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Dinner with Marlene at The Irregardless Cafe in Raleigh, NC

Last night I had the pleasure enjoying a fantastic meal with a friend who is also a real estate client of mine. I met Marlene when I joined the Raleigh Delta Zeta Alumni Chapter in the mid 90's. We became friends first, then when it was time to sell her townhome in Cary, she called me. I sold it for her & sold her a new home in Cary. Then a few years later she called again to sell that home for her & help her buy her dream home on the other side of Cary. Needless to say, I was quite surprised when she called a while back to talk to me about selling the dream home and maybe moving to Briar Chapel (it's in Chatham Co, but so close to Chapel Hill, that has a Chapel Hill address) or Downtown Raleigh!

Marlene's Original Dream Home in Cary

A few months ago we attended an event featuring local chefs at Briar Chapel, the neighborhood where she is considering building a home. They had set up local chefs in each of their models, so as you toured the models, you sampled a culinary delight. At each house they had a drawing for a gift certificate to the restaurant where that chef works. To my great surprise I won the gift certificate to The Irregardless Cafe in Raleigh. Which both Marlene & I agreed was the best of the bunch. And, that was saying a lot, as the others were quite delicious.

Fast forward to last night. Marlene & I finally were able to get our schedule to sync up so we could enjoy our "girl's night" out. When we arrived at The Irregardless Cafe, we were shocked at how full it was, and I was left wondering if I should have made reservations. As it turned out, they were hosting Science Cafe Raleigh. The topic that night was Livability & Sustainability in the Triangle. Perfect for a real estate agent & client who is considering purchasing a home in downtown Raleigh.

Last night was a great example of why I love what I do.  Working with friends who become clients or clients who become friends is one of the best parts of my job.  It is those times that I get to combine work with pleasure.  I have heard some agents say that it is unprofessional to socialize with their clients.  To each his own.  Personally, I feel that trust is the most important element of any relationship.  When clients get to know who you really are, beyond the business persona, then they can really begin to trust that you will take care of them like you would a friend or family member.  Once that happens you become a valuable asset to them, someone they want to work with any time they buy or sell a home and they feel comfortable about referring you to their friends & family.

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In case, you are like us and hadn't heard of Science Café Raleigh. It is a monthly event where, for the price of a cup of coffee or a glass of wine, anyone can participate in topical discussions with leaders in the fields of science and technology. Hosted by local Sigma Xi chapters and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, these monthly talks are located in coffee shops, bars and restaurants around Raleigh and promote discussion of science in an informal community setting.

Visit http://naturalsciences.org/programs-events/science-talks for a schedule of upcoming events.

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The following is an email I received after the drywall that had been donated by Stock Building Supply to the Gilliam & Associates Realty Nashville Flood Relief Drive arrived in Nashville.  It is from Kim Council with the Community Resource Center in Nashville, TN.

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NO-REAL-FRONT-09-11.pdf Download this file

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Article on the Gilliam & Associates Realty Nashville Flood Relief Drive I organized during the summer of 2010.

In this picture from the 1985 NC State Fair, I am at the top left, Chrissy is sitting next to me.

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Part 1 ~ The Beauty

This June marks the 16^th year I have been a Realtor. That realization gave me pause, as I thought about all the homes I have shown over the years. Needless to say, I have seen a lot of houses. Some of them were breathtakingly beautiful. Others made me want to call for an exorcism.

Homes can be attractive either because of their architecture or their decorating. The Best, are those that cause you to fantasize about putting a for sale sign, in your yard as soon as you get home. On more than one occasion I have called my husband to announce we will be moving soon, as I have found the PERFECT home. Don’t worry Dear Reader, because taste in homes & décor is so personal, the homes that cause me to drool don’t always excite my buyers. And I would never talked a buyer out of buying a home that I wanted for me. Not to mention the quality details that get me hot & bothered in a home are often ignored by buyers. I got over the shock that not everyone appreciates quality (enough to pay for it, at least) a long time ago.

Signs of quality in a home are always in the details. It is the smallest of items that separate the cream from the milk. To find it you will need to look up. What do the ceilings look like? Is there crown moulding? If so, what size is it? How many pieces does it contain? How detailed is it? I love going to old homes, the ones with 10’ + ceilings and intricate crown moulding. It reminds me of the “Painted Ladies” in my original hometown of San Francisco. Look down at the hardwood floors. Do they have a Rosewood inlay? I have seen some amazing hardwood and marble floors. The kind of floors that you don’t want to put a rug on top of because they were designed to be admired, like a piece of art.

I know you are thinking, what does the Kitchen & Master Bath look like? Because these two rooms are most important to buyers, just look at any survey, or ask any agent. Who cares, I say. What?! Yes, I said, "Who cares!". Why? Because all nice homes have nice Kitchen & Baths, it’s a given. Nobody who gets the details right, gets those two rooms wrong. Let’s look at the spaces that tell you what you need to know. The forgotten spaces…like the area that you pass through on your way in from the garage. Is there a bench? Does it have a place for you put your shoes, keys, book-bags, purse, jackets, etc.? I love the ones that have a seat with a top that lifts to reveal storage. What about the laundry room? Does it have cabinets for storage? Is it big enough? The best ones of these have a laundry chute and a pass through cabinet to put the folded clothes and linens in once they are clean.

Okay enough about what I appreciate in a home. What are some of your favorite features? What would you do, if money was no object, to your home? Replace your hollow doors with solid ones? Add working transoms above the doors in your home? Add built-in bookcases or window seats? Okay, your right these are more of my favorites, so enough about me…tell me what you would do…

Part 2 ~ The Beast, coming soon…

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Duh?! Right?! Of course, you knew I would say those things. If you are reading this blog, you were hoping that I would share some secret- some jewel- some "insider trading" gem that only I would know after 15 years in real estate. Here’s what you may not realize: It is all math... worse, it is algebra! Boring, I know.

If you say, “I want a $500,ooo house,” what you are really saying is, “I can afford an 'X' amount monthly mortgage payment. In this case, X equals interest rate, times the principal, plus taxes and insurance. If the interest rate goes up, so does the payment. If the payment goes up, then the amount of house you can afford goes down. All of a sudden, that half-million dollar dream home is out of reach. Anyone who has ever bought a car knows that payments can be played with. You can put a larger down payment on the house; you can get an adjustable rate mortgage instead of a fixed rate mortgage; you can secure additional private (i.e., Family) financing, and so forth... You get the idea.

Here is the best news (the part that doesn't involve a crystal ball): rates are going up, but they are still at historic lows. Demand for housing is low because people are scared. When they are no longer scared, prices will go up. Pent-up demand will be unleashed on the market place. We all know about supply and demand. When demand goes up, prices go up. You are at a once in a lifetime crossroads: Demand is low, interest rates are low. You can get MORE for your Money than my crystal ball says you will ever be able to get again in your lifetime! Don't let this opportunity pass you by... you will regret it if you do... I can promise you that you will.

“Okay,” you say, “yes, prices are low, but I bet they will go lower.” You are a risk taker and want to feed off the bloodbath you foresee. You may be right, prices may go lower. Can't say for sure one way or another; but, interest rates are rising. That is happening. If the rate goes up faster than the prices fall (which is what is happening now), then you are losing ground, not gaining. Your payment will still be more than it would have been if you had paid more for your house. All signs point toward buying now.

Get off the fence and into my car... let's go find you your dream home now, while you can still afford it!

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At this point, you may be impressed or you may be yawning, thinking, “Well it's about time you jumped on the bandwagon.”   My brother, a DJ in Nashville, TN, has been doing all these things for years now.  Of course, he is 6 years younger... 6 1/2... but who's counting anymore?   He periodically sends me links for social media sites, which in the past I ignored.  That is until I would talk to him and he would extol the virtues of whatever site it happened to be and promise me that it would be life changing, if I only would embrace the technology.   

Fast forward to last week.  My brother came to town unexpectedly for the funeral of a friend of the family.  As we were standing in line waiting to express our condolences to the family, he proceeded to sell me on twitter.  Keep in mind we were in line for 2 hours.  By the time we left, I was promising I would sign up and commit.  This commitment aspect was missing from all the other tech adventures he had talked me into in the past.   

I figured, "how hard could it be... ?" I will give it one week.  I will tweet away for one week and then when the week is done, I will see how my life has improved.  I am a very social person by nature - most Realtors are; but, even so, tweeting does not come naturally to me.  Does anyone really care what I am doing at any given time of day? ... Probably not.   Fifteen years in sales has taught me most people care about one thing:   “Is this about me?”   

All of this leaves me wondering, “Am I social enough for social media?”   What do I write in the status update bars on my linked-in, facebook, and twitter pages?   I have been told by my brother and a friend, “Oh, you need to link them all together so that you only have to come up with one update.”   That doesn't seem right.  Do my high school/college friends and family want to see what I would write on linked-in, or vice versa?  Do I tweet about the same things I would post on facebook?  And now... what do I blog about?  Expanded versions of my tweets?  My facebook adventures?  Or, something completely new?

What to do, what to do, what to do???  I am looking for advice - if you have any, please share!  Oh, and thanks for reading, even if this is all about me : )

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