All Blog Entries by Ryan Fitzgerald

When buying a home one of the most common questions we are asked is 'how do good or bad schools affect home values and what type of impact do they have?'

In fact, schools are so important to some of our buyers that we have given each school district it's own page on our website allowing buyers to search for homes by school district. Fortunately, the Raleigh area has some of the best schools in the state and that is why so many folks moving to North Carolina end up in Raleigh

There are countless factors that influence the decision to buy a home. The neighborhood, size of the home, outdoor space, upgrades, and location play a significant role in impacting ones’ decision making. Among those important factors, school districts have played an

There are hidden costs when buying a home, whether it's closing costs, insurance costs, or utility costs. When many buyers consider the cost of buying a home, the mortgage payment is typically the expense that immediately comes to mind. Whether you are a first time home buyer or an experienced buyer you will want to familiarize yourself with all the costs of buying a home!

Your Real Estate Agent is not a cost to you as a buyer. This is one thing many buyers don't realize. You do not pay your Realtor as a buyer. The seller pays the listing firm. The listing firm then pays the cooperating firm a percentage. The cooperating firm then pays the Real Estate Agent. This is how Realtors get paid.

While the mortgage payment is indeed an important

Pros and Cons of Using Opendoor to Sell Your Home

Selling your home to Opendoor is worth it for people who are looking for a more convenient sale rather than higher profits. The following pros and cons of using Opendoor will give you a great indication if working with Opendoor is the right decision for you.

iBuyer companies are popping up everywhere around the country with several here in the Raleigh area including Opendoor, Offerpad, Zillow and more. Fast-growing, affordable areas are targeted by companies like Opendoor because they can capitalize on all the folks who are moving to the area.

You may have heard of Opendoor and learned about their process on how they help homeowners sell their homes. As with any online transaction service,

Each year Forbes puts together a list of America's fastest growing cities with a bunch of great data that helps consumers gain a better economic outlook on each city. We populated that data into the above infographic to give you a clearer picture of just how fast each city in America is growing here in 2018!

1. Boise City, Idaho

Boise City metropolitan statistical area growth:

Population growth 3.08% - Projected population growth 2.34%

Job growth 3.58% - Projected job growth 2.61%

Gross metro product growth 3.87% - Projected gross metro growth 5.12%

Wage growth 5.70% - Projected wage growth 7.27%

Home price growth 11.58% - Home price projected growth 4.38%

2. Seattle-Bellevue-Everett, Washington

Seattle-Bellevue-Everett

Negotiating Repairs After a Home Inspection

Negotiating repairs after a home inspection doesn't have to be difficult, especially when you follow these 7 tips! When an offer is accepted on a home, it can be easy for both buyers and sellers to feel that they’re at the end of the finish line. Accepting an offer brings the deal much closer to the closing table, but there are several other important steps the transaction must go through before closing day. One of those steps is the home inspection and with the home inspection, major issues can arise.

A home inspection provides the buyer with a detailed report of the home’s structure, plumbing, electrical, foundation, roof etc. It helps the buyer know if certain repairs are needed so that they do not

What is Dual Agency in Real Estate and Should you Avoid it

Most buyers and sellers are familiar with how listing agents and buyer’s agents work which leads us to the question of what is dual agency in real estate? Dual agency isn’t particularly common, but it does tend to happen from time to time, so it is always best to be informed on the intricacies of this transaction type. My first transaction as a Real Estate Agent was as a dual agent representing both the buyer and the seller. Initially, the seller tried to sell his home by himself before soliciting my help and I was able to get it sold for him to one of my clients.

What is Dual Agency in Real Estate?

Dual agency is when a real estate agent works with the buyer and the seller on the

Before selling your home for sale by owner, it's important to understand the pros and cons, what's involved, and what to expect throughout the process. The question should I sell my home for sale by owner or without a Realtor® is likely one asked by every home seller with the thought of trying to save money. Do you really save money though?

We have over one hundred thousand people visiting our website each month looking at homes for sale in Raleigh and almost all of them want to work with a top local Realtor®. We would imagine it's the same in most real estate markets around the country as we have found the same to be true of homes for sale in Charlotte as well. Buyers want to work with the best local Realtors® to help them when buying a home

Living in Fuquay-Varina, NC

Learn the reasons why so many people are moving to Fuquay-Varina, NC 

Fuquay-Varina is one of the best places to live in Wake County so it's no wonder everyone is moving here!

With so many folks moving to Fuquay-Varina, NC the city is quickly becoming one of the best places to live in the Triangle! The Downtown Fuquay-Varina area has seen massive growth in the past few years. What was once a sleepy town that most folks wouldn’t consider moving to is rapidly turning into one of the best secrets the Triangle has to offer!

Fuquay-Varina has a population of 30,000 and has nearly doubled in population growth in the last 10 years. New Construction in Fuquay-Varina is on the rise with so many folks relocating to the

Living in Morrisville, NC

Find out why so many people are moving to Morrisville, NC!

Moving to Morrisville, NC is a popular decision for folks who are relocating to the Raleigh area thanks to the town's proximity to the major attractions including Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), the Research Triangle Park (RTP) and Lenovo's headquarters. Morrisville is a tech town. Living in Morrisville, NC gives most folks a ton of great neighborhoods to choose from, easy commutes to work thanks to its central location and access to great schools  The town of Morrisville is the northern neighbor to Cary, Apex and Holly Springs, as well as the western neighbor to Raleigh and east of Durham and Chapel Hill.

In 2009 the population of Morrisville, NC

 7 Things to Consider Before You Overprice Your Home

Overpricing your home is a bad idea. It's one of the biggest mistakes sellers make and fail to realize it until it’s too late. The reason overpricing your home is such a big mistake is because when people overprice their home it loses value and there are a number of reasons why this happens which we will discuss in this article.

In our local market of Raleigh, NC the market is HOT. Homes sell fast. The ones that don't sell fast are in trouble. Chances are they overpriced their home and they will have to sell for less than it's true value. There are strategies to help overcome overpricing your home which we will discuss later in this article.

Naturally, a seller wants to make the most money