North Carolina State Fair

Growing up in North Carolina is a unique and wonderful experience, ask anyone. From the Blue Ridge Mountains to the crystal coast beaches you have the best of both worlds. Right in the middle of it all is the State capital, Raleigh which is just outside of our town of Fuquay-Varina.

One thing North Carolina is big on is tradition. Every year the North Carolina State Fair is held in Raleigh at the Fairgrounds. Crowds gather at the fair grounds to enjoy rides, food, free entertainment, and plenty more. Last year was an unprecedented time for everyone and unfortunately the State Fair could not be held as usual. They did find a way to continue the tradition by offering a small variety of the usual fair food vendors but it was nothing like we are used to. This year the N.C. State Fair is back and better than ever!

 

The 2021 N.C. State Fair will be held from Oct. 14 – Oct. 24, tickets are on sale now, click here! Whether you are a thrill seeker or a teacup rider or just enjoy eating copious amounts of food it is a fun-for-all-ages event! With over 90 rides this year including tons of new ones, NEW FOOD VENDORS, and tons more, don’t miss the fun in 2021! 

DO THESE BRISKET MAC AND CHEESE EGGROLLS BY FATBOYS BBQ NOT LOOK DELICIOUS?!?!

Fuquay-Varina’s CRAZY Housing Market

It’s certainly no secret how CRAZY the housing market is across the nation and our little neck of the woods is certainly no different!  Our current housing inventory is super low so we thought we would share a few thoughts and tips for getting a seller to say YES to YOUR offer! The “norm” has always been to include a pre-qualification letter with your offer, but now we need a pre-APPROVAL letter.  This basically means all of your numbers have been verified through actual documents that you have provided to your lender and your file has been through preliminary underwriting. If you have cash, which is getting much more common in this market, we will need “proof of funds” from your lender.  Speaking of your lender, it is much more preferable to use a LOCAL one.  Our local lenders know our market and the norms for lending on the homes in our market, they will also be ordering appraisals from local appraisers which certainly can make a difference for an opinion of value. Your offer needs to be super “clean”, and by that we mean; do not ask the seller for ANYTHING…not to pay for any of your closing costs, not to buy you a home warranty, and especially not to do anything out of the ordinary like cutting down the big tree next to the driveway.  Offer a quick closing and offer for the sellers to rent back from you, preferably for free, or whatever will make it more convenient for them. You would think the seller will most likely want to accept an offer that nets them the most money, however this is not always the case.  Having a professional, experienced, buyer’s agent is super important in this market.  Your agent will guide you through the terms for your offer to help make it the most favorable. They will also be able to professionally communicate to the seller’s agent your personal situation and how “easy” of a transaction they vow their buyer will be. Finally, and this is a big one, be prepared to put down a sizable due diligence deposit with your offer. This is non-refundable, albeit a credit at closing, funds straight to the seller while you are getting your due diligence done. Essentially you are “buying time off the market”, so if you are serious about wanting to purchase their home it better be worth it to the seller. This number is ALMOST as important as the sales price because it is going to tell the seller how serious you are and whether you are likely to terminate your offer prior to closing.  It is not unusual to see $10,000-$25,000 of due diligence being put down with an offer these days. With all this being said, are you thinking of selling your home?  Now is the time to do it!  Be sure you have an experienced, professional, agent to help you out so you don’t leave any of your equity on the table!   I promise you, the right agent on your side will net you the most from your sale with the least amount of headaches! We have numerous Real Estate Professionals here at Front Porch Realty who are happy to talk you through the process! They can get you started on that home search once you’re ready to go! You can call now at 919-577-0175 to speak with the agent on duty TODAY! Hope you all have a happy Summer!  

Holly Springs Fall Celebration — HollyFest

Fall around here means local fun for all. And that’s no different when it comes to the HollyFest coming up Saturday, October 26th from 10 am – 4 pm at Jefferson L. Sugg Farm Park at Bass Lake in Holly Springs! Come on out for this Fun, Fall, Family-Friendly and Free event! There will be: *Live and local entertainment all day long *Arts and crafts for the shopping enthusiast *Kids Zone with inflatables and rides *Children’s corner with activities and games *Flavors and tastes to make every palate happy Check out the Town of Holly Springs website HERE for specific vendors! (Subject to change) And of course, Front Porch Realty will be there. Stop by our booth and say hi! We’re your LOCAL REALTORS®!

Run the Quay is in its 15th year!

Are you ready to Run the Quay? Yes, it’s true this Chamber of Commerce sponsored Annual event has been going on every year for the last 15 years, it’s a tradition! How about the brand new Downtown Cooldown, happening at the same time in downtown Varina? Well, here’s all the info you need to get ready! The Chamber is anticipating over 1,000 runners this year! Check out the race routes, and come out to cheer on your favorite brave runners! Then, head on over to Varina to Celebrate. There will be something for everyone at this FREE family friendly event including food trucks galore, Live music, kids activities like a bounce house, Fhairy Sparkles Hair, yard games, and even the Stormy Mascot from the Carolina Hurricanes! We hope to see you all there! Run the Quay – Saturday, June 1st, from 9am – 2pm. Downtown Cooldown – downtown Varina at the old Stephen’s Hardware 9am -2pm Register here for the 5K, 10K, or the Kids Fun Run – REGISTER Pick up your race packets here – Thursday, May 30th, 4:00 – 6:00 pm @ Omega Sports Cary Crossroads Friday, May 31st, 4:00 – 7:00 pm @ GNC of Fuquay-Varina Saturday, June 1st – Starts at 6:00 am at race site Parking & Course Maps PARKING MAP STREET CLOSURE MAP 10K COURSE 5K COURSE MAP Register here to VOLUNTEER FOOD TRUCKS AND BOOTHS Aloha Shave Ice Brooklyn Boys Pizza Corner Boys BBQ Dusty Donuts Las Gringas Pints Ice Cream Qspresso Cuban & Latino Fusion TJ’s Kitchen Tropical Delights Aviator Brewing Company, Inc. Fainting Goat Brewing Co. Vicious Fishes Brewery

Join us as we Celebrate Fuquay-Varina!

Thursday, October 4th, 6:30 – 9:30 PM in the Varina Business District Festivities begin with one of Soul Music’s all-time great groups, Chairmen of the Board. Join us for the Celebrate Fuquay-Varina Festival Saturday, October 6, 2018 10 am – 4 pm Downtown Fuquay-Varina Here’s a MAP of the main areas: * Museum Tour * Mayor’s walk * Artist Village * KidZone and Rock wall * Chili Cook-off * And lots of food trucks – See the full list here There’s lots to see and do this coming weekend in Fuquay-Varina. All of us here at Front Porch Realty love our town and we love a good celebration, be sure and stop by our booth for some neat give-a-ways and to say “hi”!

Holly Springs Book Festival Featuring Local Authors

Saturday, Sept. 29, 11 a.m.-6 p.m Holly Springs Cultural Center More than 25 adult and children’s authors, presentations and readings, panel discussions, and more! Come out this Saturday to meet many authors including friends of Front Porch Realty Erin and Deek Rhew! Deek will be participating in a panel on thriller novels. Here’s the complete schedule: *Meet Authors, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. *Panel Discussions and Featured Author Readings & Presentations, 1-6 p.m. Click here to see all the authors and presentations scheduled. *Children’s Authors, 2-3 p.m. *Door Prizes, 1-5 p.m. To be eligible for a prize, register at https://hollyspringsbookfestival.eventbrite.com. You must be present to win. *Food Trucks: The book festival is on the same day as the farmers market’s food truck rodeo (8:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. along Main Street), so come prepared to find fantastic foods and phenomenal writers.

1st Q 2018 Market Update

By now, you’ve heard Front Porch Realty’s exciting news; we have elevated our brand and we have a new custom website! We are still the same “Front Porch Realty” you have known for years but have begun to concentrate our business in Fuquay-Varina and Holly Springs. We are already the #1 Independent real estate office in these two towns and our goal is to become the #1 real estate company overall. We want to become top of the mind status for you and all things real estate! Here is our quarterly 1st Q 2018 snapshot of our local housing inventory. We are still deep in a seller’s market, especially for re-sale homes; new home inventory is up 17% across the Triangle while re-sales inventory is down 15% from the 1st quarter of 2017, according to our Triangle Multiple Listing Service 1st quarter market stats. This imbalance of supply is causing record increases in sales prices; average sales price of new construction is up 9% and average re-sale homes sales prices are up 10%. Inventory is still low on our end of the county and demand is high. As we can see from our 1st quarter local data, months of inventory are very low at most price points at less than 2 and units sold have increased across both markets. We are here to help you, your relatives, co-workers, employees, and neighbors. Please consider Front Porch Realty as YOUR LOCAL real estate professionals!

Our Schools Need Us!

Fuquay-Varina Bengal Proud!

I was recently asked to speak to a group of local Fuquay-Varina Middle and High School students as a business owner in the community.  I wanted to share my experiences, in hopes that more business members in our community would be inspired to volunteer. Each activity took me less than an hour.  I know that hour could lead to a big impact on these young adults as they begin to think about their future. As always, I know I got more out of it than they did! My friend, colleague, and educator, Mr. Rodney Jenkins, is the Career and Technical Education Coordinator for Fuquay-Varina Middle School. He recently approached me and asked if I would speak to his entrepreneurial class.  My topics included: why I started my own business, what’s involved with owning my own business, the hardest part, the easiest part and more.  I brought along my company’s advertising goodies like stadium cups and pens, and tossed some candy to the students that participated.  The students had awesome questions and provoked my own thoughts on why I do this. I was overjoyed to hear the students decided they are going to arrange a “field trip” to visit our office sometime soon.  I can’t wait to see them again! There are so many opportunities to get involved with students in Fuquay-Varina. I was also asked to address the first Fuquay-Varina Youth Leadership Group conference. This initiative is the first of its kind for Fuquay-Varina and the students selected to participate. I was asked to speak about Front Porch Realty’s application process and how I determine good candidates for our firm.

Laura Moody recently addressing both students and staff.

These bright, energetic high-schoolers had so many great questions for me!  They are eager to learn how to make a difference in our town and they are striving for greatness.  I commend the staff of Fuquay-Varina High school for working so diligently to start this leadership program and make a difference in these student’s lives. Imagine all the lucky businesses that get to hire these young folks someday! If you are interested in helping any of our community schools in ANY way please contact our office or join the FV Business Alliance. Our next meeting is coming up soon!

Seller’s Market: Inventory still low across the Triangle

FRONT PORCH REALTY has exciting news; we are the #1 LOCAL Independent Real Estate firm in southwestern Wake County! See our 3rd quarter local real estate market snapshot . It is no surprise that we are still in a seller’s market; inventory is still extremely low across the Triangle.  Know that in this competitive market, Front Porch Realty brokers are equipped with professionalism and the expertise to help both our seller and buyer clients navigate multiple offer situations.  If we can be of any assistance to you or someone you know, rest assured they will be extremely satisfied. Please watch our website, Facebook, and Instagram for all housing, and other local news around town and to see our new listings as soon as they hit the market. If you would rather receive this report either by email or snail mail please contact Laura .

Inventory is low, it’s a great time to sell.

Happy fall! Laura Moody Broker/Owner Front Porch Realty   www.FrontPorchRealtyNC.com

And the Agent of the month is….

Congratulations to Maria Plazas, Front Porch Realty’s Agent of the Month – August 2017

Maria has been selling the Triangle since 1991!  Real estate is Maria’s passion and she is committed to helping the Latino community.  Originally from Chile, Maria’s native language is Spanish and of course she is also fluent in English.  Continue reading