Showing posts with label Raleigh. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Raleigh. Show all posts
Music & Summer Fun!
I love attending outdoor concerts with family and friends this time of year! This is just a quick reminder of some of my favorites. Hope to see you at one of the events soon!
Backdoor Music on the Lawn There will be 8 FREE (3 hour) concerts on Thursday nights from May to September. The shows start at 6:00 PM and most feature two bands. Picnics and coolers are welcome but no glass, please. Food and beverages are also available at the American Tobacco restaurants that surround the Amphitheater. Concerts are held next to the Lucky Strike Water tower.
"Find Your Cool" Summer Concert Series Is an annual concert series put on by Downtown Durham, Inc. and held on Thursday nights at the CCB Plaza (where "Major the Bull" statue is located). Concerts are 7-8:30 and will feature eclectic bands.
Rock the Park Music and Concert Series Is sponsored by Durham Parks and Recreation and occurs on Saturday evenings at various local parks around Durham. Music runs 6-8:00 PM and movies are 8-10:00 PM.
Music in the Gardens is a summer music series held at Sarah P. Duke Gardens, on the lawn beside the visitor center. The concerts are on Wednesdays and start at 7:00 PM.
Brightleaf Square Concert Series is a popular free venue because you can dine outside and enjoy the lovely setting of the historic district. Concerts last from 7-9:00 PM.
Music on Main is being brought back at the Streets of Southpoint Mall. The concerts are held outside close to the movie theater and are 6-9:00 PM.
Blues on The Plaza Northgate Mall is getting in on the action and kicking off a concert series on Fridays from 6-9:00 PM.
Take a look at these links for more fun events happening in Durham and The Triangle. Free Outdoor Music in The Triangle and Things to do in Durham.
What is the Real Estate Market doing?
Take a look at the video provided by our Triangle Multiple Listing Services. Let me know if you would like more data and if you are interested in knowing how your neighborhood compares with the overall information in The Triangle. Contact me at 919-475-9460 or Stacie@StacieDye.com.
Market Update for September 2013...
Please call me with any questions about the market or your home value. The inventory is low and this is a good time to sell! I would be glad to discuss your options.
Stacie
919-475-9460
Music is in the Air...Bluegrass, Pride and More!
This is a quick video about the Fantastic Jazz Festival I attended in Hillsborough last weekend!
Take a look at the Fun scheduled around The Triangle this weekend! There is something for Everyone!
Weekend Fun! Where should I go 1st?
This weekend there is a great lineup. Where are you going? I hope to see you out and about! I'm just sharing a few of my favorites. These are all perfect examples of why I love living in The Triangle!
If none of these ideas strike your fancy check out the
Durham Visitor Events Calendar! Just get out and have some fun!
Another Happy Seller!
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| Tom is taking his sign rider for a memory. |
So you need a realtor. I have some thoughts on how to find one, and
better yet, I have two Realtors, Stacie Dye and Kay Stephenson of Go
Realty, that I recommend highly. (Stacie and Kay work as a team; I
worked most closely with Stacie, so much of what I say is about her
specifically, but all the dealings I had with Kay echo those I had
with Stacie.)
Interview at least two candidates so you have some basis on which to
compare. Prepare for the interviews and ask your key questions, and
pay close attention to both the answers and the way in which your
questions are addressed. This person is going to assist you through a
stressful period. Is (s)he going to add to or alleviate your stress?
Are your questions being heard, and are they being answered? Don't
forget who's working for whom. Your realtor will have suggestions and
recommendations, but ultimately it's your house, your sale/purchase.
Beware the realtor who talks and does not listen.
The two Realtors I chose work as a team. They are Stacie Dye and Kay
Stephenson. Stacie was recommended by a colleague at work, who engaged
her services as a buying agent. I engaged Stacie and Kay as selling
agents, and was very impressed with both of them from start through
finish. A bit of background; I bought and sold two houses in New
Mexico, totaling three transactions, in 1979, 1989, and 1999. One of
my biggest regrets in leaving NM was the loss of my realtor, who I
thought was a once in a lifetime find. Probably the first thing I said
to Stacie and Kay was that they had an impossible act to follow, and
specifically that my last house sold on the day it was listed. I
challenged them to top that. They promised that they would do their
best.
The interview was thorough and illuminating. A lot has changed since
1999, notably including the ways in which housing is marketed (notably
due to the Internet), and the expectations of buyers with regard to
the staging of a house, regardless of whether it's a buyer's or
seller's market. At the initial interview Stacie and Kay outlined
generally the state of the market at that time and place, and provided
a cogent assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of my house. They
then worked up a detailed and specific analysis with a suggested
selling price, and then patiently addressed my questions and concerns,
as well as making specific suggestions on what else needed to be done
prior to putting the house on the market. Of course they provided
clear context in terms of comparables on the market.
I believe every sale involves compromises. I had prepared the house as
best I could in the time available but chose ultimately to enter the
market at a point in time rather than holding back until I was able to
complete improvements. Stacie and Kay were entirely accommodating in
that decision, while another candidate I interviewed was not.
Interestingly, the asking price that Stacie and Kay suggested was
about 6% higher than that recommended by the other candidate, without
"demanding" I complete additional improvements to prepare for going on
the market. Conclusion: Stacie and Kay did not low ball the price in
order to achieve a quick sale, nor require endless improvements in
order to further ease their job of achieving a quick sale. Instead
they took the house as it was, and worked to make the most of it.
And work they did. They do their own staging, and spent eight full
hours between the two of them getting the house into unbelievable
shape. I came home from work, expecting them to be gone, but both were
there for an additional hour and a half. They also made cogent
recommendations on improvements I might consider, and for those I
opted to do, they had competent professionals available to do the work
in a very timely fashion. They also have as part of their service a
professional photographer who truly impressed me with his work. He
arrived on time, left on time, and produced an amazing ensemble of
photos that formed the backbone of the individualized website for the
house sale.
Stacie emailed me at 2:30 on a Saturday afternoon to say "we're live."
I had just enough time to look at the website and send the link to
friends and family before I got a call from Centralized Showing
Services asking me if I would allow a showing at 4 that afternoon. I
did; the showing resulted in an offer; Stacie called me with the
details that evening; we ended up having four conversations before
coming to a verbal agreement to sell; and somehow they managed to top
my same day sale of 1999. Even with the house being flagged as under
contract the marketing campaign evidently was effective, as I observed
individuals driving by the house until the day I moved, and the weekly
statistics that Stacie sent on web traffic showed ongoing interest.
The negotiations for the sale were stressful, as was the "due
diligence" period when the house was inspected and issues were
discovered. Whenever I had concerns, whenever I was stressed out and
needed assurances that all was well, Stacie unflaggingly took/returned
my calls, answered my emails, and represented my interests with the
utmost integrity, listening to my concerns, commenting on my analysis,
offering advice, and ultimately going along with my direction on how
to proceed in the negotiations. In the end the sale closed
successfully. My only regret is that neither Stacie nor Kay is willing
to relocate to Canada, so I'm once again in a position of having to
find a realtor if ever I need those services.
Tom Field
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