The town of Chapel Hill has added six new spots downtown where you will be able to connect to the internet for free. Hopefully more spots will be coming soon so we won’t have to compete with so many students for a place to sit down and surf. FYI- there is no tech support if you can’t connect so look for a friendly face to help you out.The hotspots, which show up on wireless devices as “TOWNofCH-WiFi,” are located at the following: U.S. Post Office, 179 E. Franklin St.;  Old Town Hall (IFC Shelter), 100 W. Rosemary St.; Town Parking Lot 5, 108 Church St.;  Hargraves Center, 216 N. Roberson St.; Chapel Hill-Orange County Visitors Bureau, 501 W. Franklin St.; and  411 West Restaurant, 411 W. Franklin St. Users within 300 feet of a hotspot should be able to connect.

I just returned from Asheville North Carolina where obtained my SRES certification. As a Senior Real Estate Specialist I am happy to share my knowledge about reverse mortgages ( it’s not for everyone but does have some distinct advantages and disadvantages), housing for 50 and beyond: options in retirement, active adult communities, independent retirement living communities, assisted living communities, skilled care facilities, continuing care communities, and life care communities. I also studied Living Trusts and tax deferred 1031 exchanges. Very few real estate agents offer the SRES certification so please feel free to take me up on my offer share what I’ve learned if you have questions. If I got anything out of the class that will stick with me daily it’s this, these are very personal decisions with various financial options and I would be honored to pass along what I have learned.

There are plenty of things you can do to help you sell your house at a better price and in a shorter amount of time but nothing may be more important than “staging”. Staging is more than decorating, it’s decluttering, it’s creating a sense of spaciousness, it creates an image that appeals to most people. I like to see elegance and minimalist combined so the prospective homeowner can envision there taste and their furniture. Check out the link below for more ideas and staging suggestions.

http://realestate.msn.com/selling/Article2.aspx?cp-documentid=5797784>1=10729

The attached listings are provided via the Triangle MLS and may include listings from many real estate companies, including those of the developer himself.

 http://winmoreneighborhood.com/Inventory.aspx

Community Documents Attached- Subject to Developers Changes and Attorney’s Whims

http://townofcarrboro.com/PZI/PDFs/Winmore%20Design%20Code.pdf

Winmore Master plan ( 6 MB so give it about 50 seconds to load, it’s worth the view)

 http://www.winmoreneighborhood.com/Documents/MasterPlan.pdf

Winmore is a new mixed-use development in Carrboro off of Homestead Road . It’s just a hop skip and a jump to I-40 and less than 5 miles to downtown Chapel Hill’s boutiques and restaurants. The land is spectacular and not surprisingly was bird dogged by Scott Kovens, developer and one of several builders in the neighborhood. We real estate agents are in awe of the way Scott finds land, holds it until the market is ready and carefully plans a community around the natural terrain, not through it.

Winmore is expected to have approximately 96 single family homes, 86 town homes and an unspecified number of funky condos above retail stores. In other words, beautiful and functional without the Pleasantville feel. It’s hard to say where prices will fall and I don’t have preliminary condo information yet but homes should start in the 400’s and hit low 1 million mark. That’s my guess, not their stats.

This is a place where you may work and play where you live leaving your car in the garage for days on end. That alone makes me “green” with envy but for those of us who must drive we appreciate the strict green building requirements and energy efficient systems. The kids will love being so close to the elementary, middle and high schools that they can walk to and fro. The town now offers sidewalks from the neighborhood although not all the way to elementary school yet. Have I mentioned the new neighborhood pool being built, bring out the bikes, roller blades and wagons it’ll be hot again before you know it.

Photo By Fotosearch.com

Just in the nick of time for the holidays, closings are appearing like presents under the tree. New kitchens with granite counters, gorgeous master spas, media rooms for “football season” and large center islands for festive entertaining are just a few of the standard features. My clients have the green light to move in now and will begin the joy of unpacking ornaments and lights just in time to start re-packing them for next year. Oh well, I guess it’s a small trade off for an incredible, luxurious house in a brand new neighborhood. They’ll be thinking of you this summer when they take a dip in the Winmore pool and you’re cussing out your own boxes.

We all know someone who truly doesn’t need a thing for Christmas but we’d like to do something special for them just to let them know we care. I’ve attached a link to charities listed on the American Breast Cancer site. There are some really cool ideas and yes, they’re affordable. Shoes for kids or heat for a class room are two options that are much appreciated.

https://shop.thebreastcancersite.com/store/category.do?siteId=224&categoryId=2559&page=1&view=50&link=Store_BCS_View_50

10 Questions to Ask a Home Inspector

1. What are your qualifications? Are you a member of the American Society of Home Inspectors or National Association of Home Inspectors?

2. Do you have a current license? Inspectors are not required to be licensed in every state.

3. How many inspections of properties such as this do you do each year?

4. Do you have a list of past clients I can contact?

5. Do you carry professional errors and omission insurance? May I have a copy of the policy? 6. Do you provide any guarantees of your work?

New Price $1,649,000    Golf course neighborhood in The Oaks     Features include heated tile floors, sauna, grill house

Halloween festival. The festival will run from 9 p.m. until 1:30 a.m. 

As always, there will be little parking available close to downtown and there will be no place for charter buses to drop off or pick up passengers.  The Town will provide shuttle bus service from four Park-and-Ride Lots to two locations downtown. Visitors are encouraged to use the shuttle buses. They will be the most convenient way to get to and from the Franklin Street area.

Street Closures:
Some downtown streets will be closed to vehicular traffic at 9 p.m.

Streets that will be closed include:

Franklin Street, from Raleigh Street to Roberson Street
Columbia Street, from Rosemary Street to Cameron Avenue
Raleigh Street, from East Franklin to Cameron Avenue (for a shuttle bus stop)
Henderson Street, from East Rosemary Street to East Franklin Street
Residential streets near downtown will be closed except to residents of those streets and their guests.

Parking:
Vehicles parked in the festival area will be towed beginning at 6 p.m.
Vehicles that are illegally parked will be ticketed and towed, with a minimum recovery cost of $103.
Parking will be available in Town parking lots, including the Rosemary Street Deck, for $10 per vehicle.
Media vehicles will not be allowed to park inside the closed perimeter.
Prohibited Items:
Alcohol will not be permitted in the festival area. All other state and local laws pertaining to alcohol will be enforced as usual.

Town ordinances and State statutes prohibit the following items in the closed area:

Alcoholic Beverages
Weapons
Glass Bottles
Paint
Fireworks and Explosives
Flammable Substances
Animals
Coolers
Items, even as part of a costume, which can be used as weapons or could reasonably be mistaken as weapons will be confiscated. This includes items made of wood, metal, cardboard or hard plastic.

Shuttle Buses:
The Town will offer shuttle service between four Park-and-Ride Lots and downtown Chapel Hill. Everyone is encouraged to use the shuttle service.

Shuttle buses will run from 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. The cost is $5 round-trip.

The routes will be:

Jones Ferry Road Lot in Carrboro to South Columbia Street at Cameron Avenue
Southern Village (15-501 South) Lot to South Columbia Street at Cameron Avenue
Friday Center Park & Ride Lot to Cameron Avenue at Raleigh Street.
University Mall to Cameron Avenue at Raleigh Street
For more information, please contact Officer Phil Smith at (919) 968-2760 ext.134 or psmith@townofchapelhill.org.