Jeff Craig Broker, Realtor, CSP

You've really got to feel bad for pigs. I mean, call them what you will, pigs, hogs, swine, bovines, they have just been getting a bad rap. "Swine Flu", I mean really people. There they are, sitting in the mud, eating their slop, minding their own business. Leave it to humans to make their lives difficult. Don't you think knowing that they will become bacon some day is bad enough? So we get a new illness and name it after the poor creatures. Well, luckily someone came along and realized it was not politically correct to call it Swine Flu. H1,N1, now that sounds much better. I'm sure the pork producers of our nation had nothing to do with that. But, for some reason, pork sales are down considerably. Well, I for one plan on going on a pork binge this weekend. bacon for breakfast, ham for lunch, pork chops for dinner, that's the ticket. I also want to take this opportunity to apologize to all swine. I for one respect you and will never disyou with that "***** Flu" term. Oh, and um, please keep those hog farms away from my neighborhood. Nothing personal.

We at Piedmont Personal Builders build custom homes on owners lots, typically called "on your lot " building. We build a few inventory or "spec" homes here and there throughout Central North Carolina, so that we have some product to show at various price points and fit and finish levels. We currently have two completed inventory custom homes available in Lewisville, NC and Greensboro, NC. One is priced at $609, 900.00 and the other is priced at $383,900.00. Both have been completed and on the market for some time now.

The higher priced home is in a very desirable, up-scale neighborhood in Greensboro called Lake Jeanette Northern Shores. It was typically an area that sold very well. Homes rarely remained on the market long. This should be especially true now, since the home is located in the very last piece of land available in the Lake Jeanette subdivision. But, because of the recession and the down turn in the real estate market, homes there are taking much longer to sell. Another custom home builder in the neighborhood has recently closed shop. Unfortunately for us and the remaining builders, he dropped the price of his home, which is next to our home, by $70,000.00. He simply wanted to get back what he had put into it. It sold quickly after that price drop. Now we and the other builders in the neighborhood are faced with the question from potential buyers, "why was that home so much less money than yours?" Of course this makes selling for the remaining builders more difficult. The other issue will be appraisal when the home does sell.

So, we do our best to market and sell this home. It seems like traffic has picked up there. But still, nothing is selling. Yes, it's still a very interesting market. Who knows what tomorrow will bring?

Well, the title says it all. It's a gray rainy day, but we really need the rain, so I can't complain, but you know the feeling you get on such a dreary day.

First, it was really hard to get out of bed this morning. If only I could have given my keys to my fourteen year old daughter this morning. I think she can reach the pedals. If only my dogs didn't decide 5:00AM was a great time to go out this morning. I have three dogs why?

I'm tired. I have a bit of a headache. Hmmm, could it be the start of swine, I mean H1N1 flu? You know, there's something wrong about having to be politically correct so as not to offend pigs! I digress. I really wouldn't want to spread anything in my office. Oh, and last night I super gued my fingers together. That's got to count for some degree of whining. At least I didn't super glue my lips together. Yes, I have done that, when I put the cap in my mouth because my hands were full. My wife and kids found that quite amusing.

Then there is work. Or should I say lack of work. The last few weeks have been dead.....I mean rigor mortis has set in. So, I try to find leads. I try to keep busy. I try not to keep looking at the deals of the day on Amazon. By the way, did you see that gadget that washed the car, fed the baby, guaranteed you'd lose at least 25 pounds and kept your breath fresh? I only bought two. There I go again, getting off track.

I did take some time yesterday to write to my senators and congressman about extending the tax credit and applying it to all home buyers. I received a lovely reply from one of my senators. It went something like this. "Dear (fill in the blank), Thank you so much for your concern about (fill in the blank). You know I receive so many comments every day from concerned citizens like you regarding (fill in the blank). Rest assured I am on top of this issue and as soon as I get back from my lobbyist paid vacation fact finding tour in Hawaii, I will give my utmost attention to the issue of (fill in the blank). " I don't know about you, but I feel like the matter is a done deal.

Back to whining now. My shoulders are starting to ache from being hunched over the keyboard. My teeth itch and my hair hurts...my (fill in the blank).

The sky is gray today and that makes me happy. No, I'm not a vampire and I don't hate bright , sunshiny, happy days. It's raining for the second day in a row and it's supposed to rain again tomorrow. I'm not quite singing in the rain, but pretty close. Now you're thinking, "A builder wants rain?"

Yep! There has been a very serious drought in our area all summer long. This, after an abundance of rain in the spring. It rained so much then, that the local water authority was letting water out of the reservoirs. I'll bet they're shaking their heads now. I drove over a couple of the reservoirs on the way to one of our home sites the other day. I was just shocked by how low the water level was. I couldn't understand why we didn't have mandatory water restrictions in place. So, yes the rain may set our building schedule back a few days, but it's worth it.

It's great to see some color coming back to the grass. This morning I watched some small finches taking baths in a puddle in front of my house. The rain makes me happy.

We at Piedmont Personal Builders specialize in "scattered site building" When I joined the company, I had five years experience in Real Estate and in particular, selling new construction. I had never heard the term before.

Not wanting to sound ignorant, I nodded my head and acted like I knew what it meant when I interviewed. OK, "scattered site builder". maybe they throw darts at a map and build where they land. Maybe they throw little Monopoly houses on a map and that's where they build. No, that can't be it. I know, they write down addresses, put them in a hat and take turns choosing. No? Well, this was really a long shot, but maybe they fill a pinata with addresses and all the employees take a whack at it. Where they land, they build. At least that one sounded like fun.

Boy was I surprised when I found out what it meant. They build on prospective buyer's lots, scattered throughout Central North Carolina. Duh!

Now, after three years as the sales manager at PPB, I realize "scattered site" or "on your lot" is truly a unique way to market a builder. It certainly has it's pluses and minuses, but for the most part, we stand out from the other local "custom builders". One thing is for certain. There is almost no way to accelerate a sale. The land owners are ready to build "when their stars are aligned". It's also not unusual to have a one, or even two year sales cycle. Man, that takes patience.

If you have a client who wants to build, and is looking for land, we can help. We offer a no cost, no obligation "land evaluation". This gives your client a builders perspective on the land. Where should the home be sited and in which direction? Which side should the garage be on and where should the driveway come in? Where is the most likely site for the well, or for the septic field? Does the slope really suit a walk-out basement? Is there going to be a drainage issue , or even a flooding issue? As you can see, there are many questions to ask and we are skilled at answering those questions. We have helped many agents sell land. Yes, we have recommended against purchasing a piece of property now and then. But in the end the agent and client were happy because they found the right land for their home.