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

close to town yet private and serene

Incase you may know someone who’s looking for a house, this one is a great opportunity if you like views of nothing but nature and the sound of birds and leaves rustling. Originally built in the 1990’s the owners hired a Boston architect to design a major addition and added a fabulously open and bright family room, a new master suite and a second family room. It’s tucked into a cul-de-sac with expansive views of woods, nature and a meandering creek. It’s slightly under 3,000 feet and is offered at $438,000. Showings begin in less than a week so call me or email me if you’d like to be first. 919-929-2005. More photos will appear shortly.

Chapel Hill Launches Wi-Fi Pilot Project

The Town of Chapel Hill this Friday will activate six Wi-Fi hotspots in the downtown area, giving the public free access to the internet along much of Franklin Street.

The provision of wireless internet service to citizens has ranked as a top priority goal for the Town Council. The launching of wireless hotspots in downtown is considered a pilot project and a step forward toward this goal. The hotspots, which show up on wireless devices as “TOWNofCH-WiFi,” are located at the following (see map at http://www.townofchapelhill.org/DocumentView.asp?DID=1904):

(1.) U.S. Post Office, 179 E. Franklin St.
(2.) Old Town Hall (IFC Shelter), 100 W. Rosemary St.
(3.) Town Parking Lot 5, 108 Church St.
(4.) Hargraves Center, 216 N. Roberson St.
(5.) Chapel Hill-Orange County Visitors Bureau, 501 W. Franklin St.
(6.) 411 West Restaurant, 411 W. Franklin St.

Bob Avery, information technology director, said users within 300 feet of a hotspot should be able to connect, although the ability to connect will depend on the capability of the user’s device and the amount of obstructions between the user and the antenna. For a street level user, trees, buses, trucks and buildings will all reduce the quality of the connection signal.

The Town will soon provide information to the public by website, media and signage to help promote the hotspots and explain how they may be used. More information will be provided at the homepage of www.townofchapelhill.org.

The hotspots have been installed using Clearwire modems. These are attached to standard Wi-Fi access points with high gain antenna to provide the signal for public use.

The Town will not provide direct user support but does hope to be able to respond to and resolve outages or other service problems as they occur. To report comments and problems, please contact the Town at wifi@townofchapelhill.org.
 

Here are my most recent new listings. You can see more detail on my web site rememberkim.com

112 Bolinwood Drive Chapel Hill  $569,000

126 Peppertree Drive  $259,900 Mebane

518

518 Lafayette Drive

$219,900 Hillsborough

The national average for home appreciation is 4.25% down from 12.6% , In our area Raleigh/Cary appreciated 6.42% and Durham appreciated 7.07% first quater 2007. Eighteen months ago it was 5.11% and 5.61%. Numbers for Orange county were not available in the report. I have seen 6-10% over the last few years depending on location, floor plan and condition. I think Winmore will do very well on appreciation, similiar to Southern Village and Meadwmont.

On June 4^th the public is invited to a groundbreaking ceremony for the new Southern Community Park. It will take place at 11:00am at the edge of the woods by the Park and Ride Lot in Southern Village. A tour of the park will take place at the end of the ceremony. Construction should begin in late June or July this year. It will be the 11^th largest park in

Many people think that a “Buyers Market” means great prices for buyers and desperate sellers are willing to negotiate much more willingly. That may be true in areas of the country where house appreciation varies by 10, 20 or even 30% but in our area we are much more conservative with  market swings. Historically the average re-sale home averages 98.5% of the asking price and a six week closing is normal. In Chapel Hill we have a finite number of houses in the school district and new home neighborhoods take years to get approval from the town. We’re fortunate in that these two factors shield us  more so than in other towns. We also have a great number of employers in various industries that are within commuting distance of Chapel Hill thereby protecting us from a major layoff that might put too many houses on the market at one time. My experience has been that our prices pretty much remain the same but we’ll wait longer for a contract. If you have the time, it’s not a bad market at all for sellers. The last listing I sold only took 2 months and they got full price.

At last the final recordation of plats and lots has happened and just in time for the ribbon cutting  ceremony last Wednesday afternoon. The orchards are being planted, roads are in, lumber has been ordered and house foundations will begin in the next couple of weeks. This is the time to jump on board for a new home if you think you may be in the market. The floor plans I’ve seen are some of the best in the area and reasonably priced in my opinion. The sidewalks on Homestead are being built, the new Carrboro elementary school is underway, there’s a new park approved on Homestead Road near the high school, and the new aquatics center is just a mile down the road. It’s about 2 1/2 miles to I-40 or about 5 miles to downtown Chapel Hill. Sounds good doesn’t it?

With technology being so prevalent in all sorts of forums it’s easy to get lost on the internet trying to find a house in the Chapel Hill-Carrboro school district. Many addresses are listed in Chapel Hill but may be in Durham, Chatham or Orange county school districts. If you’re on my web site you can search by specific school names or if you are not familiar with the schools but know that you want the district, search by our two high schools. Currently Chapel Hill High and East Chapel Hill High are the only ones but in the fall 2007 Carrboro High will open so be sure to add this one to your search. One of the newest neighborhoods in the area is Winmore.