Cary NC - Real Estate Blog. Back by popular demand, 113 Creek Park in Preston Subdivision, Cary, NC will be open to the public. Check out www.113CreekPark.com to get a preview of this fabulously updated home on a premium lot. Stop by this Sunday, 3/14, from 1-4 and see it for yourself, this home is gorgeous! $275,000, 2100 sq ft of updates: carpeting, paint, granite counters, light fixtures and hardware make this home simply irresistible. Call Town & Country Realty 919-303-9800 for a personal tour.
Cary NC - Real Estate Blog - There was a whole lot of shaking going on in 2009 -- job losses, volatile markets, recovery packages, a new president. But in surprising contrast to that, the rankings for top cities this year remained fairly steady.
"None of [the top 10] had a meteoric rise over the last year. Most of them went up and the couple that dropped did not drop dramatically," commented Kevin Klowden, managing economist at the Milken Institute, and co-author of Best-Performing Cities 2009 report. "The fact remains essentially that there are certain locations that have advantages in terms of lower costs, improved access to talent, certain key industry resources, and other factors that help to drive things."
The Milken Institute's report highlights the fact that the top cities didn't experience the same inflation in housing prices as the rest of the country, and so they avoided the devastating correction experienced elsewhere. Another factor in success was a prominence of the oil and gas industry. These two came together favorably for Texas, whose cities took five of the top 10 rankings. These are the factors that make the homes for sale in Cary NC so attractive.
Cary NC - Real Estate Blog - There’s still time to take advantage of the first-time homebuyer tax credit. The Worker, Homeownership and Business Assistance Act of 2009 extended the deadline for qualifying home purchases from Nov. 30, 2009 to April 30, 2010. In addition, buyers who enter into a binding contact by April 30 have until June 30 to settle on the purchase. The maximum credit amount remains at $8,000 for first-time homebuyers – buyers who have not owned a primary residence within the past three years.
The new law also provides a tax credit of $6,500 to existing homeowners who have owned and lived in their current residence at least five consecutive years. For all qualifying purchases in 2010, buyers have the option of claiming the credit on either their 2009 or 2010 tax return.
Posted by: Mya in Luxury Homes, Community, Cary NC on
01/25/10
Cary NC - Real Estate Blog - Cary software company SAS, has been a fixture for years on Fortune magazine's annual list of the "100 Best Companies to Work for" - but never No. 1.
Until now.
Fortune's latest ranking puts SAS at the top, citing its benefits, including unlimited sick days, onsite medical care, free fitness center, library and more.
To piggyback on that news, SAS announced that it generated $2.31 billion in revenue in 2009, up 2.2 percent from the year before. That marks the 34th straight year revenue has increased, despite the recession and increasing competition. Companies like SAS are one of the reasons real estate in Cary NC is so attractive.
SAS executives warned in October that the streak might not last but then saw a late-year surge in sales as banks, retailers and other customers worldwide bought more of its analytics software. To celebrate, SAS workers and bosses, including co-founder and CEO Jim Goodnight - who is also the state's richest person - gathered Thursday afternoon in Cary for a champagne and spark ling cider toast. Goodnight drank champagne.
The revenue increase in a down year was notable. This kind of news is of great interest to Cary Realtors. But Fortune also noted that SAS, which employs about 11,000 people worldwide and 4,200 in Cary, kept and added benefits when many other companies are cutting jobs, pay and perks. The private company, which Goodnight helped start while still a professor at N.C. State University, doesn't release financial information besides its annual sales.
The magazine also lauds Goodnight as "the unlikely architect of this rare corporate culture." Fortune gushes about Goodnight's leadership helping foster loyalty, and "shockingly low turnover of 2percent," by avoiding layoffs in a sluggish 2009.
SAS, which last year was No. 20 on the Fortune list, strives to add perquisites every year. Besides bragging rights, getting noticed by Fortune can help companies recruit new talent and providing rich perks can help retain existing employees. Cary NC real estate agents notice that many of the buyers are not relocating, but moving up and wanting to stay in Cary.
"My chief assets drive out the gate every day," Goodnight told Fortune, using a favorite line he uses to justify the business strategy. "My job is to make sure they come back."
SAS displays past Fortune covers in frames outside one of the many break rooms at its massive Cary campus.
The No. 1 ranking and another glowing profile of the company and Goodnight in a major publication could boost business. The Fortune piece follows recent profiles in The New York Times and Business Week - all read by business bean counters who make decisions on what kind of software they should buy.
SAS sells software that helps corporations and government agencies analyze and mine vast amounts of data to predict customer preferences and other trends.
Fortune compiles its list with the Great Places to Work Institute, which conducted employee surveys of 343companies. Any company that is at least 7 years old and that has more than 1,000 U.S. employees is eligible. The deadline to apply for next year's list is April 2.
Cary NC - Real Estate Blog. Today’s kitchens today are continuing to evolve into family rooms which can accommodate multiple cooks, family dining, and entertaining. This is something of high interest to those in the Cary NC Real Estate market. Here are just a few of the major design trends popping up in luxury multi-purpose kitchens as 2010 begins.
Countertops
Kitchen countertops are increasing in mass – think thick – and demand is growing for new surface materials. As granite wanes in popularity, crackle glass, concrete, and wood (with decorative edges) are all moving to the fore as popular countertop materials. One of the most innovative counters combines glass with LED lighting. The result is a glowing glass countertop which can be programmed with most any color to match your mood of the moment.
Counters in new kitchens may also vary in height to add visual interest and to create work zones for special purposes and for both short and tall cooks. Counters and islands are also increasingly designed to double as serving and dining areas.
Work zones
As more activities gravitate to the kitchen, designers are building in special purpose areas. A quick food prep station makes simple meal preparation and cleanup easy. A baking center offers ingredient storage within reach and a counter height designed for chopping, mixing, and rolling. A coffee bar or a wine tasting and beverage center are other popular special purpose work zones.
Sinks
Large farm sinks are a hot trend and multiple sinks continue to be in demand. Water conserving faucets are part of a trend toward eco-friendly kitchens.
Cabinetry
Mid-height cabinetry is a major trend in contemporary kitchens and beginning to appear in traditional kitchen designs as well. Shorter cabinets may “float” on the wall or incorporate European-style legs and even be used as room dividers. In-demand cabinet materials include stainless steel, environmentally-friendly bamboo, pecan or alder wood. Cabinets are customized with interior fittings for efficient storage. Horizontal cabinet doors (sometimes motorized) are another emerging kitchen trend.
Although the all white kitchen is still popular, cabinetry is also showing up in a variety of finishes and colors to give a kitchen the look of a furnished room.
Appliances
Forget the concept of a cooktop, double oven, microwave, dishwasher and a refrigerator creating an adequate kitchen. Today’s cooks want more. Extra dishwashing drawers, elaborate coffee making appliances, warming drawers, additional ovens, wine coolers may all be part of a luxury kitchen and many of these appliances may be hidden within cabinetry.
On the other end of the spectrum, forget subtle, some homeowners are using the refrigerator as kitchen art. Coolors, an Italian company will silk screen a refrigerators with a bold animal print, your favorite photograph or most any other image. The range hood or cabinet fronts can be silk screened to match.
Electronics
The kitchen is now home to televisions, computers, and sound systems. With friends and family gathering in the kitchen, entertainment and information need to be within reach.
Multiple kitchens
Cary NC - Real Estate Blog - Existing-home sales rose in November as first-time buyers rushed to close sales before the original November 30 deadline for the recently extended and expanded tax credit, according to the National Association of REALTORS ® (NAR).
Existing-home sales—including single-family, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops—rose 7.4%. At this pace, 6.54 million homes will sell by year’s end.