Wow! I just found out that our membership in the Institute for Luxury Home Marketing also gives us membership into Proxio, THE International MLS translated into 19 languages.  This gives FRONT PORCH REALTY a huge advantage to be able to market luxury homes to high net worth buyers across the globe.  Not only can we market our properties directly but we will be networking with 450,000 real estate professionals in over 115 countries!

– Welcome Home,  laura

Is  OUR Housing Market REALLY Showing Signs of Improvement?

With lots of buzz in the local and national news right now over our housing crisis showing signs of improvement;  I thought I would share what I am seeing in our local Raleigh Triangle market, including the southern and western Wake County areas of Morrisville, Cary, Apex, Holly Springs and Fuquay-Varina, NC. 

Inventory is still high, although in certain very desirable areas (closer to RTP) inventory is definitely low in all price ranges.  Other areas show lower inventory in the lower price ranges, we are even seeing multiple offers coming in on lower-end properties (<$175,000).  I am also seeing banks set their sales prices very low day one on the market, a major change over last year at this time.  As a result of their low pricing, they are moving their inventory very quickly and have streamlined their whole “market to offer” approving process.  As these distressed properties are sold quickly we also have good news, according to CoreLogic in Realtor magazine;   that the “shadow” market is also declining, in other words the number of houses not yet in the foreclosure process but heading towards it are down 10% from this time last year. 

Watch for my 1^st Quarter Market reports due out mid-April as I take an in-depth look at our local market and how we are improving in each of the Triangle, Wake County areas at every price point.

-Welcome Home, laura

Luxury Real Estate in Southern and Western Wake County, NC

Did you know that a large part of our real estate market is considered luxury property?  Properties valued at $500,000 or more in the Triangle are “luxury”, this is about 10% of our active listings!  

The brokers of Front Porch Realty have recently become certified by the internationally recognized Institute for Luxury Home Marketing.  This intense training prepared us for the specialized niche of marketing these very unique properties.  We now have access to marketing tools normally used in what you would consider a high-end market; Miami, New York, Vale, etc.    We have also solidified our skills to best negotiate these properties for our buyers.

We will be highlighting these listings as they come on the market, meanwhile you can use these links to search all luxury properties in the Southern and Western Wake market, the links are updated in real time so you won’t miss a thing!

Whether you are looking for an equestrian oasis, a golf haven, acreage, or just that special estate to call home, we can show you any home for sale on the market.

Let us know if you would like your own private tour of a fabulous property!

 Visit our website and search all of the Triangle listings for sale here www.FrontPorchRealtyNC.com

–Welcome Home, laura

The Crooked Creek Golf Course is one of two golf communities located in Fuquay-Varina, NC. Located about 15 min southeast of downtown Raleigh, this neighborhood offers an 18 hole semi-private golf course, a practice range, a 6,000 sf clubhouse with a grill room and fully equipped conference rooms. The neighborhood also includes walking trails, a playground, Swim Club with competition swimming and Tennis Club.

Homes in this neighborhood range from the $200,000’s-$500,000’s. Most are nestled in private lots with mature trees. Check out our featured listing in this neighborhood. 5709 Butterchurn Way is a rare find with 5 bedrooms and 4 full bathrooms priced at only $349,900. It is nestled in a cul-de-sac on 1/3 of an acre. There is a bedroom with its own private deck and full bath on the first floor, great for guests, in-laws, or teens.

View full listing information of this lovely home on our website 5709 Butter Churn Way, Fuquay Varina, NC 27526

Please visit us at our OPEN HOUSE  March 18, 2012   2:00 pm-5:00 pm

Welcome Home, laura

All of us that own our home  have the mentality “Our house is worth much more than the one down the street”. Of course this makes sense to us because we bought it,  and regardless of how long we have owned our home, we have made it special just for us. We have spent money on it, we have cleaned it, we have loved it.

In today’s “buyer’s market” I have increasingly had the challenge of helping a seller to see why it is so very important to price their home “right” from day one. With most price ranges in Southern Wake Co seeing at least a 6-12 month supply, we do not want a new listing to hit the market “over-priced”. What does this say to the potential buyer out there?

Mr. Qualified Buyer: “ Wow, this looks like a nice house, but why in the world would we want to go see it when it is priced so high compared to other similar homes? If the seller’s have started out with an unreasonable asking price, I expect they will think their house is so great they will not negotiate much. If we did indeed work out an agreeable price I am sure they won’t do any repairs because they will think they are not getting enough money for their home anyway! “

And then, this is what happens when the seller does not get any showings, or many, and they finally start agreeing to reduce their price;

Mr. Qualified Buyer: “Wow, this looks like a nice house, seems to be priced reasonably, but if it is priced so well and looks great why in the world has it been on the market for 8 months?? Let’s move on, there must be something wrong with this one. “

And then, if Mr. Buyer indeed decides to go ahead and look at the ‘previously overpriced’ home, and wants to make an offer it can look like this;

Mr. Qualified Buyer:  “Ok, I really like this home…it is priced fairly well, looks great, but since it has been on the market so long I would like to make a very serious, very low, offer on it!”

Poor Mr. Homeowner will end up selling his home for less, and it will take him much longer,  than if he just would have Priced It Right in the first place!

There has never been a time in my real estate career that I have showed more homes. My average buyer has sees at least 15-20 homes and sometimes still wants to see homes even if we are under contract to buy one already! This doesn’t count the 100’s of homes I am sure they have browsed online and decided not to view!

My Dear Home Sellers; we have to price your home right for our market right from the start to give it it’s best chance to sell!

Welcome Home, laura