Triangle Area, North Carolina.  Real estate sales in Wake, Durham, Orange and Johnston Counties have been lower in four of the last five months.  During February the decline was 6.5% while unsold home inventory increased by nearly 11%.  While new residents continue to pour into the Triangle area they are experiencing difficulty in getting their homes sold in the areas they are coming from.  Conversely, the Triangle Multiple Listing Service reports that home showings during February were up 15.4% compared to a year ago.  I think this last statistic clearly demonstrates the continued demand for housing in the Triangle, the continued strong stream of people coming to the area and that most of the local housing slowdown stems from lower sales demand in other areas.

John Fish (919) 696-3474   Email: marvmax@mindspring.com   Website: www.JohnFish.com

Clayton, North Carolina.  Hallmark greating card company, based in Kansas City, has signed a lease for Johnston County warehouse space.   It will occupy nearly a half-million square feet of space vacated by Winn-Dixie.  This will be one of three distribution centers for Hallmark.  The warehouse is close to both I-40 and I-95 making the facility ideal for Hallmark’s needs.

John Fish (919) 696-3474   Email: marvmax@mindspring.com   Website:  www.JohnFish.com

Raleigh, North Carolina.  The Raleigh-Cary metro area includes Wake, Johnston and Franklin counties.  The U.S. Census estimates this group of counties is number 8 in growth since the year 2000.  This means a 24.8% body count increase to 994,551 (a/o 7/01/06).  The balance of the Triangle, including Durham, Chapel Hill and Chatham County also showed an increase but only 9.6% to 464,389.

John Fish (919) 696-3474   Email: marvmax@mindspring.com   WebSite: www.JohnFish.com

North Raleigh - In response to a number of requests I am listing the inventory of new homes in north Raleigh subdivisions.  Alexander Place (12) - $235,345 to $259,900  Bailey Grove (2) - $549,900 to $625,000   Bayleaf Estates -(1) $678,900   Bedford (92) - $231,478 to $959,900   Belmont Ridge (2) - $1,149,000 to $1,195,000   Bridgewater (1) -$624,900   Brier Creek (6) - $610,000 to $1,299,900   Chatsworth (2) - $1,825,000 to $2,250,000   Chestnut Oaks (8) $639,900 to $778,900   Devon (2) $ - 1,625,000 to $1,695,000   Ethans Glen (12) - $599,900 to $899,900   Faircroft (1) $1,324,900   Forest at Victory Church (1) - $699,900   Harrington Pointe (3) - $383,000 to $413,590   Hawks Nest (1) -$1,475,000   Highland Forest (1) - $624,850   Hyde Park (2) - $773,900 to $788,500   Lafayette (4) - $689,900 to $959,900  Linville (4) - $1,500,000 to $2,599,000   Normandy Glenn (1) - $829,900   Norwood Knolls (1) - $1,299,000   Oakcroft (8) - $408,923 to 499,900   Park at Macon Ridge (1) - $490,000   Parker Falls (5) - $799,900 to $899,900   Radcliffe (2) - $1,895,000 to $2,375,000   Richmond Hill (1) - $1,595,000   River Run (4) - $534,900 to $674,900   Saybrook (2) - $265,000   Stonebridge (1) - $559,900   Stonemoore area (3) - $689,000 to $1,199,900   The Barony (3) - $1,799,995 to $2,800,000   The Moorlands (2) - $1,285,000 to $1,295,000   The Registry (3) - $1,299,900 to $1,658,600   Tuscan Lake (3) - $1,395,000 to $1,490,000   Wakefield Plantation (1) - $569,990   Wyndcroft (6) - $719,900 to $814,900

John Fish (919) 696-3474   Email: marvmax@mindspring.com    Website: www.JohnFish.com

North Carolina Job Market.   The job market in North Carolina remained strong in February.  The jobless rate of 4.5% was the lowest in six years according to the North Carolina Employment Security Commission.  The strongest gains were in the hospitality, health-care and and financial sectors.  The jobless rate in the Raleigh-Durham statistical area (eight counties) was 3.6% which was unchanged from January.  During 2006 the state gained 10,000 construction jobs vs. losses in most other states.

John Fish (919) 696-3474   Email: marvmax@mindspring.com   Website: www.JohnFish.com