North Carolina

Pirates used the Outer Banks’ shifting sands and bountiful inlets a century ago to run from the law and hide their treasures. The names included Blackbeard, perhaps the most notorious pirate of them all.  The only masted ships you’ll see plying the waters around Beaufort, North Carolina, today are more likely to be sailboats sprinkled […]

Here’s a fun fact about Hillsborough, NC: this small town in the heart of apple country served as the capital of North Carolina from 1789 to 1794. This is just one of many interesting aspects of this Piedmont region community. As Orange County’s oldest town and one of the best-kept secrets around, Hillsborough will delight […]

Living in a small town can be incredibly rewarding. Add North Carolina’s scenic beauty, mild climate, and laid-back atmosphere, and you’re set with a great place to live. Small-town values really matter here, so you’ll get to know your neighbors on a first-name basis and see firsthand a sense of community pride. Here we profile […]

Are you looking for a home in North Carolina? Well, it’s not an easy task in this tough real estate market. High interest rates and sustained low inventory are making it challenging for buyers to find the perfect place.  North Carolina remains in a “seller’s market,” where the homeowner has more of an advantage. The […]

North Carolina Real Estate Sales Update: Spring 2023 As the state’s landscapes flourished with fresh spring flowers and rejuvenating energy, prospective homeowners and investors continued their search for properties across North Carolina. April 2023 coincided with the nationwide trend of new listings and time on the market rising in tandem with median sale prices, but […]

Is North Carolina A Good State To Buy A Home? From the shifting sands of the Outer Banks to the stony peak of Grandfather Mountain, North Carolina’s majestic landscape has drawn people to live there for centuries. But the rich amenities have kept them there–the outdoor recreation choices, great schools, and thriving job markets. For […]

March 2023 Monthly National Real Estate Report: Home Sales Down After months of higher mortgage rates and housing affordability challenges, the data from the first quarter of 2023 are unsurprising. The National Association of Realtors reports existing home sales fell 2.4% nationwide. The news hits with a reminder that real estate markets have been a […]

Fannie Mae Pushes Out Its Recession Predictions Predictions of the economy’s slowdown may have been exaggerated or, at the very least, premature. That’s Fannie Mae’s recent conclusion, which pushes out the timing for when it believes a recession is due and also saw the government-backed mortgage lender cutting its mortgage origination forecast for 2023 by […]

These Lenders Made the Most Mortgages in 2022 The top lenders in America in 2022 featured some familiar names in the world of mortgages. One notable change for 2022 was more traditional depositories (bank organizations that can accept deposits) cracked into the top 10. This reflects a greater confidence in working with banks for mortgage […]

North Carolina Vs West Virginia: Which Is the Better State? Some of us dream of a mountain retreat, where we wake up to beautiful rolling peaks, rushing clear streams, and cool summers. On the east coast, your options are limited to states within the Appalachian Mountains, with North Carolina and West Virginia perhaps being the […]

Existing Home Sales Take a Positive Turn After a year of slumping home sales, market experts are seeing some positive signs that suggest a turnaround may be headed our way. This could be good news for home sellers and real estate investors waiting to enter the market. The activity could also spur local economies and […]

2023’s Five Hottest Housing Markets in the US The US housing market may be hot, but the reasons why are complex. In order to uncover the most sizzling housing markets, we looked at which regions are seeing the most real activity: the highest home sales, median price rises, and transactional value. For the most part, […]

Baby Boomers Surpass Millennials in Buying Homes A typical home buyer story is simple: a couple wants to raise a family, and renting isn’t cutting it. With that in mind, you might speculate that millennials would be snatching up the most homes. But that’s not the case. According to recent National Association of Realtors (NAR) […]

Be Aware: Homeowners Insurance Is On the Rise The average premium for homeowners insurance rose 12% from 2021 to 2022, with an average annual increase of $134. That’s a stark jump for one year. In fact, the jump was so significant that it’s worth taking a minute and asking why insurance is rising. Is it […]

The Best US Markets for First-time Home Buyers People are looking for homes again; in some markets, it’s a great time to be a home buyer for the first time. Take Austin, Texas. Texas’s capital is becoming a buyer boomtown. People from the East and West Coasts are getting sick of high real estate prices […]

North Carolina Updating Seller Flood Disclosure Requirements It’s every home buyer’s worst nightmare: buying a home, completing an inspection, moving in, and finding out there’s far more damage they didn’t know about. In North Carolina, flood damage is a chief culprit in untold home repair issues. In 2021, over 13,000 homes purchased had been previously […]

Cash Sales Are Up— What That Means for the Housing Market It’s common knowledge the all-cash offer makes the real estate transaction process easier both for the buyer and the seller. Knowing the buyer doesn’t need to work with a lender, which has a long underwriting process and no guarantee of financing approval, incentivizes the […]

HELOC Rates Dropped — Should You Take Out a Home Equity Line of Credit? The Federal Reserve raised interest rates throughout 2022, leading to higher rates everywhere, including mortgage rates. That might have some investors and homeowners scared to take out more loans. But a recent dip in Home Equity Line of Credit (HELOC) rates […]

These Metro Areas Had 2022’s Highest Home Price Gains Are high rates on mortgage loans going to cause a bubble to burst in housing prices? Not if you go by the late 2022 numbers. The year-end data shows home prices are still on the rise despite interest rates being near-double what they were a year […]

These Markets Are Projected to Have the Most Home Price Change in 2023 Stocks can bounce up and down on any given day, while real estate tends to be more like a cruise ship: slow to turn. However, what if residential housing prices in your area are about to move drastically? That would impact whether […]

Home Prices Are Going Up–And What That Means For You High interest rates. Questions about housing inventory. Inflation potentially pointing to even higher interest rates. Read the headlines, and you’d expect the average mortgage cost to increase throughout 2023. If mortgages are more difficult to afford, you’d think market activity would slow, inventory would rise, […]

Top Places to Retire in 2023 More people are approaching retirement, and that’s not an overstatement. Baby boomers—people born in the post-war era from 1946-1964—are ready to kick their feet up and start relaxing. They’re starting to retire at increasing rates, with all reaching retirement age by 2031. The only question is: where will they […]

Where the Mortgage Industry Is Heading in 2023 Rising interest rates in 2022 have spooked many home buyers. It wasn’t easy seeing inflation run rampant throughout the year, driving up the cost of everything from gasoline to the interest rates on new mortgages. But trends at the end of 2022 could hint at what real […]

Top National Real Estate Trends to Watch in 2023 The real estate market has had quite an up-and-down ride over the past few years, with supply plummeting, demand skyrocketing, and home prices and annual percentage rates (APRs) adjusting accordingly. Projections for real estate trends in the country for 2023 certainly aren’t black and white, but […]