Nov. 30, 2007 - Holiday Happenings in Apex, NC

Christmas on Salem Street - November 30 & December 1, 2007

• Friday November 30^th will feature several fun filled events including horse-drawn Sleigh Rides, a tree lighting ceremony at the Chamber of Commerce, and a Scrooge scavenger hunt. Let's not forget the Christmas Carolers too!
• Saturday December 1^st will definitely be a fun time for the kids - A pancake breakfast at the fire station and pictures with Santa. Top it all off with a Christmas Parade at 5pm.

Apex Historical Home Tour - December 2^nd 1-5pm

Take a look into Christmas past during Apex Historical Society's Home tour. It will feature three homes, one cabin, the Depot, and the Maynard-Pearson House. A reception with refreshments will be held at the Maynard-Pearson House along with an Old Fashion Sweet Shoppe during the tour. I attend this event every year. It's one of my favorite. A lot of folks don't realize the rich history in Apex. This is your chance to learn more.

Nov. 25, 2007 - Tell me about the Luxury Home Market in the Triangle - What's up?

While the rest of the national real estate market is has taken a turn for the worse, the Triangle real estate market has continued to remain strong. Well, at least for the lower priced homes in the Triangle. Single Family Homes less than $300k all over the Triangle are in short supply-less than two months in most cases. On the other hand, high end properties have higher than average inventories compared to the rest of the US.

What if I'm interested in buying a luxury home in the Triangle - Is now the time to buy? If so, now would be a fantastic time. The Triangle luxury home inventory is very high, and, that makes for a great opportunity for buyers. The winter months are slow and builders are anxious if they have standing inventory. They are willing to negotiate during this time of year and, in the Triangle over the past several years, that has not been the case.

Let's take a look at some numbers and see why the opportunity is so great for buyers in the luxury real estate market in the Triangle.

• Q32007 closings were 6% higher than seen in the third quarter of 2006 which means the market is growing
• There are 37% more re-sale listings and 39% more new home listings since Q32006.
• 22% of all luxury home closed sale activity has occurred within the North Raleigh/Wake market. Cary/Apex/Morrisville is second at 21% and Chapel Hill/Carrboro is third at 13%.
• Brier Creek in Raleigh attracted the most amount of luxury home buyers during the first nine months. The development was followed by Cary Park and Wakefield Plantation.
• The overall market has a 5 month current supply, the luxury segment has a current supply of 11 months.
• Current sellers are showing signs of flexibility on their price. For example, at the end of 3Q '07 there were 664 sellers who had dropped list price, compared to 389 at the end of 3Q '06.
• The average re-sale house sells for 97% of original list price. The average luxury re-sale house sells for 89% of original list price. That's a big difference.

What does this mean to a buyer? Builders are sitting on the homes longer and having to reduce prices to compete with the expanding inventory. Since the timing is right one can find opportunities for the savvy buyer. Many buyers in this price point have bought and sold several homes and sometimes feel a Realtor isn't really necessary. To the contrary, an experienced Realtor is essential in finding, not only your dream home, but a home that will be a smart investment in the long-term.

That said, here are a few articles of reference for your review on our market:

Luxury Home Information for the Triangle:

Triangle Real Estate - Top 10 Appreciating Luxury Home Neighborhoods in the Triangle

Luxury Home Trends in the Triangle 4/18/2007

Triangle Luxury Home Market 3/7/2007

Luxury Neighborhood Profiles

Cary NC Real Estate >>Preston in Cary - Prestige, Location, & Fun for the Family

Renaissance at Regency in Cary, NC- The long wait is finally here

Hidden Lake Parade of Homes Entry - A little bit of Tuscany in the Country

Hasentree in Raleigh - A Sneak Preview to the 2007 Parade of Homes

Sunset Ridge in Holly Springs, NC - Quality & Value are true Hallmarks

Cary NC Real Estate >>MacGregor Downs in Cary, NC

Nov. 20, 2007 - Resale Listings & My Personal Commitment To Internet Marketing

I recently wrote a blog to one of my clients that I have the house listed entitled, "Dear Mr. & Mrs. Seller Your House Hasn't Sold". The purpose of the letter was to let my clients know that the listing agent is ultimately responsible for the sale of the home but the seller also plays a role in making this happen as well. Even the best intentions won't pan out if the seller doesn't go along with the marketing plan. Thankfully, with the help of a post where I solicited advice from Activerainers called Need Listing Advice from opinionated AR Listing Agents-Are you one of them?, I shared the feedback with my client and their willing response to the feedback ultimately allowed me to sell this listing in less than 45 days. If you read the blog you would probably notice that this home sat on the market for over a year before I took over the listing.

I asked my client why he chose me to sell his home and he had indicated that he was incredibly impressed with my ability to get the word out through the internet. He wanted to know how I successfully continue to be listed at the top of the rankings in my area and have such high search results on the major search engines - Google, Yahoo, and MSN to name a few.

That said, I read a post by Brian Block's recent post "Preemptive Blogging.....Impress your Sellers with your SEO" and post by Broker Bryant entitled, If you really are "The Expert".....then show them. Push the juice. which has lead me to write my own blog where I show you how internet marketing and search engine optimization has helped me with my business and also pleased my clients. The bottom line - All agents are not created equal and it's an agents job to make sure that the home that your marketing doesn't blend in with all of the rest. You have to make sure your clients home gets the exposure and rises above the other homes in your market.

In addition, I've decided to write another letter that I will use with my sellers in my listing presentations that will demonstrate how successful my strategy has been. The results are out there - it would be CRAZY for me not to demonstrate my talents and marketing abilities.

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Need T. Sell,

It was a pleasure speaking with you earlier today and I am looking forward to meeting with you tomorrow to get your property on the market. I will send over a preliminary Market Analysis later but thought it would be helpful to you if you did a little research on me first. I just know that you're the type that does your homework. Here are some links that will give you a great idea of who I am and how I handle my business. They will also give you a sampling of how your property will be displayed on the Internet. So click away and enjoy. OK here goes:

My web site:

• TracySantrock.com
• TriangleNCHomes4Sale.com
• FMRealty.com/tsantrock
• Localism (Triangle Information)

My blog sites:

• TracySantrock.realtownblogs.com(Local)
• ActiveRain (National)

A little personal info on me:

• My Profile
• Google results for Tracy Santrock
• MSN results for Tracy Santrock
• Google Results for Cary NC Real Estate - The most searched term in real estate in the Triangle - I am generally regularly on the top 3 pages
• MSN Results for Cary NC Real Estate - I am generally on the 1st page of this search.
• MSN Results for Cary NC Real Estate Blog - I am generally on the 1^st page of this search.
• Yahoo Results for Cary NC Real Estate Blog - I also appear hear on the 1^st page as well.
• Google results for "Santrock" - Ok, my dad John Santrock (a well published author) is right ahead of me but we are neck and neck.

Internet Ads:

• Example of Vflyer by Tracy Santrock
• Craigslist

If you are thinking about selling your house in the Triangle area in 2008 keep this in mind: Just think about the fact that over 80% of prospective buyers start their home search on the internet. If you sell your home with me you will receive exposure on all the major search engines, Craigslist, and other mediums. Your property will receive the exposure needed to sell your home in record time.

If you area an Activerain Member keep this in mind: As we move into 2008 you will want to use the tools that you have learned through Activerain, ePro, and others to let others know the good news about you and your business.

Nov. 20, 2007 - Historic Oakwood Candlelight Tour

Held for just two days during the middle of December(12/8 & 12/9), this tour may be your only chance during the entire year to take a look inside some of Raleigh's most beautiful and historic homes(unless you are a real estate agent like me). Homeowners invite you in to view festive holiday decorations and period furnishings and to share with you the history of their homes. This tour is not to be missed!

Nov. 19, 2007 - 2007 Cary Academy Holiday Shoppe Coming Soon

Everyone just loves a sale - and when the proceeds benefit a worthy cause it's even better!! Most of you know my daughter goes to Cary Academy and she has asked me to get the word out about this years Holiday Shoppe.

Nov. 17, 2007 - Seagrove Pottery Festival - November 17th and 18th Only