Friday, October 18, 2013

PUMPKIN PATCHES AND CORN MAZES IN APEX, CARY AND ALL OVER THE TRIANGLE, NC!

Corn Maze 
Get on your boots and gather up the kids - it’s Corn Maze & Pumpkin Pickin’ Time!  Support your local farmers and have fun.  Here are a few of our local Pumpkin Patches & Corn Mazes you should check out.

See below for Insider Tips to make your visit more enjoyable.


DJs Berry Patch
1223 Salem Church Road
Apex, NC
919-600-4020


Green Acres Farm
1132 Morrisville Carpenter Road
Cary, NC
919-481-2435

Green Level Gourd Farm
3800 Green Level Road West
Apex, NC
919-387-1952
www.greenlevelgourdfarm.com

Mrs. Ruth’s Farms & Corn Maze
1361 Green Level West Rd
Apex, NC
Www.mrsruthsfarms.com

 Ken’s Korny Corn Maze
3175 Benson Highway
Garner, NC
919-779-4765
www.kenskornycornmaze.com

Naylor Family Farm
16016 US 401 North
Fuquay Varina, NC

(910) 249-2258 www.NaylorFamilyFarm.com

Phillips Farms
6701 Good Hope Church Road
Cary, NC
www.phillipsfarmsofcary.com

Ragan & Holly’s Pumpkin Patch
38 Lewter Shop Road
Apex, NC
919-362-5800


Insider Tips to Make Your Visit More Enjoyable
Pumpkin Patch

Don’t wear shoes you wouldn’t want getting dirty: It’s a pumpkin patch. Patch is code in the pumpkin business for DIRT. This means you’re going to get a little dirty. Make sure you don’t have on your brand new Nikes. Believe me, it’s a lesson you don’t want to learn the hard way!

Bring Some Snacks for the Kids: You can easily end up spending 4 hours at the Pumpkin patch. Have you ever seen a 4 year old try to pick out the perfect pumpkin? It takes some time. Not only that, with all the fun stuff to do, it’s easy to lose track of time. But the little ones won’t lose track of when they last ate. It makes sense to throw a few treats in a backpack so the kids stay full of energy.

You Might Have to Walk For the Best Pumpkins: The pumpkin can be large. It’s not uncommon that the closer areas are pretty well picked over, especially as you get further in the season. Don’t worry, the further parts of the patch will still have some amazing orange friends.....you just might have to walk a little bit to get to them. 

Leave the Stroller at Home: If you have a little one in a stroller, you might consider bringing a more mobile device. Pumpkin patches don’t have stroller lanes. Remember? It’s all dirt. So bring something to carry the non-walker in the family.

Have fun!  

Be Savvy...Call the Smart Realtor
Elizabeth Scott, Realtor®, Broker
e-PRO, Strategic Pricing Specialist
Fathom Realty NC, LLC      
Phone: 919.306.9699
Email

Sunday, October 6, 2013

HOME IMPROVEMENTS WITH THE BEST ROI in The Triangle NC

Home Improvements with the Best ROI in the Triangle NC

Not Every Home Improvement Nets You the Same Return

Sure, you can spend a lot on something purely for the personal pleasure of having it—like that outdoor hot tub under the attached gazebo or you can go the practical route and make an improvement that will increase your home's market value. But be forewarned! You can't expect to always recoup your costs on both counts. Despite what those folks say on HGTV, just because you put $25,000 worth of improvements into your home doesn't mean that your house is worth $25,000 more!

It may not sound very exciting, but it's the basic improvements you make to your home that may have the greatest return on its value: a beautiful new bathroom won't make up for a leaky roof. Here are some examples of a few improvements that usually pay off and some that rarely make a difference (no matter how much
you paid for them) when it comes time to sell your home.

Painting
If you're planning to sell your home in a year or two, a fresh coat of a neutral toned paint could make the sale easier. A professional exterior paint job may also recoup close to 75% of its cost. Let's face it we all like things fresh looking.


Kitchen
With just a few basic improvements, your kitchen can practically pay you back with interest! New paint, wallpaper and flooring are always appreciated; plus, you might even consider sanding, staining or painting worn looking cabinets. Replacing old cabinet hardware is a low cost improvement that makes a big difference in appearance.

According to the Remodeling magazine 2013 Cost vs. Value report the average spent on a major kitchen remodel is around $54,000, while a minor one averaged $18,000. The full kitchen remodeling recouped 69% of its cost and the minor remodel was valued at 75%.

Area Conversions
Generally speaking, increasing the functional space of your home holds its value longer than remodeling just to make a house look better. It's also much less expensive than adding an addition to your
home. Remodeling magazine reports that converting attic space into a bedroom, for example, usually costs around $48,000 and returns about 73% of that cost.  Turning your basement into extra living space costs about $61,000, with a recoup average of 70%. 

Extra Bathroom
At an average cost of $37,500, a new bathroom addition can recoup about 55% of its total cost, according to the Remodeling magazine.

Deck
Adding a deck is a very cost efficient way to add square footage to your house. Remodeling magazine estimates that wood decks cost around $9,300 and generally recoup 77% of their value. Compared to other outdoor improvements, that's an excellent return.

Good ideas, but don't expect your money back ...

New Windows
Your utility bill savings may make up for the iffy resale value.  However, a good set of standard windows should get you around 73% back. If you start getting too fancy with custom shapes and sizes, though, don't expect to get as much in return.

Swimming Pool
In a word don't!  Unless you're putting it in for you and your family to enjoy for years to come, it's commonly agreed that a swimming pool has no resale value at all. Reason #1? Sure, they sound nice, but pools are very expensive to maintain. Running a close second is the fear of pool accidents that's something nobody wants to experience.

Picture Perfect Gardens
Another nicety, but who's going to spend all that time and money?  If the potential buyer is not horticulturally inclined, chances are your floral handiwork won't add to the offering price.  The same can be said for expensive fences and stone walls, they look nice, but buyers don't pay up for them.

Source:  Remodeling magazine 2013 Cost vs. Value Report

Are you thinking of selling your home?  I'll be happy to meet with you and review my customized Marketing Plan that brings results for my sellers!

Be Savvy...Call the Smart Realtor
Elizabeth Scott, Realtor®, Broker                 
e-PRO, Strategic Pricing Specialist
Fathom Realty NC, LLC      
Phone: 919.306.9699
Email