For all you New Year’s revelers, First Night celebrations are being held in downtown Raleigh tonight. It’s a family oriented event which features a ferris wheel this year! And of course, there will be the annual Acorn Drop. If you are traveling or partying, be safe. Here’s wishing you and yours a prosperous and healthy 2012!

Carrie

 

   For the first time since I have lived in Raleigh, I will be seeing Ira David Wood III’s, A Christmas Carol.  It’s playing now at the Progress Energy Center.  I’m so excited to finally see one of the greatest holiday traditions in our area.  You can still get tickets here!

  We have a lot of other holiday traditions too!   Today is the last opportunity to go on the Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour.  11 homes are on tour.  It starts at 1:00pm and lasts until 7pm.

  WinterFest kicked off last weekend and lasts through January 29th.  This is set up on Fayetteville Street and features an outdoor ice skating rink.  On Dec. 18th, WinterFest will host Sledding Sunday!   Don’t forget to check it out after dark, because the tree is lit, too!

  There is so much to enjoy this holiday season in Raleigh!  Check for other events, including shopping extravaganzas, here!  I hope you enjoy spending time with friends and family through the end of this year, wherever you are!  And here’s to a prosperous 2012! 

 

 

 

I was just reading a “Guide to Real Estate” app on my new iPad (from which I am also writing this blog). I was mostly curious to see the section about “dealing with real estate agents.”. Among the things this guide tells home buyers to do is to NOT tell your agent your maximum price when asked, “what price range are you looking in?” The author’s reason: the agent has “got you” and will try to sell you at the highest price to make the highest commission.

I have a few rebuttals:

1. Think about this for a minute- my check goes up about $100 for every $10,000 increment the buyer spends. And quite honestly, I had to calculate that for this post because that’s how little I think about it. Who knew, I really care about my clients getting the right house at the right price?

2. How am I supposed to help you find the house that best meets your criteria if you are not honest with me about what you are willing to (and by the way are APPROVED) to pay for? I know everyone wants a deal, but they want certain things that may only be available in certain price points. Let me also point out that for every $10,000 more you finance- that increases your monthly payment by approximately $50 (if interest rates remain the same from one calculation to the next.)

3. It has never even occurred to me to “get” one of my clients by selling them on a home at maximum price. There are a lot of things I think about- is maximum price a “deal?” Well, maybe and maybe not. That’s why I do a market analysis on each home a client is considering. Is the house overpriced and will it appraise? Unless you have cash, you won’t be buying the house if it doesn’t appraise.

Here’s the part that gets me, especially where buyers are concerned. I know you are smart. I know you have done your research. I know you have read articles on how to “reverse sell” your agent and outsmart them.

I also know the average person sells/buys 4 homes in a lifetime. Most full-time agents are engaged in the purchase or selling of a home 4 times a month. And, in North Carolina, the seller pays the buyer’s agent commission. So, the expert advice of a a buyer’s agent is essentially free to you!

Not every agent or salesperson is out to get you. Some of them truly do care about your life’s biggest dreams. Some agents actually even want to be your friend, despite what the app article I read says, “they are NOT your friend.”

But, this is what I do for a living. Just as you go to work and get a check for the work you have done. The difference is, I don’t get paid to show you houses or drive you around. I get paid when you buy one.  And as long as you are honest with me about what you want and can afford- I’m in in it for the long haul- as many of my clients can attest.  So, when I ask you about your price ranged whether you have talked to an agent, it’s so I can help BOTH of us. Oh, and I’ll answer any questions you have- day or night or on the weekends- for FREE! And I always try to do the right thing.

There are tons of things to do this Halloween in the Triangle area!  If you like ghosts, try the Raleigh Haunted Footsteps Ghost Tour.  This is a family-friendly event.  If you are sans kids and looking for ghosts, try the Ghost Tour/Pub Crawl with Tobacco Road Tours .  I did this a couple of weeks ago and it was awesome.  Tell ‘em I sent you!  You can also hunt ghosts by participating in the Annual Haunted Mordecai Festival.

If you want to go on an adventure, try these: McKee Cornfield Maze Two-acre children’s maze and 12-acre family maze. The big maze has approximately 4-miles of labyrinth pathways. Pumpkin patch. Fridays 3-8pm; Saturdays 10 a.m. -8 p.m.; Sundays 1-7 p.m. The Haunted Trail and Cornfield Maze occurs October 22,23,29,30 and 31. Check McKee Cornfield Maze for times for the Haunted Trail and Maze. Cedar Creek Farm is located 15 miles from Durham, North Carolina; in Northern Orange County off of Highway 57 on Kiger Rd.  Ken’s Korny Corn Maze Two and a half mile corn maze. Rope maze. Hay rides. Haunted Corn Maze October 15,16, 22,23, 29,30,31. $17 admission to haunted maze. Check website for haunted corn maze discounts. Hwy. 50, South Garner.

There will be trick-or-treating at Triangle Town Center and Cary CrossRoads.

And there are plenty of party for the big kids, too.  Costume contests will be held at Napper Tandy’s Irish Pub on West Street in Raleigh and Tir Na Nog Irish Pub on Blount Street.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween everyone!

 

This is great! First stop Isaac Hunter’s Tavern on Fayetteville. Lots of good Raleigh ghost stories!

Carrie Pitts Surti
(919) 389-6676
Surtic@hpw.com
Www.CarrieSurti.com
Twitter: @RaleighCarrie

Sent from my Palm Pixi on AT&T

The NC State Fair is underway in Raleigh! What am I going to eat? Fried Oreos, cheesesteak, funnel cake, corn dog, fried bubblegum? Yes!! Great weather too!

Carrie Pitts Surti
(919) 389-6676
Surtic@hpw.com
Www.CarrieSurti.com
Twitter: @RaleighCarrie

Sent from my Palm Pixi on AT&T

 

Raleigh is America’s BEST city according to Bloomberg’s Business Week!  This includes surrounding areas too!  Check it out!

The article lets you check home equity rates, too!  Remember to call me if you are relocating or need to buy or sell a home in Raleigh!

 

Carrie Pitts Surti

Coldwell Banker HPW

Relocation Specialist/ Short Sale and Foreclosure Resource

919-389-6676

 

This is an interesting article written by my former NBC 17 colleague Jen Wig for the Raleigh Public Record.   She talks about changes to downtown Raleigh neighborhoods and how people who live there and are moving there feel about that.  It features my clients who renovated the home on Camden Street using a 203 k loan.  Enjoy!

http://www.raleighpublicrecord.org/news/2011/09/14/e-raleigh-changes-elicit-mixed-feelings/

Just heavy wind and rain here in Raleigh from Irene.  But sadly, there are some reports of people dead and missing in NC and Virginia.  And there are LOTS of people without power.  Irene is hangin out for a while, too.  Stay safe if you are in her direct path!

Here are some pictures I snapped as she made her way across the Triangle:

 

 

 

So, for the first time EVER, Cary’s Lazy Daze Festival has been cancelled due to Hurricane Irene.   Meet the Tarheels has also been cancelled in Chapel Hill.  And yikes- some flights out of RDU have already been cancelled.   Certainly, travel to the beach is not advised.  To my Triangle peeps, I say:  get your sweats on, curl up with a good book or a movie and just wait it out this weekend.  It looks like we could get some strong wind and rain.  To those truly in Irene’s path: God Speed.  She’s a monster and did more than ruin lots of people’s weekend.  She has caused some serious devastation south of us.  Hopefully she won’t do much more damage.  Keep watching your local news for constant updates and other cancellations.  Most of all- be safe!