Pace Realty Group's Blog

This article by Brian Clark Howard presents some interesting points about the risks and dangers of living in a home with granite countertops. By Brian Clark Howard Granite countertops are red-hot — and not just because of their soaring popularity and high resale value. It turns out that some granite quarried for furnishings brings with it relatively high levels of uranium, which is not only..(read more)

Building a Home on Your Lot - Tips From a Custom Home Builder Buying a Lot – What Should I Look For? Land Cost Q: How much should a lot or homesite cost?  A: It depends on your total budget.  How much do you want your total mortgage to be when the construction is complete?  The cost of land generally represents 17-25% of the total value of your home.    Suppose..(read more)

This article is courtesy of the TBJ and Copywrite by American City Business Journals Inc. "Kiplinger's Personal Finance magazine has listed Raleigh as the country's second best place to live in 2008, behind only Houston. The city is "a work in progress," Kiplinger's says in its July issue, which will hit newsstands on June 10 and is currently online. It's long been a good place to..(read more)

North Carolina is 8th in the country in appreciation, running at 4.03% for the last year Only 6 states have experienced depreciation over 2% NC has two cities in the top 20 for appreciation The Raleigh-Cary area is ranked 30th out of 292 with: 4.92% appreciation in the last year 0.76% appreciation in the 1st qtr of 2008 26.66% appreciation..(read more)

In spite of a steady stream of negative national real estate news, our local residential market held its own during 2007. The following are positive statements about what happened during the year. 2007 was the third best market in Triangle MLS history based on closed sales. 2007 was the third best market in Wake County History based upon closed sales. Area house appreciation rates..(read more)

This report from the North Carolina Home Builders Association shows that Raleigh is still a hot area and continuing to grow. "The U.S. Census Bureau reports that eight counties in North Carolina are among the top 100 fastest growing counties in the nation. For counties with populations of 10,000 or more experiencing the highest rate of population growth between 1 July 2006 and 1 July 2007,..(read more)

Blog by John Lynch of PRG Funding If I had a dollar for every person that said to me, “the Federal Reserve cut mortgage rates why are they higher than last month.”  Contrary to popular myth, the Federal Reserve doesn't control mortgage rates.  In fact, their most well-known strategic tool -- the Federal Funds rate -- is the overnight interest rate which banks charge each other..(read more)

This blog is provided by John Lynch of PRG Funding. Class is in session!  Mortgage 101…this isn’t pass fail either.  What in the world is going on with mortgage rates?   How does this effect the Raleigh Real Estate Market? Why are rates so up and down?  It is The President?  The Economy?  Is it Inflation?  The Subprime melt down?    Well..(read more)

There is an exciting new service from Google that allows you to find the locations and phone numbers for any service, restaurant or facility anywhere, anytime. This feature available by cell phone, from any city in the US, allows users to text an inquiry and the zip code to 46645 and in moments you will receive a text back with the requested information.   For example one could text “Pizza..(read more)

Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke pledged to cut a key interest rate to help the economy, which many fear is on the verge of a recession — or possibly has already toppled into one. Click the link below for the full story. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080227/ap_on_bi_ge/bernanke_congress(comment)