Year-Round Schools or Traditional Schools in Wake County

Solve this problem. What is better for students and for the county budget? “Year-round” schools or “traditional” schools? The answer is not a simple equation.

To meet educational needs, Wake County turned to the year-round school concept in 2006. Since that time, all new elementary and middle schools opened on a year-round calendar, while more than 20 existing traditional-calendar schools were converted. Because not all students are on the same schedule, the buildings can be used more effectively and accommodate more students over the course of a year. While students do not have a traditional summer vacation, they have frequent breaks throughout the year. The jury is still out on the educational benefits of year round schools.

In view of slowed growth, this plan may need to be re-evaluated. Supporters of converting schools back argue that not as many year-round schools are needed because of fewer students entering the district. On the opposite end of this argument are supporters who speak in favor of leaving year-round schedules intact and maintain that the capacity will be needed when the economy improves and growth picks up. Both year round and traditional schools have strong supporters among parent groups.

As a result, Wake County school administrators are considering converting Wakefield Elementary, Leesville Road Middle, Mills Park Middle, and Salem Middle back to a traditional calendar as soon as this fall, while other school calendars are under discussion. The likely result is that some schools will be year round, while others will revert to the traditional calendar.

The school is also considering whether to abandon busing to promote diversity and returning to neighborhood schools. Discussion of the two issues will guarantee lively school board meetings this spring.

While these issues may appear unsettling to outsiders, this area is comprised of parents who want a strong voice in their children’s education. Strong parents mean a strong learning environment. We have full trust that school administrators will fairly weigh all options and formulate a plan that all will strongly support. What a great community these children are being raised in!

If you are looking for a great school district, we suggest you consider the Raleigh area. The final math equation is: Take the finest schools in the nation + caring administrators and teachers+ concerned parents = a learning environment second to none!

Check out my Triangle website and meet the Marti Hampton Team for your key to the best schools. We can show you the best homes in Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, and the surrounding area.

Can Cary’s New Development Plans Be Derailed?

Cary shares a common link with other U.S, when it saw its core downtown business shrink as new subdivisions, shopping centers, and office parks became the norm. But in 2001, forward thinking town officials adopted a downtown master plan to re-define its historic core area with a mix of high density, mixed-use, pedestrian-friendly development. That's still the end goal, officials say, but a recessionary economy and plan to link Raleigh and Charlotte via high speed rail have caused city planners to regroup – and may cause them to do so again.

In December, town officials decided to delay spending on specific capital projects, including street, landscape, and other aesthetic improvements planned just four years ago. Plans for a digital media center have been shelved indefinitely. Wisely, at a town retreat in January, staff suggested an alternative "districting" proposal for downtown's core, the area radiating out two or three blocks in each direction from the intersection of Academy and Chatham streets. The new model for downtown splits the area, about 1,000 acres, into three districts with distinct attributes.

"We're not able to focus on the glitzy stuff right now," said Jeff Ulma, the town's planning director. "But it's an organic process, and I'm optimistic. Everyone wants this to happen."

For now, the town is doing what it can. The town is renovating the Old Cary Elementary building into a community arts center, acquiring land for a downtown park and designing new signage for the area. Water and sewer improvements are moving forward, too. Officials are taking time to refine old plans for Cary's core.

The new model for downtown splits the area, about 1,000 acres, into three districts with distinct attributes. Here's what downtown will look like:

Downtown South

The area surrounding the old Cary Elementary building up north past Waldo Street will focus on preserving and enhancing historic buildings, refurbishing the community center, and creating the town park. The area will feature a new county library and ultimately, a performing arts center if parking issues can be resolved, and a digital media center, if that plan is revived.

Chatham Street

Chatham Street will be the center of retail activity, restaurants, and nightlife, with housing above the commercial development. This will expand the retail hub of Cary and make Chatham Street the primary east-west gateway to the city core.

Downtown North

Previously an industrial area and site of the town hall and the train station, the area between Chapel Hill Road and the railroad tracks between Walker Street and North Harrison Avenue will be transformed by taller buildings, hotels and office space. Downtown North is another proposed site for a performing arts center as some parking is in place. The center would be a needed “destination” in downtown Cary that would draws visitors.

Obstacles to Overcome

Officials also worry downtown redevelopment could be delayed by rail plans as the N.C. Department of Transportation just received a $545 million grant in January to link cites. The Cary train station will be updated and expanded in the process but local railroad crossings could be closed for safety reasons. The resulting change in traffic patterns might not be amenable to the recently-crafted development plans.

Despite the uncertainty that high speed rail could bring to the process, a renewed commitment to development is the air. A revitalized downtown will only make Cary an even better place to live even if the new plans will have to be tweaked in view of the rail project..

Looking toward Cary as the location of you new home? For a great selection of homes in Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, and the surrounding area, check out my Triangle website and meet the Marti Hampton Team.

Donors across North Carolina have reached out to survivors of Haiti’s horrific earthquake with, parts of themselves - artificial hands, feet and joints they no longer need but whch can make a life-changing difference to injured Haitians.

Travis Dessoffy, who runs the Greenville office of Hanger Prosthetics and Orthotics, will transport the prosthetics, as well as crutches, canes and walkers, to Physicians for Peace in Norfolk, Va., a nonprofit that will ship them to Haiti. Hanger is the largest U.S. producer of prosthetic equipment. All the company's 600-plus offices are participating in the limb drive, including those in Raleigh, Cary and Durham.

Physicians for Peace, working with several other groups, is collecting, sorting, and repairing prosthetics that patients in this country no longer want or need. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration bars the re-use of prosthetics here, but Haiti has no such rule.

"They'll be happy with anything they get," Dessoffy said.

As a result of crush injuries, an estimated 5,000 to 6,000 people have had limbs amputated during the Haiti quake or because of infections that weren't properly tended afterward. It will be weeks or months before the swelling and tenderness have subsided so the injured can be fitted for replacement limbs but aid groups have planned a new hospital wing for amputees and new production facilities where Haitians will learn to build prosthetics. . Child amputees may have to be fitted many times before they're grown.

Even before the earthquake, Physicians for Peace reported that Haiti had 800,000 disabled people, many of whom were treated as outcasts. Physicians for Peace and other agencies are collecting supplies and organizing medical volunteers to set up prosthetic manufacturing operations in Port-au-Prince and at the Hôpital Albert Schweitzer in Deschapelles, 60 miles away. The hospital, undamaged in the quake, will also be the site of a rehabilitation center for amputees.

Specialists working with patients in Haiti will likely lean toward low-tech solutions because those parts will be easier and less costly to maintain. Dessoffy hope to follow the same procedure he does in the U.S>: o fit patients with exactly the prosthetic they need for the activities they perform, whether it's surf fishing or pick-up basketball.

"I'm just making a tool," he said. "If you hand me a nail, I don't want to make a screwdriver."

Ron Sconyers, president and CEO of Physicians for Peace, said a limb replacement gives an amputee two things: hope and a chance for a normal life. "The most amazing thing we see is with upper-extremity amputees," Sconyers said. "When they get a prosthetic, the first thing they want to do is hug somebody."

Aside from the efforts of hanger and Physicians for Peace, members of the N.C. Association for Medical Equipment Services have sent truckloads of goods, including bandages, crutches, wheelchairs and oxygen concentrators to Haiti, according to Beth Bowen, the trade group's spokeswoman in Cary.
The generosity of the people in North Carolina is just another reason to live and work here. For a look at some beautiful homes in Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, and the surrounding area, check out my Triangle website and meet the Marti Hampton Team.

Hind Site is 20/20

Dear Bloggers – Thank you for stopping by today. Raleigh real estate sales are slipping into ‘high gear’ while many home buyers take advantage of a unique set of circumstances. Buying a home is one of the biggest decisions an individual can make. So it’s understandable that one considering a home purchase may take their time to avoid rushing into such a large financial commitment. However, several factors might leave prospective home buyers who don’t purchase a property now wishing they had taken action sooner.
“Current market conditions have created a perfect storm of sorts that has made it an ideal time to purchase for first-time and trade-up buyers alike. Those who have the means and the desire to buy now but don’t, aren’t likely to see such a great opportunity again anytime soon.
Here are three reasons why those who aren’t under contract to purchase a new home by April 30, 2010 might regret it.
1. They won’t receive a sizeable amount of money from Uncle Sam.
For the past two years, the federal government has offered a home buyer tax credit to help stimulate the economy. But that financial incentive is set to expire soon. First-time buyers who aren’t under contract to purchase a home by April 30, 2010 will leave the $8,000 that is available to them through the tax credit on the table. Meanwhile, repeat buyers will miss out on the opportunity to collect up to $6,500 from the government.
2. They might not lock-in on the historically-low interest rates.
Thanks to measures taken by the Federal Reserve including the purchasing of mortgage-backed securities, interest rates have remained historically-low for several years. With the economy beginning to show signs of recovery, it is widely believed that the government will soon put an end to these stimulus efforts.
If that happens, many economists believe we will begin to see a sharp increase in interest rates which could result in a much higher monthly payment for those who wait. For example, an interest rate increase of 1% on a 30-year fixed mortgage of $300,000 could cost a buyer $188 more a month or $67,000 more over the span of the entire loan.
3. They might miss out on record home price affordability.
Home price affordability is at its most optimal level in decades. As a result, those who wait to buy will likely pay more for the home they purchase than what that same home would cost right now. In fact, home prices have already begun to rise slightly in some markets. Instead of getting a better bargain, waiting to buy a home might net buyers a higher purchase price, less appreciation and less house for their buck.
“There is no time to waste for anyone who wants to take advantage of this great buying opportunity. Particularly for those who have a home to sell first. If you are prone to saying ‘what if’ and wondering what could have been, you will thank yourself down the road for buying now.”
Home buyers seeking a home in the Cary real estate market or the Raleigh real estate market may look back at this time and wish they had acted boldly.

Settle Your Family in Healthy Wake County

Wake County is not only the site of the best real estate in North Carolina, -it is also the healthiest. Whether you are looking for a palace or a starter home, where you buy is important for the well being of your family.

According to a new report prepared by University of Wisconsin and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Wake tops 100 North Carolina counties when weighting health factors (health behaviors, clinical care, social and economic factors, and physical environment) and health outcomes - how long people live (mortality) and the quality of their life (morbidity.) Though other counties like Orange and Durham rank high on the scale, Wake is the best all around location.

Here is how the factors were weighted:

40% - Social and economic factors (education, income, employment, family and social support, community safety)

30% - Health behaviors (tobacco use, diet and exercise, alcohol use, unseal sex), evidenced by smoking rates, obesity, binge drinking and motor vehicle crash rates, and teen pregnancy and STD rates)

20% - Clinical care (access to care, quality of care)

10% - Physical environment (environmental quality, polices and programs to promote health)

The great schools, good jobs, availability of healthy foods, and access to health care in Wake County gives county residents an advantage over many other North Carolina residents in all areas but air quality. In general, citizens in poorer, more rural counties fare worse in terms of health. Bertie and Columbus Counties are at the bottom of the list when data from those counties is compared to North Carolina statewide averages. The complete report of health ratings is available at http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/.

"There are big differences in health among North Carolina counties," said State Health Director Jeff Engel in a statement accompanying the report. He hopes the report will encourage counties to continue to invest in programs and policy changes that improve health.

I can show you beautiful homes in healthy cities in Wake County like Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, and the surrounding area. Check out my Triangle website and meet the Marti Hampton Team.

Downscaling More Than a Size Issue in Triangle Home Building

In our recent blog on decreasing Triangle-area home sizes, we noted how area builders are trying to keep pace with consumers’ changing needs and pocketbooks to provide great homes at affordable prices. Reducing the square footage does not reduce many basic costs involved in the process. Given that the costs for material and labor are going up, how can builders economically provide new housing to today’s market? The answer often is: downscale what is included and make what is included more functional.

No more expensive extras!

If you are looking for a new smaller home, you may find fewer amenities included in the base price. Granite countertops, hardwood floors, fancy molding, and stereo system are expensive add-ons that a customer can choose – or not. Omitting these add-ons reduces the cost – a win-win for the consumer.

These new, smaller houses live larger than you might think. It's truly just about making space very, very functional. For example, you might find a beautiful courtyard space to be included in a townhouse unit. If you want yards pace, you can choose a more compact townhouse over a larger, more costly home and still have enough outside real estate to entertain and relax.

Look for the green!

One area where homebuilders aren't cutting back is energy-efficiency. Including the latest green building techniques helps differentiate a new home from one built just a few years ago and offers buyers real long-term savings in lower utility bills. Combining energy-efficiency with a smaller footprint (smaller square footage to heat and cool) helps your wallet and our environment.

The challenge for builders is balancing buyers' need for affordability with their desire for a home to have a certain amount of character. It's important that builders take some of the money they save by removing space and reinvest it in other areas of a house. Local builders are injecting a more pizzazz in places that make that smaller home look and feel like a whole lot more.

So if you have wanted an affordable new home, if you desire to live more simply with lower property taxes and utility bills, or if you are wanting to downsize out of that house that’s just too big for your needs…. take heart… we’ve got just the answer for you! We can show you beautiful homes of any size in Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, and the surrounding area, check out my Triangle website and meet the Marti Hampton Team. What's even better news is that you might be able to qualify for the Home Buyer's Tax Credit until April 30, 2010.

What is Old Has Become New Again in Cary-area Home Sizes

After 30-40 years on rise, home sizes are the decrease now.

In the 1960’s and 1970’s, homebuilders constructed entire communities of 3 or 4 bedroom, 2 bath 1,200 square foot homes with a two car attached garages. Those homes housed happy families for decades and had great resale value. Better yet, with a base price of around $15,000 – $20,000, almost anyone could afford a home of their own. How times and prices have changed! The 1990’s building boom brought average homes closer to the 3,000 square foot range and prices in the Triangle area (Raleigh-Cary-Wake Forest) soon soared out of reach.

Is all that space really necessary to in order to live happily and raise a family? With the economy down and the cost to build up, more people are saying “no.” The homebuilding industry here in the Triangle area has been examining this issue and is listening to what consumers are really need. It appears that better designed versions of the smaller homes of the past are the way of the future. What is old has become new again!

This spring selling season is the first since the housing market crashed in which a substantial number of homebuilders will be offering a new, affordable option to prospective Triangle buyers. Builders are using such words as functional and affordable to describe their new offerings. "Just buy what it is you need and can afford today," said Jeff Logsdon, executive vice president of KB Home Raleigh.

KB is offering new models this spring at subdivisions in Clayton, Durham, and Cary. By removing nonessential hallways and rethinking formal spaces, the company has found it can reduce a home's size by 200 to 300 square feet without losing functionality.

"A formal living room now has become a flex room," Logsdon said. "It can be a den, it can be an office or it can not be there." Logsdon noted that KB conducted market surveys in the Triangle to identify buyers' needs as opposed to their desires.

It's no surprise that builders are now touting the practicality of their new smaller sized homes. With fewer large homes selling, the ones that are selling are aimed at market savvy first-time homebuyers who are taking advantage of federal tax credits. New homes today must compete with foreclosed homes and other larger houses built during the bubble that have languished on the market and are now selling for a discount.

We are excited about this new trend in homeownership and we are ready to help you find that unique smaller new home you have been waiting for! For a look at some beautiful homes of all sizes in Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, and the surrounding area, check out my Triangle website and meet the Marti Hampton Team. What's even better news is that you might be able to qualify for the Home Buyer's Tax Credit until April 30, 2010.

Top Headlines: Where Smart Money in Real Estate is Going Now!

Hello Bloggers!

We’ve turned the corner to find a very interesting Raleigh real estate market for spring of 2010 – but you have to know where to look. Here is all you need to know to take advantage of the best trends this market has to offer. As always, contact me at Marti@MartiHampton.com with any questions.

$8,000 Tax Credit for first time buyers expires on 4/30/10 – meaning that any buyer that has not owned a home for the past 3 years may earn an $8000 tax credit if they place a home under contract by 4/30/10 and close no later than 6/30/10.

$10,000 Tax Credit for qualified buyers – available by adding the MCC housing credit of $2000 to the current $8,000 Tax Credit. Buyers that qualify may earn up to $18,547 during the first 10 years of home ownership! Step it up! Don’t stop at $8,000 when a possible $28,547 is at stake! Learn more in my video that aired on WRAL.

Buy a foreclosure and receive $14,900 zero interest loan – if you qualify as a first time buyer, you may receive money to improve the foreclosed home of your choice in a second mortgage that will be forgiven at 20% per year for each full year you own your home. Talk to me to see if you qualify.

Strong buyer’s market AND low interest rates – a combination rarely seen in residential real estate

Combination of Low Rates and Buyer Market Rarely seen in Raleigh Real Estate Market

Dear Bloggers: Since I’ve been selling real estate in Raleigh, North Carolina since 1984, I take the ‘long view’ of housing ups and downs. The biggest difference about this phenomenal ‘buyers market’ is that both home prices and interest rates are low. This is very rare. This moment in time and dual opportunity will this be seized by savvy home buyer’s.
The Fed will no longer be buying mortgage-backed securities in the near future. When that happens, the volatility on mortgage rates will become increasingly HIGH, due to not having a firm, solid backing to make sure the securities are bought. Some buyers need to seek Pre Purchase Rate Protection (not sure what this is, I would love to tell you – email me now at Marti@MartiHampton.com
We could see rate swings from 0.125% to 0.375% in a day. See Report below:
March 11, 2010 (Bankrate.com)

The Fed is in the final three weeks of a mortgage-buying initiative that began more than a year ago. In all, the Fed plans to buy $1.25 trillion in mortgage-backed securities. The central bank is down to the last $30 billion or so of these purchases. Afterward, it will be up to investors to buy mortgages and keep home loans available.
For a while, the consensus among bankers and economists was this: Mortgage rates would rise roughly half a percentage point after the Fed's withdrawal. That consensus of an expectation of higher rates has transformed into uncertainty.
"Are we going to see a half-point blip? I don't know. Maybe. Possibly. Probably. I don't know," says Dick Lepre, senior loan consultant for Residential Pacific Mortgage. If the Fed's withdrawal means that rates are going to rise, why haven't rates gone up already? Lepre explains:
Even members of the Fed are asking that question, which implies that they are uncertain about the direction of mortgage rates, too. Brian Sack, executive vice president of the New York Fed, said in a speech Monday that the central bank has been tapering its purchases of mortgage-backed securities. "However, even as the pace of our purchases has slowed, longer-term interest rates have remained low," Sack said, and the gap between mortgage rates and Treasury yields has remained narrow."This pattern suggests that the effects of the purchases have been primarily associated with the stock of the Fed's holdings rather than with the flow of its purchases," Sack continued. "In that case, the market effects of the purchase program will only slowly unwind as the balance sheet shrinks gradually over time."
In other words, Sack believes that mortgage rates are low because the Fed has bought more than a trillion dollars' worth of home loans, not because the central bank is buying a certain amount of mortgage-backed securities every week. And that implies that rates won't necessarily rise rapidly after the Fed withdraws.

For his part, Lepre is more certain about something else: After the Fed stops buying mortgage-backed securities, rates on mortgages will be volatile. That is, they might move up and down in big chunks during the day. These up-and-down moves might pretty much cancel each other out over a day or week or month, albeit with a long-term, upward trend. It won't be a relaxing ride for borrowers who are trying to decide whether to lock or float.

"I think we're going to return to greater volatility simply because the Federal Reserve is not there to take up the slack in case there's no participants (in the market), and that's going to be annoying to people who are concerned about locking interest rates or not locking interest rates," Lepre says.

Hopefully this will guide you to make all the right moves in real estate for today and for your future. All the best, mh

Staging Your Home for Selling Success

Shakespeare said it first, but Realtors® have made it all their own: "all the world's a stage." Staging, the art of preparing a home for sale by decluttering, depersonalizing, cleaning, repainting, rearranging, landscaping, and cosmetically improving a home to make it more saleable, has become the norm. The theory is that when a home is properly staged, it will appeal to the largest number of buyers and sell more quickly and sell for more. While "staging" has always been a normal part of getting a home ready to sell, since the 1990's, staging has become an industry of its own that has emphasized home presentation. Some Realtors® do it themselves, while others put in the hands of professionals.

HomeGain.com confirms that spending $400-600 on staging will bring a whopping 343% return on investment or three to six times their value increased prices, as noted in the chart below.




Step one of staging is cleaning and decluttering. In my years as a real estate agent, I have seen value-priced homes and near-mansions put on the market in filthy condition. Buyers typically do not want to buyer other people's dirt, even if they are not good housekeepers themselves; if they come into a dirty place, their view of the home's value immediately drops.

It's also really important that the house not only be clean but be free of clutter. A house can be cluttered even though it's clean, but the clutter is distracting to buyers as it makes it harder for them to visualize how their things will look there. Clutter also makes the buyer wonder if the seller is covering up a flaw. Ideally, sellers should prepare for the upcoming sale of their home by selling or donating what they won't be taking to the new home and by neatly organizing the rest. Since it's fair game for home seekers to open every closet, purging is a better technique than relocating clutter.

Part of staging is repainting dingy walls before moving, preferably in neutral shades. While there may be a few potential buyers in the world that hate eggshell-colored walls, statistically, there are more who would reject a home because it had a grape living room. Even when paint is in good condition, it tends to yellow with age, so a fresh coat brightens up a room and makes inviting.

Because the yard is what potential buyers will see when first approaching the property, improving the exterior landscaping will add curb appeal. (Some real estate professionals say people are attracted to a home within 8 seconds of seeing it!) At the minimum, lawn and gardens should be neat and appear well tended to. A plant on the porch might be nice touch accomplished by a $10 visit to Home Depot. The rest of the exterior should look pleasing too. A truck full of Home Depot geraniums won't incite house-love if the siding is falling off or the steps are cracked.

The next level of staging, often done by professional decorators, designers, and real estate agents, concentrates on furniture rearrangement, accessorizing, and depersonalizing the space. The idea is to make the home look more like a new model home. Extra furniture might be put in storage so that a few pieces might be arranged to maximize the space. Family mementos are often tucked away so potential buyers can more easily see their bowling trophies on the mantel in the family room or their mother's picture in the living room.

This last phase of staging is often replicated in vacant homes by renting furniture, as having furniture in the room gives a better perspective on room size. Furniture also makes a home look more "wanted" and tends to make the home sell more quickly than an empty home.

Some of the staging effort may seem like common sense and some may seem contrived. It's best to remember that especially in the current market, few homes sell themselves. Proactive marketing effort is necessary to make a nice home an outstanding one on the real estate stage.

For a look at some beautifully staged homes in Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, and the surrounding area, check out my Triangle website and meet the Marti Hampton Team.

What will Spring Sales be in Raleigh Real Estate?

Hello Bloggers, Happy Spring! Oh my, this is soooo much better than snowy cold days. The Raleigh real estate market is getting revved up and ready to roll into our selling season. Plus the Triangle has received more affirmation that it is better-positioned than most regions to emerge quickly from this recession.
Hanley Wood Market Intelligence, a California research firm, has ranked the Raleigh-Cary real estate market first and the Durham-Chapel Hill market sixth on its list of the healthiest markets among the top 100 U.S. housing markets.
The rankings are based on home prices, employment conditions and income growth potential. This is the second Market Health report released by Hanley Wood. The first was published last year.
Jonathan Smoke, senior vice president of products and innovation at Hanley Wood, had this to say about Raleigh:
"Based on end-2010 economic forecasts, we think Raleigh will be the healthiest of the largest 100 markets in the country. Raleigh comes out on top because of stronger employment conditions, moderate household income growth, and continued strong household formation. The market still is expected to see minor home price declines (approximately 3 percent decline expected for 2010 over 2009), which is one factor that keeps the market from being even stronger."
If you’ve been holding back waiting for Raleigh real estate or Cary real estate of go lower in value – don’t wait any longer! Two great tax credits are in effect through April 30th. Please e-mail me personally for any additional info at marti@MartiHampton.com .
Looking forward to seeing and hearing from you this spring, My best, mh

Can’t Afford Your First Home? A Foreclosed Home May Be Your Perfect Answer!

In an effort to stabilize existing neighborhoods, the State of North Carolina has stepped up to the plate to offer first-time home buyers an opportunity to purchase a foreclosure property with unprecedented terms.

Administered through North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHTA), the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) can provide a second mortgage of $14,900 at zero percent interest rate. The second mortgage may be forgiven at 20% per year for each full year you own and live in your home. This means that after five years, the second mortgage is wiped clean.


How do you qualify?

• You are a first time homebuyer (or haven't owned a home for the past three years))

• You meet income limits

• You complete eight hours of HUD-approved home counseling

• You can contribute $1,0000 of your own money toward the down payment

Homes that qualify:

• Single-family homes, condominiums, and townhomes - (No manufactured homes_

• Sales price not over $210,000

• Home foreclosed

• Built after 1978

• Home purchased at 1% discount to current appraised value

Qualifying areas: 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.

Where else can you get nearly $15k of money for free? You'll have a great home and live in a lovely established neighborhood. Talk about a win-win! For further details on the NSP and other helpful housing programs, check the Home Buyers section of the section at the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHTA) website or call 1-800-393-0988.

Check out my Triangle website and meet the Marti Hampton Team. We can show you the best homes in Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, and the surrounding area.

Mortgage Credit Certificate Can Be the Key to Your New Home!

As a first time buyer, your income may have kept you out of today's very affordable housing market. There is great news for you! We can help you purchase the home of your dreams using a Mortgage Credit Certificate (MCC) from the State of North Carolina.

The MCC will allow you to claim a federal credit of 20% of your annual mortgage interest- up to $2000 EVERY YEAR that you are in your new home for a real dollar savings of nearly $10,000 (in your pocket) over a five year term. What is very helpful is that you can immediately change your W2 to increase your take home pay.

How do you qualify?

• You're a first-time home buyer,

• Your income for a family of three may be up to $85,000 urban areas like Raleigh or up to $62,000 on rural area

• You want to buy a home up to $220,000

How does this work?

• You borrow $183,000 at 5.5% interest with any fixed rate and some adjustable rate mortgages

• Your yearly interest in $10,000 in your first year

• Annual MCC credit of $2,000 means you save $166 per month in taxes or $18,867 over 10 years

What's even better news is that you might be able to qualify for the Home Buyer's Tax Credit in addition to the MCC if you buy home before April 10, 2010. For further details on the MCC, check the Home Buyers section of the section at the North Carolina Housing Finance Agency (NCHTA) website or call 1-800-393-0988.

Check out my Triangle website and meet the Marti Hampton Team. We can show you the best homes in Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, and the surrounding area.

Call Marti and Have Raleigh, NC at the TIP OF YOUR FINGERS

If you're moving to Raleigh, Cary, or Wake Forest , North Carolina, in the Triangle region of North Carolina, you'll be in love by the time you get your suitcases unpacked. If you are buying your first home or upgrading to your area dream home, you already are.

As in any real estate transaction, knowing the Agent you are working with is very important. After all there are thousands of licensed Real Estate Agents in the Triangle, so making your choice of who to list your home with mayor who to buy from may be confusing.

At my company, the motto is "Raleigh at the tip of your fingers."

That's because my team, the Marti Hampton Team (aka, Marti's Team) offers over 22 years of experience selling real estate in the Triangle. My team knows the area, focuses on our clients, and gets the job done. We are committed Triangle residents ourselves and can put every nook and cranny, every exciting neighborhood within your reach. On the average, we sell a home every 16 hours, so you can trust this experience and market presence to make your home sell even in the toughest of real estate markets!

Check out my Triangle website and meet the Marti Hampton Team. We can show you the best homes in Raleigh, Cary, Wake Forest, and the surrounding area.

P.S. Time is running out for the Home Buyer's Tax Credit. Whether you are a first time buyer or repeat buyer, you can qualify for a federal tax credit if you buy home before April 10, 2010.