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About Johnston County, NC

Caterpillar in Clayton Announces Big Expansion of Clayton Plant Adding 200 Jobs!

David O'Doherty-Clayton NC Homes  Raleigh, NC: Real Estate Agent in Clayton, NC

Caterpillar in Clayton Announces Big Expansion of Clayton Plant Adding 200 Jobs!

Caterpillar adding jobs in Clayton

Great news on the job front for folks in Clayton, North Carolina, Caterpillar made the announcement on Wednesday February 2nd 2012 that they were expanding their current manufacturing facility in Clayton and would be adding 199 new positions. ( Wait for cheering to subside!).

The Caterpillar Plant on HWY 42 East in Clayton produces small wheel loaders and when completed will be the world source for these types of machines.

The average pay will be $41,000, and along with manufacturing jobs there will be design and engineering jobs also.Caterpillar will Caterpillar adding jobs in Claytonadd the jobs and additional facilities over the next five years.

This is a great sign for the Clayton and greater Raleigh area which was just selected to outperform all other real estate markets in the US.

Should You Leave Your Clayton Home On The Market Over The Holidays?......Absolutely

David O'Doherty-Clayton NC Homes  Raleigh, NC: Real Estate Agent in Clayton, NC
Should You Leave Your Clayton Home On The Market Over The Holidays?......Absolutely

Here's why. People are traveling, people are off work, people make decisions at the end of the year, people want their kids to start school at the beginning of the semester, companies make changes this time of year, houses look good (some) decorated.
Clayton Real Estate Market

Here is what has happened to my Clayton area listings this past week. One of my listings is vacant, the people live in Florida and they have a huge family get together every year the week-end before Christmas. the owner called and said there would be thirty people in the house and to maybe block showings for that day, unless they really had to see it, so we just left it as it was.....Guess what? Just as they would be sitting down for dinner, we got a showing appointment, now this house has had a decent amount of showings, but none in the last month.

Murphys Law! I called the showing service to see if they were only in town for the day and would they mind seeing the house with thirty people in it. Turns out the agent was sick and had to cancel anyway, so they re-scheduled for the next day. The buyer was from San Diego and was only in town for two days....still waiting to hear back.

And there is another showing tomorrow, two days before Christmas!
I have a listing in Wendell and again the home is vacant, so no issues there, Monday we had a second showing, Tuesday we had an offer, Wednesday we had a contract!

I have another listing in Clayton and it is priced right, looks great, well kept, has had numerous showings, but none in the last two months. The owner called me on Monday to say they were going to Florida for the holiday and would be gone a week or so. So we talked about the market and the lack of showings, and this owner is fully aware of what is happening in the real estate market and knows they just have to wait it out. That evening I get a showing request for Tuesday!!!! They liked the house, and we may be able to work with them.

Another listing I have in Clayton is a short sale with tenants in place, which is always hard because the showing service has to call the tenant and tenants have no skin in the game, in fact most of the time they really don't want the house to sell, so they can refuse showings and say they need more time. We have had one showing refused which was understandable as they wanted to see the house immediately. Yesterday we had our first showing.

So we have five showings, one house under contract, all in the week before Christmas. You have to leave your house on the market during the holidays!! Look, people understand that the house is not going to be pristine that there will be stuff out of place, they know that, if they're spending their holidays looking at houses they are in town to buy a house, and in today's Clayton real estate market you cannot afford to let a buyer get away.

One final point, this time last year I had a house listed and the owners took it off the market over the holidays, luckily we had put the house on our office Realtor tour so an agent who had buyers come into town remembered the house and asked if she could show it to her clients. My sellers were reluctant as they had guests staying, there was a Winnebago in the driveway ( nicer than Cousin Eddie's) and the house was a mess. I begged and they relented, had their guests help get the house in order and everyone jumped into the Winnebago during the showing. Buyers loved the house, made an offer, sellers accepted, my sellers then made an offer on a house they liked, builder accepted and on Christmas Eve we signed the contract.

As I'm writing this I just got a call from an agent who is sending over an offer on my Wendell Property! I kid you not!!!!

2011 Johnston County Property Taxes | Johnston County NC Property Tax Guide

Stanton Homes - Penny Hull Raleigh New Homes | NC Custom Homes: Builder-Contractor in Raleigh, NC

2011 Jonston County NC Property Tax Guide

How much are property taxes for Johnston County NC new homes?

2011 Johnston County Property Taxes | Johnston County NC Property Tax Guide

How much are Johnston County, NC new home property taxes? That's a very common question.

Johnston County borders Wake County on the southeastern side.

Johnston County is home to Benson, Clayton, Four Oaks, Kenly, Micro, Pine Level, Princeton, Selma, Smithfield, and Wilson's Mills.

For folks commuting to downtown Raleigh or RTP, popular destinations include Clayton, Archer's Lodge, and the southern outskirts of Wendell, as well as Smithfield slightly farther out (which is also home to the Raleigh area's largest outlet mall - Carolina Premium Outlets at Smithfield).

Clayton is about 17 miles away from the center of downtown Raleigh.

When were Johnston County NC property values last adjusted (assessed)?

Johnston County revalues all real estate at least every eight years, per NC requirements.

This procedure allows the Tax Department to adjust the appraised value of real estate to reflect the property's true value in light of changing real estate market conditions.

Land values within Raleigh have risen, and in general, less land is available for homes. In Johnston County, homebuyers can generally find more home or land for their money than within Wake County.

How Much are Property Taxes in Clayton or Johnston County, NC?

2011 Johnston County Property Taxes | Johnston County NC Property Tax Guide

Here are the 2011 rates, by town and fire district.

To get the total property tax rate for a town, simply add the county property tax rate to the town property tax rate.

For example, Clayton has a town rate of 0.525, and the Johnston County property tax rate is 0.78.

Add the two together - the total tax rate for Clayton, NC is 1.3050.

How Do I Convert Clayton NC Property Tax Rates to the Amount I'll Write a Check For?

It's not as confusing as it looks. The tax rates are based on the assessed value of the home, not the asking price.

  • Divide the assessed value by 100.
  • Multiply the result by the combined rate on the right side of the table.
  • The result will be your yearly property tax bill, as of 2011.

This table gives sample property tax bills for all the cities in Johnston County, including Benson, Clayton, Four Oaks, Kenly, Micro, Pine Level, Princeton, Selma, Smithfield, and Wilson's Mills, as well as some of the rural areas surrounding each of these towns.

2011 Johnston County Property Taxes | Johnston County NC Property Tax Guide

What If The Johnston County Home I'm Considering Isn't Inside City Limits?

Your tax bill can be lower if your home or property is not actually within a municipality, or town. If this is the case, you'll pay just the County rate, plus a fire district or other rate.

If there's a particular address you're considering, you can see the exact assessed value of the home and/or property - just enter the address here.

Johnston County Property Tax Assessment Look Up

It is possible that there are fire district rates in addition to town rates, so it does help to look up a particular address. But in general, the tax rate tables above work well to estimate taxes.

How Do I Know If I'm In Johnston County?

When looking at properties, don't take the city address for granted - you could be in a different county, with different tax rates, depending on where exactly the property is located. Ask your agent to verify the actual address and county before you sign a contract.

Clayton - a Clayton address could be in Wake County or Johnston County.

Wendell - a Wendell address could be in Wake County or Johnston County.

Property taxes are based on assessed value, not the price the home is sold for. The assessed value you see may be either higher or lower than the asking value of the property - it really depends on how long ago the assessment was made, and what improvements have come to the area since the assessment (or what improvements are planned for the area). If there is a discrepancy, don't be afraid to ask your real estate agent to pull comps for you!

Compare Property Tax Rates in Counties throughout central North Carolina

Alamance County Property Tax Rates 2011

Cumberland County NC Property Tax Rates 2011

Chatham County NC Property Tax Rates 2011

Durham County NC Property Tax Rates 2011

Franklin County NC Property Tax Rates 2011

Granville County NC Property Tax Rates 2011

Johnston County NC Property Tax Rates 2011

Harnett County NC Property Tax Rates 2011

Orange County NC Property Tax Rates 2011

Wake County NC Property Tax Rates 2011

How Important Is The Direction Your House Faces

David O'Doherty-Clayton NC Homes  Raleigh, NC: Real Estate Agent in Clayton, NC

How Important Is The Direction Your House Faces


Sunset at Portofino Equestrian Community in Clayton
It depends! What are your interests? Where do you like to spend your time and doing what?
Do you like to garden, grow vegetables,flowers,grass? Do you have sensitive rugs, paintings. Do you read a lot, paint, draw.Do you have a Plasma TV, or watch a lot of TV?
Well unless you are buying or building a mansion, you won’t be able to cure all these nor would you want to spend the time figuring it out, but with a little planning and a good builder you can maximize your homes potential.

The first question is where in the world are you building, we’ll just deal with the US for today. North, South, East, West, or a combination of them. Being in the South-East we have mild winters and warm summers so shade in the afternoon is important to keep the house from heating up too much. I started this post after being in two houses yesterday, both had three season rooms. The first house which faces East-South East, has a fantastic three/four season room with tile floor, Eze-Breeze windows, bead-board vaulted ceiling and it was frigid cold in there. Now the builder could probably add a vent to take the chill off. The next house we went to faces North North - West, same four season room, tile, Eze-Breeze windows and this one was toasty, in fact you could have opened the windows and let a breeze in.

Quite a remarkable difference, which got me thinking. If you live in a colder climate that gets a lot of snow there might be an advantage to having your driveway face towards the sun to melt the snow, I’ve seen streets where one side is cleared completely and the other side is still dealing with frozen snow and ice.

This is a fascinating subject and there is a lot of opinion out there on it, there is one issue that is common and that is using the suns rays in the winter but shielding the house from them in the summer. This can be done with proper placement and also the correct overhangs. Vital to have the correct insulation also. Getting the sun into the kitchen, bedrooms in the morning is another favourite, the placement of the garage can make a difference, trees, and the type of trees, deciduous trees look and act a whole lot different in the summer time versus the winter, (they loose their leaves, silly!)

Snow on the Clubhouse at Portofino Equestrian Community in Clayton



Many a patio goes unused in the summer because it gets too hot, and many a lawn suffers through life with no sun. I have seen many amateur gardeners start their vegetable garden in the shade only to curse their lack of edible vegetables...no I haven’t! That was me!!
So building your dream house just got harder, well not really, better to find this stuff out before you build rather than after you move in, and with the technology available today, and the advances in building materials there is a lot of help out there, start by getting a compass app on your phone!

Who Will Buy My Beautiful Flowers …........em Houses?

David O'Doherty-Clayton NC Homes  Raleigh, NC: Real Estate Agent in Clayton, NC
Who Will Buy My Beautiful Flowers …........em Houses?
So, a Christmas tradition when I was growing up in Dublin, Ireland was the watching of Oliver. I loved it and didn't even realise it was a musical until I got older and cooler!
There is a song in it called Who will buy? A lovely flower seller who befriends the waif Oliver sings it ( sadly she gets bludgeoned to death in the movie!)...... anyway push on!
Well lately I have been humming that tune as I market some of my listings here in the Clayton Area of North Carolina.

Who will buy 149 Carrie Dr. in Wyndfall Subdivision in Clayton, actually

Ranch Home in Clayton

it’s in the newly incorporated town of Archer Lodge which didn't want to be swallowed by Clayton, so they made a town. It still has a Clayton mailing address.


It is a delightful ranch, very well maintained and is available for $124,900, crazy right!! It’s a Beaut Clark, it’s a Beaut!

Gated Communities in Clayton,NCWe also have 205 Magnolia Circle, who will buy this amazing home in the gated community of Neuse Colony, no you read that correctly it is in a Gated Community and is for sale at the low price of $279,900, that is a real nice price for this home Clark!
Four bedrooms, lake front, two Charleston style porches, fenced back yard, fishing!!

How about a Short Sale for Christmas? 450 Sommerset Drive in South Plantation can be gift wrapped for the low price of $99,900, currently the most affordable home in the neighborhood. This ranch has a fenced yard, has tenants in place who would like to remain.Short Sale in Clayton,NC
Merry Christmas, now don’t be shy, get on out there and buy one of these nice houses before they’re gone.