Custom built home on beautiful 2 acre lot. New kitchen with custom maple cabinets, solid surface countertops and stainless steel appliances.  Incredible English garden with deck, fountain & screened porch.  Dramatic family room and lovely sunroom overlooking the private backyard.  First floor guest room.  Master bedroom with sitting room.  Full basement with recreation room, office or 5^th bedroom, and a hobby room w/plumbed kitchen could be separate apartment.  Large vegetable garden.  Private and quiet lot. 

Bowdens Bend is located approximately 5-10 minutes west of Carrboro.  This area of town feels like the country but you are very close to things. This area is located in the "buffer" which means that you have lower county taxes and Chapel Hill-Carrboro schools.

Luxury Hilltop Condo with main level location.  Elegant and spacious floor plan with large living room with built-ins and gas fireplace.  Refined details in the triple crown molding. Dining room perfect for entertaining with custom built-in side board.  Kitchen and butlers panty with custom cabinets, granite countertops and GE Monogram stainless steel appliances.  Plantation shutters throughout.  Large master suite with two additional bedrooms.  Elegant sunroom with a beautiful palladian window is seamless to breakfast room & the master bedroom.  Large storage room with shelving and workbench directly under the unit.  Covered parking. Central vac & tankless water heater.

Meadowmont is a mixed use neighborhood just minutes to UNC and downtown Chapel Hill.  Meadowmont has a vibrant town center with offices, retail space, restaurants, condos and more.  The neighborhood is home to the UNC Wellness Center, a swim club and homes ranging in size from small cottage homes to large luxury homes.  The neighborhood has luxury condos and townhomes.  Meadowmont is also home to The Cedars, a retirement community.  Meadowmont is walking distance to the new East 54 complex and is also minutes to I-40 for access throughout the Triangle.

Adorable cape cod with a rocking chair front porch, a cul-de-sac location and backing to Morgan Creek. Hardwoods on the first floor.  Kitchen with granite countertops, new stainless steel appliances, including a gas range, and skylights.  Two masters up and down!  Fireplace in the living room and second floor master.  Tile baths. Large bonus room. Front and back staircases. Oversized 2-car garage with custom built-in storage & new work sink.  Private deck nestled in the woods. Tankless water heater.

• Gracious rocking chair front porch
• Hardwoods on first floor
• Kitchen with granite countertop and new stainless steel appliances
• All bathrooms have tile flooring
• Wood burning fireplace in Living room
• Master bedroom can be up or down
• Second floor master with gas fireplace with antique wood mantle
• Large walk-in closet in upstairs master
• Large Bonus room with built-in shelves and desk
• Front and back stair cases
• tankless gas water heater
• Cul-de-sac location
• Walking path that connects Miller Park with Southern Village is accessed from cul-de-sac
• Washer, gas dryer and refrigerator convey
• 2.5-car garage with custom built-in storage & new work sink in the garage
• Private back deck nestled in the woods
• Lot backs to Morgan Creek

Elegant custom built home nestled on 5 acres just south of Historic Hillsborough.  Oversized front porch perfect for relaxing! 2 story Foyer leads to formal Living room with French doors & formal Dining room.  Large Family room, hosting a beautiful stone Fireplace & built-in bookcases, opens to the custom Kitchen, with French doors leading to the expansive Deck & Screened Porch.  Delightful chef's Kitchen has stainless steel appliances (Bosch dishwasher; Decor 6 burner cooktop, oven & microwave), Granite countertop, tumbled Marble backsplash & hanging Pot rack. Wonderful Master suite on main level, with trey ceiling & French doors to private patio overlooking backyard. Master Bathroom is perfect for relaxing, with two showerheads in the oversized shower. The second floor has a versitile Loft, three Bedrooms & spacious Bonus room with half bathroom.  The Backyard is fully fenced & beautifully landscaped. Location is perfect! Only 15 minutes to Duke (downtown Durham) & UNC (downtown Chapel Hill).

Very lightly lived in Townhouse style condo in sought after Southern Village.  Open floor plan. Hardwoods on main level. Two large bedrooms and 2.5 baths with large walk-in closets.  Kitchen with 42” maple cabinets & arched pass thru to dining area. French doors to patio and detached one-car garage.  Walk to Weaver St. Mkt, Lumina movie theater, all shops, etc, Scroggs Elem, Day Care and more. 

Elegant Charleston style townhome in excellent location.  Many upgrades. Handscrapped hardwood on main level.  Gorgeous cooks kitchen with 42”cabinets, granite c-tops, large island, tile backsplash, SS appliances and a gas range. Beautiful windows.  Elegant master suite with balcony lake view & tile bath with large soaking tub, separate shower & double vanities. Excellent closet space.  Large second bedroom. Unfinished third floor.  Private fenced backyard with grilling patio.  Neighborhood lake with walking track and fountain as well as swimming pool, two tennis courts and playground.  You can walk to the Governors Village Shopping Center with a grocery store, coffee shop, restaurants, nail salon, yogurt store, dry cleaners and more.  Governors Lake is convenient to UNC, Durham, RDU airport, Research Triangle Park and I-40.

• Over 1700 sq. ft, Charleston design with double front porches
• Gracious room sizes throughout
• Open floorplan
• Upgraded handscrapped oak hardwood floors
• Kitchen with 42”cabinets, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, tile backsplash
• Premium carpet upstairs
• Master suite with balcony lake view
• Master bath with ceramic tile, large soaking tub, separate shower and dual vanities
• Large walk-in closet in master and one additional closet
• Oil rubbed bronze fixtures & knobs
• 9’ceilings with extended length windows
• Unfinished third floor
• Private fenced back yard with grilling pad
• Detached one car garage
• Community pool, tennis and playground
• Beautiful lake with walking path & fountain
• Walk to grocery, restaurants, coffee shop, nail salon, yogurt store, cleaners and more in Governors Village Shopping Center
• Convenient to UNC, Duke, RDU, Research Triangle and I-40.
• Avg utilites are $240/month – includes: gas, electric, water, sewer & trash

Beautifully maintained Chesley home. Inviting front porch. Hardwoods throughout main level. Gracious size rooms. Wonderful windows & light. Quality custom moldings. Kitchen w/corian counter top, large island and desk. Luxurious master suite. Front & back stair cases. Finished 3rd floor with full bath. Chapel Hill Schools:  Ephesus Elementary, Phillips Middle School and East Chapel Hill High

Chesley is an executive neighborhood convienently located within minutes of I-40 and it is 10 minutes to downtown Chapel Hill and the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and it is 10 minutes to Duke University.  It is an excellent location in a beautiful, wooded neighborhood.

Gracious Southern Living in Prestigious Chesley

Well maintained one level home with a fantastic location close to Chapel Hill, Hillsborough and I-40. Light and bright family room with masonry fireplace. Nice size kitchen with island. Good size bedrooms and a very nice front and back yard. Low Orange County Taxes.

The walk-thru is nothing like the home inspection because you aren’t going through for the first time. This is more or less the final dress rehearsal before signing the papers. This is when you double-check on things and, if nothing else, make yourself comfortable and proud to be calling this your new home.

However, there are things that you want to keep your eyes open for when you are preparing for the final walk-thru so that you can put yourself at ease and enjoy your first day in the new house. Here are a few tips to keep in mind when you are preparing for your final walk-thru on your new home:

• Make sure that you do not do the walk-thru more than 24 hours before the closing on the house. If time permits on the day of closing, I would do any final walk-thru’s that morning, or just prior to going to the closing. That way nothing could have happened without you knowing before you sign on the dotted line.
• When you get to the walk-thru, make sure you have everything that you jotted down before that you asked (and that previous home owner agreed) to fix. This isn’t the time to be lazy – make sure that you follow through on everything that was agreed upon before going to the closing. That way you aren’t caught off-guard when you get to the house right after signing all of the papers.
• At the walk-thru, make sure to check around the outside of the house as well to see that nothing has been damaged by a thunderstorm or a wind storm since you previously looked at the house. This is particularly important for the siding on the house and on the roof. If there was a strong storm, you also want to check the attic to make sure of any leaks or damages that may have been cause throughout those storms as well.
• When you are at the walk-thru, make sure all of the fixtures and appliances in the house are the same as when you last saw them. This includes the major items like the toilets and lighting, as well as something as small as a shower head or a sink faucet. Regardless, make sure that they didn’t break anything or try to replace them, causing a possible leak under the sink or a busted breaker for the lighting.
• Make sure that you check that the house is in good shape after the previous owner moved out. This means that you probably saw the house with furniture in it, so you weren’t able to see the walls and carpet. Make sure that there are no holes in the walls or no huge stains/rips in the carpet. This sounds petty, but it is something that will cost you in the long run.
• Along those same lines, make sure that the house is in good enough shape to move in. You don’t want to be wasting time cleaning the floors and scrubbing down the bathroom sinks when you are so excited and pumped to move in. All of the floors should be swept and all of the countertops cleaned off.
• When doing the final walk-thru, check that all of the major appliances that were agreed upon are not only still in the house, but also functional. It doesn’t hurt to test how cold the freezer is or test to make sure that oven/stove work. Something small, but it can end up being a big problem if you don’t follow-up on it.
• Take a quick look in all of the storage areas to make sure that the previous owner isn’t leaving behind old junk that you will just have to toss out anyway. It is their responsibility to get rid of garbage and any potential hazardous materials when leaving the house.

 About the Author:  Doug Chapman is a staff writer for HomeDaddys, a stay-at-home dad blog.  He specializes in diapers and Sippy cups by day, but is a successful real estate investor by night. 

Sought after third floor end unit condo in the heart of Meadowmont Village above the speciality shops.  The building has secured access and an elevator and this larger end unit comes with a wonderful covered porch overlooking the activity in the village.

This spacious 2 bedroom, 2 bath unit has great windows & light and the porch overlooks Cafe Carolina and the fountain. There are sound reducing floors, the kitchen has maple cabinets, a solid surface counter top & stainless steel appliances.  There is a large living/dining room with a gas FP & crown molding.  The condo is very walkable to restaurants, shops, Starbucks, and the UNC Wellness Center all located in Meadowmont.

Meadowmont is located off Highway 54 and is five minutes to UNC-Chapel Hill and I-40. This neighborhood has been developed to convey a true community setting with a variety of home styles thoughtfully arranged with front porches, neighborhood parks and sidewalks on both sides of the street. There are multiple resources available to neighbors ranging from the Meadowmont Village shops to the UNC Hospitals Wellness Center.

New Listings in the Triangle region increased 0.4 to 4,268. Pending Sales were up 31.4 percent to 2,647. Inventory levels shrank 13.8 percent to 13,591 units. Prices moved higher. The Median Sales Price increased 4.3 percent to $193,000. Days on Market was down 16.4 percent to 112 days. Absorption rates improved as Months Supply of Inventory was down 29.4 percent to 6.6 months.

On the economic front, things inched forward. We saw a minor but important upward revision to Q4-2012 GDP growth that put us back in positive territory. In the political arena, key debates over the deficit, marriage, gun law, immigration reform and tax policy rage onward. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and with this emerging housing recovery, there are no imminent housing-related bills.