Bad News is GOOD NEWS for the Triangle...

Some folks may look at it like Raleigh's drop from the NUMBER ONE spot in the country to start a new business to the NUMBER THREE spot as bad news. But here in the Triangle - we say that's AWESOME NEWS!

Knocking the entrepreneurial ball out of the park in 2009 was Austin, Texas, which preceeded Baton Rouge, LA (number TWO,) and Raleigh, NC (number THREE) which the Triangle Business Journal justified Austin's move to number ONE by saying,

"Last year’s top market for entrepreneurs, Raleigh, drops to third place this year. Its five-year population increase of 22.5 percent was the best in the study group, but Raleigh couldn’t match Austin’s growth rates for jobs or small businesses." (1/20/10)

So while yes, Raliegh did drop from our previously held and most prestigious #1 spot to start a business in the entire country - we earned the #3 spot - and that's alright with us!

To read the article in it's entirety, go to the Triangle Business Journal - which, by the way is a great place to get employment information, business news and more.

Have a great week!

Got Questions about the Tax Credit???

You're not alone. Everyone has questions. But with the April 2010 deadline looming in the not too distant future - you need to get moving and figure out what you're going to do.

Here are some excellent links to the Federal Housing Tax Credit Question and Answer Pages - brought to us by the National Association of Home Builders. Within these links you will find answers to Frequently Asked Questions concerning the $8,000 first-time home buyer principal residence tax credit; $6,500 repeat home buyer tax credit; as well as information on special rules that apply to military personnel:

Frequently asked questions about the $8,000 first-time home buyer tax credit.

Frequently asked questions about the $6,500 tax credit for repeat home buyers.

Some key points for prospective home buyers.

Special rules that apply to members of the military, the foreign service and the intelligence community.

Still got questions? Give us a call. Let us help you figure out what all of this means for you and your family. Don't let this opportunity pass you by.

If you are even thinking about making a move to North Carolina -- now is the time. Put some of this Federal Tax Money to work for YOU!

Visit our Carolina Pines Realty Website where you can search for homes with no passwords. Just click on the Dream Home Finder, enter your criteria (number of bedrooms, bathrooms, price range, etc.) and there you can view tens of thousands of listings in our Multiple Listing Service.

Let us help you make your dream of owning a beautiful home in North Carolina become a reality!

Have a great week.

Blaise & Cathie

NEW YEAR, NEW DECADE.... NEW HOME!

Happy New Year.

2010!

Can you believe we are starting a new decade? We sure can't.

The older we get, the quicker time passes. And the quicker time passes - the less we should procrastinate in making our dreams come true.

What are your plans for 2010? Are you still thinking of relocating? Are you still longing for a better quality of your life for you and your family?

If you are like many people - the answer is YES. Now more than ever.

It seems that with the downturn of the economy, many people are re-focusing their attention and their lives. While the past decade was in many ways, one of decadence - it appears that this next decade, for many - is going to be one of sustenance.

We have heard (at least in our neck of the woods) that the economy is turning around. Home sales are increasing, foreclosures are in the process of decreasing, and things are starting to move again in the real estate market. While we are not yet getting too excited - I will say that we have notice small fissures in the ice. Houses that we've had sitting on the market for a good amount of time - are finally starting to move - but not without alot of sweating. And while lenders have tightened their belts a bit - there is still plenty of money out there to be lent and a good lender can sure help the process to be less stressful and successful.

People are starting to wake up from their hibernation and are begining to make inquiries - of banks, of mortgage brokers and of real estate agents. THIS is a positive sign - one we have noticed by the number of calls that are coming into our office from out-of-state buyers.

With the extension now of the home buyers tax credit to April, 2010 - there is still plenty of time for you to take advantage of not only the tax credit, but low interest rates, and some outstanding home values - particularly in this area.

Let's talk about your options and what you can expect along the road to making your dream of moving to North Carolina -- a reality. We know you have tons of questions -- and we're here to help.

Happy New Year!

Let's Make 2010 the year you finally make your MOVE to beautiful North Carolina.

Blaise & Cathie

Whole Grain Cranberry Muffins

These healthy and absolutely YUMMY muffins, are loaded with cranberries and nuts and flavored with orange are 100% whole-grain -- and they taste AMAZING!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cups Whole Wheat Flour or White Whole Wheat Flour

3/4 cup quick-cooking rolled oats

1/4 cup buttermilk powder or nonfat dry milk

2/3 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries,*

chopped1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

1 tablespoon orange zest (finely grated orange peel)

2 large eggs

3/4 cup milk

1/3 cup vegetable oil or melted butter

Glaze 2 tablespoons orange juice AND 3 tablespoons sugar

For sweeter muffins you can substitute 1 cup sweetened dried cranberries (but those have added sugar!)

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients, then stir in the cranberries and nuts. Whisk together the orange zest, eggs, milk, and oil or melted butter. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring until blended; don't beat, or your muffins will be tough! Fill 12 greased muffin cups or paper liners about 3/4 full.Bake the muffins in a preheated 350°F oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until they're golden brown. Remove them from the oven, leave them in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack.In a small saucepan or the microwave, stir together the glaze ingredients. Bring just to a boil, to dissolve the sugar. Dip the tops of the warm muffins into the glaze. Yield: 12 muffins.

You can make these ahead and heat them up in the microwave, or get up before the kids and serve 'em up fresh out of the oven. These tasty guys are the perfect wholesome breakfast on the cold Carolina mornings we've been having around here. It's been in the low, low 20's lately when we rise and shine!

Do try these when you get the chance.

Keep Warm!

GREAT NEWS FOR HOME BUYERS..

Yahoo!!! Great News!

The United States Congress finally passed and the President signed into law new measures to maintain the momentum for a housing market recovery. Action that should really give the real estate market a much needed shot in the arm!

The home buyer tax credit which was going to disappear at the end of November will now be available through the middle of next year (2010) and more potential buyers will be able to take advantage of it.

Guess what else! The income limit was increased so many move-up buyers - not just first-timer purchasers - also will qualify. Furthermore, loan limits will not shrink as was planned for next year; in high-cost areas, the loan limit will remain at near $730,000 in 2010, thereby permitting more consumers to tap into the historically low mortgage rates.

This is GREAT NEWS! Give us call today. Let us help you put the wheels into motion to make your dream of owning a home in Beautiful Raleigh, North Carolina - become a reality!

It's getting cold here in Raleigh (30s-40s at night!) We're hoping to get a good bit of snow this year. It's been a wet 2009 in these parts, which hopefully will translate into some snowflakes for us within the next month or so. It sure would be nice to have a white Christmas.

Blaise & Cathie

The Leaves are Falling in North Carolina....

With temperatures in the seventies during the day and dipping into the forties and fifties in the evenings, North Carolina is certainly NOT lacking in glorious Fall color. The leaves here in Raleigh finally started changing last week, but over in the Blue Ridge and Appalachians, Peak Fall Color is in full swing.

Here are some photographs Cathie took last week during our yearly Fall ride. This year there was one difference, however - instead of taking the Harley, we decided since we were only going for the day - we'd take the Jeep, as we knew we would be coming home late at night or in the wee hours of the next day.

The day started out a bit gloomy, but it suited the crisp, breezy tone of the day...

We passed several Christmas Tree Farms. What a great way to make a living!

The forest was on fire with yellow. Everywhere we looked trees were covered with bright yellow, orange and red - but clearly, yellow was the dominating color.

This is the only way she can get in a picture...

Every twist, every turn brought about a different vision of beauty....

The highlight of the trip was our outdoor lunch overlooking the Appalachian mountains where nature's landscape left us both breathless. You can read about the creation of the Appalachian Mountains here.

Just a few short hours to our west, we never tire of riding through the mountains and are looking forward to the first few snowfalls. In just a few weeks, these gorgeous mountains will be covered in a dusting of snow - creating a whole new beautiful landscape.

NEXT WEEK: Cathie's been cooking again and has a few great recipes to share; and some great tips for Sellers in this unusual market.

It's good to be back.... Have a great week!

All "Dressed Up" and Everywhere to Go......

Here is a picture of our new family member. It's been a long time coming, something we've talked about for a very long time and something Blaise has dreamed about his entire life. We have taken a hit like everyone else due to the downturn of the economy, and we decided in this instance, to make it work for us by moving up our decision to buy a bigger, safer bike by about 4 years. Like everyone else, Harley Davidson has felt a pinch this year and offered us a pretty good deal on an Ultra Classic. It's big, it's loud, its gorgeous and it's safer than our other bike which we no longer own.

Sabrina was away for the entire day over the weekend so we decided to take a ride over to Topsail Island Beach on the Carolina Coast. That is one beach we have not been to so I was excited to check it out. Neither one of us were disappointed.

After only a 2.5 hour ride on uncongested country roads from Raleigh, we found ourselves (on a Saturday) parking right at the base of the stairway to the boardwalk to the beach. The beach was all but deserted and was cool, clean and quiet. Dogs are permitted so we did have to share the beach and the ocean with a few four legged creatures - who were all too happy to be there.

We still marvel over the beauty and ease of the beaches here in North Carolina. Living in South Florida for so many years, we became "jaded" beach goers. Florida beaches had way too many people (it was hard sometimes to even find a spot to lay down), no frisbee, no beach balls, no dogs allowed, no parking, junk in the water, wall to wall traffic to get to the beach (a 10 minute ride would take sometimes close to 45 minutes because of traffic). We love spending time on the Carolina Coast and still giggle every time we get a parking space right at the entrance and there are no other cars. It's our private beach.

We love living in Raleigh for this reason. We are about 2 hours away (at the closest point) from the beach so we don't get all that tourist traffic, pollution and congestion - but we are close enough we can leave around 9 or 10 am, spend an entire day at the beach and still get home way before dark - not too exhausted.

Sabrina is going to Washington DC in a month or so and we were just talking today about packing up the Harley -- no corgis this time (sorry guys) and heading over to the Smokeys for some cool mountain air.

Are you jealous yet? Give us a call and let's talk about how we can help you make your dreams of living, working and playing (at the beach and in the mountains!) a reality.

Have a great week.