Archive for May, 2008
North Raleigh Homes For Sale - Bedford Still Going Strong
May 29th, 2008 Categories: Bedford, New Construction Homes, North Raleigh
The Bedford neighborhood in North Raleigh has been one huge success story. This neighborhood has won multiple awards for design and planning. Once you visit Bedford, you’ll understand why.
The neighborhood is full of tree lined streets, sidewalks on both sides of the street, parks and common areas, ponds, walking trails, a community center with swimming pools and tennis courts. There is even a four sided clock in an old fashioned town square. Just hang out for a bit and you will see kids playing in the parks, adults running and walking dogs. People stopping by a neighbor’s porch to chat for a while. Yes, the old fashioned community feeling is alive and well in Bedford.
And don’t fret if you have been on the fence waiting to buy a home in this great community. There are plenty of opportunities left and the neighborhood amenities just keep on getting better and better.
The latest phase of Bedford is now open and there are about 20 homes in inventory at any given time. This new phase is called the Wainwright Collection and features some of the area’s very best builders. Well known custom builders such as Houseman, Woodard, Tingen, CityScape, Rice, and Timberline are building some really great homes that will keep the Bedford building tradition going for a few more years.
The first phases of Bedford sold really well despite a common comment that the yard sizes were a bit on the small size. With a neighborhood design such as Bedford, with so much common area and walking trails and sidewalks, small lot sizes have worked much better that you might think. However, the developer has listened to the feedback and responded with larger lot sizes in the new phase.
Home sites are now 1/3 acre minimum with some cul-de-sac lots measuring even bigger. There are even basement lots available. Almost unheard of in the Raleigh real estate market.
There are some brand new neighborhood amenities on the way that will make Bedford an even more convenient place to live. A new commercial center is under construction near the clock tower. There will be a day care center, fitness center and an Italian restaurant for starters. Once these things take off, who knows what will be next.
Home prices for finished inventory range from $217,000 for townhomes to $700,000 for some incredible homes with tons of custom details. If you haven’t checked out Bedford in North Raleigh yet, you owe it to yourself to pay a visit. If you would like a personal tour of some of the finished homes, or want to take a look at available lots for per-sale opportunities, just give me a call at 919-602-7000, or send me an email.
Search all Bedford homes for sale
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Heritage Wake Forest - New Park Facilities Under Construction
May 20th, 2008 Categories: Heritage, Wake Forest
Okay, here are the photos I promised of the new recreational facilities now under construction at Heritage Wake Forest. If you are planning to buy a new home in Heritage, you will REALLY appreciate this facility.
Here’s the sign at the project site.
There will be a good sized pond with paved walking trails, playground equipment, and two areas that look like some kind of dock. One is covered and the other is not. There also looks like a general recreational area being laid out on the other side of the pond.
The uncovered dock area.
The covered dock area.
The playground equipment.
A portion of the paved walkway leading to the covered dock area.
A different side of the covered dock area. Looks like a picnic table and some seating area will be included.
The new Wake Forest Greenway System will run by the pond and wander throughout the neighborhood.
There are brand new building lots all around this area, as well as new home inventory and homes under construction. You could be an easy walk from your new home to this facility.
The Heritage Wake Forest neighborhood keeps on getting better and better. Want to see what’s available in the neighborhood? Click here to search all Heritage homes for sale.
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New Lots, a Park, and a Pond at Heritage Wake Forest
May 14th, 2008 Categories: Heritage, New Construction Homes, Wake Forest
I was just out at the sales center for Heritage Wake Forest and found out about some exciting new developments. If you’ve always wanted to be in this awesome community and were afraid it might sell out before you were ready, fear not.
In addition to the 121 new construction homes in inventory right now and the 67 re-sale homes, over 200 brand new lots have just been released. Opportunities for new homes for sale in Heritage will be going on for a while.
The other neat thing I found out is there is a brand new park with a very nice pond feature that is just about complete. I drove by it and it will be an really nice park area for the neighborhood. I didn’t have time for photos, but I promise to take some in the next few days and write another article.
Click here to take a look at some of the homes for sale in Heritage Wake Forest?
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What Happens If My New Home Is Delayed?
May 9th, 2008 Categories: Buying a Home, New Construction Homes
Builders contracts favor them and do very little to protect the buyer. That’s simply a fact. One often glossed over term in a builder’s contract is the amount of time allowed for delay of construction.
I sell a lot of new construction homes in the Raleigh area, and therefore, get the pleasure of reading sales contracts of all shapes and sizes. Please understand that most builders do not use the standard North Carolina Real Estate contract, which does not favor either buyers or sellers, but does a pretty good job of allowing the transaction to occur without either party harming the other. Most builder’s contracts are very different from our standard contract.
There are some fairly scary terms in these things, but none quite as frightening as the one that deals with what happens if either the buyer or the builder delays closing. Did you know that each of these causes for delay are handled quite differently?
What happens if the buyer delays closing?
This is very simple. According to the vast majority of builder’s contracts I have read, the buyer owes the builder money for each day closing is delayed. The amounts typically range from $50-100 per day. A 30 day delay, caused by the buyer, could cost you $3,000.
Hmmm… so that must mean that if the builder causes a delay in closing the buyer also gets monetary damages, right? Not exactly.
What happens if the builder delays closing?
This is simple too. The builder has two years to complete the home. How would you like to put a new home under contract, schedule it to close in August of 2008, and later discover that the home would not be ready until August 2010?
It’s interesting that whenever I challenge this term with a builder’s representative they usually respond that there’s nothing to worry about and that this has never happened to any of their deals. Well, if it never happens, let’s take it out of the contract.
Sometimes I can get this term excluded as part of the negotiations. It is a little easier to negotiate this now because sales are down and inventory is high. It is also easier to get the exclusion if the home is near completion.
Builder’s contracts are binding. If you sign one, you are bound by its terms and conditions. You either need to be a very good negotiator, or have someone representing you who is, if you plan on getting any modifications.
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Raleigh Home Seller Seminar
April 22nd, 2008 Categories: Events, Selling a Home
| May 13, 2008 | ||
| 6:30 pm | to | 8:00 pm |
You’re invited to a FREE seminar on How To Sell Your Home For Top Dollar In A Challenging Market. Come hear a panel of experts discuss how to edge out the competition. With local residential real estate inventory up and home sales down, this is a message that needs to be heard.
Learn how to:
- determine a competitive market price that will net you more money
- stage your home to beat the competition
- create curb appeal that draws buyers like a magnet
- calculate net proceeds to determine your bottom line
- pre-qualify potential buyers to minimize your risk
Refreshments will be provided.
Tuesday - May 13th at 6:30pm
Reserve your place today by calling Tonya at 919-882-2175 or sending an email to tmartin(at)wrstarkey(dot)com
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