Real Estate and Related Topics

Wine Tasting in Raleigh...... Romanced By The Rhone.

This Tuesday October 18TH at the brand new Total Wine & More in Raleigh at 4421 Six Forks Road ( old Harris Teeter building). they are having their inaugural classroom event. A wine tasting in their new classroom.
There will be ten wines to taste from the wonderful region of The Rhone Valley, home to the world’s classic big reds like Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Gigondas and Vacqueyras.

The New Total Wine & More used to be across the road beside BOA and REI in somewhat cramped conditions, now however the store is a much larger, brighter affair with a walk in humidor and a classroom where they will have their wine tastings.
The wine tasting is from 6.30-8.30, tickets are $25 per class, call the Total Wine & More store in Raleigh at (919) 232-2580.
Seating is limited so order now, if you’ve always wanted to learn about different wine this is a great wine tasting class to get you started..

World War II Veterans from around the Triangle were treated to a flight to Washington DC this week in what was the fourth of it’s kind this year. The non-profit group Triangle Flight of Honor organises and raises the money for the trip. The 102 Veterans were flow to the Capital and toured  the World War II Memorial, The Air Force and Marine Corps Monuments and also Arlington National Cemetery to lay a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

The boys and I went out to welcome them home. The USO were there in force with flags balloons, bunting, there was a band playing WWII era songs. There were hundreds of people there and it looked like a mixture of family, friends and just people like us who wanted to say Thank You!

I of course screwed up the dinner arrangements and got there too early, but not early enough to get food for the boys and so as we waited Rory started to moan for food and wanting to go home. When Conor started in I used the line “if it wasn't for these brave men and women you’d be speaking German now”.I don’t think they got it.

As we waited the crowd grew and grew and then a Color Guard appeared and proceeded to come down the walkway, then the stirring sound of Bagpipes as a Pipe and Drum band led the Veterans through the crowd.The crowd went wild cheering and waving flags it made me think of the ticker tape parades in NY. The Veterans all came down the walk way shaking hands and waving, we went down and shook hands with the last two off the plane and just said thank you!

It was a fantastic experience and I know the Veterans enjoyed it and appreciated it, at this point the boys were really into everything, (Rory was only interested in the guns of the Color Guard!)

It truly was a hero’s welcome!

Total Wine & More Opens Their Magnificent New Store In North Hills

Total Wine have moved from their old location and moved to a brand new much larger store across the road in the old Harris Teeter store. The new Total Wine store in North Hills is a fantastic mecca to all beer and wine fans. They have something for everyone and at the best prices around. The new store has a classroom for wine tastings, sign up they are great fun! A walk in humidor for a large selection of cigars and lots of parking.

There are wines from all the famous (and not so famous) regions of the world, wines priced from $4.00 to $400 and up, the nice thing about Total Wine is there is something for everyone and it is easy to find what you are looking for. If you need help don't be afraid to ask, the staff are there to help. The new store has a great section where the wines are grouped into categories. Total Wine employs many wine experts who travel the world searching for the best wines that are affordable to everyone. Total Wine is a store where you can peruse the selections at your leisure and not feel pressured. All the Total Wine locations have FREE wine tastings on Fridays from 4-7 and on Saturdays from 12-6. That's a cheap date!!!

The new Total Wine Store has the most amazing selection of beers you can imagine and get this you don't have to buy a six-pack, you can buy one or two or make your own six pack with six different kinds of beer.

Total Wine & More also has gifts and accessories and ice and water and soda and Red Bull! Ask for their FREE Guide to Wine book it is full of easy to read facts about grapes regions and different wines.

The New Total Wine & More in Raleigh  is located at

4421 Six Forks Road, Raleigh, NC 27609. The phone number is (919) 232-2580.

Tell them David O' sent you. You see I'm not only a client I work there...part-time!

St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Raleigh, NC is this Saturday March 12Th.

What is the one of the best things about living in the South?....The Weather, and what is better than watching the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in a t-shirt........”we’ll wait for ya”.........Nothing, silly goose!

Yep we have watched the parade in t-shirts and while I’m not that crazy about getting sun burned this early in the year, the other nice treat about parades in Raleigh is you can always get a good spot.

Now I know there are some die-hards who like to freeze their backsides off at The Mummers Parade in Philly or New York’s St Patrick’s Day Parade, not me! Give me warmth and sun and short lines for the Guinness and the loo.

Although the weather we’ve been having of late leaves a lot to be desired, waking up to 40 degrees and highs only in the 60’s, we can do better than that!!

Oh just realized Spring starts on Sunday...Yeah!

Is This The New Face of the Real Estate Office?

Coldwell Banker HPW Builder Services are on the move. They are taking their entire corporate staff and setting up shop at North Hills  in Raleigh. The retail store front which is very common in Europe where you will have a Butcher,a Baker, a Candlestick Maker.....and a Realtor all on the same block!

Having a retail storefront for new home sales is a terrific way to get exposure for the communities Howard Perry & Walston Builder Services represent. HPW Builder Services has many new home communities throughout the Triangle, in Wake, Johnston, Durham and Orange Counties. They have new home subdivisions ranging from a small number of luxury custom built mansions to subdivisions with hundreds of homes and every amenity you could wish for.

The North Hills location is surrounded by shops, restaurants, a movie theater, and hundreds of apartments. It is one of the most popular shopping destinations in the Triangle. It is an open shopping area with a lot of foot traffic. It is not uncommon to see a swarm of mommies charging down the sidewalk with their jogging strollers. There is a farmers market in the spring and summer as well as a concert series on Thursday evenings.

So what does it look like, this real estate retail store front? Very cool, very modern, free WiFi ,a place where you can pop in and check out new home communities like Portofino in Clayton, Ramblewood at North Hills,Highlands at Holly Glen in Holly Springs, Heritage ,St Ives, Weycroft.

North Hills in Raleigh is a central point for a lot of people in the Triangle, it draws patrons for it’s location, it’s selection of stores, restaurants, a top class hotel...makes sense you would want to show off the best Real Estate in the Triangle also.

Raleigh Farmers Market is Great in Winter, Wait Until Spring Gets Here.

I headed over to the Raleigh Farmers Market on Friday to see what was going on. There are two sections an indoor area and a covered area where the farmers etc back their trucks up and you buy your produce. Despite being the middle of winter and cold by Raleigh standards, there was a good selection of produce to be had. I bought a two pound bucket of tomatoes from Johnston County NC for $2.00!!!

How did I get tomatoes in January from Johnston County at the Raleigh Farmers Market for Pete's sake? Hydroponic and green house and let me tell you they are great. They are grown by Barham Farms who have a unique facility that recycles everything and produces wonderful produce. You can't beat the price and locally grown and January. I bought some kale as well and made Colcannon, a traditional Irish dish with onions and mashed potatoes, it was so good.

This stall had sweet potatoes, kale,turnips,spagetti squash, actually all kinds of squash. It is owned by L and G farms out of Meadow, NC.

The Raleigh Farmers Market has an indoor area with many stalls and vendors where you can buy, jams and relish, wines and molasses. You will also find organic beef, free range eggs, farm raised pork, goat cheese, rabbits. I like to ask where everything is from and if it's local!

The Raleigh Farmers Market is open Mon thru saturday 5am - 6pm and Sunday from 8am - 6pm

The market  is conveniently located on I-40 and Lake Wheeler Road, exit 297. They can be reached at (919) 733 -7417

NHL All Star Game Comes To Raleigh, North Carolina This Week-End

I know, right!!! 

What has happened to the world when the NHL All Star Game is being held in a Southern Capital City like Raleigh?Well if you know any Caniacs, it will make perfect sense to you.

Caniacs are fans of the local NHL Franchisee the Carolina Hurricanes (get it?) and let me tell you these people are fanatical, as all fans should be. I don't know if it's the fact that there are so many transplants here from states up north like New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts who all have a long hockey tradition. Oh! And Canada Or the fact that it is so new to people they have taken to their team with passion. The fact that the Carolina Hurricanes won the Stanley Cup in 2006 won't have hurt.

Raleigh is a very popular city as is the whole Triangle and this weeks event will have a lot of people from all over the country checking it out. The first thing they will see if they fly into Raleigh is trees, once here they will experience a vibrant, cultural, youthful city with fantastic restaurants, bars, museums, parks.

Sports fans normally come in three shades here, light blue, dark blue and red.....and now red and black! Hotels are full, there are activities planned for the whole weekend, it should be a good time. The weather is looking nice too, which must play a small role in why they come here, a bit like the Super Bowl always (almost) being played in warm states. The golf courses will be open for business.

Speaking of ice and sports done on them, the US Figure Skating Championship just started in Greensboro this week also.

P.S. The barbecue is vinegar based, so when you get a BBQ sandwich, get the coleslaw on top it is the best way to have it....Y'all!

Good Old Fashioned Office Tour And An Agent Who Knows What Her Clients Want!

This is a testimony for good old fashioned Real Estate Basics that should never be left out of marketing a property. My listing at 1016 Portico Place is a great home on a large lot, that is priced at market and shows beautifully. I always put my homes on our office tour/caravan and try and get as many agents to go as possible. This home I wanted them to see as it had some unique features. One of the agents who came that day was Jackie, who is the most experienced agent in our office. She loved the house and thought her clients might like it. She arranged a showing and while they did like the house they went with a larger, older home.

That was back in the Summer and we had about five more showings and one offer that fell through, which really demoralized my clients. As the Holidays approached they asked about taking it off the market as they had family coming to stay. I fully understand the stress of keeping a house in showing condition even without the added burden of company and while I would recommend leaving a house on the market over the holidays for that one buyer that may be in town, when young children are in the house, they need a break.

Fast Forward to last Monday, I'm pulling out of the parking lot of our office, when Jackie comes running over to my car and asks can she show my listing at Portico Place  to some new clients as the offer her folks had on another house had fallen through. I called my clients and asked if we could show it, of course being four days before Christmas and guests installed it was going to be a team effort to get it ready.

Well, it worked because Jackie's clients loved it and made an offer that evening which we countered and they accepted at about nine Monday night.

This house sold in December because Jackie saw it on tour in July and she knew her clients would like it, they had not seen one picture of it as it had been withdrawn from the MLS for the Holidays.