JULY TRIANGLE REAL ESTATE NUMBERS ARE IN

…AND THEY ARE SIZZLING HOT!

First the facts & then the fun – Momma says you can’t eat dessert before your veggies!

  ü  New Listings in the Triangle region increased 5.3 percent to 3,163.

  ü  Pending Sales were up 31.3 percent to 2,417.

  ü  Inventory levels shrank 26.2 percent to 13,447 units.  

  ü  Prices moved higher. The Median Sales Price increased 1.0 percent to $191,900.

  ü  The Median Sales Price increased 1.0 percent to $191,900.

  ü  Days on Market was down 10.4 percent to 115 days.

  ü  The supply - demand balance stabilized as Month’s Supply of Inventory was down 36.2 percent to 7.4 months.  New to my blog – check out my

Well, that actually was fun because the news is very positive - no Lima beans here!

Now for a blast to the past.  Our MLS compared the Triangle current residential real estate market to the one in 1995 (was that really 17 years ago??).  Into the WABAC* machine we go…

* Pronounced, ‘Way Back”.  For those who do not know who Mr. Peabody & Sherman are, Google ‘em – they are great!

 

ü  The number of closed sales in July, 2012 is 102% higher than July, 1995 closed sales, a growth rate of 6% per year. Not many businesses can match that type of growth!

ü  Average number of closings  are up 16 percent from 1995 closings

And it gets better:

ü  Average home sale price in July, 1995 was $147,000. 

ü  Average home sale price in July, 2012 is $250,000

ü  That’s a 50 percent increase – or 5 percent per year! 

July of 2012 was the first month where activity on the right side of the bubble (2004 - 2007) beat activity on the left

side (2003 and prior).

Analysis of these metrics reinforces how fortunate we have been and far we have come in 17 years.

Are you relocating to our area?  I have helped many who have moved to the Triangle find a great place to live.  I understand your needs and concerns as I, too, came here from ‘someplace else’.  Give me a call!

Want to know more?  My Website

CARY LAZY DAZE IS NEXT SATURDAY!

Here’s all you need to know to have a great day enjoying all the fun activities planned

After falling victim to Hurricane Irene, Cary’s 36th annual Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival is returning to downtown Cary on Saturday, August 25 from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. The festival, named one of the Southeast Tourism Society’s Top 20 Events for August 2012, annually draws over 50,000 people to downtown Cary to enjoy the best artists and craftsmen in the country. Mayor Harold Weinbrecht and the Cary Town council, along with Cary Town Crier and Sister City representative from Markham, Ontario, Canada, John Webster, will open the festival with a ceremony at 8:45 a.m.

When attending, be sure to check out the first ever “Timber!” sculpting competition with chainsaw artists carving all day and competing for prizes. After marveling at the chainsaws, take a minute to attend the Cary Youth Video Project Premiere, a video project by Cary youth created as part of a summer course in documentary filmmaking offered by the Town of Cary. The premiere will feature six original documentaries that explore various topics in and around the Triangle. The young filmmakers will be present to talk about their films and answer questions in the Cary Arts Center at 1 p.m.

While browsing over 380 arts and crafts vendors, guests should be on the lookout for five Little Jerry stuffed toys; spot all five and report to the Information Tent to be registered to win a prize. Artist Guild Demonstrations will also be extended first-time ever to the Cary Arts Center. Guests can also expect festival favorites like the Kid’s World, Our Town, Cultural Arts Row, and the Sister Cities Association Beer Garden.

For the first time, festival goers will have the opportunity to help the Town of Cary divert trash by placing all food and paper waste in our purple event compost bins; bins will be located in all five Lazy Daze food court areas and the Beer Garden. The compost effort is done in partnership with Zero Waste Today.

“Each year, the festival grows to showcase more of the top regional and national artists in our revitalizing downtown,” said Joy Ennis, Festivals Coordinator. “Short of a hurricane, we’ll line the streets of downtown Cary with top-notch art from all corners of the country, so come celebrate in our community.” Ennis added that citizens wanting to get involved with the festival could call (919) 462-3862 for a list of available volunteer opportunities.

The easiest way to get to Lazy Daze is to take one of the free shuttles that will run from Cary Towne Center at Sears to Cary Elementary School. Shuttles will run every 15 minutes beginning at 8:30 a.m., and the last bus leaves Cary Elementary School at 5:30 p.m. Cary Towne Center is located at the corner of Maynard Road and Walnut Street. Limited parking is available at the Cary Town Hall Parking Deck, next to the Herbert C. Young Community Center and across from Cary Town Hall. Handicapped parking is available at Cary Town Hall near the railroad tracks, at the First United Methodist Church parking lot (access off of Walker Street), and at the Cary Elementary School on Kildaire Farm Road.  For the safety of all attendees, pets are not allowed in the festival area.

Proceeds from the festival help fund the Lazy Daze grants program, which returns money into the Cary community in the form of grants to local non-profit arts organizations— approximately $500,000 over the last 34 years.

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!

FOR MORE INFO:

Facebook:   www.facebook.com/CaryLazyDaze

Festival Map

Festival Site

VISIT ME AT: My Website

HOW TO GET THE MOST FROM YOUR AIR CONDITIONER

…. and some fun things I’ll bet you didn’t know!

This summer has been one of those where I think everyone in the nation has had their air conditioning running -- a lot!

Who remembers those days before a/c, sitting on the floor in front of a fan just trying to keep cool and then talking into it to make your voice sound cool, too!  OK, I’m dating myself…  Let’s get to the good stuff:

Fun Fact:  Before air conditioning was invented, cooling was done by saving big blocks of ice cut from frozen lakes and ponds in the winter.  When cooling machines started to be used, they rated their capacity by the equivalent amount of ice melted in a day, which is where the term “ton” came from when talking about the size of a/c units.  A window air conditioner is usually less than one ton.  A small home central air conditioner would be about two tons and a large one about five tons. 

It is very important that your unit is properly sized for your home and needs or it will run more than required, raising your utility bills & burning the unit out faster.

Geek Stuff:  How does a/c work?  The job of your home air conditioner is move heat from inside your home to the outside, thereby cooling you and your home. Air conditioners blow cool air into your home by pulling the heat out of that air. The air is cooled by blowing it over a set of cold pipes called an evaporator coil. This works just like the cooling that happens when water evaporates from your skin. The evaporator coil is filled with a special liquid called a refrigerant, which changes from a liquid to a gas as it absorbs heat from the air. The refrigerant is pumped outside the house to another coil where it gives up its heat and changes back into a liquid. This outside coil is called the condenser because the refrigerant is condensing from a gas back to a fluid just like moisture on a cold window. A pump, called a compressor, is used to move the refrigerant between the two coils and to change the pressure of the refrigerant so that all the refrigerant evaporates or condenses in the appropriate coils.

Fun Fact:  The energy to do all of this is used by the motor that runs the compressor. The entire system will normally give about three times the cooling energy that the compressor uses. This odd fact happens because the changing of refrigerant from a liquid to a gas and back again lets the system move much more energy than the compressor uses. 

How to care for your a/c unit:

·        Keep dirt & obstructions from the coils and drains.

·        Do not plant bushes or place other things around it as it needs clear airflow

·        Do not cover the unit in winter as that can cause condensation & rusting

·        Shut off unneeded electrical appliances, lights & equipment when not in use

·        Shift appliance use (such as washers, dryers, dishwashers) to cooler times of the day or evening

·        Use exhaust fans to remove heat & humidity from kitchens & baths

·        Purchase Energy Star or other efficient appliances

·        Do not run a dehumidifier at the same time as an air conditioner

·        Do not set your thermostat to the ‘fan on’ position.  In this position, the fan blows air all the time, whether your cooling system is running or not & a lot of the moisture your system just took out of the air will be blown back into the house before it can drain away.

Number one simplest, easiest, & most important thing you can do: 

Change those filters as frequently as recommended by the manufacturer

Here’s hoping you’re keeping cool & enjoying these last few weeks of summer!

Visit my Web Page

TAX FREE WEEKEND STARTS FRIDAY!

That's tomorrow!  Don't miss out on needed items for school. G.S. 105-164.13C provides an exemption for certain items of tangible personal property sold between 12:01 A.M. on the first Friday in August and 11:59 P.M. the following Sunday.  Here's a simple guide: Clothing, footwear, and school supplies of $100 or less per item  school instructional materials of $300 or less per item  sports and recreation equipment of $50 or less per item computers of $3,500 or less per item  and computer supplies of $250 or less per item will be exempt Not covered: Clothing accessories  jewelry  cosmetics  protective equipment  wallets (does anyone see irony here?)  furniture items used in a trade or business rentals

The following resources provide additional information about the sales tax holiday: List of Items Exempt During the Sales Tax Holiday List of Frequently Asked Questions Sales and Use Tax Technical Bulletin  Section 34-24 - August Sales Tax Holiday Source:  NC Department Revenue website. Who thinks they should include home purchases next year?  I do! Visit my Web Page