http://cbadvantage.com/blog/archive_201903/sort_entrydatetime-desc/ Real estate, just like most other industries, has its share of awards and rankings. A lot of them don't mean that much, but the REAL Trends Five Hundred is by far and away the most trusted and revered. It ranks the largest real estate companies in the U.S. by sides and sales volume and we are again thrilled to be counted as one of the nation's leaders. Our company participated in 16,007 transaction sides (there are two sides of every home sale - buyer and seller). And when you add up the value of what these homes sold for, we get our incredible $3.68 BILLION in sales volume. We finished 2018 as the second largest Coldwell Banker franchise in the nation by transaction sides, number one Coldwell Banker franchise in NC, and were ranked by REAL Trends as the 21st largest company in the U.S. for sides and 45th largest in sales volume. AWESOME STUFF! We hope all of you who purchased or sold a home with a Coldwell Banker Advantage agent this year - and in the past - are smiling today. You are the reason for our success and we are so appreciative of the trust you have put in us. Thank you and CONGRATULATIONS!CLICK HERE TO GO TO REAL TRENDS REPORT http://cbadvantage.com/blog/845/coldwell-banker-advantage-ranked-21st-in-sides-and-45th-in-volume-nationally-by-real-trends-top-500-brokerages/ Fri, 29 Mar 2019 01:46:59 -0500 Durham, NC: Full Frame Outdoor Screenings and Food Truck Roundup will be at Durham Central Park on April 5th-6th. Food trucks will begin serving at 5:30 and the movie will begin around 8:30 pm. Cary, NC:Cary's Beer and Bacon Fest is returning on April 6th to Koka Booth Amphitheatre. There will many local restaurants and food trucks serving a variety of bacon dishes. There will also be over 75 different craft beers, wine, and spirits available. Raleigh, NC:Dreamville Music Festival will be coming to Dorthea Dix Park on April 6th starting at noon. There will be many popular artists performing along with a putt-putt golf course, sand sculpture, photo booth and more!Goldsboro, NC: The annual fundraiser Pig in the Park is returning on April 6th to support the Boys and Girls Club of Wayne County. The clubs support many children in the area, ensuring them with academic success and a safe environment. Clarksville, VA:The Cruise in Car show will be returning to Downtown Clarksville on April 6th. There will be music and a 50/50 raffle on the lake. Chapel Hill, NC:Celebrate spring with Spring Haven Farm at their Baby Goat Festival from April 6th-7th from 12:00-4:00 pm. Along with goats, there will be pigs, horses, and other animals. Tickets are $13.50 each. to learn more click here!Wake Forest, NC:Wake Forests first Food Truck Rodeo of the year is happening April 7th from 12:00-4:00 pm. There will be a variety of food trucks along with vendors selling crafts and other merchandise. http://cbadvantage.com/blog/841/area-events-april-5th-7th/ Thu, 28 Mar 2019 04:24:49 -0500 March Madness is rolling! Not just in basketball but in real estate as this month is traditionally the start of the spring buying and selling season.Nationally it appears that this year things got heated up a bit earlier than normal. The National Association of Realtors just announced its monthly Existing Home Sales Report that found home sales jumped 11.8% in February from January. This was the largest month-to-month increase since December of 2015. Nationally the number of homes for sales (inventory) is 1.62 million, a low 3.5 month supply that is far below what is termed a “balanced market.” Lower than 6-months, the seller is thought to have an advantage in negotiations while a “buyers’ market” is higher than 6 months.The low levels of available homes has driven prices higher. The current median price (the exact middle of the list of February homes sold) is $249,500, a 3.6% increase over last year.NAR reports that the South remains about the same in sales levels while prices jumped by 2.5% to a median price of $219,300.Getting even closer to home, we looked at the Triangle MLS numbers and found that our region mirrored the national scene as our 2,585 region-wide February sales were 13.2% higher than last year. The median home price was up 2.3% to $266,000.Yet our inventory challenge is significantly greater than elsewhere. Overall, we have just a 2.2 month supply, but things differ when looking at the type of home you might be interested in. Clearly, demand far outpaces supply and those who are considering selling their home should talk to a trusted real estate professional.Property TypeMonth SupplyChange compared to Feb. 2018Single family $137,000-$199,9991.1-21.4%Single family $199,000-$308,9991.7UnchangedSingle family $308,000 3.3-5.7%Single family 2 bedrooms3.1 6.9%Single family 3 bedrooms1.8-5.3%Single family 4 bedrooms3.0UnchangedTownhouse/Condo $137,000-$199,9990.4-33.3%Townhouse/Condo $199,000-$308,9991.5UnchangedTownhouse/Condo $308,000 3.8-2.6%Townhouse/Condo 2 bedrooms1.1 10.0%Townhouse/Condo 3 bedrooms1.7 13.3%Townhouse/Condo 4 bedrooms2.8 12.0%Now let’s zoom in even closer to some of the more notable communities in the Triangle:CARY/APEX/MORRISVILLEThankfully we have seen an increase in the number of homes for sale to a 2.1-month supply of 960 homes. The median price of homes was $347,000, about $100,000 higher the national norm. This was down 1.7% over a year ago. With low inventory, you would expect the time it takes for a home to sell to be pretty quick and that is exactly the case. The time on market for the 362 homes that sold in February was 42 days, about the same as the 44 day national figure.CHAPEL HILL/CARRBOROInventory dropped in February to just 2.6 months (down 10.3% over last year) with only 191 homes coming on the market to give us only 391 available homes. Prices also stayed stagnant at $348,475, up only 0.8% from last February.DURHAM COUNTYThe market is as tight with only 617 homes available, an extremely low 1.4 month supply. Homes are selling in a brisk 36 days. Prices are reflecting this supply and demand imbalance, up 12.1% over last February to $266,400.JOHNSON COUNTYThe median sales price for the 301 homes that sold in February rose less than 1% to $235,000. Just like in most of our region, the supply of homes continues to be a challenge with just 916 homes currently available (-3.7% over last year), a 2.3 month supply (-14.8%).RALEIGHOnly Durham County had a tighter market. Raleigh has just a 1.6 month supply of homes (1,238) available. February saw a 14.5% jump in sales to 567. Homes are selling in just 35 days. The median price rose by 3% over last year to $274,000.WAKE COUNTYThe same story here. The number of sales rose 9.9%, yet inventory remains very low at just 2 months or 3,484 available homes, up 5.3% and 3.7% respectively over last February. The 1,296 homes sold in February stayed on the market for an average of just 37 days. Prices also rose 4.1% to $307,000.WAKE FORESTIronically, while there is a 3.1 month supply here, this number was down 11.4% over last year as the 504 homes on the market was also down by 5.8%. The 120 homes that sold did so in 44 days, the same number as across the nation. Median prices jumped to $322,647, up 5.3% over last year.I hope you are enjoying this look at the national, regional and local real estate markets. If you have any thoughts or questions, let me know at rgregory@cbadvantage.com http://cbadvantage.com/blog/840/triangle-review:-spring-is-here!-finally!/ Tue, 26 Mar 2019 10:58:53 -0500 Raleigh, NC:Compass Rose Brewery is hosting a Food Truck Rodeo on March 30th from 2:00-5:00 pm. Along with four different food trucks, there will also be live music and beer & wine. Come say hello to spring at Peach Road Park on March 30th from 1:00-4:00 pm. There will be many outdoor games and activities including giant jenga, checkers, connect four, and more!Myra's Angels Foundation is hosting the Foundation Family Fun Day Carnival on March 30th from 11:00 am-2:00 pm. This carnival will support the homeless youth in Wake County. There will be food trucks, raffles, games, live music, and more. Lake Gaston, VA: St Peter's Catholic Church is hosting their weekly Friday Catfish Fry on March 29th from 5:00-6:30 pm. Each plate costs $10 for one catfish fillet or $14 for two. You can dine in or take out!Chapel Hill, NC: The Barn at Lloyd's is hosting a Tarheel Antique Festival on March 30th. There will be antiques from vendor booths and an onsite auction. You will even have the chance to sell some of your own antiques.Carrboro, NC:Carrboro Annual Kite Fly will be returning on March 31st to Hank Anderson Community Park. Bring a kite and fly with others. There will be a few kites available for those who don't have one. Goldsboro, NC:The 3rd annual Blue, Brewm and Que Festival will be returning on March 30th from 11:00 am-8:00 pm. You can listen to bluegrass while enjoying barbeque, NC Microbreweries, Duplin County Wineries, and more!Durham, NC: GetHiking! is hosting a free hike test drive for their eight week spring beginner hiking program. The test hike is a 2 1/2 mile walk starting at Hollow Rock Nature Park in Durham leading to Duke Forest and then back to Hollow Rock Nature Park.  http://cbadvantage.com/blog/838/area-events-march-28th-31st/ Fri, 22 Mar 2019 02:57:47 -0500 Guest Post From Coldwell Banker Blue MatterCo-Founder NorthStar Moving Company Laura McHolm Was one of your New Year’s resolutions to give your house a makeover or declutter? Tired of the old paint colors, the piles of catalogs, over stuffed closets and toys that your kids haven’t touched since 2013? Is your tween not lovin’ the Winnie the Pooh theme room anymore? Well, then its time to room swap!Most of us move homes every 5-10 years but many stay put for decades. Moving is the time when we get rid of the most stuff, so if you haven’t moved in 5 or 10 years things are piling up! Remember when you first moved into your home? Life in your new home was full of possibilities: the empty space, clean shelves, the fresh paint, and newly organized, just moved into closets. Come on admit it, you want that feeling back. You can have all of that bliss again just by moving rooms in your home. It is a giant way to clean, get rid of unwanted belongings, redesign a room to fit your new needs and get set-up to attain your goals for the year.Want to work out more in 2019? Transform your guest room into a work out space. Does your child need better study habits? Have them swap rooms with a sibling for a new fresh space with a new desk to inspire focus. Create rooms in your home that match your current interests, style and your kids’ ages. Move your house around to support your resolutions. Your newly arranged home will function so much better for your current goals and needs. The bonus is your house will feel bigger and new because you have gotten rid of so much stuff!Convinced? So, how do you go about a room swap? I reached out to my cousin, Krista Burdine, who just implemented a room swap of her own. A freelance writer with three growing kids, Krista needed a quiet workspace away from the busy hub of the house. At the same time, her youngest daughter needed a bigger room. She has named the process: “Out-With-The-Old Room Switcheroo.” Here are the switcheroo steps to room swapping:Set Goals: Besides a cleaner, more organized, newly designed home, what do you want to get out of the room swapping? Sit down with each family member to determine what their goals are for the year and their new space. What type of room will support those goals?Make the Match: Based on the goals of each family member determine what room fits with their goals and desires for a space. Does Maren’s room best fit little Larkin’s desire for grown-up bunk beds? And, does Jesse’s room best fit Maren’s hope to create a space for her art? This planning also includes shared spaces. Has the office been unused? Change it into another living space, media room or game room. Make a detailed plan of what each room will be used for, who gets each bedroom and arrange each room to support each person’s goals.Measure: Save yourself major headaches by using a measuring tape. Make sure all the furniture will actually fit in the new dream layout. You can make drawings of each room to scale and use scale cut-outs of each piece of furniture – ala paper dolls. Move your new design layout around with your finger tips a few times before you actually do the heavy lifting.Design: Here comes the fun part! Each person gets to pick out the paint color for his or her new room, as well as drapes, new bedspread, furniture layout, etc. It is up to you how much you want to spend. Repurpose your old furniture – sand and repaint. Maybe’s Jesse’s desk is really the right size for Larkin now? Just sand it down and paint it her favorite color. Give your older kids a budget and stress they need to stay under budget. Tell, them: “It’s like having your own design show – how far can you make the money go?” No need to spend a lot, some heavy lifting and just a new paint color can transform a room!Move Out: Okay, brace yourself for a little bit of chaos but it will be so much better on the other side of the transformation. Set aside one week for each room swap. Move everything out of the chosen room. That child is now going to be camping in the living room and/or sleeping in the same room with a sibling for a week. Make sure they have a packed suitcase of what they will need that week (clothes, meds, school books, fish food, etc.…). Now, designate a space in your home where all of the furniture and belongings can sit for a couple of days. Garage? Basement?Sort: Now, sort EVERYTHING as it comes out of the old room into five piles: keep, recycle, store, donate to your favorite charity (a good start to this year’s taxes!) and items to pass along and repurpose for another family member. If you don’t have the time, hire a moving & storage company to help you move furniture and place items in storage, etc.Clean: Scour each room. This includes shampooing the carpet, waxing floors, washing windows, and dusting closet shelves. Clean the walls, fill up the nail holes, etc.Decorate: Once clean, paint the room in the soon to be new owner’s chosen color. Make any other DIY decorating makeover that this room’s budget allows. New carpet? New flooring? New area rug? Window coverings? New bedspread?Move In: Carpets are clean, paint is dry, its move-in day! Move in only the furniture and items that were selected to keep. Hang new and old wall art, put away clothes (clothes go vertically in drawers to save space) and handle every detail down to hanging the new occupant’s name on the door. That night the child gets to sleep in their new room that they designed themselves! Or, Dad gets to read a book in his new office. Whatever the new space is designed for, it is clean, organized and will inspire you in 2016!Next! Keep going until each room has it’s makeover and each person has their new space.You really do have a way to have a fresh start in 2019, make it happen with new living space! Ready, set, swap and experience the Switcheroo! Yep, it’s going to be a Happy New Year, indeed! You’ve set yourself up to make your resolutions your reality!Laura McHolm is an organizational, moving & storage expert and co-founder of NorthStar Moving Company. NorthStar Moving Company is an award winning, “A+” rated company, which specializes in providing eco-luxury moving and storage services.   www.northstarmoving.com http://cbadvantage.com/blog/837/how-to-swap-rooms-to-make-your-old-home-feel-new-in-2019!/ Fri, 15 Mar 2019 08:24:41 -0500