YOU'RE INVITED to Casa Esperanza's Open House!
Casa Esperanza is a public charter school offering grades K-8, as well as a private preschool. Casa educates with a Montessori philosophy and pedagogy in an English-Spanish, dual-language environment.
The Casa communiy -- families, students, faculty, and staff -- think Casa is a very special place for children to learn and grow. This Open House is an opportunity for Casa's friends and neighbors to get to know the school, too. You're welcome to drop by and say hello if you can!
Friday, April 13th from 2-4 PM
Light refreshments provided
2600 Sumner Boulevard #130
Raleigh, NC 27616
www.cemcs.org
Phone: (919) 855-9811
Walking past the window display right around Valentine's, I had to stop in and see what this new North Hills bakery had to offer. A large front table set out an enticing diplay of cookies and snacks, frosted and decorated and looking tasty indeed.
But these are not for you! Woof Gang Bakery caters to our canine companions, and the bakery items on display are upscale doggie treats. I bought a few for Valentine's gifts and can report that they received rave reviews.
Woof Gang Bakery also has other accoutrements for the four-legged 
members of our families, including leashes and collars and sweaters, dog food, plus "spa" grooming services and facilities to wash your own pet. See the complete list of offerings and contact information on their website, here.
The owners are two sisters, Lindsay and Courtney, who have brought this Florida-based franchise to North Raleigh. Woof Gang Bakery is located between Panera and Bonefish Grill, one block north of North Hills Mall. Stop in and say hello!
No matter what the calendar says, no matter what the temperature is, if the daffodils are out it's SPRING!
Good news for North Raleigh -- Neomonde has opened its third location in Harvest Plaza, at Six Forks and Strickland Road. No more driving downtown, no trekking to Morrisville. Now we have it all, right here! Fresh baked pita bread, speciality Middle Eastern food market, and tasty deli dishes to eat in or take out. Try the pastries, made with filo dough and pistachios -- outstanding!
According to its website, www.neomonde.com, the company's history is an American success story, a tale of three brothers who came to the new world (hence the name) and built a business. They were fleeing the civil war in Lebanon when they came to Raleigh and, in 1977, opened a small bakery in a Raleigh strip mall. Today over 200 different kinds of bread are baked in their main facility in Morrisville. In addition, there are three cafe`/market locations, including the newest in North Raleigh, as well as an upscale restaurant downtown called Sitt
i.
The Mediterranean maket section of the store contains some ingredients not usually found in the American pantry. I admit that not many of my recipes call for rose water or orange water -- used to flavor sweets -- but I wouldn't be without pomegranate molasses. Just try a spoonful of two added while you're cooking vegetables or meat and you'll see what I mean. And while you're in Neomonde picking up your pomegranate molasses, be sure to get some pita bread to take home. It's the best!
In the Raleigh Triangle Area, the MLS uses a service to schedule showings. I well remember the days when an agent had to call each separate real estate company with fingers crossed, hoping someone was on phone duty to give out lock box combos. Now every member of the MLS pays a monthly fee to have the Centralized Showing Service make showing appointments for us. It's great!
Interestingly, because of CSS we now have data available on showings. How many are being made, on what dates, for what properties? This gives us an good overview of buyer behavior in our local market. Since one buyer looks at several (or many) houses before buying, the number of showings will always be greater than the number of potential sales. Nevertheless, the data does give a good indication of which properties are of most interest.
The graph above represents showings on resale homes in Wake County, NC, in the month of October 2011 by price point, with condos and townhomes shown separately. Note that the categores are not equal. 00 to 149.9 encompasses a spread of $150k, while the next category is 150-199.9, a spread 1/3 the size -- only $50K. The next four categories are all equal, $100K in size -- the 200's, 300's, 400's, and 500's. After that come two categories twice that large: the 600's and 700's are lumped together, as are the 800's and 900's. Everything above $1M goes into the final category.
Supply and demand always rule -- always. Where the buyers are looking, that's where the most demand is focused, and that's where it's going to be hardest to find a "deal." All buyers think they should get a deal right now -- after all, it's a buyer's market! But the graph explains why some buyers are frustrated. The most popular price point is $150-300, and in that range we're seeing shorter Days on Market and multiple offers. Although the overall market is indeed a buyers market, in that specific 150K price range, not so much.
(Calculations and graph courtesy of the Triangle Area Residential Real Estate Report.)
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I have been a fan and cheerleader for the Raleigh area since I moved here in 1995. I've been helping nice people buy and sell homes here since 1997. If I can help you, too, just give me a call.
What do you expect from a professional real estate agent?
Someone who will listen to you, and take your wants and needs to heart?
Someone who knows the area, and can guide you to the right choice of city and neighborhood?
Someone who familiar with the home-buying process, to advise you as you make each decision along the way?
Someone with good communication skills, who will keep you in the loop and up to date?
A warm, friendly, and helpful person with energy, humor, and optimism?
If this describes the professional real estate agent you'd like to work with, give me a call. We can set up an interview by phone or in person and see how it goes from there. You want to choose your agent carefully. I choose my clients carefully, too!
Visit my website at www.DianneGoode.com for more information and Raleigh area resources.
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CHEERLEADING FOR THE TRIANGLE
Some people were born in the Triangle; I live here on purpose.
"The Triangle" refers to the six-county area that includes Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill, as well as the smaller communities of Wake Forest, Knightdale, Garner, Wendell, Morrisville, Cary, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay Varina, Clayton, Hillsborough, and Carrboro.
I moved to Raleigh in 1995 and I've been helping nice people buy homes since 1997. Because I do most of my business by referral, I have clients and friends in most of those communities.
The Triangle routinely comes up at the top of the “Best” lists -- best places to live, best places for business, and so on -- as well we should! We offer a mild climate, friendly people, and great jobs in tech, pharmaceuticals, government, and academia. You can choose an urban lifestyle, or suburban, or rural -- and still be at work in a few minutes.
What's not to like? Well, summer brings some hot, humid weeks -- and that's when we escape to the beach or the mountains! Wilmington (on the coast) is about 2 1/2 hours away, and Boone (in the Blue Ridge) is about 3.
It's a good life
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CONSIDERING YOUR OPTIONS
Perhaps you are thinking of buying or selling a home in the usual way. Or perhaps your situation is more complex than that.
This economy and this housing market have affected almost everyone. If you are struggling to meet your mortgage payments, I can serve as an advisor and resource for you as you consider your options.
Just contact me by phone or email, and tell me your story. I can help, if you'll let me.
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"Dianne sold our starter home very quickly and helped us find a fabulous new home that met our every need within our budget! I think referrals say it all. I have referred Dianne to every friend, co-worker, and acquaintance that I have. Just last week I gave her name to someone else I know! Never before have I come across a Realtor who is as professional, dedicated, knowledgeable, and hardworking as Dianne!!" (Diana Robinson, Raleigh, NC: purchase, sale, and purchase)
Dianne is the consummate real estate professional. I worked with her on the purchase of a house, and the process went beautifully. She communicates well with all parties involved and minds the details extremely well. I could not have asked for a better partner in this venture. (Susan Klein, Raleigh, NC: purchase)
When I asked my friends and coworkers for the name of a good Realtor, Dianne was their first and only recommendation. We came to her in a pinch because we needed to find a house very quickly. She was there every step of the way, in constant communication, helping to get us to get the house closed within our timeframe. She was truly wonderful, and I cannot recommend her highly enough. (Chris Bachner, Raleigh, NC: purchase)
We were quite happy with the house we purchased with Dianne's help. When we needed to sell, there was no question that we would ask Dianne to be our agent. I have recommended Dianne Goode to anyone I know in the Raleigh-Durham area that is either buying or selling." (Jim Chadwick, Charlotte, NC: purchase and sale)
Happily, we just closed, thanks to Dianne's hard work, patience, intelligence, and dedication. She is a strong and experience negotiator: clear-sighted, cool-headed, savvy, and fair. She worked tirelessly to the last on our behalf. Having had success with Dianne first as buyers and then as sellers, we can highly recommend her to both. (Shannon Case and Steve Merelman, Maplewood, NJ; purchase and sale)
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