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Thanks for checking out the Freeman/Davis Team’s blog.  We offer expert Raleigh real estate services and can help you buy or sell a home anywhere in the Greater Raleigh/Durham area, including Raleigh, Cary, Apex, Wake Forest, Durham and Chapel Hill.  Visit us online at www.HomeSearchRALEIGH.com.  You can also search for homes at www.FreemanDavisHomeTeam.com.

Here’s a special announcement from the City of Raleigh:
 
Christmas trees can be collected along with regular yard waste on normal collection days. Residents SHOULD NOT put trees at the curbside prior to their collection day. All non-vegetative materials (tinsel, ornaments, etc.) must be removed.

Christmas trees may be dropped off at the City’s Yard Waste Recycling Center at 900 N. New Hope Rd. but a fee of $25/ton will be charged.  Residents will be prorated and pay a minimum of $6.25 and commercial customers will pay a minimum of $12.50.

Wake County also offers recycling of trees at several of their Convenience Centers around the county.
As always, if you need more information, Rick Freeman and Amy Davis, Your Neighborhood Realtors, are welcome to help.

Join Cross Culture Church for its first Christmas Eve Service, 6:00PM – 6:45PM at the Leesville Road Middle School in Raleigh, 1/2 mile south of the I-540/Leesville Rd Exit! 

 The Christmas Story from Luke 2:1-20

1 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world.2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)3 And everyone went to his own town to register.4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.

6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ [a] the Lord.12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.”

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger.17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child,18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Ever thought that the real estate market takes a vacation in December and that nobody buys homes during the holidays?   NOT TRUE, says Rick Freeman and Amy Davis in Raleigh, NC.  In fact, homeowners that are on the market during the holidays actually have a distinct advantage over those that are “sleeping” until spring time. Here are the top 10 most compelling reasons to list you home during the holiday season.

1. There is much less competition out there right now. Every other seller is your competition and most sellers pull their home off the market until the spring. Less competition means buyers have less choices. Less choices means better odds for you as a seller right now.
2. Buyers that are NOW looking at homes are serious buyers. Most buyers that are “window shoppers” are looking during the peak season (spring and summer) and are just browsing. The only buyers that are out right now are buyers that have sold their home and must buy a house before the holidays or their lease is up where they are at and must by a house right now.
3. Houses decorated during the holiday season show much nicer.
4. The holidays are an emotional time. The buyers that are out looking at homes are more emotional and may pay more for your house around the holidays.
5. Some buyers must buy before the end of the year for tax reasons.
6. Since the supply of listings will dramatically increase starting in January and every month thereafter, there will be less demand for your particular home! Less demand means less money for you!
7. January is traditionally the month for employees to begin new jobs. Since transferees cannot wait until Spring to buy, you must be on the market now to capture that market!
8. Buyers have more time to look for a home during the Holidays than they do during a working week!
9. By selling now, you may have an opportunity to be a non-contingent buyer during the Spring, when many more houses are on the market for less money! This will allow you to sell high and buy low! There is every indication that across the nation, prices will continue to decline in 2009.
10. You can still be on the market, but you have the option to restrict showings during the six or seven days during the Holidays! You can’t win the lotto if you don’t buy a ticket and you can’t sell your home if it’s not listed for sale for buyers to view.

The Freeman/Davis Team sells the same number of homes during November and December as the rest of the year and knows from experience!  There will be sales during December and there is no reason why you can’t put a “sold” sign in your yard this Christmas.  For up to the minute information on Raleigh real estate, visit us at www.RaleighRealEstateUpdate.com.  For sale homes in MLS can be viewed at www.HomeSearchRALEIGH.com and our current blogs are available at www.iRaleighBlog.com and www.HomeSearchRALEIGHblog.com.

Nearly a full third of households are still renting…but if you are one of them, you could be paying a hefty price. Additionally, the children of the baby boomer generation are close to or at the home buying age, but these “echo boomers” could mistakenly decide to put off the purchase of a home because of all the noise about a “bubble” in home prices.

It is important to note that housing tends to be localized. So if the job market in your area is weak, housing prices could under perform the rest of the country.

Let’s look at an example. If you are paying rent at $1,500 per month and your landlord increases your payment by a modest 5% each year, you would wind up paying just about $100,000 over a 5-year period! Worse yet, after forking over $100,000, you still would have nothing to show for it.

And speaking of having nothing to show for it – how about any improvements you might make to a rental property? It’s not uncommon for renters to freshen up the paint, install new light fixtures or plant some nice flowers outside. But guess what…all your efforts, labor and the benefit of that improvement belong to the landlord, not to you.

And the benefits of home ownership are quite considerable. Because the mortgage is being paid down each month, equity is being built. After 5-years, the $300,000 mortgage would be reduced to $279,000, adding $21,000 to your net worth. Home appreciation can add an even bigger chunk. If your home appreciates at a modest 5% per year, the value of a $300,000 home would increase to $383,000 after 5-years. Subtract the remaining mortgage of $279,000 and you have a whopping $104,000 of additional net worth! Even if the appreciation level were at 3.5% or half the historical norm, the result would be $77,000 of additional net worth.

Don’t be victimized by the bubble hype. Buying a home is a big step, but it is almost always one in the right direction.

Did you know that the Freeman/Davis Team has a website that’s updated 12 times daily with the latest real estate listings in the Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill area?  Visit us online at www.HomeSearchRALEIGH.com. 

An unprecedented draft multi-year student assignment proposal from WCPSS Growth and Planning that fills 10 new schools with 26,771 students over the next three years is under consideration.

Assistant Superintendent Chuck Dulaney of WCPSS Growth and Planning said families have more information and have it earlier, so they can provide public input on the proposal to fill 10 new schools opening over the next three years.

Public comments on the proposal will be gathered through Dec. 10. Dulaney said staff will use the community input to prepare a student assignment proposal to present to the Board of Education.

One Raleigh neighborhood that may be looking at a high school change in 2010 is North Raleigh’s Stoney Manor, where I have lived for the last 11 years.  The proposal assigns our neighborhood to Millbrook High, rather than Sanderson.  Stoney Manor, which is in the Wake County Public Schools Node 313.1, would be assigned to a school that is a considerable distance farther from home as well as a school that significantly underperforms when compared to Sanderson.  You can get a direct comparison of the two schools by clicking here.  The last Schoolwide Combined Reading and Math Proficiency score at Sanderson was 86% while Millbrook High scored 77.9%. 

Comments will be taken through the end of the day on Dec. 10. Once the comment period has ended, the draft proposal will be unavailable. The proposal will be revised with consideration given to the comments received. The revised proposal will be presented to the Board on Dec. 16, and then made available here for review and public comment.

Submitted by Rick Freeman 12/8/2008

Here’s some good news that our mortgage company shared with us today.  There is a very likely chance that rates could be as low as 4.5% for purchases (not refinances) in the near future. This is all speculation at this point but we’ve  been hearing this for a while from reputable sources. If rates go as low as 4.5% this will definitely be a positive force in our market.

The Treasury Department is strongly considering a plan to intervene directly in the mortgage industry to dramatically force down rates and stimulate the housing market.  Under the initiative, the Treasury would offer to buy securities that finance newly issued loans for home purchases. But to participate in the government’s program, mortgage lenders would have to set exceptionally low interest rates, for instance, no more than 4.5 percent for traditional, 30-year fixed-rate loans.
These securities would be purchased primarily from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the financing giants that buy most mortgages from U.S. lenders, according to sources who spoke on condition of anonymity because the plan has not been finalized.

The cost of the plan and source of funding remain unclear. One possibility is for the Treasury to raise money by issuing bonds to the public at 3 percent interest. This could allow the government to turn a profit because it would be buying securities that pay 4.5 percent.

Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. has said that a recovery in the housing market is key to solving the financial crisis. Such a rebound would restore confidence in the banking system and support the value of troubled assets backed by mortgages.

Any efforts by the Treasury to lower rates on new mortgages would work in concert with a Federal Reserve plan announced last week to buy $500 billion worth of existing mortgage-backed securities issued by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and $100 billion worth of those companies’ debt.

The Fed was pleasantly surprised that 30-year fixed mortgage rates fell by as much as three-quarters of a percentage point in anticipation of their program. Homeowners rushed to refinance. Cheaper monthly payments may bolster consumer spending, the most important component of U.S. economic activity.

More news and views online at www.iRaleighBlog.com