Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week!!! 8/20-8/26

Renee Hillman on November 29, 2014

Need an excuse to have a date night? Want to try a restaurant you haven’t tired before? Want to stay within a budget? Well I have the perfect suggestion for you this week!!! It is Downtown Raleigh Restaurant Week where there are several restaurants that participate & offer price fix meals at $20 or $30/per person. There are some that are pairing wine & beer for an additional price fix amount. I highly suggest reservations which many will take thru Open Table as it gets pretty busy in a good way. Anytime we have activity in city centers it helps all of us out. There is AMPLE free parking downtown and there is also the R Line. I know I’ve already made reservations at Sullivans‘ with some friends as their menu looked tasty. You also have Second Empire– one of my favorite restaurants in the area, a four star award winner in a meticulously restored home on Hillsborough St. Zely & Ritz uses many ingredients from their local farm right in the heart of Glenwood South, the list could keep going. There are many to choose from for all types of palates!

See you downtown!

Raleigh Amphitheater… “Bringin’ the Get Down to Downtown”

Renee Hillman on November 29, 2014

I always enjoy the times I am able to spend downtown, whether it was the American Cheese Festival this past weekend (now that was an experience) to grabbing a bite to eat (we checked out Oro in The Plaza building) there are so many things to offer! I know several people that complain about the difficulty of parking, I find this hard to believe given the abundance of parking decks that are FREE.

What I am most excited about is the O.A.R concert tomorrow night at the Raleigh Amphitheater. I LOVE this venue – small, intimate, plenty of bathrooms, in walking distance to several restaurants & bars and best of all you can watch the beautiful sunsets! This is the first concert I ever took my little sisters too & it has been an annual tradition for over 12 years. I am looking forward to sharing fun times again with my sisters enjoying all that Raleigh has to offer!

Movin, Shakin & Rock n Rollin!

Renee Hillman on November 29, 2014

So what can I say, I’ve been a little busy this month! Not only did I get the great news last week that RE/MAX One Realty has amazing statistics – we are top of the class in our area across all firms for number of listings per agent, number of closings per agent, shortest time on market, largest market share, etc. I can’t complain either. My clients are the best at referring me to others which is one of the greatest compliments I can receive. Here is a recap for the month of May/June…

Closed:

102 Buckhaven Court, Apex, NC – SOLD in 3 days! A hard to find Abbington modified ranch that was move in ready. These sellers worked hard preparing their home for the market.

95 Huntington Drive, Pittsboro, NC – SOLD to satisfied new home buyers. We worked together almost a year before finding a perfect horse property for them!

1606 Township Circle, Raleigh, NC – SOLD this to a buyer that is moving to be closer to her family. This was a foreclosure & purchased sight unseen – hope she loves it J Here is what Nikki had to say: “Renee represented me in the purchase of a Raleigh town home. The transaction was complicated as I made the purchase sight unseen, and the property was a foreclosure. Renee smoothed out all the bumps in the road. It was as painless a process as any real estate purchase could be.”

3804 Olympia Drive, Raleigh, NC – SOLD to happy new buyers loving their new model home!

6805 Grimaldi Court, Raleigh, NC – SOLD to as they call themselves new townies! Relocated fromWilmington,NC. Here is what my clients had to say: “We highly recommend Renee. She took the time to research homes for us, run us all over town looking at homes, and spent the time to really check out each home we went into. Her knowledge of construction was invaluable. She was a huge advocate for us throughout the entire process. When I am ready to sell the house she sold us, I will definitely use her again!”

8 Fielding Court, Durham, NC – SOLD in 26 days! These sellers did a great job staging & that is what helped us get this home under contract quickly.

1119 Braemar Court, Cary, NC – SOLD in 47 days! This wasn’t your grandmothers ranch, it was chic, fun & contemporary.
687 Hawthorne Place, Creedmoor, NC – SOLD to a great family. This community is awesome, one of the few that actually has community amenities and just over the Wake Co. line.

7625 Ladora Drive, Willow Springs, NC – SOLD to the Jones’, they custom built this home & are adjusting well to country living.

Pendings:

249 Waterville Drive,Raleigh,NC– Short sale, sale pending

1005 Cantrell Lane,Apex,NC– sale pending, under contract in 65 days

2716 Beehnon Way,Raleigh,NC– sale pending, under contract in 48 days

1202 Chimney Hill Drive,Apex,NC– sale pending, under contract in 18 days

3105 Hickory Road,Raleigh,NC– sale pending, under contract in 22 days

9617 Kingsford Drive,Cary,NC– sale pending, under contract in 4 days

100 Chisholm Court,Cary,NC– sale pending, under contract in 1 day

606 Webster Court,Cary,NC– buyer sale pending, under contract in 1 day

2502 Watersglen Drive,Apex,NC– buyer sale pending

105 Mantle Court,Raleigh,NC– buyer, Short sale, sale pending

8303 Chimneycap,Raleigh,NC– buyer sale pending

201 Lansbrooke Drive,Apex,NC– buyer sale pending

2709 Berkeley Springs,Raleigh,NC– buyer sale pending

Free things to do this weekend 6/22! Tour de Fat & Peak City Pig Fest

Renee Hillman on November 29, 2014

Happy Monday!

I promised from the beginning this wouldn’t be all about real estate but love a chance to brag about our area and explore. We have so many neat things to do here in the RTP area!!! With that being said here are a couple of highlights this weekend, figured you would need to start getting prepared now!

Tour de Fat – This is an all ages friendly event that supports many of our local non profits and cycling awareness. I had a blast last year – I am not sure words can do this justice, it is definitely an eclectic scene but one that has something for everyone! You will be sure to laugh quite a bit. Shows, food, demos and right by the heart of the American Tobacco District on the grassy area by the DPAC in Downtown Durham. You can even dress up & do the bike ride (sign up required I believe). Definitely a great way to explore a new area/culture. This only goes to 15 cities a year & we are very lucky to have New Belgium Brewery put on this event…they are even opening a new east coast location in Asheville, North Carolina. Directly from their website: “For those who haven’t experienced Tour de Fat, it is a thrilling rite of passage that includes an unparalleled costumed bicycle parade, New Belgium beer, eccentric entertainment, local food, unusual bike contests and much more. The free event, which raises money for local nonprofits through beer and merchandise purchases, will soon exceed the $2 million mark for total funds raised.”

Peak City Pig Fest – Downtown, Apex, NC Another great community event that is free! This is the only Kansas City Barbeque Society sanctioned event in the Triangle area. There will be about 30 barbeque teams competing for $15,000 in prize money. Their website has a schedule of events, be sure to join and check out all the fun! If you happen to see the Pharm-A-Que Team, tell them HI, this is my boyfriends’ team & they have been working hard on their recipes & rubs! I believe I have also consumed enough BBQ to last me a while. Wishing them the best of luck on a win!

Get out enjoy our area & explore! You only live once.

Triangle Mom’s on Main voted Favorite Local Realtor

Renee Hillman on November 29, 2014

I am so excited to announce that after being nominated in May, that I found out today I am the recipient of the 2012 Triangle Mom’s on Main “Favorite Local Realtor.” Two years in a row I’ve been voted in as a finalist and have won! It shows how important my clients, friends and family are in supporting my business.

I am honored that so many of you voted & hope to continue to serve all of you as best as possible.

Check out the full list of companies & individuals who won this year & make sure to support all of these great people when you get a chance! Also, I am sure the founder of Triangle Mom’s on Main wouldn’t mind the support either – she has a great blog.

Have a great week!

What do I do with old electronics?

Renee Hillman on November 17, 2014

My printer, my photo frame, and several small electronic items have been piling up. More so because I didn’t know what to do with them and knew I couldn’t just put them in the trash can. You all know I love rules!!! I guess after passing the pile in the garage multiple times along with my early spring cleaning bug, I FINALLY got motivated to figure out what the heck I should do with all of these things. It was like navigating thru a maze. And I realized several of you are probably wondering the same thing, so will help you out & save you some time on the research!

If you are in the City of Raleigh you can schedule on certain days a free of charge pick up but there has to be a TV or computer involved and no more than 4 items. (Check out this page for pick up dates, scheduling & instructions.)

This method didn’t work for me so kept persevering on to rid myself of this mounting pile, which led me to these facilities that will recycle your old electronic items. This requires me traveling to these facilities but again it is FREE. Any Wake County resident may make use of these facilities:
SWS Yard Waste Recycling Center
900 N. New Hope Road Mon-Sat
7am-3pm only No TVs over 36″
Raleigh Public Works Administrative Office
400 W. Peace Street Mon-Fri
7am-4pm only No TVs over 36″
North Wake Multi-Material Recycling Facility
9029 Deponie Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614 Open Mon-Sat
8am-4pm only Large screen
TVs accepted
South Wake Multi-Material Recycling Facility
6130 Old Smithfield Road, Apex, NC 27502 Open Mon-Sat
7am-4pm Large screen
TVs accepted

If you are feeling especially lazy in Raleigh you can schedule a Special Load Pick Up for a minimum fee of $50.

If you are an Apex resident, you can drop off at Public Works facility located at 105 Upchurch Street between the hours of 7:30am – 4:30pm, Monday through Friday. But they do not take TV’s so head to the South Wake Landfill.

If you are a Cary resident, you can call to schedule a pickup of a computer for FREE, for other items there is a small charge. You can also go to Citizen’s Convenience Center located at 313 N. Dixon Ave. for no charge to drop off. Check out this page for more information.

If you are in Fuquay, the Electronic Recycling Convenience Center located at 820 S. Main Street behind the Fuquay-Varina Community Center and South Park is open for business. Citizens can dispose of televisions, computers, monitors, scanners, printers and other electronic waste for free.

Electronic waste curbside pick-up service is available for a $10 fee. Make the request and pay for the fee at the Finance Office located at 401 Old Honeycutt Road. Finance office hours on Mon.-Fri. 8 am – 5 pm

If you are a Holly Springs, Morrisville, or a Wake Forest resident, best I can find is go to one of the landfill facilities that recycles electronics.

If you specifically want to get rid of old mobile devices/cell phones, Verizon Wireless has a program that helps the environment by providing a safe way to dispose of unwanted electronic devices – and they even accept non-working devices and the parts will be recycled and used to generate funds for non-profit domestic violence advocacy and prevention agencies. Additionally, there is an incentive to receive a gift card with each donation. A great explanation of the program can be found here: http://www.verizonwireless.com/landingpages/device-trade-in/.

Hope that helps you navigate the maze of recycling your electronics! I am off to the Raleigh Public Works and taking back my garage!

Have a great week & as always if I can help you with anything real estate related give me a call!

Toll, Transponders & the Good of 540!

Renee Hillman on November 3, 2014

I know many many people are not too happy about the fact that we have a toll road right in the heart of where we live, especially since the toll is only applicable to the new section. 540 will serve as a well needed corridor to Apex & Holly Springs from the RTP/Durham area. I can only imagine the time it is saving several of those residents to what seems to be the mecca for our employment base. I know several of my clients have tweeted that the time savings is worth the toll expense they are paying, although I know it is costing most from Apex lunch out for the day. I live in Raleigh but do quite a bit of sales on the 540 side of Cary/Morrisville/Apex etc. I had NO idea how much I used 540 until I received my first bill. OUCH! That prompted me immediately to go ahead & purchase the sticker transponder. It was a fairly painless process, I created an account from the bill I received, put in my credit card info & a few days later the stickers arrived. You have to have one per car and I believe they will allow 5 cars on one account. Now I will not have to worry about bills in the mail as it will auto debit from the initial balance you have to put on ($20) & I will get an email statement once a month. As much as I don’t like to pay a toll as the next guy, getting to Apex was so easy last night after picking up my sister from the airport. Not to mention 40E was backed up because of a car fire and the normal rush hour traffic. If I had to take the traditional way it would have easily taken me 40+ minutes, taking 540 took us less than 20 minutes with no lights & no hassle!!! The NC Quick Pass saved me about $1 for just that trip…I say the $5 investment is worth it. I am definitely interested to see once the next section is open how much traffic is alleviated off of 40E bound! I hope it really makes a HUGE difference.

New Listing in the Peak of Good Living!

Renee Hillman on November 1, 2014

I appreciate that Apex is often referred to as the “Peak of Good Living” because this Triangle-area community really does have so much to offer its residents. It’s one of the many reasons I love being able to announce new listings in this area!

Located in the Woodridge neighborhood, off of Olive Chapel Road, you can see more about this great three bedroom, two and half bathroom house in the featured listings section on my homepage or by clicking here.

This Apex beauty has lots of great upgrades including a soaring family room with open floor plan, 42″ maple cabinets, granite counter tops, tile backsplash, stainless steel appliances and even a bar – absolutely made for holiday entertaining!Once the entertaining is over, enjoy the first floor master retreat with new carpet, bay window, walk-in closet, dual vanity, soaking tub AND separate shower. (I told you this thing was loaded with upgrades, right?)

The upgrades don’t stop in the backyard, either. Plan to spend extensive time outside on the stone patio. The yard is fully fenced and even includes a tree fort. A FORT!

And while it’ll be a few months before you can really enjoy it, this neighborhood also features a community pool. Get ready to soak up some sunshine and even a splash or two.

Give me a call today at 919-877-6708 if you’d like to schedule a showing. I can’t wait to show you just how impressive this property really is!

HGTV “Bang for Your Buck” & my claim to fame!

Renee Hillman on November 1, 2014

Who wouldn’t want to be on TV? After 400 applicants, a lengthy Q&A, a try out video and phone interview, I found out I was chosen after 2 months. I had the pleasure of working with Vern Yip and a stellar crew at High Noon Entertainment on behalf of HGTV for the show “Bang for Your Buck“. Two days of taping, talking, laughing and a final product of 30 minutes 2 months later and it was a wrap!
This was one of my favorite opportunities in real estate. I NEVER thought I would be on TV let alone a widely syndicated show on HGTV. I will admit I was a bit nervous, but I found out quickly I enjoyed being on camera. It was interesting learning about how cool & warm colors contrast on camera – apparently Vern’s colors & my colors didn’t jive to well.

This was after stressing about bringing three different outfits each day…I think I spent more than I made lol. I have to say it was weird having a camera about 3 feet from you & pretending it wasn’t there, infusing your personality (I forget I get in business mode!), & then audio wedged in your pants. I totally wish I had an outtake reel, at one house Vern & I were walking down the sidewalk and unfortunately I walked right off the sidewalk & met the bushes! Needless to say we all had a good laugh after they checked I was ok.We filmed a week or so before Christmas & the episode aired in February. I had just started dating my now husband about a month before so he had a crash course in meeting several friends & family members. The premier wouldn’t be complete without a party, so with only a week lead time we threw together a great party with an even better turn out. Oxford on Fayetteville Street was available to accommodate us on very short notice. We had a private family dinner with close friends before hand at Sitti, a short walk away. (Ironically this is where we ended up having our rehearsal dinner for our wedding!)
All in all, it was a surreal experience & one that I will never forget. Truthfully I would love to do again sometime.

-Renee

Share Your Feedback to Win!

Renee Hillman on November 1, 2014

Thanks for taking the time to check out the new Renee-Sells.com! Optimized to look great no matter your device (laptop, tablet, or cell phone) and provide up-to-date details on properties available right now in the Triangle-area market, my new site will allow me to help you sell your home quickly or find a new home that’s a great fit for your lifestyle.

I hope you like it and I can’t wait to hear your feedback and read about the topics you’d like to see covered on my blog in 2015. As a token of my appreciation for your input, one lucky winner will receive a $25 gift card to the home improvement store of their choice – just in time to make those little touch-ups before holiday guests arrive for Christmas!

Thanks for visiting,

Renee

The Rules

Must be 18 years or older to participate

Must be a resident of North Carolina

One entry per IP address, please!

Contest opens on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2014 at 12:00 a.m.

All entries must be submitted by Sunday, Dec. 7, 2014 at 11:59 p.m.

Winner will be selected at random on Monday, Dec. 8, 2014

COMING SOON…Woodridge subdivision in Apex!

Renee Hillman on November 1, 2014

About 1003 Tamora Court in Apex, North Carolina:

I truly can’t wait to for this home in to hit the market in Apex. Nestled nicely on a cul de sac lot fully fenced. Nice open floor plan with plenty of bells, whistles & upgrades! Over 2200 square feet with first floor master, two guest bedrooms upstairs plus flex space (bonus or potential for a 4th bedroom). There is even walk in storage! This boasts hardwood floors throughout the main living areas. The gourmet kitchen has warm 42″ maple cabinets, granite counter tops, stainless steel appliances (all newer) including a gas range. Plenty of additional updates throughout! One of my favorite features is the awesome backyard – tons of stone work with sitting ledges, two patios, deck, play fort (you’ll even love it as an adult!) & fully fenced.

About the subdivision Woodridge:

Woodridge in Apex is a smaller boutique style neighborhood with larger lots than most of the new construction! There are under 200 single family homes. It has a wooded established & non cramped type feel. Yet minutes to 540 & 64 plus easy “backway” access to Beaver Creek Commons. Packed with plenty of your everyday needs stores, Lowe’s Home Improvement, Kohl’s, movie theater, eateries etc.

Coming soon & offered at $300,000

2907 Berkeley Springs Place, Raleigh, NC 27616

Renee Hillman on November 1, 2014

Who says renting is cheaper than buying?! A great opportunity to own a townhome that has been lightly lived in & has all the conveniences you can imagine! Triangle Town Center is literally around the corner, along with several additional shops & eateries. If you like shopping you will be in your glory – Saks Fifth Avenue, DSW, Dick’s Sporting Goods, you name it. Access to 540 is super easy along with Capital Boulevard. Take a look at this Google Map so you can search more things nearby. If you like exploring parks – there are plenty of options by here including Durant Nature Park & Millbrook Exchange Park & Community Center. This townhome is move in ready, neutral decor & a great buy. Start putting your money into something than nothing. The interest rates are great right now. If we can assist in anyway feel free to give Renee a call at 919 868 4383 or email Renee@Renee-Sells.com