Jim Allen Blog » Raleigh Real Estate

The Jim Allen Welcomes New Buyer/ Brokers Agent Bonnie Rodgers

Anna — Fri, 04 Jun 2010 15:09:49 +0000

Bonnie Rodgers- Broker/ Buyers Agent: The Jim Allen Group

We are so excited to welcome Bonnie Rodgers to our award winning team of Realtors. Bonnie joins The Jim Allen Group after being in general brokerage with the Falls office of Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston for 6 years. Born and raised in Raleigh, NC, Bonnie brings an excellent familiarity with the school system, neighborhoods, and entertainment in the Raleigh and Wake Forest areas.
Bonnie’s passion for finding families their perfect home is apparent in her dedication to the clients she works with. Bonnie devotes herself to her clients every step of the way from the very first home they are shown to the closing table, making for a most pleasant experience. Bonnie’s smile and friendly demeanor make her a desirable choice for anyone looking to find their dream home. Bonnie resides in Wake Forest with her 3 beautiful children and loves listening to music and traveling to the beach.

Raleigh Home Buyers -Time is Running Out For The First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit!

jimallen — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:41:04 +0000

Raleigh home buyers-if you are searching the Raleigh MLS for your dream home right now, you will want to try to find it before the end of April 2010, so you can take advantage of the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit. The tax credit has already been extended twice, and so far I have heard no news about extending it for a third time, so this may be the last chance you have to get the credit.

The tax credit is for first time home buyers and for move up buyers. For that first time buyer of a Raleigh home, the IRS defines that individual as someone who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase. The credit does not have to be repaid unless the home is sold or ceases to be used as the buyer’s principal residence within three years after the initial purchase.

Raleigh Real Estate For Sale

What is also great? The tax credit can be taken for THIS YEAR, but simply submitting and amendment to your 2009 taxes, so you should get your tax credit before the end of the summer. The tax credit is for 10% of the home’s purchase price up to a maximum of $8,000 on homes priced at $800,000 or less. That is quite a nice sum of money to put towards your house, decorating your house, or even saving for a rainy day or a new roof down the road.

For homes purchased on or before April 30, 2010, single taxpayers with incomes up to $125,000 and married couples with incomes up to $225,000 qualify for the full tax credit. Additionally, so long as a binding contract is signed by April 30, 2010, the IRS will also grant the tax credit, so long as you close by June 30, 2010.

Relocate to Raleigh, NC

So while I don’t want you to feel pressured or rushed into buying Raleigh homes for sale, if you are certain you will be buying a home in the next few months, it would be a shame to miss out on the tax credit by only a few days. If you have questions about the homebuyers tax credit, or want to put your Raleigh MLS home search into high gear, simply contact me, Jim Allen, your trusted Raleigh real estate agent, to learn more about Raleigh, NC home buying and make sure you can get the Federal Housing Tax Credit.

Until next time,
Jim

Stonehendge Park Neighborhood In Raleigh NC

jimallen — Thu, 15 Apr 2010 19:41:43 +0000

Imagine large wooded lots located right here in North Raleigh! Now add stunning architecture, and a location central to every luxury amenity you could desire, all nestled neatly in a friendly, active Triangle community. Welcome home to Stonehenge Park.

Stonehenge Park Real Estate

The Stonehenge Park a premier neighborhood located on the corner of Howard and Ray Roads, in the upscale North Raleigh area.

Amenities abound when you buy homes for sale in Stonehenge Park neighborhood, included are the:

Seven Oaks Swim and Racket club, which features three 10 lane swimming pools
water slide
fenced baby pool
20 lighted tennis courts

Stonehenge Park Home Buyers

As a Stonehenge Park resident, you will enjoy quick access to the area’s largest shopping mall, local restaurants, coffee shops, grocery stores, Rex Hospital, and the RBC Entertainment and Sports Arena.

Buying Real Estate in the North Raleigh Neighborhood of Stonehenge Park

If you feel like Stonehenge Park is the perfect place for your family, then simply contact me, Jim Allen, your expert Raleigh area REALTOR, to learn more, view homes, and start the home buying process.

Raleigh First Time Home Buyers

If you are a first time Raleigh home buyer, I may be able to get you included in the Federal First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit, so long as we have our paper work in by the end of April and closing by the end of June.

Ready to start the journey to your new home? I’m ready to help you.

Until next time,
Jim

French Woods: Raleigh Spotlight Community

jimallen — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 19:51:47 +0000

If you are ready to buy Raleigh homes for sale, then you will want to browse through the beautiful North Raleigh neighborhood of French Woods.

French Woods Community in North Raleigh

Located in North Raleigh, French Woods real estate is comprised of 23 lots ranging in size from 1/4 acre to a full half acres.

One of the best features of French Woods? Currently, there are still open lots for sale as well as numerous styles of breathtaking Triangle homes for sale. Raleigh real estate investors can either buy a home that is ready for a quick move in, or they can have a custom home built by Andrea Homes & Stellar Blu, LLC.

This North Raleigh custom builders can show you many floor plans or you can even start from scratch to create you own dream home.

Raleigh Home Buying Tips

While the Raleigh home buying process can be very fun, it can also be quite a long journey. If you are wanting to get in on the tail end of the First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit, make sure you read up on everything that has to be in place before the end of April.

Raleigh, NC REALTOR

When you are ready to start the Raleigh home buying journey, or if you want to push your Raleigh MLS home search into high gear so you can qualify for the Federal Home Buyers Tax Credit before the end of April, then simply contact me, Jim Allen. I am a long time expert Raleigh real estate agent and I am here to serve you and all your real estate needs.

Until next time,
Jim

The Jim Allen Group Welcomes Anna Wilson as Marketing Manager

Anna — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:55:04 +0000

Anna Wilson Marketing Manager for the Jim Allen Group, Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston.

RALEIGH, NC- The Jim Allen Group, Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston are pleased to announce that Anna Wilson has joined their team as their Marketing Manager. Anna, a Raleigh native began her real estate career in Charlotte, NC. Before functioning as the Marketing Manager for the Jim Allen Group, Anna also worked for the new homes division of Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston. Anna has won numerous local, state, and national awards for her marketing excellence.
“We are delighted to be able to welcome Anna to our team and are confident that with her experience she will be an invaluable asset,” says Jim Allen, President of The Jim Allen Group.

About The Jim Allen Group
The Jim Allen Group is comprised of 16 Buyers Agents, seven office staff, and Jim Allen, the #1 Agent in the Triangle since 1996. For more information about Jim Allen and his team, please call The Jim Allen Group at 919-845-9099 or visit their website at www.JimAllen.com . Sales and marketing by The Jim Allen Group, Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston, 5509 Creedmoor Road, Raleigh, NC 27612.

Moving to Raleigh With Children-Tips, Fun and Advice

jimallen — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 05:10:20 +0000

Moving to the Raleigh, NC area is a joyful time, but it can still be very difficult on kids- especially if they are of school age, with friends, favorite teachers, and class activities that they are having to move away from.

Make Your Relocation to Raleigh NC With Children Easier

Though the move may be hard for kids in general, the part most parents dread is the drive to your new home. Unless you are staying in the same city, or an area close by, you will probably end up with more than a few hours of driving to reach your new Raleigh area real estate all the while dealing with a grumpy child in the backseat. What are parents to do? Never fear, I have a few tricks I have learned over the years as an expert North Raleigh real estate agent:

Brush up on your traditional car games. Even the alphabet game and licence plate game can be modified for younger children. Travel size board games, like battle ship, can be fantastic ways to pass the time.
Have a basket of entertainment at easy reach. For younger children, keep the basket full of their favorite toys, books, and snacks. Hand out one item at a time, so younger children will get some good entertainment out of each one before they get bored. For older children, perhaps take them to a books store to buy a book they would enjoy reading, let them pick out an age appropriate magazine. Highlights, Zoo Books American Girl, are great for the tween years.
Have snacks on hand. Even the grumpiest child will cheer up when given his favorite snacks. If the move is particularly hard on your child, perhaps splurge and get some items he or she has always wanted -like those double stuff oreos-but you never deemed as appropriate lunch food.
Get the addresses of all your children’s best friends, and let your children pick out their own stationary so they can write their friends about the trip to your new home. If your children are upset about losing friends, this can be a great opportunity to help them realize they can still keep their friends. There are lots of great car travel trays you can find at Walmart,Target and other such stores, that will provide a great flat surface for your children to write on. This also provides a great way for your children to realize they can still stay in touch with their friends, and provides a great way to work on their writing skills. Even if you children are older and in the texting/twitter/facebook way of communicating with all their friends, they may still enjoy the novelty of writing a letter to pass the time.
If your drive will be more than 6-8 hours, it might be a good idea to invest in a portable DVD play for the car. As much as I myself dislike entertaining children with the tv for hours at a time, on a very long drive, a short movie or cartoon might be just the trick to help ease squirmy passangers, and give you parents some downtime from entertaining.

Learn More About Relocating To Raleigh

Are you Relocating to the Raleigh, NC area? Be sure to ask for our FREE personalized Raleigh Area Relocation Guide to get all the businesses, Raleigh area schools and other local Raleigh activity informaiton make the area of Raleigh one of the greatest places to raise a family. All our tips will help you get settled quickly and to prepare even more for your move, read up on our Raleigh moving tips.

If you are ready to search Raleigh homes for sale, or would like to browse the Pittsburgh MLS, then contact me, Jim Allen, your expert Raleigh Realtor.

Until next time,

Jim

Raleigh NC First Time Home Buyers Tax Credit-Time is Running Out

jimallen — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 03:06:41 +0000

If you are in the position to buy a Raleigh NC area home, and the time is right for you to buy North Raleigh property, then you have a little over a month left to take advantage of the $8,000 first time home buyers tax credit.

But wait, you say? We have until Nov. 30, 2009, right?

Yes and no. You have until Nov. 30th to be closed on a Raleigh property.

That means you have to find a North Raleigh home for sale, make an offer (or two or three counter offers), get inspections, get the Raleigh real estate appraisal (which might come in low, probably sending you back to the offer table), check Raleigh property titles (perhaps clear titles), get your Central NC real estate loan approved, get the loan money on time, and get all problems found during the inspection fixed. All before Nov. 30th.

By Nov. 30th, you must have the house keys in your hand in order to take advantage of the tax credit, so the sooner you start the Raleigh home buying process, the better.

Search Raleigh Homes for Sale

An expert Raleigh, NC Real Estate Agent will try to foresee all the potential problems that could arrise in the process of buying a Raleigh home, but there always things that could arise that are beyond anyone’s control. Overall, the more time you allow for buying a Raleigh NC Home the better chance you have of closing in time for the credit.

Because though you shouldn’t be buying a home just for the credit, it would really stink to close on Dec. 1, 2009 and miss out on an $8000 tax credit.

If you have questions about Raleigh Real Estate or want to browse the Raleigh MLS home search, then contact me, Jim Allen, for all your Raleigh first time home buying tips.

Until next time,
Jim

Is Your North Raleigh Landlord In Foreclosure?

jimallen — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 02:31:54 +0000

The number of foreclosures across the nation, sadly, continures to rise and set records. In the Raleigh real estate market, we are lucky to not have as many foreclosed homes as other areas of the nation, but foreclosure is still very much a reality.

Surpisingly though, the hardest hit group of people?

Renters.

It is horrible, but some homeowners are allowing their North Raleigh real estate fall into foreclosre, sometimes in an act to save their primary residence. What does that mean for the people renting the home? What kinds of rights do you have, as a renter?

Renting North Raleigh NC Property

Under the new federal law that took effect on May 20, 2009, the bank generally must honor the tenant’s lease.

Is there an exception? If the bank sells the home to a Raleigh home buyer who will use the home as a primary residence, the bank can then furnish a 90 day notice of eviction to the tenants.

Landlords-you could now be held liable for your tenants’ monetary damages- like higher rent and moving expenses inccured because of the early termination of their lease.

Renting property in Raleigh

Would you like to keep an eye on your landlord? Make sure they are paying the mortage of the home your family is renting? Check out LemonLandlord.com, where you can actually monitor whether or not your landlord is in foreclosure.

Buying Raleigh Real Estate

Should you find yourself getting evicted because your landlord is facing foreclosure, this could be the perfect time for you to buy your own North Raleigh home! There are wonderful deals on homes for sale in Raleigh, and the Jim Allen Raleigh NC Real Estate Team can help advise you every step of the way to owning your own North Raleigh area home.

Contact North Raleigh NC Realtor

Simply contact us, the Jim Allen Group, to learn more about the Raleigh NC home buying process.

Until next time,
Jim

Raleigh, NC Recognized as a "Best City" by Kiplinger's

jimallen — Fri, 29 May 2009 16:10:21 +0000

For those of us local Raleigh residents who hear and read about these accolades, it’s sort of ho-hum. To those seeking a “new land of opportunity”, Raleigh relocaters place a great deal of weight on these announcements. Just in case you missed the news, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance recently named Raleigh to it’s “10 Best Cities of 2009″ list. Impressive I must say given what has been an up and down local economy. Fortunately, we can thank our position as the capital of North Carolina, home to many high paying tech-oriented jobs in “the Park” and an affordable Raleigh housing market.

Raleigh is on a Roll!

Other top list the Raleigh/Triangle area has been named to includes:

#2 on the Milken Institute’s 2008 listing of “Best Performing Cities”
Raleigh-Cary metro statistical areas ranking No. 1o Forbes’ 2009 listing of “Best Metro Areas for Business and Careers.”

Characteristics of a Top 10 Kiplinger City?

Large portion of the cities’ work force are in the “creative class” of employees. Examples of creative class employees include techies, those in the field of science, educators and engineers
Flourishing start-up business environment. This characteristic is obviously powered by the Research Triangle Park and the wealth of local universities that foster start-ups
Speaking of local universities, that is another key shared characteristic of many of the cities named to the Kiplinger top 10 list. Raleigh is home to North Carolina State University. Other prominent localauniversities include Duke University in Durham and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill along with many smaller institutions of higher learning.
Another key component of Kiplinger’s list of top cities is the availabiulity of outstanding health care facilities. The greater Triangle area hospitals are consistently recognized for providing superior health care. Those hospitals include: Rex Healthcare/UNC Healthcare Systems, Wake Med, and Duke Medical.
The last remaining ingrediant one would find in each top 10 cities is the element of cultural diversity available. Raleigh continues to expand it’s offering of entertainment, great eateries, lifestyle/recreational opportunities and events.

Great Reasons to Move to Ralegh, NC

All the above reasons make Raleigh (and Raleigh real estate) attractive. As a Raleigh resident, what other characteristics/attributes would you add to this list?

Until my next post,

Jim Allen

Raleigh, NC Real Estate Market Named in Top 5 Places to Buy!

jimallen — Wed, 20 May 2009 19:11:54 +0000

In the video below, New York Real Estate Strategist Barbara Corcoran list the top 5 real estate markets positioned for growth. Ms. Corcoran stated the following key drivers that will “heat up” these markets. These factors include:

Raleigh Job Growth

Job growth in Raleigh has been spurred by major tech players from the Research Triangle Park (often referred to as RTP). Large Triangle-wide employers like IBM, Glaxso Smith Klein and Cisco Systems also employ high wage earners.

Triangle Brain Power!

Large population of highly educated citizens. Obviously, North Carolina State University, UNC Chapel Hill and Duke University in Durham all help provide considerable “brain power” to the Raleigh real estate market.

Sustainable Population Growth in Raleigh

Population growth in Raleigh has been spurred by a resurrected downtown Raleigh. Nightlife, great restaurants, the Arts and entertainment options are now part of downtown Raleigh life! The Today Show also mentions that Raleigh has been the recipient of many accolades from publications like Forbes, Inc. and Money Magazine.

Our Outstanding Weather Makes Relocating to Raleigh A Breeze!

Great weather! Yes, this is one of the big reasons so many home buyers relocate to Raleigh. Our residents enjoy 4 distinct seasons but we are seldom experience extreme heat, cold or large snowfalls.

Raleigh is Known for Being a Family-friendly City!

Barbara recognizes Raleigh for it’s terrific family-friendly environment

Affordable Homes in Raleigh, NC!

Another key contributing factor to Raleigh’s real estate market turnaround was it’s affordability factor of our area. Average median price for the Raleigh real estate market is just over $223,000 for a typical 3 bedroom/2.5 bath home.

First Time Home Buyers are Rejuvenating the Raleigh Real Estate Market!

The affordability factor of the Raleigh real estate market has enticed many first time home buyers to enter the market. This is especially true because of the $8000 tax credit now available.

Real Estate Market in Raleigh Avoided Wild Swings!

Because foreclosure has ravaged so many real estate markets, Raleigh never really experienced the wild swings in home values in the Triangle market. This critical factor helped prevent many Raleigh area homeowners from realizing diminishing home values and overwhelming foreclosure rates.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Now that you have watched this short video, what other reasons can you list why the Raleigh real estate market is on the edge of a rebound?