Cary NC Real Estate >> Raleigh & Cary NC Real Estate Blog

Yesterday morning, on Thanksgiving, as I became nostalgic thinking about the holidays.  I started thinking about all of the wonderful events scattered around the Triangle.  Each year I make it a point to attend many of these events. 

For those of you new to the Triangle or just haven't been able to make some of these annual events I wanted to share some of the top events in the Triangle during the Holiday Season!

Have a wonderful time and a safe and Happy Holidays!

Earlier this year I wrote a post about Phil Phicks and the accident he had on his bike leaving him paralyzed.  I committed to living a healthier lifestyle in his honor.  With the market in the doldrums I haven't exactly kept that promise to myself.  Once one stops what they've been doing it's really hard to pick up the good habits all over again.  

It's been a long time since I've run in a race.  2002 New York City Marathon to be precise (Dan this confession is for you- I haven't even done a 5k).  I've let time go by and have given up something I love dearly -running.  I've continued to play tennis competitively but have gotten away from the one thing that has kept me "stress free" for so many years.   When my daughter was a little girl I used to tell her "Mommy needs to go running and she'll feel better."  

That said, Turkey day is upon us and I have decided to run in one of the area Turkey Trots with my daughter.  I used to go back to Dallas to visit my family and ran in the Dallas Turkey Trot(15k) for many years.  We visited a week early this year and my sister really wanted to run the Turkey Trot with me.  I'm back home and called one of my tennis buddies that is a Duathlon specialist.  She always knows what's going on with the area races.  So, I thought I'd share the information on the area Turkey Trots for your benefit and mine. 

Getting out and getting some exercise is a great way to kick off Turkey Day prior to the festivities and football.  Have a great Thanksgiving!

I recently listed a townhome in Breckenridge Manors II and, since it's such a wonderful community, I thought I'd write about the neighborhood.   

Breckenridge is a very desirable neighborhood because of its affordability, proximity to RTP, 540,  and the neighborhood feel. The grand entrance, wide roads and sidewalks, kids playing in the neighborhood all contribute to the neighborhood being so popular.  A lot of employees from the Park like Breckenridge because it makes the commute easy on families - your just minutes from Cisco, NetApp, IBM, and Nortel.  There really is something for everyone in this neighborhood where prices start in the low 200s for the townhomes and peak in the low $300s.  

City:  Morrisville, North Carolina

Directions:

From Cary:  Take Davis Drive North.  Left on Parkside Valley. From RTP:  I-40 to Davis Drive South.  Right on Parkside Valley.    

Amenities Include: 

• Grand Clubhouse
• Two swimming pools (one for adults, one for children)
• Five lighted tennis courts
• Walking Trails
• Playground
• Pond  

Builder:

• Pulte Homes

Different Sections Include:

• Lake I&II
• Manors I&II
• Terrace I&II

Check out the Breckenridge HOA's website for more information or view my slideshow tour above.  To view homes for sale in Breckenridge click here.   To view a map of the location click below.

View Larger Map

Related Posts:

Things to Do with the Kids in the in Triangle

Top 5 Things to Do in the Triangle Area of North Carolina

Triangle Ratings

Detailed information on RTP

Recently I wrote about the Wake County Market Conditions for the area and compared the results of the sales year over year.  It gives one a good look at our current real estate market and what is happening in the market. Debbie Maxwell just published her Market Report and, along with it, she provided information on the current absorption rate in Charlotte. As an addition to my report I've decided to include this information as well.  What is interesting is that the numbers for the Triangle are very similar to the numbers in Charlotte, with the exception that the spread between List Prices and Sold Prices is much higher in the Triangle.   

So, what is the absorption rate for a market?  The absorption rate is basically the representation of the relationship between supply and demand.  The total amount of available product is divided by the total amount of product sold in the previous month.  The resulting number represents the number of months it would take, at that same pace, to sell the entire inventory of product.

• "Normal Market" conditions exist when the Absorption Rate is between 6 months.
• "Sellers Market" conditions exist when the Absorption Rate is lower.  (1-5 months)
• "Buyers Market" conditions exist when the Absorption Rate is higher.  (7+ months)

Based on the numbers for the Triangle we are currently experiencing a Buyers Market like much of the rest of the country.  With 10 months supply of inventory we have an oversupply of inventory.  What is interesting to note is that, while we have an oversupply, homes are still selling at 97% of list price.  This means that homes are selling in the area.  There were 1792 closed transactions in the previous month.  However, the current crop of sellers still isn't very flexible in coming off the price of their homes.  

Next month, when I throw in the Market Absoprtion Rate for the area you will be familar with the term and it will hopefully give you the "big picture" on the current trends in the Market.

Location: Southwest Durham

Hope Valley comprises about 930 households in a roughly triangular area extending from Chapel Hill Road south between Hope Valley and Garrett roads to Swarthmore Road.

Significance: This neighborhood has the most historical significance in Durham and is a prominent address for the elite society in Durham.

Pricing: Townhomes start in the mid-$150s and go up to $1M

Directions: From I-40, exit 751(Hope Valley Road)to Dover. Left onto Westover at Club House.

Neighborhood Facts:

• Developer: Mebane & Sharpe, Inc.
• Durham's first full-fledged country club suburb, developed around an 18-hole golf course in the late 1920s.
• Fastest growing area in Durham-Southwest Durham
• Just minutes from Streets of Southpoint shopping area
• Landscape Architecture was created by renowned Robert Cridland
• Norman Provincial style country clubhouse was designed by Milburn and Heister.
• The Club was "freshened" in the 40's and a major renovation was done by Robert Winston (Judge) Carr's firm in the early 60's. Most recently a Charlotte firm reworked the north and south ends leaving the Carr work essentially untouched.
• The early homes in Hope Valley are an eclectic mix of revival styles popular in the 1920s and 1930s: Tudor, English Cottage, Colonial, Norman Provincial, and even Spanish. Winding, narrow roads conforming to the hilly terrain weave their way throughout the neighborhood.
• Hope Valley was the site of Historical Preservation Society of Durham's 2002 Annual Old Durham Home Tour.
• Several new neighborhoods grew up around Hope Valley including the popular Hope Valley Farms, Woodcroft, and the Woodlake areas.

Interesting History:

• Although the Hope Valley Homes built in the 1920's and 1930's are significant and of great interest, homes built in the post war boom from the mid 1940's to 1958 are also significant because they show a continuing quality of development for Hope Valley. The ranch style homes built during this era are typical of the finest of the genre, were built by Durhamites at the pinnacle of their careers, and were designed by important architects.

• Robert Winston (Judge) Carr, for example, designed the John and Hatsie Moorhead House and the Henry Nicholson House, both excellent examples of 1950's contemporary design.

• Donald Ross was able to regularly inspect the work at Hope Valley, unlike many of his golf course designs, because at the time of construction he was living in Pinehurst. Over half of Hope Valley's fairways run parallel to city streets, affording the same views to all citizens of Durham since 1927.

• Hope Valley's original roads were numbered "Trails," Dover being Trail Three, and Windsor Way being Trail One. The original roads were poured concrete, much like an interstate highway, a sign of the quality infrastructure created for the new suburb.

• Hope Valley's original designs called for a then unique "urban" service area ,called Hope Valley Marketplace, to include stores, post office, parks and an auditorium, to service the detached semi-rural automobile suburb.

• Hope Valley's original iron street signs are similar to ones at the Aymar Embury II designed Jones Beach Park in New York City.

For more information on Hope Valley feel free to view listings here or contact me directly.

"The deadly enemy of fine old architecture, progress." Aymar Embury II- Designed Hope Valley Clubhouse in 1929