Marianne Howell Wright, Chapel Hill Real Estate

Southern Village

Last weekend I went to Southern Village with my sister,a friend and our dogs for the Walk for Paws. It was a was a beautiful fall day, perfect for a walk down the tree lines streets of Southern Village.

Southern Village dates from the early 90's and was the first of the "new old neighborhoods" in the area. One of the models for the new neighborhood was Kentlands in Va. When the development of Southern Village first started I really wondered how it would turn out. I was familiar with Kentlands, my sister lived there, it was a wonderful neighborhood concept. But in Kentlands the land was level and Southern Village had so much topography....

How would they ever get it to look good with the density and hills? Well, it turned out great. The developers, D.R. Bryan , Bryan Properties, knew what they were doing and today is is a showplace neighborhood in Chapel Hill with a thriving commercial area. There is a main street with shops, restaurants, businesses, a church, and movie theater. The commons is a gathering place for events (like The Walk for Paws), a farmers market and outdoor movie showings.

I took photos of lots of homes and will add more including the condos and townhomes in another post.

After our walk we sat outside at Pazzo! on Market Street and shared a pizza and a bottle of wine. We people and dog watched until until almost dark!

Chatham County NC Real Estate

For years a visitor to the Triangle wouldn't hear much about Chatham County. It was missing from area maps and rarely mentioned in the local news and weather. I think that´s because it has been a rural county without a large center of population. Things are changing fast now because of Chatham´s location surrounded by Orange, Durham and Wake Counties, completion of major roads, and the growing population of the Triangle. Much of Chatham County is still very rural but North Chatham has seen quite a bit of growth in the past few years with the development of large planned neighborhoods like Briar Chapel.

Why move to Chatham County?

During the past 10 years or so the planning departments in Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Raleigh have been requiring developers to cluster homes and leave areas of green space to help protect the environment. The result of this is most new home neighborhoods have small ¼ to 1/3 acre lots.

Growth has been limited in Chatham because of the lack of sewer services to the county. New improvements in waste treatment systems such as spray irrigation have made development of large golf course neighborhoods with big lots a cost effective way for developers to go. It also offers new home buyers something that is in short supply in the Triangle, a new home on a large lot. Over the past few years so much land was approved for development that there is now an over supply of homes and there are some real deals to be found.

When I saw this sign while driving from Chapel Hill to Chatham County I thought the pro-development town council had put it up. I quickly realized a prankster had added DEVELOPERS PARADISE. This was right before our market entered the recession.

Schools

The school test scores vary across the county. In the North Chatham area the scores compare favorably with the rest of the Triangle. If you focus on the North Chatham schools, Perry Harrison and North Chatham Middle and Elementary you will see that they are similar to the scores of the Chapel Hill schools which have the reputation as the best in the state. A new high school is planned for North Chatham in the next few years. There is also the Woods Charter School, grades k-12 with an excellent reputation but a waiting list.

Chatham County ABC's Test Scores

Tickled Pink is A fundraiser to provide direct support to cancer patients and their families through UNC's Comprehensive Cancer Support Program (CCSP) at the new N.C. Cancer Hospital.

The UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center and the N.C. Cancer Hospital

The Chapel Hill office of Coldwell Banker HPW turned fall decorations pink, including a pink pumpkin patch, as part of an initiative to Turn the Town Pink for the month of October to show support for the Tickled Pink fundraiser.

Every year the Chapel Hill office of CBHPW volunteers to wait tables, set and clear tables and help clean up for the 300 guest benefit ladies luncheon at the Pope Box at Kenan Stadium It is a community service event for our office and a non networking event. No business cards and no name tags!!

Julie Amos-Sermons, a very energetic CBHPW agent, was the event co-chair and worked hard all year to make the sold out ladies luncheon a success.

CBHPW agent Barbara Pater is ready to serve!

Ladies were Tickled Pink to buy the donated flower arrangements.

Well, we are on to our next project, a turkey giveaway, for the holidays.

Marianne
Marianne Howell Wright, Broker
Coldwell Banker HPW
"Making a Difference in our Community"

"Ask the Experts" condo forum is tonight!
The Chapel Hill office of Coldwell Banker HPW is having an informative forum tonight for HOA boards and management companies (anyone with an interest is invited) to explain how the current lending guidelines are affecting condo sales. Many agents in the office have horror stories about condo sales that had delayed closings or didn't close at all causing all sorts of problems for the buyers and sellers (and of course the agents!) We will have a mortgage lender on hand to discuss the approval process and required documents. Tom Holt , a local attorney, will be available to answer questions and discuss the legal steps necessary for associations to review and make changes to HOA documents. We should have a good group. Please come!