“In” Items For Homes In 2008.   It’s more a matter of news faces on existing items.  In checking with both local and national sources as to items people are specifically asking or looking for when buying new homes or remodeling their existing pads, here are some of the “we want” items that have been reported to me:  (1) - Bright colors in wall paints, painted furniture, and wall fabrics.  (2) - As I mentioned in a recent post, a great variety of color in kitchen appliances.  (3) - Electronics that control more and more aspects of daily living such as interior and exterior lighting, cooking, music, home theatres and home security.  An item that is being offered and that has caught on is an electronic system that controls a wide range of music and lighting for expensive shower layouts.  (4) - Home elevators have been coming down in price and going up in home use.  More and more midrange priced homes are offering them.  Many homeowners that would use them can’t because their home either doesn’t have space that is suitable for one or the cost of remodeling space that is available plus the cost of the elevator cools the desire.  (5) - Fully concealed appliances.  For those who don’t want the bright colored appliances the demand is strong for a more smooth and seamless look that hides them.  (6) - Pet showers.  The picture of mom or dad sudsing down Fido in the yard is being replaced by a tiled shower area in the garage or mud room.  (7) - Freestanding bathtubs.  They have overtaken whirlpool baths as the soaker of choice.  This is one I don’t understand.  The propective buyers I talk to find them hard to get into and out of and slippery as well.  I think they also stand a good chance of having a very short “in” life and become an item that makes a home more difficult to sell.  None-the-less, they currently make the “in” list.  (8) - Elaborate outdoor patios.  These areas include a large fireplace, perhaps a fire pit, and extensive exterior kitchen equipment.

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

Triangle, North Carolina.  Wake County Cost of Living: A Wake County family needs $50,435 annually to cover basic needs.  The statewide figure is $41,184.  That’s nearly double the amount of the federal poverty threshold for a family of four.  A living wage was calculated for each county in North Carolina by the North Carolina Budget and Tax Center.  Wake County includes Raleigh, Cary and Wake Forest. Orange County includes Chapel Hill. Durham County includes Durham. Mechlenburg County includes Charlotte. 

Rank Location            1 Parent/1 Child  1 Par/2 Ch  2 Par/2 Ch  2 Par/3 Ch 

        NC                         $31,067            $37,509     $42,841     $53,304

  1    Wake Co.               $38,699             $47,103     $51,856     $64,082

  2    Orange Co.            $36,868             $46,048     $50,180     $63,928

  3    Durham Co.           $35,555              $43,728    $47,775     $60,738

  5    Mecklenburg Co.    $34,141              $41,750    $46,402     $57,891

Hello tax payers of Wake County and U.S.A.   Are you out there?  Do you know or care what your elected officials, or those you may soon be voting for, want to do that will effect your pocket book?  If some of this sounds like a repeat of a recent blog the beat goes on!  In 2006 Raleigh’s City Councel voted to raise impact fees by 72%!  Now that want to double that!  What does your next candidate for President want to do?  How much more are you going to be paying for gas?   How much more are you going to be paying for food?   How much more are you going to be paying for home, auto, and other forms of insurance?  How much more are you going to be paying for health insurance (if you have any) for how much less in the way items covered?   How much more are you going to be paying for utilities?  How much more are you going to have to pay to send your children to college?   How much more is it going to cost you to take a vacation (if you can afford to take one)?  Add your own list to this.  If you don’t ask these questions of your existing and future officials who will?

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

Raleigh, North Carolina.  North Carolina Cities Rack Up Big Populatiom Gains.  In the stats ad nauseam department here are more for your grist mill.  In the Triangle area some love these population gains and some hate them.  Win, lose or draw here are the U.S. Census Bureau numbers: (1) - The three-c ounty Raleigh region (Wake, Johnston and Franklin counties) was the nation’s third fastest growing metro area from 2006 to 2007 and that + 4.7% by rate.  (2) - By number of people that’s 47,052 bodies which is 12th fastest by number of people.  (3) - Th seven county Triangle area, during the same period, grew by 3.9% or 57,480 people.  That makes the Triangle the ninth fastest growth metro area.  (4) - Charlotte area gained 66,724 people making it the seventh fastest growing metro area in the country.  The Charlotte area is comprised of six counties in two states.  I knew you would be thrilled.

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

Raleigh, North Carolina.  Case Shiller Index Down 10.7% In January.  This Standard and Poors service show the largtest drop in its twenty year history.  Charlotte, the only North Carolina city in the index, managed a 1.8% rise against the otherwise grim tide.  It was also the only city on the list to post a gain.  While not on the list, Raleigh showed a gain of 3.6% vs. the prior year.  The hardest hit cities were Miami and Los Vegas which were both down 19.3%.  Another figure in the red in February was the median price of existing homes sold.  It was $195,900.  That was the greatest year-to-year decline since 1999.  The one positive figure in February was the unexpected increase in the sale of exisiting housing.  That was the first increase in six months.

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

More Zip In The Kitchen.   It is time for color appliances, and especially in the kitchen, color is  most certainly king.  Aside from electronic gadgets that will make appliances do everything from cook you food to whistle Dixie this year’s big thing in appliances is color, color and more color.  While kitchens have long been a place for the family and friends to gather in a home, they are now becoming a place to make a fashion statement.  Interchangeable colored panels, metalic colors and oiled bronze are just some the glitz you can view everywhere from appliance showrooms to East Nowhere USA.  Over the long haul they probably won’t replace stainless steel as the over-all look of choice but they certainly make strong inroads into it.  Yes, there have been some kitchen appliances of strong colors before but not with the many shades and hues that are available now. 

Bertazzoni’s professional ranges come in yellow, blue, red, green and burgundy.  Dacor can give you microwaves, dishwashers and refrigerators with floating glass front panels of Blue Water, Anthracite Gray, Black, Titanium Silver, Sterling Gray and Slate Green.  Viking, the name most people associate with what you buy when you “care enough to buy the very best” lets it all hang out with their wide selection of colors.  Want Mint Julep ya’ll?  They have it.  Want lemonade?  They have it.  How about Butter Creme?  They have it AND they have 21 other color as well! 

Fridges are available that will display digital pictures, let you operate the oven from your cell phone and, believe it or not, even keep your food refrigerated.  No!  Yes!!   

Cars aren’t the only things that come as hybrids.  The Paragon range as a gas cooktop and an electric oven as well.  Of the two ovens one is convection while the second provides seven modes.  The cooktop has six burners and a device that cuts the gas automatically if the heat goes out. 

Despite all the technical “gee whizzers” color is still the center of attention.  While we are on this “Color Me Wild” kick, GE Monogram offers range hood inserts that can be trimmed with several decorative types of finishes including wood and tile.  So, if you want to go wild with color and get away with it start in the kitchen.

Hues to you!

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

Wake County, North Carolina.  Census Bureau Statistics Say Wake Is Number Seven In Growth Nationally.  An additional 38,841 people decided to call Wake County home between July of 2006 and July of 2007.  That’s a 4.9% increase and brings the total body count to 832,970.  Furthermore, during the last seven years the county has grown by 205,124.

I would like to wish each and every one of you a happy and joyous Easter.

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

Triangle, North Carolina.  January Figures Not Rosy.  During January the unemployment figure for the eight county Triangle area of North Carolina increased to 3.9% from 3.8%.  By the same token the state’s jobless was the same as the nation’s or 4.9%.  The nation’s housing malaise, again for January, was a drag on the Triangle as well.  January Triangle home sales were down 29.6%.  The next report of labor market figures for the Triangle will be released on April 2 while Triangle home sales for February should be available in the next few days.

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

Raleigh, North Carolina.  Tax Council At It Again!  All those who voted for the current Raleigh City Council members must be jumping for joy.  They are counting how much less they will have to spend and how much more they will pay for taxes, if the current proposals go through, and can’t wait to whip out their check books and get on with it.  Evidently the current members don’t read the paper, listen to TV, check real estate values, check stock prices, look at employment and production numbers, or anything else relevant to the economy.  One would assume that food and gas prices might get their attention but evidently not.  These economic wizards would like to increase open space and transportation fees levied on an average single-home from $1,200 to about $2,500.  All this on top of the check book numbing increases just recently passed!  But hark, there is more good news!  A “blue ribbon” committee (red would be a more appropriate color) would like to offer a referendum to increase the Wake County sales tax.  The public turned a thumbs down on a land transfer tax in no uncertain terms last November.  Since that didn’t work try something else. 

While we are at this “let’s all learn to love taxes” bit, John Q. Public had best take a good hard look at what those running for the highest office in the land would like to do if he, she or they get elected.  Economics was not something they were schooled in or evidently give a hoot about.  Race and gender issues are increasingly becoming a very effective way for them to avoid talking about how to pay for the programs they initially said they want to put in place but now studiously avoid talking about.

I clearly remember when communism was public enemy number one.  That issue is, by and large, long gone but the theories and practices that it still stands for are not.  Big Brother is alive and well and getting bigger every day.  Now the Supreme Court is looking at the issue of hand guns.  Would you like to guess which way that will go?  Count your freedoms while you can because more of them are disappearing every day.  Incidentally, if those of you who like taxes so much will send me your names and addresses I will be happy to send my bills to you.  Your payment of them will be greatly appreciated!  Enjoy.

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

Raleigh, North Carolina.  North Hills Tower Underway.   The new North Hills building will have 274,000 square feet of office space and 28,000 square feet of retail space.  It will be called Captal Trust Tower per CapTrust Financial Advisors who will be leasing 50,000 square feet of the building for the next 10 years.  The building is at the intersection of Interstate 440 and Six Forks Road.  It has been put together by Kane Realty and Duke Realty.

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

Triangle, North Carolina.  Water Shortage Causes More Building Problems.  Raleigh has implemented stage 2 mandatory water conservation measures.  These measures prohibit water use for flushing and bacteriological testing of new water main extensions.  Power washing has also been banned.  Companies can purchase reuse water from other municipalities to take care of these needs if they can find sources and ways to transport it.  The city will also stop issuing new landscape establishment permits. 

Another contractor water need problem that almost no one would ever think of is that of washing bricks.  After they are placed they need to be power washed.  Local contractors are busy beating the bushes for sources of reuse water for this purpose as well.  As with most things dark problems often product some bright side effects.  “Green” factors coming to the fore are such things as waterless urinals, new types of landscaping materials, low flow fixtures and double flush toilets.  The water situation is serious and many businesses are stepping up to provide solutions to many of the needs and problems caused by it.

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