Raleigh Real Estate Professional

A 3.6% increase in Home Sales and other good financial news has pushed the DOW Industrial back over 9,000 for the first time since the beginning of January!  The market is imporving and investors are starting to react.  This is good news for Raleigh/Wake County buyers and sellers alike! - I’m excited about the good news and hope you are too - Tina

Raleigh topped the list of the Best Places For Business and Careers Survey by Forbes Magazine for the 3rd year in a row!  Forbes stated that “no metro area in the US can compare with Raleigh”, citing strong job growth both in the past and projected future, low business costs and an extremely educated work force.  Durham was ranked number 3 on the list, following Fort Collins Colorado.  As I always say, we are so lucky to live and work in such a great city!

Although not all residents of the area think it’s a great accolade, the Raleigh/Cary area was named the fastest growing metropolitan area according to federal statistics.  The combined population of Raleigh and Cary jumped to 1.1 million people between July 2007 and July 2008, a 4.3% jump according the the Us Census Bureau.  As those of us who live and work here know, the growth can be attributed to top Universities and Hospitals, Research Triangle Park, great public schools, low unemployment, temperate climate, and moderate cost of living; among other characteristics!

Use Re-useable Shopping Bags
When shopping at the grocery store, or really, any store, use reuseable shopping bags.  You can find inexpensive, re-useable tote bags at many of your favorite stores.  Target, Whole Foods and Harris Teeter all sell these bags.  CBHPW even has re-useable shopping totes available as well for only $2 each.  (All proceeds will benefit the HPW Foundation.)

Forgot your tote bag?  Just make sure to recycle your plastic bags once the groceries are home.  Most grocery stores in the area do have recycling bins at their locations.  You can also use them as lunch bags or to help clean up when walking your pets.

Did you know? Plastic bags are made from non-renewable petroleum resources and require the use of toxic chemicals during production and processing.  Plastics production produces 14% of the toxic air emissions in the US.  Due to their propensity to blow away, plastic bags are not only unsightly, they can harm and kill wildlife.  Even when the plastic bags make it the landfill, they will last for several lifetimes.

We all know how important it is to think green so that together we can get our environment on the right path again!  In this regard I’d like to start sharing some of my “green tips” with you moving forward, and ask that you share some of your own green ideas for building a better world!  Some ideas will relate to home building, some to other ways that we can think and act green in our lives.  I hope you’ll enjoy these and incorporate them in your everyday lives!

November is time for family and lots of cooking!  This month’s green living tips will all be about how to cook ‘Green!’·       

Most of us eat a lot of pasta. Make extra, toss with olive oil, and keep in the fridge so you don’t have to heat an entire pot of water to the boiling point every time you want some.

If you have one, use a pressure cooker. It really saves on energy.
Try using a solar box cooker.
When and where possible eat local and fresh.  Eating local produce means you show your support to local farms and trade communities.
When cooking, switch off the stove nearly three quarters of the way through cooking, instead of at the end.  The pot’s higher temperature will continue to heat the food for a few more minutes.  Remember to cover the pot or pan to seal the heat in as well as the flavors.