Some ideas on renovations before selling your Preston Home for Sale – http://www.destinationraleigh.com/cary-nc-real-estate/preston-home-renovations/

There’s Great Shopping in Apex NC

Apex, North Carolina offers more than just great schools, affordable Apex NC Real Estate, and a beautiful downtown historic district. It also offers stores, shops and boutiques for all your shopping pleasure. With the latest opening of Beaver Creek Crossing Shopping Center, located conveniently at the corner of Hwy 55 and Hwy 64, shoppers have many new stores to choose from.

Beaver Creek Commons has been a popular shopping district for locals and the surrounding towns such as Cary, Holly Springs, Morrisville and Fuquay-Varina. With Beaver Creek Commons Super Target being the only one of its kind around for miles, this store draws the neighboring townspeople and now with Beaver Creek Crossings opening a block away, the attraction has grown, drawing more shoppers from distance areas to come and spend a day shopping, dining and perhaps catching a movie at the local Cinema, that is also located in the same vicinity.

Beaver Creek Commons shopping area offers Super Target for department store needs and groceries conveniently located in the same store. This makes it easy to stop in for some great sales items and at the same time pick up food for dinner. Office Max, Lowe’s Hardware, Old Navy and Petsmart are all also located in the Beaver Creek Commons. A brand new hhgregg is opening in this same area where you can purchase, mattresses, the latest in televisions, computers, home audio systems, video games and home and office supplies. Game Stop is a must have store for kids. Here they can get the latest video games, new or used and trade in their old games when they’ve finished playing them.

Apex NC  now offers the new Beaver Creek Crossing Shopping Center, which is drawing shoppers from all around with it’s location being so close to Beaver Creek Commons. For stylish fashions in women’s and men’s clothing, Kohl’s has opened its doors. Dick’s Sporting Goods offers everything for outdoor activities, Ulta Beauty Supplies carries high-end beauty products for hair, make-up and other beauty products. For book lovers, Borders Books offers a coffee cafe along with the latest bestsellers to hobby books, new-age books and more. TJMaxx Home Goods is a wonderful store to find great deals on home furnishings. Between Beaver Creek Commons and Beaver Creek Crossings, you can get all your shopping done and have a delicious lunch at one of the many restaurants in the area such as Chili’s or Pamera Bread, or enjoy some pancakes at the brand new IHOP.

For specialty shops located in the prime historic district, Antiques On Salem Street offers quality previously owned furnishing and house wares. This shop also does furniture refinishing, appraisals and other local sales and services. For finding that perfect one-of-a-kind gift for that hard to buy person, try checking out Blue Tiger Gifts. They offer a unique selection of many different items made by independent artisans and vendors. And for everything you need for baby, the Green Pea Nursery has it all. From car seats to baby clothes and everything in between, this shop offers everything for baby, even diapers. OP Lauren and Scarlet-O are clothing boutiques with classy business wear to formal evening gowns. These two shops are hip! Out of the Kiln Studio and Gift Shop offers wonderful pottery and gift-ware straight out of the on-the-site kiln. All pieces are hand-made from local artisans.

Other specialty shops located around town are, Piggyback Market, offering home furnishings and home decor. The Rusty Bucket home store offers specialty products, vintage appliance reproductions, furnishings, McCall’s Country canning candles and Wilsonville Store sells everything a fisherman needs to reel in the big one. This bait and tackle shop has been serving the community in Apex since 1870.

NC House Senate Nearly Approves $19B Budget

I was just browsing the local news and remembered the Budget our local Senate has come up with today, Tuesday the 29th of June. Take a look and let me know what you think about the plans to secure funds for what looks like our most important areas…IE Education and local needs.

The NC House Senate gave initial approval 31-14 to the nearly $19 billion spending plan followed by the House with a 66-49 margin. The two chambers must approve the bill once again on Wednesday before it heads to big Government.

“We took big cuts and made hard choices, but by tomorrow we will have balanced the budget with our priorities intact,” Perdue said in a news release calling the budget a “clear win” for North Carolina residents. “Most importantly, North Carolina will be positioned to fully recover from this global economic recession.”

Read the entire news release here.

Tourist Attractions in Apex NC

Apex, North Carolina is an industrial suburb of Raleigh, NC. It enjoys the amenities of a big city, which the proximity to Raleigh provides. Duke University, with its cultural and sporting events is in the metropolitan area. It also provides a wide variety of collegiate sporting events along with cultural activities. The Durham Bulls minor league baseball team, which were featured in the film Bull Durham starring Susan Sarandon and Kevin Costner is another of Raleigh’s suburbs. Exquisite golfing courses abound North Carolina, including nearby Cary.

Besides these benefits, Apex deserves recognition of its own right. It is a high growth area. Apex, NC real estate listings offer abundant choices for buyers. People are flocking to Apex, NC real estate for the amenities. Recreation in Apex is fulfilling. It is family friendly with a variety of activities and attraction for all ages. Life in an Apex, NC real estate home offers exceptional educational opportunities, as well as family fun. When you ask your chosen broker about Apex NC real estate, ask about the schools

The word Apex means highest point. The location marked the highest point on the old Chatham Railroad. Therefore, Apex first was a railroad depot which attracted settlers. The railroad still is an of Apex tourist attraction. It sits in an historical district with buildings dating back to the late 18th century. Weather permitting; railroad rides are still available from Apex to about ten miles out. An historic locomotive serves as a museum at this place, it’s really cool!

A major feature of Apex is Jordan Lake Park. It is the summer home of the greatest concentration of bald eagles in the Lower 48 states. Jordan Lakes features eagle watching tours. Apex, NC is a tourist attraction for those who love our national bird. It’s also great for those who love fishing and other door activities. The park features a lake with a 14,000 acre surface area. Visitors can fish or just sit back and maybe catch a glimpse of a bald eagle swoop down for the fish.

Apex is attracting people to visit and many want to stay. The climate is mild. The winters are not so harsh. The summers are spectacular. It’s great for baseball, golf, birding, hiking and swimming. The highs do not normally reach 90ºF in July. The night time lows in July are usually in the upper 60s. This makes camping at Jordan Lake comfortable. The rainfall levels keep the trees and lawns a lush green.

Unemployment in Apex was 6.7 per cent which is 1.8 per cent lower than the rest of the United States. The rate dipped below two per cent before the recession. Crime rates are one third lower in Apex than the rest of the United States, according to FBI statistics. Apex is also a good place to work. Apex, NC real estate listings range from about one hundred thousand dollars to a bit over one million dollars. There are estates with wide landscapes. Some homes are historic while others are modern. Some homes are a bit modest, but there does not seem to be a slum area in Apex.

Dixie Belle’s BBQ in Apex NC

Dixie Belle’s BBQ Restaurant in Apex, NC offers the best barbecue, ribs and chicken around! View our video to catch a glimpse of the tastiest BBQ in North Carolina! Open since December 2004, Dixie Belle’s Bar-B-Q has won many “Best in the Triangle” awards for its savory Pork and Chicken BBQ. Our prices are more than reasonable, as most of our delicious menu is comparable to fast food pricing. Fantastic tastes, full portions, and low prices cause our lunchtime lines to sometimes be backed up out the door.

Survey Finds Homebuyers are Growing Weary of Purchasing Foreclosures

According to an article in Money Watch,  less people are purchasing homes that are in foreclosure than most people might think. In fact, according to two popular real estate search sites, the overall interest in purchasing foreclosures has fallen from 55% to 43%.

Why is the interest in foreclosures declining? According to Pet Flint who is the co-founder and CEO of Trulia, 81% of Americans currently view purchasing foreclosures in a negative light for three major reasons. These include:

• The perceived “hidden costs” involved with purchasing a foreclosure property
• The perceive risks involved with purchasing a foreclosed property
• The fear of the property losing value after it is purchased

Conversely, a previous survey conducted in May of 2008 found that only 69% of people had a negative perception regarding purchasing foreclosures.

Despite the fact that homebuyers are showing a decreased interest in purchasing foreclosures, the survey found that renters, real estate investors and trade-up buyers are remaining consistently interested in purchasing Cary NC Homes for sale. Furthermore, despite the negative perception that many people feel about purchasing foreclosures, the survey did find that about 25% of adults would be interested in purchasing a second home and that 92% of those would purchase a foreclosure. Other findings of the survey include:

• Nearly 24% of current homeowners consider themselves at least “somewhat likely” to trade up for a larger home, with 88% of those being interested in purchasing a foreclosure property
• 57% of renters reported that they were at least “somewhat likely” to purchase a distressed property, with 61% of those between the ages of 18 and 34 feeling this way, compared to 65% of those between the ages of 35 and 44 and 40% of those who are 55 or older
• 65% of those who would consider purchasing a foreclosure would expect to receive a discount of at least 30%, while 53% of those purchasing a foreclosure in the Northeast would expect a discount of at least 50%
• 95% of the respondents said they would be willing to spend money toward fixing up the foreclosure, with 55% of respondents being willing to spend at least 20% of the purchase price toward fix-ups

So, despite the fact that purchasing foreclosures has garnered some negative feelings from some potential homebuyers, experts still believe foreclosure sales will continue to have a major impact on the housing market throughout 2010. This is particularly true for families that are interested in trading up, for investors who are looking to take advantage of good deals and for renters who are interested in becoming first time homeowners.

5 Reasons to Buy a Cary, North Carolina Home

Cary is a town just a few minutes South West of Raleigh North Carolina. Over the last few decades this town has seen significant growth. There are a number of reasons why so many people call Cary home and here are 5 reasons why you should purchase a Cary NC home:

#1  Safety -  For the eleventh year in a row, Cary has been named the safest Town to live in for the state of North Carolina. In the annual Crime Ranking Report in the CQ Press, Cary was noted for its effective Police force and lack of serious crimes.

#2 Employment Opportunities -  The average household income is significantly higher than in many towns in the U.S., at $75,000.00 annually. This is is partially due to the fact that Cary is very convenient employers including IBM, SAS, Cisco and many other large companies.

#3 Large Home Inventory -  Like the rest of the county, the Greater Raleigh housing market was impacted by the recent economic downturn. This has led to a large number of homes on the market with very few buyers, a term commonly known as a “buyer’s market”. There are currently over 1,000 Cary NC homes for sale. This abundance of inventory has forced sellers to lower their prices and be more negotiable on their asking price.

#4 First Time Home Buyer Credit - The First Time Homebuyer Credit was recently extended and expanded. Now current homeowners who buy a new home are also eligible for a tax break. The newly revised credit also increases the maximum homebuyers can earn yearly. The extension of the homebuyer credit makes it a perfect time to purchase a Cary home.

#5 Activities around Town – There are  dozens of parks in Cary that offer a variety of activities, including hiking, boating, and several other outdoor activities. The beautiful weather makes Cary a perfect location for all of this outdoor fun. Cary also has amphitheaters that host amazing shows and concerts. There are a lot of arts and crafts fairs that occur in Cary, showcasing the unique talents of individuals. Cary also has eight community centers that offer year round activities for everyone.

If buying a house is a decision that you are considering, then Cary, North Carolina might be the ideal place for you. Whether you are looking for a place to jump-start your career or just a place to settle down with your family, Cary has all of the accommodations to serve you. It’s low crime rate, variety of houses for sale, good schools, weather, and activities are all very good reasons to decide on Cary, North Carolina.

Txting and driving now illegal in Raleigh NC – http://www.destinationraleigh.com/technology/texting-driving-illegal/

Raleigh NC set to expand Cultural Experiences -http://www.greaterraleighrealty.com/blog/exciting-cultural-expansions-taking-place-in-raleigh-nc.html

New Walmart in Apex NC has opened it’s doors – http://www.greaterraleighrealty.com/blog/new-walmart-in-apex-nc-offers-numerous-conveniences.html