What Are You Waiting For?

Good news for Triangle residents wanting to sell their home....Sales are UP!  What does this mean for you as a seller?  It means the game has changed and you now have a good chance of selling your home a bit faster than this time last year.  Sales were up 19% over last year according to the Triangle MLS.  Pending sales of homes are also up by 27% which translates to a decrease in inventory.  Plus,  days on market continues to trend downward to 115.  All excellent signs of a revival in our housing market.

For our Triangle residents wanting to buy their first home or maybe move-up into a larger home what do the numbers mean?  It means you better get moving before all the good homes get snatched up!  That's right, we're seeing multiple offers on the homes in pristine condition, priced right and in the better locations.  I can attest to the increased activity and quick sale on homes because one of my listings went under contract in just over a week from list date.  Another of my listings has had fourteen showings in just over 3 weeks on market and is in the running for a possible offer this weekend.  For my seller's it is a welcome change from the past few years. 

The market is back, healthy and active.  So to all you buyers and sellers out there, get off that fence and give me a call.  Now is your time to make the move....and I would love to help!

Neighborhood News

It's amazing what we learn when we look closely at something we've driven past for the last sixteen years.  That's how long I've driven by the MacArthur Park community over the years.  All through elementary and middle school as I'd drive my son to school, I passed this area.  It's literally right down the road.  Even though one of my buyer's bought in this neighborhood, I never really knew the makeup of the neighborhood.  So I set out to discover my next door neighbor...


What I found as I drove through MacArthur Park are beautiful homes of every size sitting on generous lots with full grown trees, well kept lawns and lots of people walking with their friends and pets.  MacArthur Park is hooked up to the Cary Greenway systems and is absolutely charming.  Not to mention it is located near an elementary and middle school that have very high ratings and a large active parent population. 


Prices welcome not only the first time buyer but also the move-up buyer.  In the past year homes that sold ranged in list price from $229,900 up to $349,900.  The sizes are varied too at 2000 square feet to over 3100 square feet.  Something for everyone!  Many of the homes have been updated and those that have not can be purchased at a reasonable price so you can update to your taste.


One more thing, it's close to everything you could possibly need!  The Cary YMCA is across the street, Bond Park for playing and fishing is accessible from the Greenway, and, most important, you can walk your kids to school and then walk on down to the Fresh Market and pick up ingredients for dinner that evening.  Or maybe you'd like to drop off your dry-cleaning, get a hair cut or shop for a new outfit...it's all right here in your own neighborhood!


Check out MacArthur Park the next time you're in the area at Waldo Rood and MacArthur Park Drive, in Cary, NC.  Enjoy your drive through the neighborhood!  Of course, if you or a friend would like to tour any of the active listings, give me a call!

Keeping the Momentum

It's done, finished, adios Go90X.   What to do now with all this extra time?  Answer:  keep the momentum going!  Which is no easy task, but I'm trying, really.  Today is the first day it actually feels done.  Since I spent all of yesterday at the office (it was Sunday) today I've decided to take a break, sort of a break.  While my husband was at an appointment this morning which required me to be there so I could drive him home,  I cleaned out and organized over 350 emails.  I've made a buyer appointment for Wednesday and a seller appointment tonight to finish the details on a new listing.  So, I'd say the momentum continues.  Remember, Spring is here, rates are low and inventory is rising since this is the busy season.  Lots of options to choose from!  Call me if you or someone you know is buying or selling, I'd love to help!

Photo from www.basketball-basic.com

I Got This, Totally!

Go90X is done in the next 24 hours and I am counting the minutes!  I’ve always been a person that loves to check tasks off from a list.  I think I’m over that obsession now, thank you very much!  What are my top 10 thoughts about the last 29 days?  Trust me, I had more than ten but they’re better left alone.....

10. I enjoyed interacting with the other agents involved who supported each

other.

9. I loved the structure of our days, it helped keep me focused.

8. I’m not as technology challenged as I thought, I now have a YouTube channel, although I still can’t handle listening to my Michigan accent.

7. Handwritten notes are a dying craft and yet mean so much to those that are the recipients.

6. I love to Blog, whether people read my Blog or not.  It’s a great outlet for  

thoughts, feelings or whatever is happening in my personal and business 

life at the time. 

5. I’ve learned to love Tweeting, it has the same attention span as me, short

and sweet.

4. This is a tough business, every day.

3. I work for a company that truly wants me to succeed.

2. I still detest those phone calls.  So when I call, just put me out of my 

misery and pick up the  #@%! phone.  I thank you kindly, really. 

1. I got this, totally!

Image courtesy of Google Images, reputation doctor.com  

Take Me As I Am

Today our homework for Go90X was to post a video introducing ourselves to our sphere group (yeah, that's you).  Like you don't already know me!  Anyway, not one to skip homework, I've attached the link to my YouTube channel (still have a hard time thinking I have one of those).  Hopefully, you'll  "Take Me As I Am."


http://youtu.be/br61Af8_xO8

Hello, It's Me Calling

We all do something to earn a living so we can pay the bills, save for our future or college for our kids, and hopefully have some money left over to have fun.  Well, I do real estate to earn my living and I do it daily whether I want to or not.  Yup, like you, there are days that I struggle with my career choice.  Many people think Realtors just fall into the business, which some do, or do it in between their tennis or golf, which does happen.  Many people think it’s easy, so why not go into the business!  Idiots is what I call those people, no offence.  I don’t do this part time, just for fun or to earn a little extra “pin” money.   Real estate is what I’ve chosen to practice to contribute to my family's finances and I’m happy with my choice.  I just have good days and bad, like everybody.  But recently I’ve had lots of good days.  Even while making my dreaded, hated, calls.  Those of you who know me, know I detest prospecting calls.  So I avoid them at all cost.  I can be really creative with my excuses!  Not making them does cost me, in missed referrals and the opportunity to catch up with friends and former clients on the phone.  Being in real estate is tough.  It is a daily battle to keep in front of people, including my friends and family, so they remember this is what I do for my living and will, hopefully, remember me when someone they know wants to buy or sell a home.  But because of my recent move to Go Realty, making these phone calls doesn’t seem so hard.  I have no idea why, maybe its the contagious, positive environment they insist we all maintain. Or maybe it’s the thought of giving my first Go Gives Back check to The Healing Place or even the thought of playing Angry Bird on my new Ipad at the end of February. (Notice how I’m calling it MY Ipad?)  Maybe it was that Mimosa I was given when I came in today, Valentine's Day, for our Go Show (sales meeting).  Who knows, all I do know is that something has changed in my attitude.  Doing this job is more fun than it was in the past, not easier, but more fun.   I hope you have fun at your job, after all, we spend a good portion of our lives "on the job"!  What do you do to earn your “living” and what do you love about your job? I'd love to hear your thoughts...

Go90X - Ready or Not, Here I Come!

Tuesday begins the traditional Go90X challenge at my company, Go Realty.  This challenge lasts for the next month and includes daily relationship building activities.   It is an intensive program designed to work our business in new and different ways.  Part of me is totally intimidated, after all I’m competing with alumni of the original Go90X.  The other part of me is thinking, “Thank the Lord!  Finally I’ll have a daily plan of action to follow that will guide me as I learn.”  The challenge is designed around the concept of the P90X exercise program that is so popular.  I even have a copy of it, somewhere.  There are the Core Workouts (phone calls, hand written notes, MLS work, etc.) and then there are the Muscle Confusion exercises (video creation, blogging, Tweeting, listing presentations, etc.).  Everyday will be different and challenging.  Some exercises will be easy, some will stretch us in new ways.  By the end, I expect to be strong in areas where I was weak, and more toned in areas where I had some muscle but needed a bit of fine tuning.  Kind of like my body actually, but we won’t go there.  Either way, I’ll be better!  Of course, the winning prize is a big incentive.  It’s an I Pad 2 (or hopefully the new 3)!

I know that you who are my friends, family and clients will support me.  So, when I call or email you in the next month, feel free to answer your phone and chat or shoot me an email back and tell me how your life is going.  I do love keeping in touch and I plan on doing a much better job with that particular core exercise in 2012.  Of course, if you could send up a prayer that my family is still speaking to me by the end of this challenge that would be appreciated too.....

Let the Games Begin!

Photo compliments of Winnond

Why Go Realty?

This is my first experience of "Blogging."  The Blog name comes from where I spend many hours daily and also serves as my home office, my sunporch.  My goal is to post thoughts and reflections on daily happenings I hope you all will find helpful, mind opening and most of all, fun. Whether it is life thoughts or real estate information, I welcome your input, your ideas and your humor. With that said, many people have asked me "Why Go Realty and what is with that name?"  Well, here's my answer...

I consider myself a "slightly conservative"--depending on my mood, play by the books, stay inside the line, kind-of-girl.  I was raised with a father that was a banker, also conservative, but quietly so.  My mom, on the other hand, never believed in staying within the lines and was not even remotely conservative...and she managed to teach her three girl's (and my brother) that stepping outside of the lines was necessary in life if you wanted to grow and be a better person. 

For me, moving from the big blue giant and over to the smaller but way more progressive Go Realty, I finally stepped outside of the lines!  It was not a decision I made at the spur of the moment but one that took many months, lots of conversation with friends, family and even past clients.  At Big Blue I had earned my own office over the years and this was a huge deal to many agents, including me at the time.  At Go their philosophy is totally different.  We work together in a big open space with lots of windows, comfy chairs and huge, beautiful pictures of the family's we have helped in the purchase or sale of their home in the Triangle area.  We're surrounded with the reason we do what we do and it is very refreshing!

The name Go Realty?  At Go there is a strong feeling that we have a responsibility to those around us to Go Be Better. "Go" be a better, wife, mother, daughter, community volunteer, Catholic, Realtor, and person. It's as simple as that.

Go Realty is not your father's real estate company!