Relocate to Raleigh North Carolina - 10 Tips for Relocating

Relocating to Raleigh, North Carolina, is a big decision and once you have decided on "The Where" you need to figure out "The How". Here are 10 great tips to help you with the relocation process.

1. Start a Job Search in Raleigh. Finding a new job in a different city has never been easier thanks to the Internet. There are a number of national and local job sites specific to the Greater Raleigh area. Register with them to have jobs posted to your email weekly.

2. Research the Raleigh area. Raleigh has a number of surrounding cities and towns; such as Cary, Apex, and Holly Springs. It is good to know your surroundings before you move in. Find out if your Realtor has information he can send you for the Raleigh area.

3. Learn about the local schools. Raleigh, North Carolina has many highly acclaimed colleges and universities such as NC State, Carolina University, Meredith, and Duke. When looking at elementary and secondary schools, the Wake County Public School System has received high marks. Most recently for being the second largest district in the country with the highest total number of Nationally Board Certified Teachers. When searching for a home in Raleigh, North Carolina, it is easy to surround yourself with great schools.

4. What is RTP? You may have heard about or read about Research Triangle Park (RTP). This 7,000-acre stretch of land just West of Raleigh is comprised of a number of Fortune 500 companies; such as IBM, Nortel, Cisco, and Lenovo. Research Triangle Park provides thousands of jobs for the Raleigh area and is a large contributing factor to the strength of Raleigh's economy.

5. Allow yourself time to acclimate. There is no denying that the temperatures in Raleigh can be hot and humid in the summer. It takes anywhere from 6 months to a year to become fully acclimated to new weather conditions. One of the great things about Raleigh is in November when northern states are already getting snow; Raleigh is still enjoying cool 60 degree weather.

6. Is now a good time to invest in a home in Raleigh? You bet it is! Even though you may have heard the real estate market, as it pertains to the entire nation, has been down in the last six months. Raleigh NC real estate market has NOT seen any of the catastrophic effects the talking heads on television have been predicting. The average home price was steadily increasing towards the end of 2007. As of February, 2008 the median home price in Raleigh is $215,500 according to Zillow.

7. Find a website with the latest technology. Find a Website that allows you to search for Raleigh Real Estate a number of different ways. A number of Websites offer auto-notification technology that will email you as soon as a new Raleigh home comes on the market the meets your search criteria.

8. What is there to do in and around Raleigh? That depends. Are you a hiker, or sports fanatic? Do you enjoy nightlife or a good restaurant? The mountains are a few hours west and the ocean a few hours east, both make for great weekend trips. There are also a number of college sports teams including NC State, Duke, and the beloved Carolina Tar Heels. Professional sports teams include the NHL Carolina Hurricanes and NFL Carolina Panthers. Downtown Raleigh is all the rage for night clubs, dance clubs, and cozy bars, plus, terrific restaurants with many different flavors.

9. Stay ahead of the traffic in Raleigh. Like any major city, there are traffic issues. Depending on where your commute will be and what time of day, you may end up sitting in traffic. The NC Department of Transportation has live feed letting you know what the traffic report is at any given time. The NCDOT is constantly coming up with new ways to try and better utilize the current infrastructure.

10. Find a Realtor that specializes in relocation. You want to find a Realtor that specializes in relocation to the Raleigh area. Relocating to a new area is a big step in your life. You want to make sure the Real Estate firm you are working with is not treating you like a number, "or just another sale".

For more information on Raleigh NC Real Estate, relocation guides, and current listings please contact us.

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Shane Pollock is part of the Greater Raleigh Realty Team, and is a resident of Cary, North Carolina. Greater Raleigh Realty specializes in Raleigh Real Estate and Relocation Services. For more information please visit his site at http://www.GreaterRaleighRealty.com

Article Source: Shane_Pollock

Raleigh, North Carolina, is One of the Best Cities to Buy Real Estate

Have you been pondering buying a home or investing in real estate? Like most people you might be putting off buying real estate because you are leery of the economy, waiting for the stimulus package or heard some negative press.

Well, now is a good time to buy, and the Raleigh area housing market is doing well.

Raleigh, NC, is listed as the 6th healthiest housing market in the U.S. for 2009 according to a recent article in Builder Magazine. This comes as no surprise. Communities in the Raleigh-Durham area consistently rank in the top 10 best U.S. cities to live and is a popular choice for relocating families.

According to the article in Builder Magazine, they analyzed the top 75 housing markets in the country. The article looked at population trends, job growth, home prices and number of building permits to determine the top markets. The article noted what the healthiest housing markets have in common, including close proximity to the ocean, mountains or major universities and no substantial increase in the price of homes. The Raleigh area has all these attractive qualities plus the four seasons, a comfortable climate, affordable cost of living, Research Triangle Park (RTP) and more.

The U.S. Census Bureau announced the Raleigh-Cary area as one of the fastest growing metro areas between 2007 and 2008. From July 2007 to July 2008 there was a 4.8 percent increase in population in the Raleigh metro area and most of these people have yet to purchase homes. Additionally, Forbes recently ranked Raleigh as the number one city in the U.S. for job growth.

The Triangle housing market is more stable and steady than the rest of the country. Homes here have not depreciated. According to the Triangle Area Residential Realty (TARR) Report, NC homes in the Triangle are appreciating between 2 and 4 percent. U.S. homes on average are depreciating at 8.2 percent.

Plenty of homes are selling at their top value in a short time period. For example, a recent search for single family North Raleigh homes on the MLS in the $275K to $325K range yielded only 73 homes on the market with a median of 54 days on the market. That does not qualify as an oversupply in our marketplace. That is also an indicator of why most of our market areas have appreciated in the past 12 months, not depreciated as most of the nation has.

However, if you are patient, you can find a deal, not a steal. A majority of what is on the market now has been on the market for a while mainly because the initial asking price was too high. These are starting to drop in price.

Interest rates are the lowest they've been in 37 years. If you wait, thinking that you might get a lower price on a home, you may lose in the long run if the rates go up. Whatever, if any, savings in the sales price you may possibly gain would be outweighed by the higher interest rate compounded over a 30 year loan.

When the market starts turning to a sellers market, it will happen quickly. Listings that are properly priced and are in top condition will sell immediately when they hit the market.

Now is a good time to start shopping for a home in Raleigh, NC. Talk with a real estate agent about available listings in the Raleigh area. Contact your mortgage broker to take advantage of the low rates.

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Grayson Hodge is the broker in charge and owner along with his business partner Bill Edwards of RE/MAX Preferred Associates in Raleigh, North Carolina. His real estate career spans over 30 years in the triangle market, and he enjoys the benefits of many awards and designations including his CIPS, CLHMS, CRB, CRS, and GRI. Hodge can be reached by phone at 919-676-9766 or at ghodge@remax.net. For more information, visit http://www.showmethetriangle.com/

Article Source: Grayson_Hodge

Choosing North Carolina New Homes - Starting Fresh With the Best

If you're a resident of North Carolina and are seeking to own a home it's safe to assume that you're seeking the best houses available on the real estate market. And when anyone wants the best, especially in this case, it's a matter of doing a bit of research, traveling from prospective property to property and walking through a few long-winded home tours. Right? Well, in all actuality, this really isn't the case. Nowadays there is a certain "short cut," of sorts, and more efficient approach to getting the best house for you and your situation.

Leaving Home Shopping Ways Behind In North Carolina

Currently, instead of extensive home searching through various real estate options, you can opt for north carolina new home options to get exactly what you want. But now, as I'm sure, you're probably curious about the "exactly what you want" chunk of that last sentence. Simply enough, with the current booming offer of custom home building within the the North Carolina area, any and all residents, no matter their tastes, budgets or plans, can customize their prospective home from the bottom up.

Custom home building is now more popular than ever, especially in particular counties within cities such as Charlotte, Asheville, Raleigh-Durham, Wilmington and Winston-Salem.

Having A Home Just The Way You Want It

As long as you live within the aforementioned cities in North Carolina you can easily have your very own new home in NC, all built to your exact and particular specifications. And since custom homes are capable of exactly what they're advertised and sold for - being customizable - you literally have no limit as to what your home could look like or how it can function. Usually, through the process of arranging your new custom home, you're provided with a rough and standard blueprint of typical floor plans from your custom home builders in North Carolina. Once these are obtained, you can review what's being offered as well as tweak what's already been planned.

You can take notes and when it comes time to sit down with the site builder you can bring up just exactly what will make your home, well, your home. Bring up the changes, alterations -both big and small-, and additions you want conducted.

A More Satisfied You, A More True-to-Self Living Space

Assuming you would opt for this new, custom home option it would be fair to say that you'd be more than satisfied come the end of your planning and home finalizing process, especially once you moved into your customized home. Think of it as designing your entire home, keeping three things in mind - your style, personality and functionality. Doing this and seeing the results will not only make you ultimately pleased, but it will, at building's end, create a true-to-you living space where you can live comfortably and without sacrificing specific day-to-day ways in which you live or are accustomed to. And what more could you possibly want out of a home? You're starting off with something all your own, something you envisioned; you're starting fresh and with the absolute best.

And you deserve the best, especially with all the North Carolina new homes that are currently available or are eagerly ready to be built. So, stop all that tedious home shopping and look into simplified custom home options, you'll be happy you did.

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Article Source:E.S._Cromwell

Charlotte NC Real Estate Buyers-More Free Money ($14,900) Coming Your Way!

First $8,000 from Uncle Sam, and now $14,900 from the state of North Carolina! Charlotte NC Real Estate has been one of the top selling real estate markets for the past five years. If you ever thought of buying a home in the Carolinas, now might just be your best bet!

Seems like yesterday, with all its frenzy, no one hesitated about sinking their teeth into real estate and stocks. Call it the last great American Land Grab...

So when the markets stumbled and tumbled, many were left feeling like they had their teeth kicked in.

We are finally at the point where it looks like the markets are stabilizing. The Charlotte market is looking better.

Minor ticks have some economists becoming optimistic. I'm an optimist, so I tend to agree. I have a problem listening to Dr. Doom repeat himself .

I'm not a dentist trying to give a history lesson or rehash the obvious. What I'm hinting is that this may be an excellent time to consider putting your teeth back in and sinking them into this real estate market .

And for first time buyers, this is an excellent time to try your choppers out on that home you were thinking about. With the triple whammy going on ... extremely low prices...historical low mortgage rates....and a bonus of a $8,000 from Uncle Sam, you have little to risk and a lot to gain!

As a matter of fact, all indicators suggest that it's a good time to put that smile back on your face and extend it to someone else. A new program coming out at the end of June 2009 will help Charlotte NC first time home buyers with an additional $14,900 (free money!)available for their down payment.

Don't groan if you think a foreclosure is just a run down property. Some of the homes being foreclosed on were obviously treated with love and affection. They are the result of a sad state of affairs, not neglect put upon a property.

If you are not looking for real estate in NC, ask your Realtor if your state is also trying to reward those that purchase on foreclosed property. Keep up with those in the industry and you, too, may be able to reap some of these previously unheard of rewards!

For those first time home buyers seeking North Carolina real estate, here are some of the most basic requirements to get the 14,900 dollars: the homes must be foreclosed and for sale by a bank, bank holding company, government agency, or authorized REO designated entity. Only single-family homes, condominums, and townhomes qualify. Manufactured homes are not eligible.

Further requirements include the physical location of the real estate you are interested in buying. In North Carolina, the home also must be located in one of the 23 counties served by the NSP grant: Alamance, Brunswick, Buncombe, Cabarrus, Catawba, Cumberland, Dare, Davidson, Durham, Edgecombe, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Johnston, Mecklenburg, New Hanover, Pitt, Randolph, Rowan, Union, Vance, and Wake. You must occupy the home within 60 days of closing. Any Charlotte NC real estate will be included in this, as Charlotte is located in Mecklenburg County. The counties buffering Mecklenburg, are also included. This gives you a wide spectrum of great places to buy!

This money is available through the NC Housing Finance Agency. If you are sitting on the fence in today's real estate market....it's time to hop off.

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Article by Claude Cross. Claude is a Broker/Owner of Homes By Cross. We are located in Charlotte North Carolina, and specialize in Charlotte NC Real Estate and Relocation. Come take a tour of our area at: Charlotte NC Real Estate

North Carolina Homeowners Insurance - Price Is Not Be The Only Factor

North Carolina home owners are facing challenges from numerous directions these days. We all know the challenges that exist with the real estate market collapse, and the effect on home values. Most North Carolinians should be some what familiar with the challenges with insuring their homes due to the North Carolina Beach Plan. The latest challenge comes from a recent press release from the Department of Insurance which announces a Class Action Lawsuit brought against the state's leading Home Insurance Provider, Nationwide Insurance.

Undoubtedly, you have seen the marketing from the leader in North Carolina Homeowner's Insurance. I believe it states something to the affect of them being "on your side". It seems that mantra is not necessarily true in North Carolina. In the Department of Insurance's press release, the class-action suit states that Nationwide underpaid policyholders by not including general contractor's overhead and profit. That means, the policyholders had to pay those costs out of their own pocket.

North Carolina New Homes

When you take the state of the economy, the problems caused by The Beach Plan, and the fact that North Carolina's largest home insurance provider is settling a lawsuit where they did not pay their claims properly; North Carolinians should be very careful when it comes to choosing an insurance carrier. The problem is, how do you go about choosing the right carrier?

The first issue that you must investigate is...given the problems insurance carriers face with the NC Beach Plan, which carriers are committed to providing home insurance in North Carolina. Over the past 12-18 months, there have been numerous carriers that have decided to stop writing and even cancel their current Homeowner's Insurance policies. The most prominent of those carriers was Farmers Insurance. While there are still plenty of options in North Carolina, many carriers are still considering whether to stop writing NEW homeowners policies, reduce the amount of NEW homeowners insurance, reduce their current homeowners insurance market, or completely leave the homeowners insurance market. You should ask your current insurance agent, as well as other insurance agents, about the plans of their insurance carriers. While you might not get honest answers from everyone you speak with, you should be able to read between the lines.

New Homes North Carolina

The second issue that you must investigate is the financial stability of the remaining insurance carriers. You hopefully have widdled your potential carrier list down from the aforementioned investigation, now you have to see which insurance carriers are financially stable enough to earn your premium dollars. If you pay attention to any financial news, you have heard about the numerous downgrades issued by firms like S&P and Moody's. Many of those downgrades have come in the insurance industry. Granted, most of those downgrades dealt with carriers which deal in mostly life insurance, property and casualty firms were not immune. Look for carriers with "A" ratings or better. If possible, you want a carrier with a long track record of "A" ratings.

The final issue, which should not even be an issue, is the ability and probability of your insurance carrier to fulfill the obligations they have made to you. I doubt that anyone could imagine a company like Nationwide not properly settling their insured's claims, but evidently this is the case. Unfortunately, there are not many places you can go to obtain information such as this. Of course, there are web sites and BLOGs that talk about insurance carriers. However, I have found most of the time these sites are administered by people who have been done wrong by a particular insurance carrier, thus the information may not be that objective. My suggestions is to simply talk to your friends and family. Ask around. "Who is your insurance company?" "Have you ever had a claim?" "Were you satisfied with how your claim was handled?"

While we all want to save money whenever we can, when it comes to North Carolina's Homeowners Insurance market, the carrier with the lowest price might not always be the best insurance carrier for you.

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Article provided by Jack Wingate. Jack is a Professional Insurance Advisor and Founder of ALLCHOICE Insurance in Greensboro, NC. For more information about Jack Wingate, ALLCHOICE Insurance, or North Carolina Homeowners Insurance please visit: http://www.allchoiceinsurance.com