Real Estate and Related Topics

Clayton, NC Hosts Visual Arts Faire & Farm and Community Market & Concert Series

Clayton, NC was hopping on Saturday Morning as the Clayton Visual Arts Fair(e) got under way at Horne Square. The event was 10am-4pm and it featured a multitude of artists in all aspects of creativity. The booths had pottery, jewelry, paintings, there were artists from Clayton and some came from Ashville. There was music and dance I heard about a Belly Dancer but did not witness her!

Also on Saturday and this goes on every Saturday until October 29th is the Clayton Farm and Community Market. A variety of local vendors have their wares to sell and they range from farm fresh eggs, to grass fed beef, to naturally raised chickens. You can buy local honey, in season produce, berries and fruit. Baked goods and lots of other goodies. The Market runs from 9AM-2PM and is at the Clayton Town Square.

Another fun FREE event in Downtown Clayton is the Concert Series the town organises in the summer. The next concert is scheduled for June 16th and they are held every third Thursday in the month for the summer. This next concert features the Johnny Orr Band and the music runs from 7PM - 9PM. The first concert filled Horne Square with music and dance fans of all ages.

Clayton has it going on!!

And Todays High Temperatures Will Be...........


New York, NY........           46 and windy
Cherry Hill, NJ.......           48 and windy
Philadelphia, PA …......     50 and windy
Boston, MA ….….              40 and windy
Lansing, MI.........              36 and sunny
Chicago, IL ….…..              39 and cloudy
Seattle, WA …......             48 and sunny
Pittsburgh, PA ….......        37 and windy
Vancouver, BC..........        43 and sunny

CLAYTON,NC 70 AND SUNNY

Has anyone seen the sunscreen?
Tee Hee Hee!!!!

Homes in Clayton under $150,000, Ranch Home on an Acre in Clayton

We just listed this great ranch home in Wyndfall Subdivision at 149 Carrie Dr. It is a three bedroom two bath with a large eat in kitchen and wonderful long living room.It is listed for $145,000

The kitchen looks out over the wooded lot which backs up to a protected area so there is lots of privacy. 149 Carrie Dr. in Clayton is very convenient to most everything yet has a quiet rural setting. For example the new Food Lion Shopping center is ten minutes away. Downtown Raleigh is twenty Five Minutes, Wake Med, twenty five minutes. Downtown Clayton is a mere five minutes.

The schools currently serving the Wyndfall Subdivision are River Dell Elementary, Archer Lodge Middle and Corinth Holder High ( brand new!).  In fact Business Week Magazine named the zip code 27527 as the top ten in the country for having the best schools with the most affordable housing.The subdivision consists of mostly ranch plan homes on acre and above lots, This lot at 149 Carrie Dr. is just shy of an acre, the front has oak trees while the back yard is grass and pine trees to the rear.

There are not many homes in Clayton under $150,000 in this type of condition.Wyndfall subdivision is in Johnston County, NC which is covered under the USDA 100% Financing Program and we have done many homes in this neighborhood with this program. I can recommend a very qualified Mortgage Broker and fellow Active Rainer in Steve Thorne with First Financial Services who can be reached at (919)649-5058.

These days to find a ranch home on an acre in Clayton is becoming more and more difficult as the land prices go up the lot sizes go down.

For a tour of this home at 149 Carrie Dr in Clayton give me a call at (919) 601-2268

Clayton Chamber of Commerce in North Carolina.

The Clayton Area Chamber of Commerce is on Main Street in Downtown Clayton, they are located in the classiest building on Main Street in what used to be a bank. The building which is listed with the National Register of Historic Places. Inside you can see the old vault, along with tons of information about Clayton and Johnston County.

The new Executive Director Jim Godfrey is gearing up to assist Chamber Members and others in promoting and growing their business in Clayton and the surrounding areas.

The Clayton Chamber of Commerce can attest to the attraction of Clayton and Johnston County for Industrial and Commercial business for a number of reasons. The close proximity to major highways like I95 and I40, the mild climate, trained workforce and affordable land and construction costs.

Recent growth in Clayton has been the Northeastern Foods plant being constructed off Hwy 70 with 80 jobs. Talecris expansion over the next couple of years with 270 additional jobs.

If you are thinking of relocating to Clayton, call the Chamber and see if they can help if you need help with your home search I can help you there. If you are opening a business in Clayton the Chamber can point you in the right direction.

The Clayton Chamber of Commerce is located at 301 East Main Street, Clayton, NC 27520. Their phone number is (919) 553-6253, email them at chamber@claytonchamber.com

Pet Grooming Parlor in Clayton, NC....Doggie Do'z is the place!

Looking for a place to pamper the pooch, give her a do, clip his nails, maybe get some of the loose hair off the beast? Well Doggie Do'z on First Street, one block off Main Street on the railroad side is the place. They have a bright clean well equipped facility where they will spruce up your pet.

Doggie Do'z Pet Grooming Parlor in Clayton is owned and operated by Ian and Amy Hallinan who have a thriving business going that has grown in leaps and bounds since they took over. They can be reached at (919) 553-5959.

Now when I was there it was like an Italian wedding party was in getting their hair done.

There was a lovely Cocker Spaniel who seemed to be enjoying every minute of his bathing and trimming. There was also this guy who although is a regular, did not look quiet as thrilled.

They offer a range of services and pricing is done based on size and what is required. They also sell a whole line of doggy coats and sweaters (try the camo one). They have a wall almost the lenght of the building of toys and chew things from the soft furry type to the indestructible kind for the monsters ( I know someone just like that).

The building at 113 First Street in Clayton, NC is a restored old historic building that has the old pine floors that were preserved and made into a stairway. After some sprucing up in a couple of months you will be able to strut your stuff in the new Clayton Dog Park on Glen Laurel Road.

If you are looking for a convenient place to get pet grooming, try

Doggie Do'z, they are located at 113 First Street in Clayton, NC 27520. The Phone number is (919)553-5959.

 Need Something To Blog About.....I have Three Blog Posts in a short trip to Clayton, NC.

First up was the Clayton Chamber of Commerce, I was dropping off some information packets for Portofino and met the director and his staff. We chatted about the real estate market and what sort of inquires they were getting. This could be two posts as the building they are in is a historic old bank building. Writing about the Clayton Chamber of Commerce plus the ActiveRain juice should bring some hits.

Next up was the new parking lot on Main Street in Downtown Clayton. Why write about a parking lot??? Well, its in Downtown Clayton and Clayton, NC is my local market. It's also a really nice parking lot in a circle ( rare) with beautiful paving stones, benches and planters. It was a gravel and dirt eyesore before the town of Clayton purchased it. Clayton is a forward thinking town that has weathered the economic storm quite well and has seen positive job growth and industrial development.

On to Doggie Do'z, a Pet Grooming Parlor, run by Amy and Ian Hallinan. This is a wonderful downtown Clayton Business that is doing really well and there were doggies lining up for haircuts and baths while I was there. They also are in a really old, possibly 1862 building that has been renovated and all the wood from the floor was salvaged and was used for the stairway.

OK, so to recap, I mentioned Clayton eleven times in this post, I'm going to be talking about two things that people look for when they move, Chamber of Commerce and pet care. I took fifty pictures,( two more wordless posts there) and I met a bunch of people. Lets see what happens.

Why Do Raleigh Police Officers Love To Live In Clayton NC?

This question came up at my closing last Friday, my  buyer client, a Raleigh Police Officer is in the same class as the Raleigh Police Officer who was the buyer at my last closing. What are the chances, well pretty good according to the attorney in Clayton. Turns out he has done maybe fifty settlements for Raleigh Police Officers over the last few years.

There are any number of great reasons to live in Clayton, affordable housing, great schools, great subdivisions with amenities, like golf, swimming etc. Clayton is in Johnston County a largely rural county so there are financing options like the 100% USDA loan. Clayton is thirty minutes to Raleigh (less with blue lights)! Clayton is two hours to Carolina Beach. There are lots of sporting options from soccer to baseball, tennis to lacrosse.

The schools in Johnston County are on a traditional calender, unlike Wake which has some schools on a traditional and others on year round, plus in Wake County your kids may not end up in the school nearest your house! The schools are really good, Business Week Magazine named 27527 zip code in the top ten in the country for having the best schools with the most affordable housing.

Land, yep land is cheaper, so if you want some privacy, maybe a wooded lot, somewhere for the dogs to run or the kids to be outside for hours, building a tree house lets say, you can find that in Clayton and Johnston County and it won't cost you an arm and a leg.

The main reason though, is that they don't like to run into people at Wal-Mart that they arrested the night before!!

Skylines Cafe in Clayton Has Some Fun Events Coming Up, Perfect Break From Holiday Stress! First up, how about some gift ideas, buy $100 in gift certificates and get an extra $20 gift certificate ( you can keep that one).

This Friday and most Fridays at Skylines Cafe in Clayton there is a wine tasting from 6-7:30. Great night out or half a night, taste some awesome wines priced between $9 and $20. If you stay for dinner they work out a deal on the wine. They will have beers to taste also.

Like to shop and drink, well now you can, because on Saturday Tina Bolick will be holding a sale of unique handmade items from 12-3. You can purchase, hand painted wine glasses, bottle toppers, wine charms, handmade pens, aprons and jewelry. These items are all made by local artists and definitely better than anything you will find at ....you know where.

Skylines Cafe in Clayton is located at 8878 US  70 BUS HWY W Suite 100 in the Southern Village Shopping Center. (919) 550-7619

Town Of Clayton NC Gets A New Dog Park.....Woof!

The Town of Clayton in North Carolina purchased some land recently and plan on turning it into an off leash  dog park. The work has begun on the site which is located on Glen Laurel Road and will be across from the new East Clayton Community Park. The approximately three acre site will have parking, fencing, and equipment for the little pooch's to run around to their hearts content.

Anyone who knows Clayton, NC will not be surprised at this as they are a very progressive forward looking town who have weathered the economic downturn reasonably well and have attracted a number of new business's, coupled with the fact that they have controlled growth in the past making it a great town to live in.

The Off Leash Park is scheduled to be finished in the spring. I will keep you posted.