Mortgage Meltdown

Where is the Martini Factor? We missed our regularly scheduled episode due to a small problem with Homebanc. They closed.

When Kevin lands on his feet, we look forward to a summary of his thoughts surrounding the current state of mortgage finance, and how it can affect buyers, sellers, and everyone else in the industry.

Meanwhile, I want to relay a story of how Homebanc closing caused problems for a client of mine, and the amazing outcome.

A local real estate investor that we have worked with in the past had a closing for a rental property near NCSU – scheduled for last Friday. On the prior Tuesday, Kevin informed me of the bad news. By Friday, despite a valiant attempt to get something worked out with Countrywide, he wasn’t going to be able to get a loan closed.

As it turned out, the mother of the seller works for BB&T. She referred me to a co-worker and with every single person pulling out all the stops, the home closed escrow Monday evening at 4:30PM. That’s right – 1 business day. Big props to Cathy Ingram at BB&T in Cary, and Kevin for facilitating getting the paperwork over first thing Monday morning. Unbelievable.

To make it an even more amazing story, my client was scheduled for a 2 week vacation in Puerto Rico – and the plane left RDU (with him on board) this Tuesday morning at 9:30AM.

Hey Matt, you better have a Pina Colada for me!

2007 Triangle Builders Expo

I attended the Triangle Builders Expo this week. It was great to see the number of vendors with new and exciting building products. I was really impressed with the booth of Carolina Glass. They were showing some of the really cool things they can do with glass, and especially some textured glass that can be used for shower doors, or as artwork.

I had gone to the show with the primary objective of collecting some information about some of the newer communities that were being built in the area, so I could include them on our site. I was overwhelmed by the number of booths dedicated to new communities. I must have 40 different brochures reflecting 60 new communities. There were representatives from all different levels of developers, from the grandiose, such as The Westin Soleil Center in Raleigh, to the intimate yet affordable Holly Glen by Olde South Homes. [Read more…]

Amberly Residents Center opens it’s doors

Amberly Residents Center Pool
The Amberly Residents center hosted an open house today. We were able to tour the facility to get a preview of what residents can expect. It was absolutely gorgeous, and follows suit to the Amberly community philosophy. I was really impressed with the outdoor amenities, as well as all of the indoor activity facilities. As you can see from the photos, there are two large pools. One is your standard Jr. Olympic lap pool with several lanes and large adult wading section off to the side. The second pool is a kid’s (and some adults too) dream. It has huge slides, a play structure, and an island in the middle to jump in from. There is a also a good sized outdoor play structure with swings, and a small soccer field (football pitch for you enthusiasts). Moving inside, there is the standard fitness area, with customary aerobic equipment and weights, but Amberly has stepped it up a notch. They have also included a full gymnasium, with several basketball courts, including the painted lines on a hardwood court. For the not so athletic type, or those who just want to chill out, the have several nice features for different age levels, from a nicely appointed lounge with flat panel TV and a warming kitchen to a Teen’s lounge that features movies and a pool table. They also have a separate room for younger children, with supervised activities (translated childcare) while the parents enjoy the club’s other amenities. To wrap it up, I am very impressed with the thought (and expense) that Amberly has put into their Resident’s Center. It is truly an asset to existing residents, and a great selling point for prospective residents. Click here for more Amberly photos. If you are interested in moving to any of the Amberly communities, please contact us. We would love to to work for you.