What Clients Say About Renee: The Kafels

I cannot say enough words of gratitute to the Kafels for this great review they wrote this month – I’m so proud of our team for delivering great service and expertise that fellow industry professionals can say this many nice things about. Thank you, again, Kafel Family!

“My wife and I had met with a few different realtors when starting our search for a home. When we met Renee we hit it off immediately and knew she was the one to move forward with. She was very responsive, which is one characteristic we really appreciated. Once we found a home and were under contract, the system that Renee had setup was smooth, easy, and very clear on the steps to be taken. Additionally, as an architecture and construction duo ourselves, we can attest to the fact that Renee was very knowledgeable in matters concerning architecture and construction. She quickly pointed out items needing attention. We’ll definitely use Renee again and highly recommend her services.” – The Kafels

For more five-star Zillow reviews, check out http://www.zillow.com/profile/reneesells/.

What Clients Say About Renee: Ruth Williams

I am so thrilled to have had the opportunity to help Ms. Ruth Williams purchase this beautiful new construction home in Wake Forest earlier this year – and cannot thank Ms. Williams enough for the kind review she wrote after:

“I just want to thank Renee for all of her assistance in finding me a home during this recent transition to Raleigh. Renee came highly recommended and she did not disappoint! She was helpful, knowledgeable and awesome on follow up. At one point, I thought I would not need an agent if I bought new construction, however I am so glad I had Renee to represent me and assist with the purchase of my new home. I will always recommend Renee to anyone interested in purchasing a home in the future.” – Ms. Ruth Williams

Read more five-star reviews of Renee Hillman at Realtor.com here!

Service Project of the Month: WAKE Up and Read

Several years ago instead of giving something up for Lent, I decided to try something different. I wanted to add something to my life. After thinking about it, it became apparent that time was my most valuable commodity. I also wanted to get back into volunteering. After some searching, I found the perfect fit: the Catholic Parish Outreach. The Outreach serves over 10,000 people a month and is run 95% by volunteers. You don’t have to be Catholic to go there or volunteer and notably, it is actually the largest food pantry in NC!

I have spent hundreds of hours volunteering over the last seven years with the Catholic Parish Outreach – sorting food in the warehouse, getting orders together, sifting through 500 dozen eggs… you name it, my parents and I have probably done it. By the way, did I mention this has become a family affair?! I have also dedicated a portion of all my sales to make a sizable donation each year, of which I hope to double this year.

This year I was again wondering what I would do for Lent and it was like divine intervention that I saw a tweet that our local board of Realtors Young Professionals Group was teaming up with WAKE Up and Read. After doing some research, I knew this would be the perfect service project to add this year!

Being a new parent, my whole world has changed. Over the past seven months, reading to my daughter has been one of my absolute favorite things to do. It allows me to really focus on her, be in the moment, and not worry about outside distractions. I cherish this time with her and love it.

So this is what I’m asking of YOU: WAKE Up and Read is looking for gently used or new books geared to the ages of 0-12 years. We are working on coordinating drop points and we are even willing to pick them up from you if that makes things easier! In one day, just from two people cleaning up their kids’ books, we already have close to 100 donated!

I hope you’ll join Hillman Real Estate Group in supporting this great initiative. During the month of February, WAKE Up and Read has set a goal of collecting “110,000 books in one month – enough to share with students at 10 elementary schools, as well as community centers and 20 child care facilities across Wake County.” It’s a lofty ambition, but one that I know this great organization and its many volunteers, like myself, are ready to tackle in the month of February. If you have any questions, would like to coordinate a donation drop-off or pick-up, or would like to get further involved yourself, please call or email me to get started! You can reach me at 919-877-6708 or Renee@HREGSells.com.

Let’s get ready to WAKE Up and Read!

PS: Hillman Real Estate Group is planning to buy $500 worth of books to support this great cause, so if you’d simply like to donate to support, we’d be happy to purchase additional books on your behalf!

What Clients Say About Renee: The Kriss Family

Cruising Zillow this weekend checking out listings, real estate agent reviews, and more? Don’t miss taking a look at my team’s 90 five-star reviews, like this latest review from our recent fantastic clients – the Kriss Family!

“My husband and I would highly recommend Renee Hillman as your realtor! She listened to our requirements, made spot-on suggestions, was patient as we narrowed down our search to find the perfect home. Her team was very responsive as well. We would definitely use her again!”

Being responsive is just one of the many client-first priorities we commit to providing for each and every client we represent. We would love to help you in your search for your first or tenth home purchase and look forward to having the opportunity to talk to you about what would make the perfect next home for you. Email or call us at any time to get started – Renee@HREGSells.com or 919-877-6708!

PS: Don’t forget to take a look at all of our five-star reviews on Zillow at http://www.zillow.com/profile/reneesells/.

What Clients Say About Renee: The Haggard Family

Our wonderful client Beth Haggard was kind enough to recently write the following review at Realtor.com about the services my team and I were able to provide to her family during the recent sale of their home:

“I cannot say enough good things about our experience with Renee. From day 1 of coming to do an initial walk through of our home, she sat down with us and explained step-by-step how everything would work (since this was our first time selling). She gave us a nice little organized folder that had all the information we would need. She gave helpful suggestions on how to organize and stage our home so that it would be show-ready! She researched our area thoroughly and helped us list it at just the right price.

We had multiple showings within the first few days, and TWO offers by the 5th day of being on the market! We knew she was good, but wow, that was faster that we ever could have imagined! Since we had multiple offers, she was able to get us exactly what we were asking for…”

“We could pretty much get a hold of her anytime day or night, but in the case that she was busy (because everyone wants her!), her Client Care Specialist, Jenn was there to answer our questions, which I think makes their firm very unique. I kept commenting on how I was in awe of how organized Renee is. I have already recommended her to family and friends and would certainly recommend her to anyone else looking to buy or sell a home!”

Thank you very much for the kind words, Beth – it’s great clients like you that make this a dream job for my entire team. We love working with clients like you and sincerely appreciate the referrals you have been willing to make on our behalf!

For more reviews of Renee Hillman and Hillman Real Estate Group, check out Realtor.com!

Now Hiring: Buyer Specialist to Join Our Successful Team

“Here we grow again!”

We have been so fortunate to continue to grow at a great pace here at Hillman Real Estate Group in the last year! From the addition of our Client Care Specialist Jenn Hilliard to our Buyer Specialist Anne Supplee, 2015 was a fantastic year of adding new talent to our now mighty team of three. And we’re not slowing down now in 2016 – in fact, we’re ready to add a second Buyer Specialist to our team!

We are looking for a talented North Carolina licensed real estate agent to serve as a dedicated buyers agent that knows this market, is willing to learn new systems, and is always a good listener – someone who is conscientious, diligent, tech-savvy and just an all-around good person.

Does this sound like a great opportunity for you or someone you know? We’d love to talk to them! Please email Renee@HREGSells.com to set up a time to talk shop.

We look forward to hearing from you!

Ask Renee: What Are the Differences in Exterior Materials for a Home?

I get these questions a lot: what are the different types of exterior finishes available for houses – and which one should I choose for my home?

Types of Exterior Materials Available for Houses

To keep things simple, there are six basic categories: brick, vinyl siding, wood siding, stucco, fiber-cement, and stone (or stone-veneer). Here in the Triangle area, brick, vinyl siding, and wood siding are the most common choices you’ll find in existing homes on the market, as well as new home construction – although, the others do pop up occasionally.

This article from DIYNetwork.com compares the pros, cons, and costs of each type of material: Buyer’s Guide for Exterior Siding. According to the article, costs can range from $2.00 per square foot (for the cheapest vinyl siding) to $25.00 per square foot (for synthetic stone, installed).

I asked my friend, and professional contractor, Paul Caporale from Caporale Remodeling to weigh in with his expert opinion. The first question as I asked Paul was, “what are some of the cost differences consumers can expect – including materials and installation?”

Paul answered, “installation costs will always vary from contractor to contractor. The low estimates are always going to be poor quality most of the time – contractors who come in rushing through the job to get to their next job. Anytime contractors are rushing to get things done quality suffers.” He continued, “details matter and they are overlooked. It takes time to do the detailed required for quality and a good-looking job.”

Hiring the Right Installer: Look for Licensed Contractors

Paul shared a word of caution: “You have to be careful as well when recruiting Craigslist contractors. Some contractors sub out their work entirely by placing ads in Craigslist looking for carpenters and paintings. They show up with the homeowner thinking these are the people he has been passing off as his crew. But the truth is he’s never seen their work. And thus owner’s expectation are crushed sometimes. I’m just saying be aware .There are good contractors on Craigslist. Look for licensed contractors.”

The Difference In Licensed Contractors

Paul reminded us that “the only difference between a licensed contractor and unlicensed is that the licensed contractor gives the homeowner a little bit of assurance they know what they are doing per code. That’s it. Because a non-licensed contractor may know the codes as well but hasn’t taken the time to take the contractor’s exam. Bottom line, both the licensed and unlicensed contractor have to have their work pass inspection, if required.The only real protection the home owner has is if the contractor has to pull permits for the work, the City or County inspection teams come to inspect. When it comes to plumbing and electrical you want to make sure your house doesn’t flood and burn down. And that’s why inspections & permits are important.”

So Which Exterior Should I Choose for My Home?

A lot of variables go into selecting the right exterior siding for your home, like aesthetics, durability, cost of materials and installation, and even the local climate.

According to HGTV.com, the “low cost, versatility and easy maintenance of vinyl siding has helped it become the most popular siding choice in the United States.”

Paul’s expertise from earlier didn’t end with contractor selection, either. He weighed in with suggestions on materials selection for us: “In general, higher cost materials have long life spans, durability and overall quality. Fiber Cement siding is much more durable than compressed siding and won’t rot with a slight increase in cost difference. With less maintenance than compressed siding because of rot resistance in cement products. But you still have to paint it regularly. I would say compressed board siding is at the bottom, next to vinyl, but it can fade after awhile. Next – fiber cement, but you have to paint that regularly. Brick is the most durable with lowest maintenance – you’ll pressure wash only occasionally on the lower half. When purchasing an existing house take into consideration that any home with wood windows has high costly maintenance. If not yearly attended to, bare wood areas left unpainted starts the rot process and costly molding and window repairs. Try to buy homes with vinyl or clad windows.”

Fringe Options

Want to go with something completely out of the ordinary? This Ideabook from Houzz.com features homes with exterior finishes of shingles and even a super contemporary look made with metal. Take a look at http://www.houzz.com/ideabooks/1537973/list/9-top-siding-materials!

Thanks again to Paul Caporale, owner of Caporale Remodeling, for his help with this article! And if you want to talk more about exterior finishes, leave me a comment below.

What Clients Say About Renee: Mike & Cathy Evans

Thank you, Mike and Cathy! Working with you to sell your North Raleigh condo was wonderful!

“We listed a condo in North Raleigh with Renee over the summer. We found Renee based on the great reviews she received from sellers in our area. All the reviews talked about her knowledge, responsiveness, energy and what a pleasure she was to work with through the buying/selling experience – and they were right! We could not have been happier! We had a very successful experience selling the condo thanks to Renee! Even though I’m sure our condo was one of her smaller listings we always felt like we were her only customer. If we need to buy or sell again we will definitely call Renee. And if anyone we know is looking to buy or sell in this area we will definitely recommend Renee.” — Mike and Cathy Evans

See more Zillow.com reviews for Renee Hillman at http://www.zillow.com/profile/reneesells/.

What Clients Say About Renee: Lisa Yang

Thank you for the kind words, Lisa – I enjoyed working with you to find your perfect first home!

“Buying my first house was not a great experience before I met Renee. She made the entire process painless and got me a great first first time home. I will definitely be utiliziing Renee’s service in the future and highly recommend her to everyone.” — Lisa Yang

Read more reviews like this on Zillow.com.

What Clients Say About Renee: Keith and Stephanie Zynda

Thank you for the opportunity to work with you, Keith and Stephanie! I appreciate your kind review, too!

“Renee and her team made it so my husband and I didn’t have to worry about anything along our home selling and buying journey. Her knowledge about the current market gave us a clear picture of what to expect during the entire process. Due to her amazing work behind the scenes, the timing of the selling and buying of our house was absolutely perfect!! Couldn’t be happier and we have already referred her to others!” – Stephanie Zynda

What Clients Say About Renee: Umasankar Natanakumar and Leena Amarnath

Thank you for allowing me to help in your relocation to North Carolina, Umasankar and Leena!

“My wife and I relocated from Colorado and wanted a realtor who was knowledgeable about the local market conditions. After reading reviews about Renee online we decided to go with her. Right from the get go she guided us through the whole process like which areas to watch out for, the type of home construction, the location, etc. We were able to buy our house within two weeks because Renee had made it easier for us to narrow down our search. She is also very responsive and reminds you of things to be done at the appropriate time. She is a very knowledgeable and an amicable person. We definitely recommend Renee.” — Umasankar Natanakumar and Leena Amarnath

What Clients Say About Renee: The Sullivan Family

Great clients like the Sullivans make this a dream job!

We have worked with Renee as buyers and sellers on several occasions over the years and couldn’t be more pleased with the results. She and her team handle the details professionally and in a timely manner. Most importantly, our confidence in her was well placed; there were no surprises. Whenever we look for a broker in the future, our first call will be to Renee. — Coleman and Susan Sullivan

For more reviews, check out Facebook and Zillow!