buyers came out of the woodwork, showings immediately picked up and lo and behold, he had an offer on his home within weeks.
Jake of course arrives at home, tells me the story and proceeds to interrogate me as to why our area just doesn't seem to "get" the advantages of this credit and what it means to home buyers who are currently looking or considering purchasing over the next few months.
My response was this:
Our area is usually a little slow to respond to things that seem to come "without strings".
Generally, we are a pretty conservative bunch when it comes to our finances, especially those folks in the greater Winston-Salem area. A local bank exec, told me several months ago, that folks in our area incur less debt than their neighbors in other cities and have a good deal more liquid assets or "cash on hand" than their counterparts. For the most part, we're skeptical when the government says "hey, take this and give us nothing in return". Also, we like to know all of the details...
-Do we have to pay it back?
The first tax credit which expired in Dec 08 did have to be paid back, this one does not have to be repaid.
-Does it have limitations that apply to first-time buyers only?
As long as you have not owned a home in the past three years, you qualify as a first-time buyer.
-Are condos and townhomes allowed?
Yes, as long as it is your primary residence.
-Is the credit refundable?
Yes, It will reduce or it can eliminate income tax liability for the year of the purchase. Any unused amount can be refunded.
-Is there an income limit? What if I make too much money?
Yes, you cannot make over $75,000 individually or $150,000 jointly.
-How long do I have to make a purchase?
As long as you close before December 1, 2009 you qualify for the credit.
-When can I start looking for new homes?
The program is already in effect, so start now while rates are low and inventory is high!
Hope this information helps and allows folks some comfort while they are out looking for a home and STIMULATING the Triad's economy by purchasing real estate!
Brooke
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Just Down the Road a Piece...
You may have noticed the banner and the empty space at 104 South Main Street or maybe not...
Our physical office has moved. Allen Tate has consolidated it's Kernersville and Clemmons offices to the Stratford Road location in an effort to centralize resources. Being in Winston is nothing new for me, since I moved to my Kernersville office just four years ago after working for another real estate firm in Winston. The great part is, our office is just off of Business 40 and Stratford Road, allowing me easy access to all of my clients, not just those located on the eastern side of the county.
For the most part, real estate offices as you currently think of them are a way of the past. Long gone are "bricks and sticks" and anyone in that state of thinking is in denial about the trend coming from the West. Any agent worth their salt is virtually "virtual" anyway. Between "smart phones", wireless access at just about any location and the plethora of technology that has inundated the real estate world, there is little need for a physical office with the exception of file storage and that too is slowly becoming digitized.
I look forward to still seeing you around Kernersville and all points in between...should you need to meet, I can accommodate you most anywhere, laptop and Treo in hand. Should you find yourself in Winston, stop by and say "hi"...our new address is:
Brooke
Our physical office has moved. Allen Tate has consolidated it's Kernersville and Clemmons offices to the Stratford Road location in an effort to centralize resources. Being in Winston is nothing new for me, since I moved to my Kernersville office just four years ago after working for another real estate firm in Winston. The great part is, our office is just off of Business 40 and Stratford Road, allowing me easy access to all of my clients, not just those located on the eastern side of the county.
For the most part, real estate offices as you currently think of them are a way of the past. Long gone are "bricks and sticks" and anyone in that state of thinking is in denial about the trend coming from the West. Any agent worth their salt is virtually "virtual" anyway. Between "smart phones", wireless access at just about any location and the plethora of technology that has inundated the real estate world, there is little need for a physical office with the exception of file storage and that too is slowly becoming digitized.
I look forward to still seeing you around Kernersville and all points in between...should you need to meet, I can accommodate you most anywhere, laptop and Treo in hand. Should you find yourself in Winston, stop by and say "hi"...our new address is:
514 South Stratford Road Suite 280
I'd love to have coffee or lunch with you if you are out this way...Brooke
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Need Dinner Ideas? What A Great Idea!!
This rainy, windy and cold Sunday morning found me in Charlotte after an Allen Tate gala for top-producers. As I sipped my coffee and thumbed through the Charlotte Observer, a small column caught my eye.
Always the one to be looking for something that saves me time spent struggling over dinner menus each week, not to mention, the repetitive nature of the meals I produce, I loved the column before me. It was simple, so simple I asked myself "Why didn't I think of that?"
Here, right before my very eyes, was a week's worth of menus, some economical, some meat-less, some specifically kid-friendly--All prepared by a registered dietitian. Does it get any better? The Sunday menu is featured with the recipe and additional daily recipes can be found online. So from one working person to another and any folks in between, I'd like to share this little gem.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/609/story/558195.html
From what I could tell, it's updated every week and the recipes seem very user-friendly. So enjoy the snow and bon appetite!
Brooke
Always the one to be looking for something that saves me time spent struggling over dinner menus each week, not to mention, the repetitive nature of the meals I produce, I loved the column before me. It was simple, so simple I asked myself "Why didn't I think of that?"
Here, right before my very eyes, was a week's worth of menus, some economical, some meat-less, some specifically kid-friendly--All prepared by a registered dietitian. Does it get any better? The Sunday menu is featured with the recipe and additional daily recipes can be found online. So from one working person to another and any folks in between, I'd like to share this little gem.
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/609/story/558195.html
From what I could tell, it's updated every week and the recipes seem very user-friendly. So enjoy the snow and bon appetite!
Brooke
Friday, February 27, 2009
Cheap and Easy....
Talking about a few simple things you can do between now and Spring to give your home a face lift on a relatively small budget. These were suggestions taken off of the Today Show at the beginning of this week. Most of them are very relevant to any area and I believed them to be good advice that I would like to share with you whether or not you are selling your home or not. Every home out there could use a little "lift".
1-Repaint or replace your front door. If the door is in good condition, paint it with car paint and wax it with car wax. It's bold and I had never heard this before but they swear it looks great, but be careful with the color and the amount of "sparkle" the paint may have--go high gloss!
2-Add color to the front of your home via planters, potted flowers and make sure you are adding fresh pine straw or mulch, edging beds, pulling weeds and trimming back out of control bushes and trees.
3-Replace old windows. Now this can get a bit expensive. However, the national average for replacing windows was $300 per window. Window World is advertising $189 with labor...this can save you on your energy bill and let's the world know that you are taking great care of your home.
4-Have carpets professionally cleaned. You don't have to replace your flooring unless its just dated and beyond it's useful life cycle, but a professional steam-clean is a good idea for odors and stubborn spots.
These are just a few of many but even by doing one or two of these items it can really improve the overall appearance and perception of your home. Buyers are out there but you have to think of this as "The Dating Game" and there are hundreds of contestants and you need to stand out and be the best looking with the most to offer so that you can make it to the Top 5 and eventually be THE ONE!
If you would like to discuss other ways to improve your home's image or needs references for folks that can do the work mentioned above, please don't hesitate to call me 336-17-3598 or email me at brooke.cashion@allentate.com
No better time to start on these projects than this weekend! Have a good one!
Brooke
1-Repaint or replace your front door. If the door is in good condition, paint it with car paint and wax it with car wax. It's bold and I had never heard this before but they swear it looks great, but be careful with the color and the amount of "sparkle" the paint may have--go high gloss!
2-Add color to the front of your home via planters, potted flowers and make sure you are adding fresh pine straw or mulch, edging beds, pulling weeds and trimming back out of control bushes and trees.
3-Replace old windows. Now this can get a bit expensive. However, the national average for replacing windows was $300 per window. Window World is advertising $189 with labor...this can save you on your energy bill and let's the world know that you are taking great care of your home.
4-Have carpets professionally cleaned. You don't have to replace your flooring unless its just dated and beyond it's useful life cycle, but a professional steam-clean is a good idea for odors and stubborn spots.
These are just a few of many but even by doing one or two of these items it can really improve the overall appearance and perception of your home. Buyers are out there but you have to think of this as "The Dating Game" and there are hundreds of contestants and you need to stand out and be the best looking with the most to offer so that you can make it to the Top 5 and eventually be THE ONE!
If you would like to discuss other ways to improve your home's image or needs references for folks that can do the work mentioned above, please don't hesitate to call me 336-17-3598 or email me at brooke.cashion@allentate.com
No better time to start on these projects than this weekend! Have a good one!
Brooke
Monday, February 23, 2009
Keep Your HEAD In The Game...
In these unique economic times there are many so-called "bargains" out there, such as homes in short-sale, homes in foreclosure, homes for sale by owner, homes "under tax value", homes for "swap", homes for lease-purchase and so on. You get the picture. Everyone wants a "deal" and make no mistake "deals" are out there, but you have to adhere to the adage that you truly "get what you pay for". Meaning that just because a home that you are considering making an offer on has one of these glamorous tag lines that assures you that you are getting a deal that no one else can--doesn't mean it's so. Keep in mind these points when making an offer so that no matter what market you are in, your investment in real estate is as sound as it can possibly be.
*Buy a home that fits YOUR needs--don't buy a 2 bedroom home with one bath and no garage because you feel like its a bargain if your family needs more space and you have a classic car collection--buy a home that makes you happy in the short and long term.
*Don't assume that all foreclosures are bargains--You never know the condition of the home, how the previous owner cared for and maintained (or didn't) the home. Also, there may be other homes in the same neighborhood or area that are in better condition, that offer the same or more amenities AND at a similar or lower price. Why pay for something that needs a ton of work, has no history that you know of and may have other negative attributes, when you could pay a couple thousands of dollars more for the same or better home, less work and peace of mind? Make sure you've seen all of the homes on the market in an area and have compared the pros and cons...sometimes distressed sellers can offer better bargains than the banks!
*Be aware of short sales--Until the banks have additional staffing in place to handle the volume of short sales that they are experiencing, you as a buyer could wait for MONTHS to even receive a reply. In that time other buyers are also submitting offers that are directly competitive with yours. If you are considering purchasing a home that is part of a short sale situation, make sure that both your agent and the listing agent have had experience in this arena and make sure that they have good working relationship and line of communication with the bank involved in the sale.
*Just because it's under tax value doesn't make it a great investment--Tax value is assigned by the local government, in our area, the county tax assessor. These folks don't enter your home or your neighbors' and usually use a multiplier based on previous years' values and overall appreciation over the past five or so years. They don't know that you changed the green shag carpet or updated your kitchen...they make an educated guess based on numerous factors and equations. Tax values are all over the place as compared to market values and have little bearing as to what a buyer and seller agree is a good price on a given day. Tax values are a "catch-22" --meaning, you want a low value as an owner because you don't want to pay a lot of taxes, but when you sell, you want the value higher because unfortunately buyers look at this number as some sort of "rule of thumb" as to what kind of "deal" they are getting...so my advice is let's use this number for what it's intended for and that's to pay Uncle Sam--not to establish value!
*It must be a great deal if it's a FSBO! Not so! Just because the unrepresented seller isn't paying an agent, that doesn't give it the stamp of approval as a certified DEAL! Keep in mind that the sellers establish the price they are asking for the home with little to no experience in setting prices--of course they think their home is best--it's theirs, which usually means an inflated price! This understandable passion for their own home can translate into awkwardness and difficulty when negotiating and not using a licensed agent as a third party perspective. I cannot even begin to tell you how many listing appointments I have been on where the folks trying to sell their home have discovered that they grossly overpaid when they purchased years ago because they thought the seller was "cutting them a deal." Though it's getting easier to get comps off of the Internet to see what other homes in the area have sold for, it's not so easy to find out if the area has a stigma due to new road construction, railroads, air traffic or industrial nuisances. Usually it's not the owner who is eager to share these tidbits with you or know that they are legally obligated to do so.
So in a nutshell, be vigilant in these times of opportunity, keep your head on straight and don't be swayed by lots of catchy marketing verbiage. Employ a buyer's agent to keep you on the right path, to represent your interests and to advocate for you...it's well worth it and it doesn't cost you a dime out of your pocket!
If you need more information on any of the topics discussed here or to talk about how I can represent you, please contact me via phone 336.817.3598 or visit my website http://www.brookecashion.com/. I would be happy to discuss your specific situation and provide references should you request!
Happy house hunting!
Brooke
*Buy a home that fits YOUR needs--don't buy a 2 bedroom home with one bath and no garage because you feel like its a bargain if your family needs more space and you have a classic car collection--buy a home that makes you happy in the short and long term.
*Don't assume that all foreclosures are bargains--You never know the condition of the home, how the previous owner cared for and maintained (or didn't) the home. Also, there may be other homes in the same neighborhood or area that are in better condition, that offer the same or more amenities AND at a similar or lower price. Why pay for something that needs a ton of work, has no history that you know of and may have other negative attributes, when you could pay a couple thousands of dollars more for the same or better home, less work and peace of mind? Make sure you've seen all of the homes on the market in an area and have compared the pros and cons...sometimes distressed sellers can offer better bargains than the banks!
*Be aware of short sales--Until the banks have additional staffing in place to handle the volume of short sales that they are experiencing, you as a buyer could wait for MONTHS to even receive a reply. In that time other buyers are also submitting offers that are directly competitive with yours. If you are considering purchasing a home that is part of a short sale situation, make sure that both your agent and the listing agent have had experience in this arena and make sure that they have good working relationship and line of communication with the bank involved in the sale.
*Just because it's under tax value doesn't make it a great investment--Tax value is assigned by the local government, in our area, the county tax assessor. These folks don't enter your home or your neighbors' and usually use a multiplier based on previous years' values and overall appreciation over the past five or so years. They don't know that you changed the green shag carpet or updated your kitchen...they make an educated guess based on numerous factors and equations. Tax values are all over the place as compared to market values and have little bearing as to what a buyer and seller agree is a good price on a given day. Tax values are a "catch-22" --meaning, you want a low value as an owner because you don't want to pay a lot of taxes, but when you sell, you want the value higher because unfortunately buyers look at this number as some sort of "rule of thumb" as to what kind of "deal" they are getting...so my advice is let's use this number for what it's intended for and that's to pay Uncle Sam--not to establish value!
*It must be a great deal if it's a FSBO! Not so! Just because the unrepresented seller isn't paying an agent, that doesn't give it the stamp of approval as a certified DEAL! Keep in mind that the sellers establish the price they are asking for the home with little to no experience in setting prices--of course they think their home is best--it's theirs, which usually means an inflated price! This understandable passion for their own home can translate into awkwardness and difficulty when negotiating and not using a licensed agent as a third party perspective. I cannot even begin to tell you how many listing appointments I have been on where the folks trying to sell their home have discovered that they grossly overpaid when they purchased years ago because they thought the seller was "cutting them a deal." Though it's getting easier to get comps off of the Internet to see what other homes in the area have sold for, it's not so easy to find out if the area has a stigma due to new road construction, railroads, air traffic or industrial nuisances. Usually it's not the owner who is eager to share these tidbits with you or know that they are legally obligated to do so.
So in a nutshell, be vigilant in these times of opportunity, keep your head on straight and don't be swayed by lots of catchy marketing verbiage. Employ a buyer's agent to keep you on the right path, to represent your interests and to advocate for you...it's well worth it and it doesn't cost you a dime out of your pocket!
If you need more information on any of the topics discussed here or to talk about how I can represent you, please contact me via phone 336.817.3598 or visit my website http://www.brookecashion.com/. I would be happy to discuss your specific situation and provide references should you request!
Happy house hunting!
Brooke
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Cheers!
Over the Valentine's Day weekend Jake and I visited Westbend Vineyard...we are not big wine fans however visiting the vineyards that are right here in our backyard has always intrigued me. We have visited Biltmore, Raylen and Childress over the past five years or so, but some of the smaller, less advertised wineries have not been on our radar.
Working within a budget and celebrating a holiday that Jake thinks is a "scheme" is difficult enough, but when I came home to 18 red roses, I knew that I had a chance...Love was in the air!
We arrived at Westbend around noon and they were having a Valentine's Day special. For $10 per person you would receive a collector's glass, a sampling of five wines of your choosing, gourmet chocolates and a glass of your favorite wine...all while enjoying a band play a variety of tunes...We had a blast! The day was beautiful and we sat outside to enjoy our glass of Les Soeurs which happened to be a red that was the product of one of the oldest vines on the property (planted in '72)...it was smooth and would have and will pair (we brought a bottle home) wonderfully with a filet. The atmosphere was peaceful and very charming with a nice gift shop and beautiful grounds that surround the main building. Once the weather warms up I want to come back out to Westbend with friends and enjoy the abundance of outdoor seating one late afternoon.
It was such a wonderful day meandering through the countryside to get to Westbend which is located on the Yadkin River minutes from Davie County and Lewisville and one turn off the Dinkins Bottom exit off 421. From Shallowford Road you turn onto Williams and the winery is one Williams Road.
We are going to make it a point whenever we need a mini-vacation to visit one of the many wonderful wineries that our area has to offer...as we understand it, there are summer concert series, tasting events and culinary events year round.
If you have experienced any of the wineries and would like to share hints, secrets or things NOT to miss...please post...and of course "Cheers!"
Brooke
Working within a budget and celebrating a holiday that Jake thinks is a "scheme" is difficult enough, but when I came home to 18 red roses, I knew that I had a chance...Love was in the air!
We arrived at Westbend around noon and they were having a Valentine's Day special. For $10 per person you would receive a collector's glass, a sampling of five wines of your choosing, gourmet chocolates and a glass of your favorite wine...all while enjoying a band play a variety of tunes...We had a blast! The day was beautiful and we sat outside to enjoy our glass of Les Soeurs which happened to be a red that was the product of one of the oldest vines on the property (planted in '72)...it was smooth and would have and will pair (we brought a bottle home) wonderfully with a filet. The atmosphere was peaceful and very charming with a nice gift shop and beautiful grounds that surround the main building. Once the weather warms up I want to come back out to Westbend with friends and enjoy the abundance of outdoor seating one late afternoon.
It was such a wonderful day meandering through the countryside to get to Westbend which is located on the Yadkin River minutes from Davie County and Lewisville and one turn off the Dinkins Bottom exit off 421. From Shallowford Road you turn onto Williams and the winery is one Williams Road.
We are going to make it a point whenever we need a mini-vacation to visit one of the many wonderful wineries that our area has to offer...as we understand it, there are summer concert series, tasting events and culinary events year round.
If you have experienced any of the wineries and would like to share hints, secrets or things NOT to miss...please post...and of course "Cheers!"
Brooke
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Homeowner Perception Changing
Recently Zillow released an interesting article about homeowners and their changing perception of their home's value. The crux of the article is that most homeowners believe that their homes are increasing in value as other homes in their area are on the decline. According to the article Northeasterner's had the best grip on reality with the "point-spread" between reality and perception being the least...Southerner's were simply in denial, coming in dead last.
33% of Southerners believed that their homes were increasing in value, while 20% felt like the value was staying the same and over 47% believed that their home's value had decreased. The reality of the matter was that 70% of homes in the South decreased in value, not the meager 47% as thought by those being surveyed.
The upside is that all of these statistics are subject to their own "reality-check". Folks in the South typically did not see the major, double-digit increases in value that other "bubble" areas did...but some folks thought that their home did appreciate rapidly or that their community/city appreciated rapidly...when the REALITY is that homes in the South appreciated at about 2-3% a year...a really nice, steady appreciation...prices may have fallen a bit off of the peak of 2005-07 but if you are maintaining your home and keeping it in good/excellent condition and updating it with "the times" then you should be enjoying a healthy home value as a result of being in the South.
If you are curious about what you can do to your home to keep it up to date or if you would like to know the value of your home in today's ever-changing market, don't hesitate to email me, send a post or give me a call...336-817-3598.
Brooke
33% of Southerners believed that their homes were increasing in value, while 20% felt like the value was staying the same and over 47% believed that their home's value had decreased. The reality of the matter was that 70% of homes in the South decreased in value, not the meager 47% as thought by those being surveyed.
The upside is that all of these statistics are subject to their own "reality-check". Folks in the South typically did not see the major, double-digit increases in value that other "bubble" areas did...but some folks thought that their home did appreciate rapidly or that their community/city appreciated rapidly...when the REALITY is that homes in the South appreciated at about 2-3% a year...a really nice, steady appreciation...prices may have fallen a bit off of the peak of 2005-07 but if you are maintaining your home and keeping it in good/excellent condition and updating it with "the times" then you should be enjoying a healthy home value as a result of being in the South.
If you are curious about what you can do to your home to keep it up to date or if you would like to know the value of your home in today's ever-changing market, don't hesitate to email me, send a post or give me a call...336-817-3598.
Brooke
Monday, February 16, 2009
Blessed Be the Tie That Binds...Housing to Stimulus...
You hear it everyday, you hear it on every media source and you hear it out of the mouths of anyone who is discussing the economy and how to bring it out of it's funk....You MUST fix housing before the economy begins to turn...
The question on everyone's mind is HOW to fix housing...do you:
Delay or stop foreclosures...the short term is that it allows folks to stay in their homes a bit longer while searching for work or trying to sell...the long term is that if the foreclosure is inevitable, meaning that the home has no equity or the person has lost their job, it is just a delay of the obvious problem...only exacerbating the total economic crisis...
Free up money and continue to lower rates...how low can you go? Good question, everyone thinking of buying a home seems to be waiting on this answer...rates may fall a bit lower, but as you can see, continuing to lower the rates simply hasn't had the effect that was predicted...rates are GREAT right now and folks are still waiting...for those who have good credit, money can be borrowed, but for those with credit issues, freeing up money will not benefit them as much because regulations are relatively stringent compared to years past, especially for non-conforming borrowers...
Tax Credit...the jury is still out on this one...sounds great, but how do you get the message out to folks? What is the story? Just what does a tax credit of $8000 or $15,000 mean to YOU? Good question. Until the credit unfolds or there is a stand-alone bill that allows any buyer to benefit with no income limits, it's going to be difficult to tell if this portion of the package is going to have a major effect...folks want to know how this helps them and how does it translate in to their personal budget at the end of the game.
Banks adding more resources/personnel...now there's an idea...it's extremely difficult to transact a short sale...not because the idea is so foreign and complicated, but because there is such a backlog with banks, that as an agent when we have a ready, willing and able buyer who presents an offer on a home that qualifies for a short sale, it can take MONTHS to process and go through the necessary hoops to even get a response, much less an actual offer worked out and closed...some of the stimulus money should be directed towards adding additional resources to expedite this process so that willing and qualified buyers can get some of the inventory off of the market, fix the home up and either live in it, rent it or put it back on the market at market value...
The National Association of Realtors, our State Association of Realtors and members of our local boards have been lobbying on behalf of homeowners and buyers everywhere, not to mention on behalf of the country as a whole, to lend insight to this issue and help in any way possible...some of the successes...
1-Loan limits were raised in order to accommodate higher valued areas (such as metro areas)
2-The tax credit was raised to $8,000 with NO PAYBACK (a real credit) for first-time buyers
3-Interest rates should come down a bit more as a result of foreclosure relief efforts
4-Over 50 billion dollars going towards foreclosure relief efforts (see results of this in #3)
So there you have it...just a few ways that housing has been and will be impacted by the recent stimulus package...I look forward to more to come...
The question on everyone's mind is HOW to fix housing...do you:
Delay or stop foreclosures...the short term is that it allows folks to stay in their homes a bit longer while searching for work or trying to sell...the long term is that if the foreclosure is inevitable, meaning that the home has no equity or the person has lost their job, it is just a delay of the obvious problem...only exacerbating the total economic crisis...
Free up money and continue to lower rates...how low can you go? Good question, everyone thinking of buying a home seems to be waiting on this answer...rates may fall a bit lower, but as you can see, continuing to lower the rates simply hasn't had the effect that was predicted...rates are GREAT right now and folks are still waiting...for those who have good credit, money can be borrowed, but for those with credit issues, freeing up money will not benefit them as much because regulations are relatively stringent compared to years past, especially for non-conforming borrowers...
Tax Credit...the jury is still out on this one...sounds great, but how do you get the message out to folks? What is the story? Just what does a tax credit of $8000 or $15,000 mean to YOU? Good question. Until the credit unfolds or there is a stand-alone bill that allows any buyer to benefit with no income limits, it's going to be difficult to tell if this portion of the package is going to have a major effect...folks want to know how this helps them and how does it translate in to their personal budget at the end of the game.
Banks adding more resources/personnel...now there's an idea...it's extremely difficult to transact a short sale...not because the idea is so foreign and complicated, but because there is such a backlog with banks, that as an agent when we have a ready, willing and able buyer who presents an offer on a home that qualifies for a short sale, it can take MONTHS to process and go through the necessary hoops to even get a response, much less an actual offer worked out and closed...some of the stimulus money should be directed towards adding additional resources to expedite this process so that willing and qualified buyers can get some of the inventory off of the market, fix the home up and either live in it, rent it or put it back on the market at market value...
The National Association of Realtors, our State Association of Realtors and members of our local boards have been lobbying on behalf of homeowners and buyers everywhere, not to mention on behalf of the country as a whole, to lend insight to this issue and help in any way possible...some of the successes...
1-Loan limits were raised in order to accommodate higher valued areas (such as metro areas)
2-The tax credit was raised to $8,000 with NO PAYBACK (a real credit) for first-time buyers
3-Interest rates should come down a bit more as a result of foreclosure relief efforts
4-Over 50 billion dollars going towards foreclosure relief efforts (see results of this in #3)
So there you have it...just a few ways that housing has been and will be impacted by the recent stimulus package...I look forward to more to come...
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Staying Close to Home...
Weekends in my opinion are far and few between, kinda like vacations...you just can't get enough of them and if you really enjoy them, its almost like you need an additional weekend day or vacation to recover...
As Spring approaches, we will feel this more and more as the kids start soccer and baseball, folks get married, have parties, yards need to be mowed and maintained and all the stuff that comes with warmer weather.
What do you do on the weekend? So many folks I talk to head out of town for expanded dinner options and entertainment. While there certainly isn't as much to do in Kernersville as say Winston or Greensboro, there are things to do that don't have to take you on a long car ride away....Now is the time to support our local businesses and encourage others to plant their roots in Kernersville...but we have to USE them and SUPPORT them!
So, I pose a question to you...What do you and your family do that is fun AND keep you in Kernersville? It can be free or pricey...I would love to hear from you and share it with the other readers in the area. I have included a few things that my family and friends do in town...so try a few out and maybe I'll see you there!
*Last Saturday of every month, karaoke at Smitty's--Food, Fun and Friends--
*Take the girls and the kids to Don Juan's for great seating for large parties, fabulous service and an authentic atmosphere...not to mention great deals on margarita pitchers!
*Enjoy and day in the dog park with the family's best friend and then take a picnic in one of the many shelters or down by the creek...for additional excitement, watch the skateboarders and some of their moves!
*First run movies for only $3 at Countryside Cinema...sure it's not the glamour of the big multi-plexes, but it's close to home and it's inexpensive...the popcorn is great!
*How about late night at Cookout? Best grilled chicken sandwich ever and a milkshake outside under the stars...
*Dinner at Salem Kitchen...they have a wonderful, creative chef who has been there approximately a year...unique dinner specials, great drink selection and you can eat outside in the quaint alleyway of Shoppes on Main...bring some friends after work and make it an evening...
*Coffee at Shakespeare and Company on Saturday mornings...enjoy the paper over a 99 cent cup of joe
*Lunch at The Pegg House Tea Room...need I say more!? The BEST chicken pot pie anywhere around and specialty teas and a featured daily iced tea, such as raspberry or peach...so get your nails done at Vivian's and drop in for lunch with the girls or hubby here!
*Dinner at Outwest (best steaks around in my opinion) and drinks afterwards with friends at Smitty's--sit outside and enjoy the sure to come warm weather!
*Romantic dinner at Basil's--ambiance is somewhat lacking, but the food is rich and romantic...pastas, unique sandwiches and lemon cello cheesecake brought in daily by a pastry chef out of Greensboro...great wine and beer selection...
Ok...you're turn...:)
As Spring approaches, we will feel this more and more as the kids start soccer and baseball, folks get married, have parties, yards need to be mowed and maintained and all the stuff that comes with warmer weather.
What do you do on the weekend? So many folks I talk to head out of town for expanded dinner options and entertainment. While there certainly isn't as much to do in Kernersville as say Winston or Greensboro, there are things to do that don't have to take you on a long car ride away....Now is the time to support our local businesses and encourage others to plant their roots in Kernersville...but we have to USE them and SUPPORT them!
So, I pose a question to you...What do you and your family do that is fun AND keep you in Kernersville? It can be free or pricey...I would love to hear from you and share it with the other readers in the area. I have included a few things that my family and friends do in town...so try a few out and maybe I'll see you there!
*Last Saturday of every month, karaoke at Smitty's--Food, Fun and Friends--
*Take the girls and the kids to Don Juan's for great seating for large parties, fabulous service and an authentic atmosphere...not to mention great deals on margarita pitchers!
*Enjoy and day in the dog park with the family's best friend and then take a picnic in one of the many shelters or down by the creek...for additional excitement, watch the skateboarders and some of their moves!
*First run movies for only $3 at Countryside Cinema...sure it's not the glamour of the big multi-plexes, but it's close to home and it's inexpensive...the popcorn is great!
*How about late night at Cookout? Best grilled chicken sandwich ever and a milkshake outside under the stars...
*Dinner at Salem Kitchen...they have a wonderful, creative chef who has been there approximately a year...unique dinner specials, great drink selection and you can eat outside in the quaint alleyway of Shoppes on Main...bring some friends after work and make it an evening...
*Coffee at Shakespeare and Company on Saturday mornings...enjoy the paper over a 99 cent cup of joe
*Lunch at The Pegg House Tea Room...need I say more!? The BEST chicken pot pie anywhere around and specialty teas and a featured daily iced tea, such as raspberry or peach...so get your nails done at Vivian's and drop in for lunch with the girls or hubby here!
*Dinner at Outwest (best steaks around in my opinion) and drinks afterwards with friends at Smitty's--sit outside and enjoy the sure to come warm weather!
*Romantic dinner at Basil's--ambiance is somewhat lacking, but the food is rich and romantic...pastas, unique sandwiches and lemon cello cheesecake brought in daily by a pastry chef out of Greensboro...great wine and beer selection...
Ok...you're turn...:)
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Piedmont Aviation to Add Jobs
More great news for Kernersville...
With the help of Forsyth County, the WS Chamber of Commerce and the State of North Carolina, Piedmont Aviation, who is currently located just off of 421/Market Street, has announced the addition of 120 new jobs. The company was looking at either moving locations (possibly out of state) or adding jobs to their current facility. We are ecstatic that they decided to stay in Kernersville to grow!
So many businesses recently have announced either expansion or relocating to Kernersville...those of us who live here know why-- but what can we do to tell the rest of the world our story?
The challenge that the town and its citizens have is to not only grow as our demographics change in order to meet the demand in services (town and private entity) but to be able to spread the message of what we have to offer so that others know what a great community we are blessed with!
The board of aldermen is working currently on re-vamping the website with third-party advisers and we are trying to stay in front of the media as good news comes our way--and Lord knows we need all of the good news we can get on the t.v!
These are small things...the bigger things are going to take time and private investment dollars...the town has stepped up to the plate and carefully used taxpayer dollars to improve downtown infrastructure and aesthetics as well as numerous road projects that ease congestion and improve traffic flow....now its time for us to "toot our own horn" when we are out and encourage restaurants, shops and entertainment to join our community so that we don't have to continually go "out of town" for a wide selection of dinner choices and a entertainment....let everyone you know, know that Kernersville is definitely the best place to call home!
Congratulations Piedmont Aviation on your expansion!
With the help of Forsyth County, the WS Chamber of Commerce and the State of North Carolina, Piedmont Aviation, who is currently located just off of 421/Market Street, has announced the addition of 120 new jobs. The company was looking at either moving locations (possibly out of state) or adding jobs to their current facility. We are ecstatic that they decided to stay in Kernersville to grow!
So many businesses recently have announced either expansion or relocating to Kernersville...those of us who live here know why-- but what can we do to tell the rest of the world our story?
The challenge that the town and its citizens have is to not only grow as our demographics change in order to meet the demand in services (town and private entity) but to be able to spread the message of what we have to offer so that others know what a great community we are blessed with!
The board of aldermen is working currently on re-vamping the website with third-party advisers and we are trying to stay in front of the media as good news comes our way--and Lord knows we need all of the good news we can get on the t.v!
These are small things...the bigger things are going to take time and private investment dollars...the town has stepped up to the plate and carefully used taxpayer dollars to improve downtown infrastructure and aesthetics as well as numerous road projects that ease congestion and improve traffic flow....now its time for us to "toot our own horn" when we are out and encourage restaurants, shops and entertainment to join our community so that we don't have to continually go "out of town" for a wide selection of dinner choices and a entertainment....let everyone you know, know that Kernersville is definitely the best place to call home!
Congratulations Piedmont Aviation on your expansion!
Monday, February 09, 2009
Foxy...
Just a quickie...
Jake, Maddie and I were on our way home from dinner last night around 8 o'clock...when a fox crossed our path on Old Winston Road close to Dr. Harper's office...at first glance it looked like a really large cat, but as it passed under the street light, you could see that it was a medium sized fox with a large, long tail...
Most of you know how close this is to the residential areas of Kernersville, so don't be surprised if you see something foxy running around town...and no, its not me in stilettos....
Stay tuned for more info on home ownership tax credits from the proposed stimulus package and how it may benefit ALL buyers...just doing my research...
Jake, Maddie and I were on our way home from dinner last night around 8 o'clock...when a fox crossed our path on Old Winston Road close to Dr. Harper's office...at first glance it looked like a really large cat, but as it passed under the street light, you could see that it was a medium sized fox with a large, long tail...
Most of you know how close this is to the residential areas of Kernersville, so don't be surprised if you see something foxy running around town...and no, its not me in stilettos....
Stay tuned for more info on home ownership tax credits from the proposed stimulus package and how it may benefit ALL buyers...just doing my research...
Kernersville Open House Extravaganza!
If you are currently looking for a home or have even remotely considered the possibility in the past few months or years...you've heard it before--NOW IS THE TIME! I won't belabor it, but great interest rates, tons of inventory to choose from, competitive pricing and now the tax credit...so if it sounds interesting to consider purchasing, the Kernersville Chamber of Commerce is teaming up with Kernersville businesses to promote a one-time open house weekend for folks looking to buy!
All of the major Kernersville real estate firms, including Allen Tate are pairing up with lenders, insurance agents, home improvement specialists and the like, to make as many homes as possible available for you to view the weekend of March 21-22. Homes all across town, in all price ranges will be open for you and any other potential buyer to view from 1-5 both Saturday and Sunday. Real estate agents will be on site at each home to assist you as well as a representative from ancillary real estate services. Throughout the weekend, mini-seminars will be conducted and lenders will be pre-qualifiying folks and allowing them to assess their ability to purchase.
The goal of this event is to make folks all over the Triad realize what a great, diverse, affordable market for real estate we have to offer in Kernersville. The focus is to "turn-up" buyer awareness to the fact that folks "You CAN buy!" Lenders are waiting to lend money and down payment assistance and closing cost assistance is STILL available. Even if you don't qualify currently, the upside is that by speaking with some of these experienced folks, you can start the ball rolling and figure out what it is you need to do in order to make your vision of owning a reality...it may be something minor such as correcting a mistake on your credit report to actually paying down some debt or saving for a down payment. The message is simply one of "can-do!" You have to take the first step and everyone participating is not only committed to that message but has invested their time and efforts in order to make Kernersville the best place to live in the Triad.
So mark your calendar and feel free to call me or email me with questions about this exciting event! If you would like your home to be showcased or if you have considered putting your home on the market this Spring and want to make sure you are a part of this event, you need to give me a call or email as soon as possible as the agents involved are already trying to line up who will be at which home....We don't want yours to be left out as all of these buyers are out there making purchasing decisions! :)
See ya there!
P.S. I will let you know in a future post and in my e-newsletter which homes I will have open during this event, so be on the lookout. If you are not currently receiving my e-newsletter, please email me at brooke.cashion@allentate.com and we will make sure that you are put on our mailing list! Ciao!
All of the major Kernersville real estate firms, including Allen Tate are pairing up with lenders, insurance agents, home improvement specialists and the like, to make as many homes as possible available for you to view the weekend of March 21-22. Homes all across town, in all price ranges will be open for you and any other potential buyer to view from 1-5 both Saturday and Sunday. Real estate agents will be on site at each home to assist you as well as a representative from ancillary real estate services. Throughout the weekend, mini-seminars will be conducted and lenders will be pre-qualifiying folks and allowing them to assess their ability to purchase.
The goal of this event is to make folks all over the Triad realize what a great, diverse, affordable market for real estate we have to offer in Kernersville. The focus is to "turn-up" buyer awareness to the fact that folks "You CAN buy!" Lenders are waiting to lend money and down payment assistance and closing cost assistance is STILL available. Even if you don't qualify currently, the upside is that by speaking with some of these experienced folks, you can start the ball rolling and figure out what it is you need to do in order to make your vision of owning a reality...it may be something minor such as correcting a mistake on your credit report to actually paying down some debt or saving for a down payment. The message is simply one of "can-do!" You have to take the first step and everyone participating is not only committed to that message but has invested their time and efforts in order to make Kernersville the best place to live in the Triad.
So mark your calendar and feel free to call me or email me with questions about this exciting event! If you would like your home to be showcased or if you have considered putting your home on the market this Spring and want to make sure you are a part of this event, you need to give me a call or email as soon as possible as the agents involved are already trying to line up who will be at which home....We don't want yours to be left out as all of these buyers are out there making purchasing decisions! :)
See ya there!
P.S. I will let you know in a future post and in my e-newsletter which homes I will have open during this event, so be on the lookout. If you are not currently receiving my e-newsletter, please email me at brooke.cashion@allentate.com and we will make sure that you are put on our mailing list! Ciao!
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Lunch Options In Kernersville
Just a quickie!
Had the $5 quick lunch just now from Shakespeare and Company...perfect portion for those on the go...not too much, not too little...for the most part, healthy. I had the Pegg House chicken salad, croissant on the side and some red grapes...my favorite, is the Orangina that I am sippin' on right now! Great little Canadian/French treat...tastes like orange juice but with fizz! I love it, Maddie and Jake love it! Stop in for a cold one at Shakespeare and Company any time or try one of her other unique beverages, ranging from coffee, sodas, sparkling waters, etc.
Menu at Basil's Changes:
Couple of additions to the lunch menu at Basil's, however, even if your old standby's are not there (Pimento Cheeseburger) they will still make it for you. Yesterday I had an AMAZING ham sandwich with caramelized onions and homemade coleslaw on the side! Can you say "num-num"?
So once Fitz on Main opens (projected March 17th??) we will have several quality options for lunch depending on your needs...just make sure you support these folks so that we can have them around for years to come!
Had the $5 quick lunch just now from Shakespeare and Company...perfect portion for those on the go...not too much, not too little...for the most part, healthy. I had the Pegg House chicken salad, croissant on the side and some red grapes...my favorite, is the Orangina that I am sippin' on right now! Great little Canadian/French treat...tastes like orange juice but with fizz! I love it, Maddie and Jake love it! Stop in for a cold one at Shakespeare and Company any time or try one of her other unique beverages, ranging from coffee, sodas, sparkling waters, etc.
Menu at Basil's Changes:
Couple of additions to the lunch menu at Basil's, however, even if your old standby's are not there (Pimento Cheeseburger) they will still make it for you. Yesterday I had an AMAZING ham sandwich with caramelized onions and homemade coleslaw on the side! Can you say "num-num"?
So once Fitz on Main opens (projected March 17th??) we will have several quality options for lunch depending on your needs...just make sure you support these folks so that we can have them around for years to come!
More on Bailout
Found this today from CNN! Fit so well with my previous post, thought I would include it.
More earmarks from the stimulus package! Take a look at some of these!
• $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient.
• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.
• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).
• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.
• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.
• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.
• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.
• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.
Don't Miss
GOP senators draft stimulus alternative
• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.
• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.
• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.
• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."
• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.
• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.
• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.
• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.
• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.
• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.
• $500 million for state and local fire stations.
• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.
• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.
• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.
• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.
• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.
• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
• $850 million for Amtrak.
• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.
• $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.
• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.
• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.
Make sure to write, call or email your representative and tell them what an outrage this is!
More earmarks from the stimulus package! Take a look at some of these!
• $2 billion earmark to re-start FutureGen, a near-zero emissions coal power plant in Illinois that the Department of Energy defunded last year because it said the project was inefficient.
• A $246 million tax break for Hollywood movie producers to buy motion picture film.
• $650 million for the digital television converter box coupon program.
• $88 million for the Coast Guard to design a new polar icebreaker (arctic ship).
• $448 million for constructing the Department of Homeland Security headquarters.
• $248 million for furniture at the new Homeland Security headquarters.
• $600 million to buy hybrid vehicles for federal employees.
• $400 million for the Centers for Disease Control to screen and prevent STD's.
• $1.4 billion for rural waste disposal programs.
Don't Miss
GOP senators draft stimulus alternative
• $125 million for the Washington sewer system.
• $150 million for Smithsonian museum facilities.
• $1 billion for the 2010 Census, which has a projected cost overrun of $3 billion.
• $75 million for "smoking cessation activities."
• $200 million for public computer centers at community colleges.
• $75 million for salaries of employees at the FBI.
• $25 million for tribal alcohol and substance abuse reduction.
• $500 million for flood reduction projects on the Mississippi River.
• $10 million to inspect canals in urban areas.
• $6 billion to turn federal buildings into "green" buildings.
• $500 million for state and local fire stations.
• $650 million for wildland fire management on forest service lands.
• $1.2 billion for "youth activities," including youth summer job programs.
• $88 million for renovating the headquarters of the Public Health Service.
• $412 million for CDC buildings and property.
• $500 million for building and repairing National Institutes of Health facilities in Bethesda, Maryland.
• $160 million for "paid volunteers" at the Corporation for National and Community Service.
• $5.5 million for "energy efficiency initiatives" at the Department of Veterans Affairs National Cemetery Administration.
• $850 million for Amtrak.
• $100 million for reducing the hazard of lead-based paint.
• $75 million to construct a "security training" facility for State Department Security officers when they can be trained at existing facilities of other agencies.
• $110 million to the Farm Service Agency to upgrade computer systems.
• $200 million in funding for the lease of alternative energy vehicles for use on military installations.
Make sure to write, call or email your representative and tell them what an outrage this is!
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