Susan Brown, REALTOR Cary NC Homes for Sale

I get this question a lot, especially from first-time homebuyers: "When will I get the keys to my new house?" My answer: "At closing." Then I go on to explain that closing probably means something different to me than it does to them.

When we think of closing most of us think of sitting around a conference table at the attorney's office signing a bajillion papers. That's a misnomer that has been perpetuated, unfortunately, by us Realtors who often use that word interchangeably with settlement.

SETTLEMENT is the act of signing those bajillion papers at the attorney's office but once you've done that the house isn't quite yours yet!! Many agents will go ahead and slide the keys over right then and there but I'm a stickler for the rules and insist that keys wait until the deed has been recorded. That's the true closing. I mean, what would happen if buyers got their new keys, went over to a house that wasn't quite theirs yet, and proceeded to accidentally burn it down? Whose homeowner's insurance do you think would have to pay for that? There's just too many things that can happen and too many liability issues.

BUYERS, don't come to the settlement table with a moving van full of your stuff expecting to be able to take it straight over to the house afterwards! Wait the few hours (or a day, sometimes) that it takes to get the deed recorded down at the courthouse because then it's yours, free and clear, and then you can enjoy it to the fullest!

Imagine our surprise when one day out of the blue THIS appeared on our cherry tree in our front yard:

Yep, you're seein' it right...that's a big ole blob of bees. They're not crawling ON something--there's no nest there, oh, no! Those are bees all the way through, a big football-sized wad of honeybees. Needless to say, we didn't get TOO close! Still, it was one of the coolest things I've seen in awhile (almost as cool as seeing a real live tarantula patientily crossing the road out in New Mexico one time...wish I still had that picture!!)

My S.O. calls up a local beekeeper to come get these babies because bees are in short supply and we need them around here, so killing them was out of the question. We had a chuckle when it was the apprentice beekeeper who showed up (I think he was the grandson of the main guy) who had never done this before. But he got dressed in his getup and mask and was able to shuffle them into a box. He was after the queen, because the bees will go wherever the queen goes. He told us we'd know if he didn't get her because the blob would basically reappear (there were still a few buzzing around that weren't attached to the main tangle). But they never did reappear and eventually the leftovers buzzed off elsewhere so he was successful in capturing the queen (checkmate!)

Ways To Beat The Heat in Cary This Summer

We Cary-ites know summer can be brutal down here. It's hot, it's humid, and it goes on forever. Here are three great places to cool down and grab a frozen treat:

Maggie Moo's Ice Cream in the Arboretum: Tons of flavors of ice cream with countless mix-ins available to create almost unlimited choices of creamy frozen goodness. Also cones, sundaes, ice cream pizzas...you name it, they probably have it.

Goodberry's Frozen Custard with two locations in Cary, on Kildaire Farm and on Davis Drive. The Carolina Concrete is probably their most popular order, with freshly made custard and any mix-in you'd like. It's always crowded but is a wonderful atmosphere for friends and family, with a walk-up outdoor counter and seating outside to enjoy the warm evening.

Henry's Gelato off of Cary Parkway in the Preston Walk Shopping Center. This one is probably my favorite--I just love the taste of gelato, and there's always new flavors to try every time you go there.

It's almost June, and in Cary that means the heat is on! These are great ways to keep cool and satisfy your sweet tooth at the same time!

Summerfest Is Back! Join William Henry Curry and the NC Symphony for their annual Summerfest series at Koka Booth Ampitheatre in Cary, NC!

This is such a great way to enjoy the symphony in a casual setting...bring your blankets or lawn chairs and a picnic and spread out on the grass for some fun and entertaining music! Concerts begin May 28th and are every Saturday until July 16th. Music begins at 7:30 and gates open at 5. There's also the annual free Independence Day concert on July 4th complete with fireworks and all the patriotic music you can handle! Concerts this year include Respighi's Pines of Rome on June 11th, a tribute to the music of Paul McCartney, Pirate music (great for the kids!), and Time for Three, who will absolutely blow you away if you've never seen these three perform.

Tickets start at $25 or $30 for general lawn admission, depending on the concert. If you've never been, now's the time to try it out...these concerts will be fun, fabulous, and phenomenal!

My Cat Gets Better Healthcare Than Me!

It's true! Yesterday we got to pay a $782 bill for one of my cats to get some teeth pulled and her ears looked at, and I got to thinking, "When is the last time I paid that much for my own dental health?" Ummm...I don't think I have...ever. As a self-employed Realtor, I don't get any fancy insurance plan provided by my company. I have a high-deductible health plan, but that basically means I still pay out of pocket every time something is wrong and I need to go see a physician or dentist. Therefore I try to make sure I stay in excellent health, keep exercising, eat healthy, and hopefully can avoid seeing any doctors!

When I'm sick or something I always think, "Hmmm...can I just live with it until I get better?" But it's a different story when one of my cats gets sick or needs a tooth pulled! I can't stand the thought of a poor innocent creature suffering if I can do something about it! Hence we took her in when her ears got fluid in them and the vet also found that one of her canines also needed pulling (as did a couple others once she got in there and looked around). So, Bear is now in better health than me, probably, but she's definitely feeling good and happy. Have you ever seen a cat on morphine? VERY funny! Luckily, I have a closing on Friday to help cover the cost!!