Written by:
Darleen McCullen, REALTOR®, Broker
Keller Williams Realty
Phone: 919.454.8864
Email: darleen@darleenmc.com
Do you love celebrating your birthday as much as I do? If so, you've come to the right place. I'm going to show you how to celebrate in style - while not spending a ton of money.
(And if you're in the market to buy a home - you can take the money you save - and put it towards your purchase. After all, every little bit helps!)
Below are some birthday food freebies available in the Raleigh area (and nationally, too)to get you started... (No worries... you won't have to consume all of the free food on your birthday. Most places will give you up to a week to come in for your goodies.) Here are a few places you may enjoy...
Ladies, don't miss out on this...
REALTOR® on a Mission... NOT Just Seeking a Commission!TM
Phone: 919.454.8864
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed by those who are part of the ActiveRain community, including those providing comments relating to this blog, are their opinions and their alone - and do NOT reflect the opinions of Darleen McCullen and Keller Williams Realty. Darleen McCullen and Keller Williams Realty are not responsible for the accuracy (or lack thereof) or content provided by others.
Written by:
Darleen McCullen, REALTOR®, Broker
Keller Williams Realty
Phone: 919.454.8864
Email: darleen@darleenmc.com
No doubt, you've been watching the news or reading it in the papers or on the Net. And it seems as if it's all doom and gloom, doesn't it? Even in the Raleigh area, home of one of the strongest real estate markets in the country, Buyers and Sellers are concerned about the housing market - and where Buyers are going to obtain the money to purchase the increased inventory of homes on the market.
Although FHA Seller down payment assistance programs no longer exist, there are several programs that allow buyers to close bringing little to no money to the table. Yes...100 percent financing!
BB&T
One program my clients have taken advantage of is CHIP, which is BB&T's Community Homeownership Incentive Program. NOTE: The Website indicates that it's a 97% financing program (with 3% down payment being brought to closing by the Buyer. However, this is OLD information, according to the loan officer I recently worked with a couple of weeks ago to close a loan for my Buyer, who obtained a 100% loan through this program).
North Carolina Housing Finance Agency
Another popular program, the FirstHome Mortgage, is offered through the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHFA). To help with down payment costs, NCHFA offers an interest-free, deferred second mortgage of up to $7,000 to offset some down payment and closing costs for buyers who fall below 80 percent of area's median income. The organization provides buyers with interest rates that are below market value. (Today, Oct. 14, 2008, the interest rate is 5.99%)
Also, the NCHFA offers a feature called HomeSaver, which helps borrowers keep their homes if they lose their jobs, through, say, company downsizing, which is through no fault of their own. The Agency will provide up to 4 months of principal and interest payments, and the borrower(s) repay the loan at no interest when the property is refinanced or sold. 
USDA Rural Development
The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) offers 100% home financing in rural areas. I've been pleasantly surprised that often, the properties were not in areas that were traditionally thought of as rural areas.
In Wake County, the estimated loan limit is $160,100, while the Durham County limit is $153,800. View the income levels for 1 to 8 individuals living in a household. To view loan limits for other areas within North Carolina or in other parts of the United States, visit the USDA Rural Development Website.
See if a property is eligible for the USDA 100% financing program by following these steps:
Do you have loan programs not listed here to share that may help first-time Buyers realize the American dream? Please share!
Disclaimer: I am not a loan officer (nor do I play one on television J ... however, as a REALTOR®, I do my best to be educated on what's available to my clients. If you need additional information other than what is offered here, I will be happy to refer you to my lenders of choice.

REALTOR® on a Mission... NOT Just Seeking a Commission!TM
Phone: 919.454.8864
Website: http://www.darleenmc.com/
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed by those who are part of the ActiveRain community, including those providing comments relating to this blog, are their opinions and their alone - and do NOT reflect the opinions of Darleen McCullen and Keller Williams Realty. Darleen McCullen and Keller Williams Realty are not responsible for the accuracy (or lack thereof) or content provided by others.
Written by:
Darleen McCullen, REALTOR®, Broker
Keller Williams Realty
Phone: 919.454.8864
Email: darleen@darleenmc.com
I have absolutely fallen in love with North Carolina's State Farmers Market in Raleigh. A few Saturdays ago was the first time I'd been in awhile, and the place was so lively!
As a real estate broker, it seems that I am always on the go - and had gotten into the habit of eating out more than I should. So...as part of my re-commitment to my health (and waistline!), I've started eating better - more fruits and veggies.

As I was walking around at the Farmer's Market, several times, I saw a woman with a carton of huge eggs - and wondered where she purchased them.
She and I happened to be leaving at the same time so I asked her. She pointed me in the right direction and actually gave me a egg. It was a double-yoked egg - and the biggest and best tasting egg I've ever had!
Last week, I visited the Farmer's Market again - and went up to one of the vendors - Beth Moore's Produce -of Johnston County - to purchase rutabagas. When I arrived, she said that they were going to throw out. The food was perfectly good - but because they had turned a little "soft", they indicated that people would not purchase them. Instead of tossing the rutabagas, the owner gave me quite a few.
These Random Acts of Kindness started me to thinking about the fact that there is still kindness in a world where everything is so hurried - and many people seemingly are concerned only about themselves.
And that we should all try to make someone's day by committing Random Acts of Kindness in our daily lives
What will you do to make someone smile? I guarantee that it'll just Make Their Day!
(It could be something as simple as writing a kind note - or paying for the toll of the person behind you - or letting someone with only a few items get in line in front of you at the grocery store.)

Darleen McCullen,
REALTOR® on a Mission... NOT Just Seeking a Commission!TM
Disclaimer: Opinions expressed by those who are part of the ActiveRain community, including those providing comments relating to this blog, are their opinions and their alone - and do NOT reflect the opinions of Darleen McCullen and Keller Williams Realty. Darleen McCullen and Keller Williams Realty are not responsible for the accuracy (or lack thereof) or content provided by others.
We all
have unwanted items in our house that we say that: "I'll take this down to (my charitable organization favorite) someday."
Well...let TODAY be the day that you get rid of
those items.
Keller Williams
Realty North Raleigh is having its first
"Keller Williams Gives Back" Charity Yard Sale
and
at
The
The Rain date is
June 14, 2008 from 7am to 2pm
We are also
having an
Wondering How You Can Help?
Please Read On…
|
We need all types of gently-used
items: Household items Home and auto electronics Lawn tools Clothes Video games Music cds Collectibles Jewelry Children’s toys DVDs Sports Equipment Furniture Drop off hours at the Keller
Williams office ( Mon.-Fri. 9am-4pm or by
appointment. If you need assistance in
delivering your items to our office you may contact Darleen McCullen at 919.454.8864 for special arrangements. If you are interested in helping
with the most precious gift of all: Giving Life through donating blood, I can also assist
you with making an appointment. |
We Hope You’ll
Come Shop, Too!
Thus far,
we’ve received really great items. Refreshments will be served.
All proceeds from the sale will go to the
organizations we supported during the first
Keller
Williams Red Charity Ball in November 2007, plus one more: the NC Coalition Against Sexual Assault.
Here’s information about the charities:
The Healing Place of Wake County – a non-profit rescue organization in
Frankie Lemmon Foundation – The Foundation provides financial support to
AnimalKind – Raleigh-based nonprofit
organization helps to make pet spaying and neutering affordable to the citizens
with the lowest incomes in the Triangle area of
North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault: A statewide alliance working to end sexual violence
through education, advocacy, and legislation.
Need Additional Information? Call me today!

REALTOR® on a Mission... NOT Just Seeking a Commission!TM
Phone: 919.454.8864Disclaimer: Opinions expressed by those who are part of the ActiveRaincommunity, including those providing comments relating to this blog, are their opinions and their alone - and do NOT reflect the opinions of Darleen McCullen and Keller Williams Realty. Darleen McCullen and Keller Williams Realty are not responsible for the accuracy (or lack thereof) or content provided by others.
|
Written by: Darleen McCullen, REALTOR®, Broker Keller Williams Realty Phone: 919.454.8864 Email: darleen@darleenmc.com
Come Be Part of the Largest Military parade in North Carolina's History! On April 26, 2008 at 10 a.m. - the parade, "Salute to Our Troops", will begin heading North at the intersection of Fayetteville and Davie Streets in Raleigh, NC. The event is being organized by the North Carolina Bankers Association. F-15E Strike Eagle jets from Seymour Johnson Air Force Base will mark the beginning of the day-long celebration, which will include:
Schedule (as of April 4, 2008) For complete details, visit the Salute to Our Troups Website
Parade Route
I leave you with a video featuring the song "Proud to Be an American" by Lee Greenwood:
Darleen McCullen, Website: http://www.darleenmc.com/ Disclaimer: Opinions expressed by those who are part of the ActiveRain community, including those providing comments relating to this blog, are their opinions and their alone - and do NOT reflect the opinions of Darleen McCullen and Keller Williams Realty. Darleen McCullen and Keller Williams Realty are not responsible for the accuracy (or lack thereof) or content provided by others. |
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
Powered by the ActiveRain Real Estate Network
© 2013 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved