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The Breeze in Raleigh Real Estate

The Breeze Blog has moved

November 6th, 2009 11:00 AM

Check out the NEW home of the Breeze Blog!

www.BreezeWithLouise.com

Posted by Louise Griffin on November 6th, 2009 11:00 AMPost a Comment (0)

NOT health food

October 13th, 2009 9:56 PM

It may not be healthy, but the State Fair is a great part of our local history and color. Always on the "cutting edge" in fried cuisine, this year, in addition to the fried Pecan Pie and Banana Pudding from last year the newest fried confection: Fried Ho Ho’s. As delicious as it sounds, you have to get by Murphy’s during the fair to try one of these. Like a gooey hot chocolate filled cake on a stick, they are sure to be a big draw. Also making a State Fair Premier is the fabled chocolate covered bacon. Sweet and salty - it is a newest love for the bacon obsessed all over NC. Post thanks to New Raleigh.

Posted by Louise Griffin on October 13th, 2009 9:56 PMPost a Comment (0)

Energy Saver at Home

October 13th, 2009 9:11 PM

An example of low-tech energy savers comes from Belkin, which this week announced a new power strip with a timer that shuts off power to plugs for non-essential items.

That's "really the minimally invasive approach" to office energy savings, said Cliff Unger, senior product manager with Belkin. The new power strip is $35, only about $7 more than a non-timer strip, and those power strips get replaced about every five years or so in most offices, he said.

Posted by Louise Griffin on October 13th, 2009 9:11 PMPost a Comment (0)

Downtown Raleigh Parking

September 22nd, 2009 9:18 AM

You can always also park at businesses that offer free parking when you are patronizing the business!

Pretty soon you'll have to pay to park on the street in downtown Raleigh. You'll want to get in the habit of carrying change in your pocket, or Visa or MasterCard in your wallet.

That's because the parking pay stations being installed by the city this fall won't take dollar bills. And they won't take American Express.

Maybe you've noticed new white corner stripes marking off separate spaces along blocks and blocks of downtown streets, where parking now is free. The spaces will be numbered, and you'll have to know your number before you head to one of the stations -- two or three of them on each block -- to buy your time.

The 170 pay stations will be installed in late October and November and will be collecting your money by December.

Parking time limits posted on downtown streets won't change. You'll still be allowed to leave your car for only 15 or 30 minutes in some spots, or up to 2 hours in others.

The rates are $1 an hour, with a minimum 25 cents for 15 minutes. You'll be able to buy more time in any coin increments except pennies: 5 cents for 3 minutes, 10 cents for 6 minutes.

Not everyone will pay. People with handicapped parking placards in their cars will continue to enjoy free on-street parking in downtown Raleigh.

Posted by Louise Griffin on September 22nd, 2009 9:18 AMPost a Comment (0)

Cash for Appliance Clunkers Coming Soon?

September 10th, 2009 7:17 AM

Brace yourself. A federal “cash for appliances” program is likely on its way to a store near you before the end of the year. Comparatively unnoticed in the economic stimulus package approved by Congress earlier this year was a $300 million program offering rebates to buyers of more energy-efficient appliances and other products with the Energy Star label.

The Energy Star conservation program was created in 1992 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and evolved into an international standard for energy-efficient consumer products. Products with the Energy Star seal — they can range from a building to central air conditioners to computers — typically are 10% to 30% more energy efficient than comparable products.

Just like the recently completed Cash for Clunkers program, the more modest cash for appliances program is designed to boost the U.S. economy through consumer spending and take less energy-efficient products out of circulation.

Yet, it differs from Cash for Clunkers on key points. The individual states will run their own appliance rebate programs, and consumers will not have to haul their bulky appliances to a store in exchange for new ones.

Posted by Louise Griffin on September 10th, 2009 7:17 AMPost a Comment (0)

Bring your dog?

August 25th, 2009 2:05 PM

If you are a dog lover in Wake County, your options are still open to bring your canine friend along with you for coffee or a glass of wine. I must add that if you are heading downtown, Helios Cafe is a great place to do that!

After food safety officials in Wake County interpreted a decades-old regulation by telling restaurants they would be ordered to ban pets from outdoor seating areas, a very heated public debate quickly followed. Now Wake County attorneys have determined that the regulation currently in place does not explicitly ban pets from restaurant patios and therefore will not be enforced.

When news of the pet ban hit the internet Friday, many people were furious. Restaurants claimed they should decide whether or not to allow dogs. Dog owners said they should be allowed to decide whether or not to bring their dogs. Non dog owners said they should decide whether or not to eat at pet-friendly restaurants. While there were also many people who supported the regulation, County Attorney Scott Warren ultimately decided that the decision should be left to restaurants.

Posted by Louise Griffin on August 25th, 2009 2:05 PMPost a Comment (0)

Green Roofs In Downtown Raleigh

August 23rd, 2009 9:13 AM

This is something you might not suspect from street level! Give me a call to take a look at any of the downtown condos. Not all have a rooftop garden, but they do have great views!

Above the treetops, lush grasses and ground covers flourish in downtown Raleigh, unsuspected by passers-by below.

The primary visitors to this roofscape retreat, aside from bumblebees, are a groundskeeper with his electric lawn mower, and the condominium residents who own this elevated urban oasis sprouting on a seventh-floor roof.

This garden was created by Baker Roofing, one of Raleigh's oldest companies in an industry that has been pummeled by the recession. Yet as interest in green buildings takes hold, roofing companies are looking to sustainable practices for a measure of relief.

Baker Roofing has been creating garden roofs for a decade and puts up a dozen light-reflecting roofs a week. Now the company is starting a sustainable practices division to capitalize on the growing demand for advanced roofing designs, especially in government and military construction contracts.

"If you're in the roofing business and you're doing government work, and you're not looking into garden roofing and renewable energy, you'll be left behind," said John Matthews, executive vice president of Baker Roofing. "We realized three years ago that sustainable building practices are going to be central to 21st century building practices."

The sustainable roof is an ancient concept getting updated for contemporary needs. Dozens of academic studies have set out to measure the benefits of sustainable roofs -- such as the reduction of energy costs up to 20 percent by reflective roofs, and the reduction in storm-water runoff up to 80 percent by garden roofs.

Excerpted from the News Observer August 23, 3009

Posted by Louise Griffin on August 23rd, 2009 9:13 AMPost a Comment (0)

Hillsborough Street Business Coupons

August 21st, 2009 7:44 PM

HILLSBOROUGH STREET BUSINESSES WELCOME STUDENTS BACK

WITH OPEN ARMS – AND COUPONS!

Ask Louise For Coupons!

As tens of thousands of students return to campus at North Carolina State

University, Hillsborough Street businesses hope to remind them that the

businesses are open and eager for them to come back to town.

The newly formed Hillsborough Street Community Service Corporation

(HSCSC), with help from the university, has distributed more than 8000 maps of

Hillsborough Street and a sheet of coupons enticing students to cross the street

from campus for deals. The N.C. State coupon program is part of an overall plan

to promote the businesses on Hillsborough Street during the 16 months of

construction for the new roundabouts currently being installed.

“We’ve been hit with a triple whammy,” Hillsborough Street business

owner Kevin Jennings and president of the HSCSC said. “The students were

gone for the summer, the economy is soft and people think that because the

street is under construction, there is no where to park.”

The Hillsborough Street maps list the more than 200 businesses along the

corridor and show all of the parking available to patrons of Hillsborough Street

while construction is underway. N.C. State University has opened up its parking

lots to the public weekdays after 5 p.m. and all weekend long – providing

hundreds of parking spaces to the public.

Posted by Louise Griffin on August 21st, 2009 7:44 PMPost a Comment (0)

Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week

August 18th, 2009 9:54 AM

Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week
A Weeklong Dining Extravaganza

Indulge your palate during the Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week-a weeklong dining extravaganza showcasing the culinary talent in the heart of the capital city. Select restaurants will offer three-course prix fixe dinners for $20 or $30, depending on the venue. Savor the delectable dishes prepared by some of downtown Raleigh's finest dining establishments from Monday, August 24-Sunday, August 30.

Among the mix of participating restaurants you will find a sampling of cuisines from around the world-choose from Lebanese, Japanese, Italian, Spanish, or American dishes, just to name a few. Whatever your preference, the Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week is sure to deliver multi-course meals that satisfy your cravings. Find out more at DineDowntownRaleigh.com

Posted by Louise Griffin on August 18th, 2009 9:54 AMPost a Comment (0)

Information on 2% Down Mortgage Program

August 11th, 2009 5:50 PM

Community Development Mortgage Program

Only 2% down

Income limits are less than 80% of HUD's median family income.
Income limits can be waived if they purchase a home in a low to moderate-income census track.
620 Plus credit scores.
30 year fixed rates with No Mortgage Insurance.
2% down payment, if the property is in a declining market it's only 3% down.
Down payment can be a gift.
Expanded debt ratio's up to 42%. No housing ratio.
Primary residences only
Call for more details

Posted by Louise Griffin on August 11th, 2009 5:50 PMPost a Comment (0)