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Patio Homes 101

In the greater Raleigh area, most homebuyers and sellers are familiar with the terms “condo,” “townhome,” or “single family home;” but what about a “patio home?” Located on the same spectrum as townhomes and single family homes, patio homes typically lie somewhere in the middle of these two property types.

Unknown to many consumers, patio homes offer a maintenance-free lifestyle similar to condos and townhomes. Patio homes, however, differ from most condos and townhomes in that they reside within residential developments and offer detached, single-family units situated on reduced-sized lots with access to common open space.

Commonly referred to as “zero lot line homes,” the structure of a patio home is built along one of the property…

It's easy to get caught up in the discouraging news reports about the down economy; however, one thing reporters are not talking about is home buying. Surprisingly, right now is an ideal time to purchase a home! If you're thinking about relocating to Raleigh, North Carolina, or are ready to either upgrade or downsize to a new home, then here are five reasons why now is an optimal time to buy a Raleigh NC Home:

Reason 1: Volume is High

The Raleigh real estate market has a large surplus of homes. According to the Triangle Multiple Listing Service (TMLS), there are almost 11,000 homes for sale in the Greater Raleigh area. This inventory is a 21% increase from last year. As you know, the basic economic model of supply-and-demand determines price in a market,…

The 2008 numbers have been released for the Raleigh Real Estate Market from the Triangle MLS. Raleigh is following the same trends we are seeing across the country. The numbers of home sold for the year have dropped off from 2007.  However, there is some good news for current home owners.

Homes Sold

2008 – 13,667

2007 – 19,261

Home sales were down by 29% when compared to 2007 for Wake County.  The biggest drop off was in June and July when compared to the previous year.  December closings for the year were also down 31% for the four county area when compared to December of the previous year.   One positive not is the Average home price did not drop any; in fact it…

A new feature from Google is adding a new dimension to real estate.  Street View, from Google, is allowing people to view cities and towns in a new way.  By giving you an actual view from the street of a home, you can now see exactly what a neighborhood looks like.  With features like 360 viewing or zoom in and out, this new addition to Google is very impressive.

Unfortunately not all cities and towns are available on Street View, however the list is growing.  To tell if your City is available, check out Street View.  Looking at some of the pictures on Street View, it looks like a camera is mounted to the top of a car.  The car then drives around and captures the images. 

Applying this technology to real estate will add a new dimension to how people…

Everyone has heard the old saying "The three rules of Real Estate are location, location, location. This holds up as well today as it ever did. Especially when looking at Raleigh North Carolina Real Estate. The city of Raleigh is constantly ranking in the top 10 places to live from numerous poles. Even reaching number four in CNN Money's 2006 ranking. A contributing factor to Raleigh's appeal is its geographic location in the state of North Carolina.

Just two and half hours East of Raleigh is the Atlantic Ocean. Depending on which route you take, you can end up at a number of different beaches. One beach is Wilmington. With a number of different public beaches combined with historical landmarks in and around the city, Wilmington is a very popular…