Cathleen O'Hannigan, Cary NC Homes Pro

A rockin' party quartet called The Stone Age Romeos entertained visitors to a Wednesdays at Waverly Place event hosed by RP Realty Partners. The same commercial venue near downtown Cary is scheduled to host an Oktoberfest soon.

The biggest challenge in uncertain economic times is finding effeictive ways to match buyers and sellers. I find that having fun is a great way to create common ground between them. This Tuesday evening (September 27), for example, I'll be hosting a treasure hunt in my Oxxford Hunt neighborhood. Seven different properties will be featured in an open house "happy hour". If you're looking for property in Cary, North Carolina, you're invited to join the fun, but you must first RSVP so we know you're coming (my email address is Cathleen@CaryNChomes.com)

Featured homes range in price from $199,900 to 250,000. The treasure hunt works like this: You tour at least 5 of the 7 homes between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. At each home for which you give feedback, you'll receive a stamp and a chance to nosh on some yummy appetizers. After you've seen at least five homes, you can go to the open home that is "Treasure Hunt headquarters" and select a thank-you prize from the available treasures.

We're talking about good stuff, here. Treaures include Starbucks gift cards, a Facebook landing page valued at $170, tax preparation service, local restaurant certificates, gift cards for grocery shooping at "the intersection of good and fun" that is Trader Joe's, and more.

In other words, if you enjoyed "Talk Like a Pirate Day" earlier this week but want to do more than walk around saying "Aaaaar, matey!" then you won't want to miss this event. Ditto if you're looking for a home in a great Cary neighborhood. Remember to RSVP today so your name will be on the list. I look forward to seeing you!

If you talk about "lazy days" almost anywhere else in the United States, you'll probably conjure images of hammock time, melting ice cream, or fishing on summer afternoons (as people are doing at Bond Lake in the photo at left).

Say "Lazy Daze" in Cary, however, and that playful substitution of "daze" for "days" is important, because you're referring to s 35-year-old tradition of turning one of the "dog days" of August into an Arts and Crafts festival known all over the southeast. This year's event happens Saturday August 27, and its downtown Cary location is only minutes from my neighborhood (and not just my neighborhood!).

It's a joy to live in a part of North Carolina where homes are affordable, the town has big-city amenities, and the City Council takes fun seriously.

North Carolina has a reputation for being a "basketball state", especially along "Tobacco Road", which runs unofficially between Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. But there are any number of other nicknames that could also be applied to this state, and one of the things I like best about Cary, North Carolina is that the bird watching around here is top-notch.

I have no expertise in bird watching, mind you. The people in my family share a single pair of binoculars, and while my husband probably knows the names of a few famous conservationists, neither of us could say, for example, what makes one owl different from another. We just know we've seen owls in the wooded portions of Bond Park, as well as Canadian Geese in several places, and finches and sparrows all over.

On my walks through Oxxford Hunt and other neighborhoods where affordable homes can still be found, I sometimes see bluebirds and cardinals enough to feel like I'm in a Disney movie (Eat your heart out, Mary Poppins: I've got a 3+2 with mulitple upgrades in the kind of neighborhood you'd love if you were more of a suburban girl, and it's only $236,000)

It's spring, and I'm here to tell you that robin really does rock in the treetop all day long "hopping and bopping and singing his song." And robin has friends. Their birdsongs seem to perfume the air with music.

Cary, North Carolina is blessed with subdivisions that have character, and my favorite is "Oxxford Hunt," which is centrally located, about 25 years old, and known for its easy access to the Fred G. Bond Metro Park, the 310-acre crown jewel of the Cary park system.

While many people know that there is no lack of things to do in Bond Park or its freshwater lake, the neighborhood on the southern edge of Bond Park has a lower profile. I love Oxxford Hunt because it has people of all ages, and lots of cul-de-sacs. Mature trees around the neighborhood sway gently when spring winds blow, and the lack of sidewalks never seems to deter walkers, joggers, or the neighbors who stroll to each other's homes for coffee. Early risers sometimes catch a glimpse of the family of deer that live in Bond Park, or ducks practicing touch-and-go landings on Bond Lake.

The neighborhood has a feeling of camaraderie that is always there, but comes to the fore every summer, when people gather at the pool to root for the "Swamp Foxxes" swim team in its competitive swim meets with other neighborhoods.

Parents in the neighborhood tend to love the schools to which their children are assigned also. Cary Elementary wins special praise every year as a small school where the principal is actively involved and the faculty really cares.

Prime property available in Oxxford Hunt right now includes a 3+2.5 home with family room, living room, new roof, new kitchen, new carpet, etc. at 205 Trafalgar Lane which is on the market for the ridiculously low price of only $236,000. The home has over 50K in upgrades in the LAST 3 years. It is situated across a culdesac from the lake trail. No money down, no PMI financing is avaliable for qualified buyers, which means that home ownership could be cheaper than rent.

The Oxxford Hunt neighborhood also has basement homes ranging from $399,000 - $460,000. Starter homes are available in the $210,000-$225,000 range. And some gorgeous 3-4 bedrooms with bonus rooms can be found close to $300,000.