iRaleighRealEstate Blog

Ken Atkins, executive director for Wake County Economic Development (WCED) (www.raleigh-wake.org), has announced that Raleigh was named one of the top 10 U.S. cities for growth potential by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance.  For its 2009 Best Cities list, the publication examined trends in population, unemployment, income and cost of living among U.S. cities that have “solid employment opportunities and the talent to create new, well-paying positions.”  Analysts looked not only at the number of jobs, but also the quality of those positions and the ability of cities to hold on to them when the economy softens.  Raleigh’s high ranking was based largely on an economic base created by North Carolina State University, Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Research Triangle Park.  For the complete Kiplinger story, visit www.kiplinger.com/magazine/archives/2009/07/best-cities-2009-where-the-jobs-are.html.

The top 10 cities on the list included: Huntsville, Ala.; Albuquerque, N.M.; Washington, D.C.; Charlottesville, Va.; Athens, Ga.; Olympia, Wash.; Madison, Wis.; Austin, Texas; Flagstaff, Ariz.; and Raleigh.

Because of recent abductions in daylight hours, refresh yourself of these things to do in an emergency situation…. This is for you, and for you to share with your wife, your children, everyone you know. After reading these 9 crucial tips, forward them to someone you care about. It never hurts to be careful in this crazy world we live in.

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!
2. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM! Toss it away from you.  Chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION! 
3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won’t see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives. 
4. Some people like to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON’T DO THIS!  The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.  If someone is in the car with a gun to your head DO NOT DRIVE OFF.  Instead gun the engine and speed into anything, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. If the person is in the back seat they will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.  
5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage: 

·   Be aware: look around you; look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.

·   If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

·   Look at the car parked on the driver’s side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out. IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY.

1. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)  If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; and even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, preferably in a zig -zag pattern!
2. Nice sensitive people are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP!  It may get you killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked ‘for help’ into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.
3. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her ‘Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.’ The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, “we already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.”  He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby’s cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby’s cries outside their doors when they’re home alone at night.

Raleigh metropolitan area has been named the “Best Place for Business and Careers” for the third straight year by Forbes.com. Forbes reviewed the 200 largest metropolitan areas in the US and examined 11 different criteria: colleges, cost of doing business, cost of living, crime rate, culture and leisure, educational attainment, income growth, job growth, projected job growth, net migration and subprime mortgages. The Raleigh-Wake County region is strengthened by its strong job growth (both past and projected), low business costs and highly educated workforce. Forbes.com points out while Raleigh cannot fully escape the impacts of the current recession, it will be one of the places to lead the nation’s economic recovery.

Forbes also has released its list of the top 5 cities where Americans are relocating and Raleigh was again at the top of the list, followed by Austin, Charlotte, Phoenix and Dallas. 

To determine the fastest-growing metro areas in the country, Forbes used 2008 population estimates for metropolitan statistical areas with a population of more than 1 million, released March 19, 2009, by the U.S. Census Bureau. Forbes then compared the 2008 population estimates to the previous year’s data to see which areas had grown the most, percentagewise.

The cities that made the list share similar qualities: more business opportunities, better weather and more affordable housing. The top three areas according to the data are Raleigh, N.C., ranking first, which jumped 4.29% to nearly 1.9 million; Austin, Texas, which came in second, with a 3.77% increase to almost 1.7 million; and Charlotte, N.C., which moved up 3.36% to 1.7 million.

Raleigh is a great place to live and buy a home.  An earlier blog story here talks about how Raleigh Ranks #2 for a real estate rebound as announced on The Today Show on NBC during the interview with Barbara Cocoran for the “Today’s Real Estate” segment.

If you’re looking to make a move to the Raleigh area, contact the Freeman/Davis Team at www.FreemanDavisHomeTeam.com and www.HomeSearchRALEIGH.com.  We are area experts, having lived here most of our lives.  Call us at 919-649-6638 and let’s talk about your next real estate move.  In fact, regardless of where you are moving to or from, we can help with our network of great real estate agents across the country.  Visit www.CertifiedRelocators.com for more information and registration.

Barbara Corcoran, founder of the New York real estate firm The Corcoran Group, has come out with the top 5 markets on the verge of recovering from the housing downturn.

Corcoran said on NBC’s Today Show that her list factors included overbuilding, population and job growth, demand from first-time home buyers, vital downtowns, and well-educated populations. She also said she looked for places that had early waves of foreclosures because those places might now be coming out of that cycle.

Corcoran lists Denver at the top but the great news for those of us in the Triangle area is that Raleigh takes the second spot.  As far as I’m concerned, there is no problem being a bridesmaid when you’re talking about just missing the top spot in the country for real estate rebounds.

For more details about the Raleigh area and the great real estate on the market, talk with the Freeman/Davis Team at Coldwell Banker/HPW.  We’re here to help you learn all about the area and all it has to offer.  Ask about the $8,000 First Time Buyer Tax Credit and see every home listed in the area’s multiple listing service (MLS) with a visit to www.HomeSearchTRIANGLE.com, www.HomeSearchRALEIGH.com and www.FreemanDavisHomeTeam.com.  As long time residents of the Raleigh/Durham area, we’ll make you feel right at home and help you make good real estate decisions.