It's Almost Here

Yankee and I had always planned to move away from Georgia when College Girl graduated from high school. We just were not quite sure where. All kinds of places were thrown around, but Yankee was seriously surprised when I suggested Kansas City. We know no one there, it's not near a place Yankee could work or a school for College girl, so why would I want to live there? Simply because of two wonderful words - Google Fiber.

Just the thought of being done with cable was enough to make me consider moving half way across the country. In the end, though, factors other than our internet provider won out, and we moved to The Triangle. As much as I love it here, we still had to deal with a cable company. This time it is Time Warner instead of Comcast, but really is there any difference? The only improvement was that being referred to as Kathy for twenty-two years by Comcast was over. I guess that is something.

Imagine my glee back in February when  it was announced that The Triangle was one of the expansion areas for Google Fiber. My perfect place to live made even perfecter by ultra fast internet. There was a rumor that they would move into the Cary/Morrisville area first, so I did a little happy dance for a while and then put it out of my mind. After all, if dealing with the cable company has shown me anything, these kinds of things take forever. 

It turns out Google is nothing like cable in many ways. Instead of years, this forever only took four months. They broke ground in Morrisville on Tuesday, and it looks like Cary will be next. Yay for us!

On Friday we got a letter from Time Warner letting us know faster internet is on its way. All we have to do is get a new modem from them, so we can be ready when this extra speedy internet is available in our area. They are not sure of the exact date, but they will let us know as soon as it happens. I am thinking that will actually be a real forever. No worries here, though, because I'll let them keep their new modem and wait (a very short while) for Google Fiber. And I did not even have to move to Kansas City.

Bravely Serving My 48 Hours

As a very pale person who has spent her entire life in the Sunny South, a close working relationship with a good dermatologist is a must. When my new dermatologist's receptionist apologized because it would be a three week wait before they could get me in, I almost laughed because in Atlanta it would have taken four months minimum to get an appointment. This is one of the best parts of living in the Triangle - fabulous medical care.

The Triangle is home to two of the country's top medical schools, Duke University and the University of North Carolina, so this area produces more than it's fair share of excellent doctors and nurses. Many of them never leave because it is such a great place to live. This gives us a plethora of doctors to choose from, fast appointment times and short waits in the office.

After examining me with a magnifying glass - literally - my new doctor's plan of attack was to treat my entire face at once to get rid of all the per-cancerous spots at once, which seemed way better than having pieces of my face scrapped off little by little.

The treatment involved a photo-sensitizing medicine and a very precise 16 minutes and 40 seconds in front of a blue light.  For me the actual treatment was a breeze,  but now I am suffering through the tough part - no sun for 48 hours.

Apparently the medicine's photo-sensitizing effects take a while to wear off, so I have to stay out of the sun completely in order to prevent post-treatment burns. And they mean it. Three different people said we are not kidding before I left the office with my wide brimmed hat shoved down low on my head.

All of the shades in the house are closed, but I still cannot sit close to the window. I cannot sit near a lamp either. Thank goodness computer light was not included in the list of no's. I could not survive without some link to the outside world.  I have gone all Orange is the New Black and am scratching out little hour marks on the wall. I'm halfway through my sentence. Tomorrow at noon I get sunshine and a ticket to drive.

The Not So New Girl

I am fairly new to the Triangle. It's been a long time since I was new anywhere. Before when I was new, all I had available to help me out was my good natural sense of direction and place. There were maps too, but I am very map challenged. Yankee can look at a map of the entire state of North Carolina and zone in on College Girl's dorm in a split second. I could search for hours and never find it, but I CAN  refold it perfectly which makes us a perfect pair.  A neatly folded map does not get you very far though, so luckily I now have Google Maps Lady to tell me where to go.

Even with her at my side, not being familiar with the area was sort of awkward, particularly since I'm in a business were knowing the area is very important.  For a while most of my conversations included 'where is that?' or 'I don't really know that area', and if I made plans to meet someone, I always let them choose the place because I didn't really know any places.

The other day, I think I crossed a big new resident milestone with one simple text. I was making plans with a friend, and I suggested we go to the new Starbucks next to the Verizon store. This was big not only in that I suggested the place, but also because the Starbucks and Verizon store are even newer than me. They were only a cleared lot when I moved here and now they are places to meet friends. I think that makes me if not an old timer, at least a not so new girl.

Bonnaroo Roundup

A view of Bonnaroo from What Stage

Yankee and I just returned from our second Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival.  We were part of the crowd that swells the population of Manchester, Tennessee from 10,000 to 90,000+ for four days every June.

Because of house buying and work, we didn't plan on going this year, but at the last minute decided we would. Sadly by that time the VIP  (AKA old folks) section was sold out. There was no way I was staying in general admission, and the VIP tickets on resale sites were way too expensive, so once again we were on the planning-to-not-go plan. Then Sunday night some reasonably priced Guest tickets came up on EBAY, and our trip was back on again.

The Guest campground is populated with music industry people, friends and family of artists, non-profit people and even some of the very smallest artists themselves (small as in playing the tiniest stages, not small in stature), and it is very different then VIP which is almost exclusively people over 30.

The campground is shaded which is great, but very haphazard. Every day there was a new tent or car popping up closer to us. Yankee and I had to turn off our orderliness to deal with that. I also had to try to overcome my germophobia in order to deal with the very worst part of not being in VIP - Port-a-Potties. All I can say is ugh.

The best thing about Bonnaroo is there is so much different music in one place, and you get to enjoy it in the company of thousands of other music lovers. We saw everything from banjo playing (Bela Fleck & Abigail Washburn) to '70's soul (Earth, Wind and Fire). You can experience  performances you would never see otherwise. The best off beat performance we saw was Tanya Tanaq. She is an Inuit throat singer. It was absolutely amazing.

Recorded music is great but it will never replace live music. I never knew the lead singer of  Alabama Shakes was a fabulous guitar player before seeing them Friday night. If you listened to My Morning Jacket records, you would probably say they were a little folksy, but if you saw them at Bonnaroo Friday night you witnessed a '70's style rock opera (cape included). I knew Florence of Florence and the Machine had a great voice, but I didn't know how great until I watched her dance and sing for an hour and a half Sunday night.

So yes, Bonnaroo is miserably hot, dusty, crowded and stinky, but it is so worth it. I hope we get to go to many more times before we get too old and decrepit.

Sight Unseen

When our perfect house popped up on the MLS at 7pm, Yankee and I leashed up Tiny Terror and made the four minute trek to check it out. We gave as thorough a once over as we could without causing the neighbors to call 911 which means we basically admired it from the sidewalk. It looked good from there, and knowing it would go fast in this crazy Cary market, I made an appointment to see it first thing in the morning.  I toured it solo because Yankee had to go to work

It had our major criteria:

1. It was in our budget
2. Location, Location, Location
3. Two master closets - It actually does not have two closets, but the 12 x 6 is just begging to be divided in  half
4.  It was in good condition with very little cosmetic or repair work needed. 

While that was the good news,; the bad news was that it certainly fit the criteria of many other Triangle area house hunters. I dashed straight to the office, worked up the offer and submitted it that morning. 

But Cat, you forgot to tell us the part where you took Yankee to see it, he loved it too and then you made the offer.  It's not that I forgot to tell you about that step; it just did not happen.. That's right - Yankee agreed to by the most expensive thing he has ever purchased sight unseen. 

As confident as I was in this deal the listing agent was equally apprehensive. I understood her position, and if I were the listing agent in this deal I would be nervous too. But with the  combination of  Yankee's traveling schedule and the super competitive Triangle market, it was our only choice if we wanted a shot at the house. 

I am happy to say that ten days into the contract, Yankee has finally seen the inside of the house.  He agreed it's the perfect house for us. 

My Virtual Quirk

When I was in high school, my friends and I would drive by the houses of the boys we liked. I don't know what we were thinking. Maybe that the boy would see us drive by and come running out his house waving his hands in the air to get us to stop, so he could ask one of us out.

Luckily I graduated from high school, and dropped the stalking  - that is until we bought our second house. It was less than a mile from the house we lived in at the time, so it was quite convenient for house stalking. Before we had a contract on it, I would tell myself I was just driving by to see if it was still for sale. This was back in the dark ages of the late nineties. I guess houses for sale were available online then, but I do not ever remember looking at it on the good ole Packard Bell. Once we had a contract, I would still drive by every couple of days. I am not sure why.  I think seeing it made it feel more real to me - that it was soon to be our home.

The house we are buying now is so close I could use the excuse of taking The Tiny Terror on a walk to check it out, but I haven't. I have not driven past it either. It's not because I've been cured of my house stalking. It's because I can now cyber stalk, although I prefer the less felonious term, creeping.  It is even better than the old drive by because now I can see the inside of the house as well. I check the online listing at least once a day. I like to look at the pictures of the rooms and imagine what color I will paint them, how we will arrange the furniture, where we will put the Christmas tree, where the California Kid will stay when he comes to our new home to visit. Then I like to send the pictures to my family members, so they can give their approval.

At least 85% of all home buyers start their search online. I wonder if those buyers continue to check out their house online after they have signed the contract, or is that just my own special quirk.

121 Holly Thorn Trace

Not only am I buying a house, I am selling one too - for someone else because that's what realtors do. This  2788 square foot home was completely renovated last fall, but the homeowners are relocating.  They have done the hard work, now the new buyer can simply move in and enjoy. This wonderful home is in Holly Springs which is just a hop, skip and a jump from Cary via 540.

The house is on a large corner lot. The backyard slopes into the cul-de-sac, so the house lives like a cul-de-sac lot without the parking issues.

The large front porch is the perfect place to enjoy a glass of ice tea while staying cool under the ceiling fan.

The sunny family room has a cozy fireplace with gas logs. The gleaming floors were installed during the fall renovation and are in pristine condition.  The entire house was freshly painted at that time as well.  This home features smooth ceilings throughout.

The fabulous kitchen was the main focus of the the renovation. It features custom cabinetry, granite countertops and Kenmore Elite stainless steel appliances.

The generously sized master bedroom is on the main floor. There is plenty of natural light, a tray ceiling and ceiling fan.

The master bath has a beautiful vanity with a granite countertop and dual sinks.

The extra large custom tile shower has a rainfall shower head and a side jet as well. There is a separate tub.

 The back yard has a pergola that overlooks the cul-de-sac.

Enjoy summer cookouts on the built-in charcoal grill.

 Keep cool in the summer at the neighborhood pool which is included in the low quarterly HOA fee.

In addition to the master bedroom there is a second bedroom and full bath on the main floor plus an office with a closet. There are three additional bedrooms and a full bath upstairs along with a finished bonus space. All of the bedrooms have ceiling fans. The carpet was replaced during the renovation.  There is an outside storage shed, and the garage has built in cabinetry.  The hot water heater was replaced this year. All of this $289,900.

Due Diligence North Carolina Style

 

We have a contract on the house! Even though I am in the real estate business, I have the same gambit of emotions as anyone when buying a new home. I went from 'this is the best house ever' to 'if we don't get it, it will be fine. We'll find something else' then back to 'no other house will ever do.'  And  just like any other home buyer, when the agent call to tell me that we got the house,  I did a little happy dance.

The dancing stopped pretty quickly though because now Due Diligence begins. North Carolina does due diligence differently than most other states. A due diligence fee and period is negotiated as part of the offer. The fee is paid directly to the seller and is non-refundable, but it does count toward the closing. The due diligence period gives the buyers a chance to thoroughly exam the property and have any inspections done that they choose to do. It also gives them opportunity to get all of their financing in order. Here's the kicker though: until five pm on the due diligence date, the buyers can walk away from the deal for any reason or NO REASON AT ALL. They will not get their due diligence fee back but they do get their earnest money back.

The first I heard of this type of due diligence was in real estate school. Our teacher was throwing out examples of due diligence fees of $250 and due diligence periods of just a week shy of closing. That may have been true a few years ago when this first started and the market was down, but in the kind of market we are in today a seller is probably not going to accept $250, and she is going to want a shorter due diligence period as well.

With a small due diligence fee and a long time frame, the burden of worry is pretty much on the shoulders of the seller. A buyer could walk away and her wallet might squeak a little in protest at losing $250, but relative to the cost of the house, it's not that much, so the seller lived in fear that the buyer would choose to end the contract, and she would have to start the entire selling process over again.

A realistic fee in the Triangle in this market is from $500 up, and now the burden of worry is shifting to the buyer side because it is a whole lot harder to walk away from $750 or $1000. That said, our way of doing Due Diligence is still an excellent benefit for North Carolina buyers. Better to lose a little up front than to lose your much larger earnest money check because you discovered the house was built on an ancient burial ground and is now haunted with poltergeist.