Cary Real Estate Blog

We augment our real estate team with many experts, one is Dan Miller, our marketing specialist.  We asked him to guest write on our blog.  We hope you enjoy.

“Cary-dise”   

It’s hard for me to name all of the things we like about living in Cary NC, but from this family-of-three’s point of view, Cary is truly our little paradise.

As with most families, our world mostly revolves around our 8-year old and his daily activities and Cary offers us a lot of advantages given our hobbies and schedule.  If we take a look at a snapshot of a typical day in our lives during the Summer Holiday, it is easy to see why we love Cary.

A typical Cary NC Summer Day:

8 AM:  My wife Lisa and son Fitz sleep in a bit. I leave our residence in MacGregor Downs, a 40-year old neighborhood with large wooded lots, that is “five minutes to anywhere”.  After a short nine-minute commute I arrive at my office near the RBC Center.  Lisa and I own BLADE CommStrategies, Inc. a communications consulting company.  We help small companies and organizations grow by sharpening their competitive edge. We have a number of clients, a few including LG Real Estate are located right in Cary.

930 AM: Lisa joins me at our office.  Fitz is up and spending time with his grandmother.

11 AM: “Gram” and Fitz make the two-minute trip to meet his friends at the pool over at MacGregor Downs Country Club to stay for a few hours.  They have lunch there.

12 Noon: Lisa and I head out for lunch - usually in downtown Cary - at one of a gazillion choices including Serendipity, The Food Factory, or Mia’s.

530 PM: Lisa and I get home and it’s time for some evening fun. We might grab Fitz and head back over to the Club to hit some balls or play nine holes, then cool off in the pool afterward.

8 PM: Time for some dinner and the choices within five minutes are unbelievable. We might choose Wasabi for some Thai, Circus for the best burger and milkshake in town, or Michelangelo’s for a pizza..  We might hit Blockbuster or Goodberry’s on the way home.

10 PM: Time to crash!

Advantages of living in Cary NC

While we could never take advantage of all the great things Cary has to offer in just one of our own typical days, over the past 15 years, I’d say we have experienced almost everything.  A few more things we love about where we live in Cary follow:

• 5 minutes to Western Wake Hospital (Where Fitz was born!)
• 15 minutes to the RDU Airport
• Under 2 hours to Wrightsville Beach
• Only 3 hours to the Blue Ridge Parkway
• Dream Camps Soccer (Our youth soccer league - at least the games are in Cary)
• USA Baseball Stadium
• Koka Booth Amphitheatre
• Shopping - Cary Town Center, Crossroads, Waverly Place, Saltbox Village, Trader Joes
• Entertainment - Cinemas, College Sports (UNC, NCSU, Duke)
• Dining - Ruth’s Chris, Danny’s BBQ, tons of locally and nationally owned eateries
• Home & Garden Supplies - Lowes, Home Depot, BJs, Sam’s Club
• Great Schools
• Small Town Feel/Big City Amenities
• Golf, Golf, Golf! Prestonwood CC, MacGregor Downs CC, and Lochmere Golf Club are all here in Cary NC.

           MacGregor Downs CC Cary, North Carolina

Yes, Cary is indeed a slice of paradise.  Come join us, it’s a great place to buy a home and raise a family.

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Things to Know About Mold

Although mold growth has been an issue in the Cary NC area in the last five years, the presence of mold growth in homes has been reported since biblical times. The tiny spores produced by mold are found reproducing outdoors and indoors. The growth of mold outdoors is necessary to decompose organic matter. Most species are not harmful or toxic. Various mold spores are always present to some degree in home microenvironments such as wall cavities and crawlspaces. Sensitive individuals can have an allergic reaction when these spores are inhaled or ingested. The industry has not yet agreed upon what is an acceptable amount of exposure.

Mold inside your home is a moisture problem

Mold is usually not a problem in the indoor environment unless these mold spores settle on a wet or moist surface and are allowed to multiply. Cary NC is in the heart of the warm, humid southeast so we must be proactive to keep the growth of fungal spores in our home and crawlspace under control. A mold problem inside a structure is a moisture problem. Mold can grow within 24 to 48 hours if it has a food source (e.g. sheet rock, wood, and wallpaper glue), the right temperature (between 59°F-122°F optimally) and moisture.

How can you be proactive?

• If you have a water leak, find the source, repair it, and dry the affected structures immediately.
• Keep indoor humidity between 30% and 60%.
• Have proper ventilation in showers and laundry areas and in the kitchen while cooking.
• In areas where water is used frequently, use aerosol products that kill mold (e.g. Lysol).
• Inspect your crawlspace for standing water and look for standing water on vapor barrier, wet joists,     subfloor or damp insulation. Monitor the humidity in your crawlspace.

Mold growth can be cleaned and the problem can be corrected. If you need air and surface testing for mold, the EPA recommends that “Sampling for mold should be conducted by professionals who have specific experience in designing mold sampling protocols, sampling methods, and interpreting results.”   If you are in the process of purchasing a new home, pay particular attention to your inspection report and if the inspector suggests a mold evaluation.  At LG Real Estate, we take this concern very seriously on behalf of our buyers and sellers.

If you have questions or concerns, contact our friends who are local professionals at LRC Indoor Testing & Research in Cary, NC at 919-342-4936 or visit their website at http://www.lrcresearch.com

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As you have probably read and heard many times, the mortgage business has been going through some changes here in Cary NC and throughout the country.  Just last year we were able to do home loans for clients without jobs, without a down payment, and without a good payment history.  Lending standards had become very aggressive. Well, that’s over.  Most of those real estate loans have not performed well and the market for those has gone away. We’re back to basics.

NO DOC LOANS ARE NO LONGER AVAILABLE

Borrowers are no longer able to secure no documentation or stated income loans. We now need paystubs or tax returns.  It’s still possible to get approvals with budgets that are stretched though.  Good credit and a good down payment usually overcomes income issues.

Down payments are back in style. Most home loans require at least 5% down again.  Government sponsored loans like FHA and VA loans require less, but have restrictions.

CREDIT SCORES ARE CRITICAL

Good credit is critical.  There is a great website that explains credit scoring.  Please visit www.myfico.com. Lower scores can cost you money or even an approval.  It’s important to know where you are.  We would be glad to give you a free credit report with your three credit scores.  Mortgage companies use the middle score.

Pre-approvals are good to have when making an offer. It’s easy and free too.  All we need is to pull your credit report, get your paystubs, and bank statements to prove you have your down payment.  It takes less than a day to get an approval and you’re done except for the appraisal.

So, before you get in a real estate agents car to view properties, call me for a quick pre-approval so that you know you can qualify when you find your dream home.

Eric Routh
Loan Officer/ESI
919-678-1133

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