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

With all the talk about foreclosures and short-sales, I thought it might be helpful to try and explain exactly what a “short-sale” is and how it may benefit a buyer and a seller. A “short-sale” is just what it sounds like…the sale is shorted. When a home sells for less than an owner owes on their mortgage note(s), and the seller cannot come up with the difference to pay all that is owed, the mortgagor may accept a short payment. The lenders are much more open to this idea than they used to be because of the down economy and increased number of homeowners falling into default on their mortgage payments. The bank does not want to foreclose on your home! It costs them lots of money to take possession of your home and put it back on the market to sell.

If you are a homeowner needing to sell your house because of job relocation and/or a financial hardship, a short-sale may be an option for you. We need to decide on a market expected sales price and then see if all your expenses and payoffs can be covered. If not, contacting your mortgage company(s) is the first step. We can help you through the short-sale process as we have done many of these alternative type of transactions in the last couple of years.

For a Buyer looking at a “short-sale” home to purchase, patience is the key. Sometimes the banks can take a long time (30-90 days) to give an answer on a sales contract as to whether or not they will accept the “short”. The listing agents have to prove market time of the property, and prove that they have achieved the ‘highest and best’ offer for the bank. Once a bank approves a short-sale offer things can move very quickly to closing which will result in most likely ‘a below market price’ for the buyer and an avoidance of a foreclosure for the seller.

Welcome Home, laura

Recently I was asked by a Buyer Client the details of building a custom home. We have been looking at custom new construction and bank owned new construction homes in the Southern Wake area as we patiently wait for their existing home to sell. While there are some beautiful homes out there and some fantastic deals, not any one home stood out as having everything they would like in their new home.

A pre-sale (contracting with a builder to build a specific custom home for you) is a great option when:

1. There is no standing inventory that you love.

2.  You know you want to live in this home for awhile.

3.   You would like to customize your features as much as possible.

Because the builder is going to build a house just for you he will most likely require a non-refundable deposit (credit towards the purchase price at closing) because he is at a little bit of a risk if you do not end up closing on the house. The builder will also base costs on current construction prices, which may be higher or lower, than were used for existing inventory.

Banks and Mortgage companies are starting to offer Construction to Permanent loans again, which takes some risk off the builder. In this situation the Buyer applies for the construction loan and at time of completion of the home the lender converts the construction loan to a mortgage.

There are many beautiful lots available in the area, some at deep discounts and even bank owned. We have worked with many custom builders and will be happy to help you find a lot, plan, and builder to build your dream home!

Welcome Home, laura