About Wake County, NC

Wake County NC Homes Market Report for January 2011

Wake County is booming! Straight from Wikipedia:

"Wake County is the 9th fastest growing county in the United States, with the town of Cary and the city of Raleigh being the 8th and 15th fastest growing cities, respectively."

9th fastest growing county in the US... the more the merrier here in Wake County!

Now to the real estate market report!

Ahhh Wake County NC, wonderful neighbors, terrific neighborhoods, limitless possibilities for Triangle entertainment, a terrific school system, marvelous parks... the list goes on and on.

If you're considering moving to Wake County NC or even if you're planning on selling a home in Wake County, it's important to have the right information.

Our goal is to provide you with a good overview of how homes for sale in Wake County are performing.

The chart on the left shows the percentage of new active listings (homes that went on the market), total active listings, closed listings, and homes that have gone under contract, during January, 2011.

The information included in this report is only for detached homes located within Wake County NC. (*If you're interested in a report for townhomes and condos, please don't hesitate to contact us ~ we'd be pleased to send along information specific to your needs.)

New listings on the market in Wake County during January

Take a peak at the new Wake County NC Homes for Sale on the market in January.

(in alphabetical order by subdivisions)

Active Detached Homes for sale in Wake County last month

Just over 4,000 homes are for sale in Wake County! There's quite a range of homes available... the swing in Wake County home prices range from $29,000 to $6,495,000 with an average price of a home for sale in Wake County being (slightly lower than last month) $330,582. There's plenty of options for just about anyone looking to buy a home in Wake County.

Whether you've outgrown your home and are looking for something larger; are relocating to the area, are empty-nesters ready to down-size, or are just looking to capitalize on the Triangle investment opportunities, locating a great match (with the right Realtor®) will not be an problem in Wake County.

Homes in Wake County that went under contract (pending) last month

Homes that sold (closed) in Wake County last month

Remember the above information and charts reflect only detached home activity in Wake County.

If you have been considering moving to Wake County, NC, would like more information on selling a home in Wake County, NC or would simply like to discuss your Triangle area real estate needs, please don't hesitate to call or e-mail me. I'd love to chat...

**Take a look back at our previous Wake County NC Market monthly reports

Check in next month as we're preparing to release a full recap of Wake County real estate for the year 2011.

*Any reference to TMLS data is based on information
from Triangle MLS, which neither guarantees nor is in any way
responsible for its accuracy. All data is provided ‘AS IS’ and with all
faults. Data maintained by Triangle MLS may not reflect all real estate
activity in the market.

2012 Master Bathroom Trends

Choosing a bathroom hardware finishes - What is Best?

Oil Rubbed Bronze Versus Nickel and Chrome

Which master bath hardware color should you choose for your NC new home?

Take a look at these custom homes by Stanton Homes, and see how very different hardware colors and styles can give a master bathroom distinct personality.

Oil Rubbed Bronze Master Bathroom Fixtures

The oil rubbed bronze fixtures in this master bathroom bring out the dark tones integrated into the custom tile tub surround and shower.

The cabinet and drawer knobs and sink faucets contrast nicely against the white countertops and medium brown wooden surfaces.

Oil Rubbed Bronze bathroom hardware can be found more often in craftsman and contemporary style new homes.

Watch a video tour of the home pictured here - The Brogan.

Chrome/Nickel Master Bathroom Fixtures

Whether satin nickel, brushed nickel, or chrome, silver hardware is a classic choice.

The Brushed Nickel fixtures in this master bath blend into the room for a more open, airy, cohesive feel.

The tile shower, floor and tub surround and cabinetry contain more neutral tones of brown and tan.

Brushed nickel has been the hardware of choice for premium homes for a number of years now, while the less expensive Chrome finish was generally found in production homes.

However, in the past year, Chrome has become quite popular, and is anticipated to outrun Brushed Nickel in premium baths in 2012.

Watch a video tour of the home pictured here - The Azalea Park.

Watch video tours of custom homes with Oil Rubbed Bronze master bathroom finishes:

Watch video tours of custom homes with Nickel/Chrome master bathroom finishes:

Raleigh Custom Home Master Bathroom Trends and Ideas

Tile Tub Surround Ideas - 2012 Raleigh Custom Home Trends

2012 Bathroom Tile Trends - Custom Mosaic Tile Designs

Tub Surround Tile Ideas - Photos and Tips

Kitchen Tile Backsplash - Today's Top 5 Designs

Custom Home Master Bath Design Ideas

Types of Tile - Which Types of Tile Are Used Most Often in Master Baths and Kitchens?

Click here to watch video tours of our most popular master bathroom designs.

All Bards Are Not Created Equal.

And Neither Are Real Estate Agents...

OK, so I "enhanced" this picture the other day while messing around with Photoshop.

And, as is the case with many of my "creations", I had no idea what to do with it. But I just knew I had to unleash it upon you, my dear readers!

I titled it "Bard" because thats what seemed to work. And then, I decided to look up the definition of the word "bard".

Apparently, according to the definition I came across, all bards are not created equal...

bard/bärd/

• A poet, traditionally one reciting epics and associated with a particular written tradition.

• A slice of bacon placed on meat or game before roasting

And, since this is, after all, a Real Estate blog, I decided to draw the analogy. Because...

All Bards Are Not Created Equal.

And Neither Are Real Estate Agents...

So, when you need a Real Estate agent in the Raleigh, Cary, Apex area of North Carolina, you have many choices. But, before hiring one to help you buy or sell a home, call me. I'll be happy to show you why....

All Bards Are Not Created Equal.

And Neither Are Real Estate Agents...

About The Author

Craig Rutman is a North Carolina Residential Real Estate Specialist that can assist you with the purchase and/or sale of real estate in the Raleigh - Cary – Apex metro areas; or any place else in the country by connecting you with a relocation professional in your destination of choice.

To find all available homes for sale in the Triangle area of North Carolina, please visit www.justnchomes.com

Call me TODAY at 919-349-9530

Email me with your Raleigh - Cary – Apex area questions

The Today Show reports That The Raleigh/Cary Real Estate Market Is Poised For Greatness.

The Today Show reported on The Inman News study that found that the Raleigh/Cary real estate market was the number one market in the country to watch for a rebound.

Something that is evident to people close to the market here in the greater Raleigh/Cary area is that around the second week of December something clicked and people started coming out of the woodwork. Showings went up, you would call the showing service on a Saturday and get the answering machine, that hasn't happened since the Tax Credit!!

Inventory Is going down, there is a subdivision here in Clayton where the average number of homes on the market for the last three years hovered in the 70's......now 35.
Pre-sales are up dramatically, one builder I spoke with yesterday will have three pre-sales started in a month. In Portofino in Clayton, we have four pre-sales started or about to start, we have two homes under contract, both the same week-end.

As inventory drops the bargain hunters will be forced to start upping the prices they are willing to pay, supply and demand, then we should start to see prices stabilize and rise accordingly. Interest rates will rise along with them so, 3.89% or whatever low figure it is will soon be gone for a long time.

The Greater Raleigh Area is made up of the bigger cities of Raleigh, Cary, Durham and Chapel Hill, but it is the many smaller communities in the vicinity that people include when they talk about the region known as The Triangle.

Come and see for yourself, weather is great, housing is affordable, schools are fantastic, beach is two hours away, golf courses are everywhere. Shopping, colleges NC State, Duke, UNC at Chapel Hill, and many more graduate smart engineers, doctors, nurses, farmers who came here for college, and now love it so much they stay and find work here.

Krispy Kreme Challenge in Raleigh, NC is Spectacle Not To Be Missed.

The 8Th Annual Krispy Kreme Challenge took place yesterday in Raleigh, NC. The race which began as a dare between some NC State students has become a fantastic fund raiser for The NC Children's Hospital, this year they raised over $100,000.

The race starts at the NC State Bell tower on Campus and takes you on a course of about three miles to the Krispy Kreme Donut Shop on Peace Street, there you eat a dozen doughnuts and race back another 2 miles to the finish line. Yep you read that right eat a dozen doughnuts in the middle of a race!!

The race attracted close to 8,000 runners, walkers and eaters, it became hugely popular after Sports Illustrated put it at #85 on the “102 More Things You Gotta Do Before You Graduate” list. And now the challenge attracts runners from all over the country. It has a definite fun aspect with a lot of participants wearing costumes, teams all wearing the same outfits and lets be honest here, I couldn't eat a dozen doughnuts in a week let alone 10 minutes.

There are a number of techniques to pulling off this feat of bravado, the most common and recognised is to squish four doughnuts together, making them as flat as possible and stuff them in your gob, with large quantities of water. Another is to dip the doughnuts in water which removes some of the sugar, and the least favourite is to gorge the doughnuts and then throw up......Very few opted for this option, but some!

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Raleigh is a wonderful diverse city, which is growing by leaps and bounds and having a college campus downtown has a large role to play in that.

No I did not have a doughnut!