I was just visiting a friend to get some paperwork taken care of, something that could be done while watching TV.  We were talking about the ball game or maybe work when his phone rang.   I couldn't help but listen to the conversation since he was right beside me.  It went like this. My Friend-  Yes, it looks like it will be next week.  My Friend-  I'm taking enough clothes to wear for at least two weeks.  Probably take my warm jacket, shorts and bathing suit too. My Friend-  It will be the first time for me, I'm looking forward to it.  Talk with you tomorrow. He got off the phone and I made a joke about him taking another business trip to a resort.  Playing golf, hitting the restaurants, etc... He informed me that he was going with 9 other men to Haiti.   They were part of a missionary... 01/26/2010

PREPARING TO PURCHASE HOMES IN WINSTON SALEM AND TRIAD NC LOCATIONS Buying a home is one of the most detailed and expensive transactions that most people do in their lifetime. Preparing yourself to be positioned correctly to achieve the goal is a key factor for a successful and rewarding experience.  There are definite "steps" that pave the way for home ownership,  whether it's your first home or your last home you plan to buy.   Here's the process: FIRST on the list is to decide what you can afford to pay for your home.  In general, you can afford a home equal in value between two and three times your gross income.   Planning for short fall periods that will require some back up savings is wise.  Minimizing all your short term debt, like credit card debt is smart to consider, because ... 12/20/2009

Snow Day in Winston Salem, North Carolina   FIRST TIME HOME BUYERS FOR HOMES FOR SALE IN WINSTON SALEM TRIAD NC There are several reasons why owning a home is better renting an apartment or a house.  The housing industry is set for an  upswing right now in the Winston Salem and greater Triad region of North Carolina.  The main reason is because of the tax incentive for First Time Home Buyers (as well as other homeowners now included)  Here's the basics for First Time Home Buyers: TIME OF OF THE ESSENCE Tax Credit of up to $8,000 to first-time home buyers until April 30, 2010 The purchaser or his/her spouse may not have owned a residence during the three years prior to the purchase Credit may only be awarded on homes purchased for $800,000 or less. Single buyers with incomes up to $125,... 12/19/2009

HAPPY HOLIDAYS ! FIND A REALTOR AGENT FOR HOMES FOR SALE IN WINSTON SALEM, TRIAD NC Finding a real estate agent you can relate to will make the process of buying your new home a fun and rewarding experience.  The complexity of purchasing a home can be stressful and down right scary because it is something that most people do only a few times in their lives. It's an emotional time and making such a  huge financial commitment only adds to the stress.  Therefore finding a REALTOR® that is both highly skilled and a good match with your personality can be the key to your peace of mind. How do you know if the REALTOR® you may be considering, has the skills to guide you through the buying process?  One important key would be the designation that agent may have as an "Accredited Buyer's Repres... 12/16/2009

IS NOW THE TIME TO BUY A HOME FOR SALE IN WINSTON SALEM AND GREATER TRIAD NC ? Well, let's analyze that and see it if is or not!  Only you can determine if the stars are in alignment for you personally to make a smart decision to buy a home for sale in Winston Salem or to wait.  With that said, let's look at other factors that could influence you to buy now as opposed to later.  As we approach the new year, we all start looking at our record keeping. If you have an accountant doing your taxes each year, you have probably received a reminder of sorts about starting to organize your files and receipts to get a jump on "their tasks" of providing accurate tax returns.  If you've had a decent year, you may expect to pay some taxes when April 15th rolls around.  How would a $6,500 or $8,000 ... 12/14/2009

HOMEOWNERS INSURANCE FOR HOMES FOR SALE IN WINSTON SALEM TRIAD NC When purchasing insurance for our homes, most of us don't really think about what will happen if I ever have to make a claim for damage.  We're usually just base everything on the determination of building and contents cost, the type of coverage desired such as actual cash value and/or replacement costs.     And we're off and running!    The policy is then written up, using language determined usually by state insurance departments. Recently, I was speaking with my insurance provider and asked her for advice about what I could pass along to my home buyer clients.  Her first pointers were... To "be careful about providing accurate information"....about these items:  The Property Construction, It's Condition and It's Conte... 11/28/2009

HOMES FOR SALE IN WINSTON SALEM TRIAD NC HELP WITH MORTGAGE PROBLEMS      Is your home loan owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac?  Who the heck is Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac?  They've been in the news alot lately.  The Federal National Mortgage Association, nicknamed Fannie Mae, and the Federal Home Mortgage Corporation, nicknamed Freddie Mac, have operated since 1968 as government sponsored enterprises.         Many banks have sold their loans to Fannie or Freddie, there may be some help to folks who are struggling with their mortgages. You can easily check here to see if either one of them owns your mortgage loan.       If you are a homeowner who is current on your mortgage payments but you are unable to refinance to a lower interest rate because your home value has decreased, you may b... 11/28/2009

SHORT SALES IN HOMES FOR SALE WINSTON SALEM TRIAD NC I'm asked at least once or twice a week from buyer customers or clients:  "What exactly is a Short Sale Foreclosure?"   I usually start answering by telling them what it isn't.   It isn't  when a property is already in Foreclosure.  And it isn't a term used to describe a "Quick Sale" of a foreclosed property.  A "Short Sale" can be defined as an "arrangement" between the homeowner and the bank that lent them the funds to purchase their home, to accept a buyer's offer of a lesser amount than what is now owed to pay off the mortgage.  The difference between the amount owed and what the bank will collect at the "short sale" is referred to as "the deficiency".    When I'm speaking with new buyers who have expressed an interest in foreclos... 11/14/2009

The following numbers are the New Listings/Current Actives for Oct 2009 Source - Triad MLS County New Listings Current Actives Guilford 845 4158 Forsyth 577 3252 Davidson 180 1173 Randolph 124 749 Davie 66 416 Stokes 43 293 Surry 47 427 Yadkin 21 145 Alamance 87 361 Rockingham 74 491 The following numbers are the sold homes in each county for Oct - 2008 vs 2009 Source - Triad MLS County SOLDS Oct 2008 SOLDS Oct 2009 Guilford 403 303 Forsyth 268 258 Davidson 101 80 Randolph 56 50 Davie 21 30 Stokes 29 19 Surry 26 23 Yadkin 2 15 Alamance 34 24 Rockingham 45 28 11/07/2009

NEW TAX CREDITS AVAILABLE FOR HOMES FOR SALE IN WINSTON SALEM NC The President will be signing into law the new First time homebuyers AND Existing homebuyers tax credit stimulus!    The National Realtors Association has been vigorously pushing for an extension of this much needed boost to the housing market, because in recent months, the growth in housing sales throughout the country has been viewed as one of the most positive steps in our overall economic recovery. The $8,000 first time homebuyer tax credit for Homes for Sale in Winston Salem  was due to expire on November 30th! Eligibility of First Time HomeBuyers is the same as before, in that they can not have had an interest in a principal residence for 3 years prior to purchasing.   The tax credit is the same as before, $8,000 fo... 11/06/2009

Surveys For Existing Homes For Sale In Winston Salem NC Have you heard anyone make these types of statements... "I don't need to have a Survey done for an existing home where no road changes have been made in 25 years!"   Or, "It's a waste of good money that I could apply towards the down payment!"  And this one, "Title Insurance will protect me!" The awful truth is, a Surveyor should be hired in most all cases where real estate ownership is changing hands.  A survey is a small price to pay for the peace of mind when purchasing a home for sale in Winston Salem, in order to avoid law suits and long, sleepless nights.  Your REALTOR® can point out to you, as a prospective buyer, that encroachments across property lines may have occured since the last survey.  This problem can result in la... 11/02/2009

River Birch Lodge in Winston Salem NC When the River Birch Lodge in Winston Salem opened a couple of years ago, there were only  one or two destination restaurants in "our neck of the woods" which is the Mt. Tabor community at Robinhood Road.   Definitely no others that offer the camaraderie you'd expect from a "GREAT BAR" coupled with a "GREAT DINING ROOM" with a wide choice of excellent entrees and wine selections, all under the same roof.   One of our local paper "restaurant columnist", wrote about the River Birch Lodge  when it opened.  She kept repeating throughout her article, that is was a very "Manly Restaurant."  We all assumed she was thinking of the "big, massive wood beam construction," designed with a "Mountain Lodge" theme.  The canoe mounted to the wall with an assortment... 10/30/2009

Billy Bob's Silver Diner in Winston Salem NC Eating breakfast out is one of my favorite times to enjoy "the works"!  There is no better place to find all you are looking for, than Billy Bob's Silver Diner©.  From the very crispy"Chunky Home Fries" to a their "Mile High Omelets"!  Naturally, all their meal are made to order, of course.  Restaurants in Winston Salem have flourished in recent years, because of the general growth in our area.  North and South of Winston Salem have seen the most growth in new construction of shopping areas and Billy Bob's Silver Diner© is in one of the most visible locations in that southern area.  Of course, having a "Shiny" silver exterior doesn't hurt either!  Billy Bob's Silver Diner© is a very friendly place as well.  The staff obviously enjoys their wo... 10/13/2009

Staging Homes for Sale in Winston Salem, NC Recently I was taking a young lady on a tour of homes for sale in Winston Salem  and surrounding towns and decided to make it a project of seeing her reactions in homes with no staging and those that were.  It's a proven statistic that more sales come out of a "staged home" than not, so I wasn't trying to test that value, but instead to just see (and hear) the reactions.  In a dated condo, the listing agent had taken only one room, the dining room, and placed a Danish style table with 4 small matching chairs onto the buffed up hardwood flooring.  At each place setting, there was a brightly colored, over-sized plate on a neutral colored place mat.  Beside each plate was an unusually large matching knife, 3 pronged fork, and a large spoon.  The ... 10/05/2009

Real Estate Radio is a weekly radio show airing Saturdays at 9 am.  The show airs on 600/1200 WSJS in the Triad of North Carolina.  John McPherson, Angela Kalamaras, and Wendy Taylor are the partners that formed the MKT Real Estate Group of Coldwell Banker Triad Realtors.  Real Estate Radio can be heard on your radio, on our website live at www.mktrealestategroup.comand on our podcast on itunes at http://www.facebook.com/l/19872;itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=306614195 we also have a Real Estate Radio Group Page on Facebook. Guests have included Mayor Allen Joines, WS Chamber President Gayle Anderson, and various folks from charities, Co Operative extension, etc. The show is sponsored in part by Ruth Hudspeth of Fairway Independent Mortgage www.triadfairwaymc.... 10/01/2009

Winston Salem NC Triad Home Values  Statistics Holding Strong The statistics are in!   ...For Winston Salem NC Triad Home Values ... and they prove that home values remain strong!  For Winston Salem, Greensboro and High Point, North Carolina, our Multiple Listing Service (MLS) is saying that since 2007 to today, home sales are down, but the values are still holding strong. The average home price in the Triad remain on an average of about $201,000.  Our MLS has posted that in the years 2007, 2008 and up to September 2009, that the average days a home remains on the market prior to closing has been 106 days with a ratio of List Price to Sales Price of 99%!  An excellent track record by most anyone's standard, proving Winston Salem NC Triad home values are holding strong.  If you are plann... 09/25/2009

Foreclosures In Winston Salem NC and How to Buy HUD Foreclosure Real Estate Foreclosure homes in Winston Salem are a good deal when they can be purchased in such a way as to realize built-in equity "at the closing" table.  Everyone knows that having equity in one's home means that your financial statment reflects that equity, thus providing greater net worth!  This can apply to the First Time Homebuyer as well a someone looking for a great rental property, a second home, or your primary residence.  There are literally hundreds of web sites that claim to have current lists of foreclosure homes for sale all over the country.  Most of those sites have outdated information and require a fee to join.  One site that will usually NOT have out of date listings and is FREE to use is HUD... short... 09/20/2009

First Time Homebuyers in Forsyth County, NC $8000 Tax Credit Deadline Approached! Whatever monitoring device you use, such as Microsoft's Outlook Calendar, Facebook's CountDown Feature, or just a plain old "Wall Calendar",                                        NOW is the time for First Time Homebuyers to mark the ending date of NOVEMBER 30th.   There are efforts being made by The National Realtor's Association to impress upon our government to extend that cut-off date, but if it is not extended, First Time Homebuyers are encouraged to locate the home they wish to purchase and "get under contract" with the seller prior to October 15th.  By heading towards October 15th, the first time homebuyer will be in position to have the sale closed by the November 30th DEADLINE! To qualify for this... 09/08/2009

Home Sales are stabilizing in Winston Salem, NC!  I was out walking my dog, “Winston”, a two year old male Schnauzer, the other day and struck up a conversation with another fellow from the adjoining neighborhood. He asked me what I did for a living and I told him I was a REALTOR®.  I naturally referred him to my "easy to remember" web site:  www.callDOUGnow.com Then he made the comment, “I read in the Winston paper that  home sales are stabilizing in Winston Salem.” “Hold On,” I replied! “A statement like that about Winston Salem (and Forsyth County as a whole) is a little misleading.”   “How so,” he asked.  So I proceeded to share my thoughts on the real estate market …you know... like most of us in our industry can tend to do from time-to-time!   Generally speaking though, North Caro... 09/05/2009

The following numbers are the New Listings/Current Actives for July 2009 Source - Triad MLS County New Listings Current Actives Guilford 768 4195 Forsyth 619 3383 Davidson 207 1235 Randolph 130 728 Davie 27 431 Stokes 58 289 Surry 53 455 Yadkin 26 148 Alamance 58 335 Rockingham 76 521 The following numbers are the sold homes in each county for July - 2008 vs 2009 Source - Triad MLS County SOLDS July 2008 SOLDS July 2009 Guilford 519 383 Forsyth 417 257 Davidson 127 82 Randolph 66 62 Davie 41 16 Stokes 30 13 Surry 42 22 Yadkin 6 5 Alamance 40 27 Rockingham 45 34 08/27/2009