Keeping it Straight
Tech savvy homeowners now have an unprecedented level of access to home information through new products and services using modern technology, such as a HomePort device, and the Internet to organize the huge amounts of information necessary for the operation of their houses.

Mortgage Rate Trends: Your Mortgage Questions Answered
As a homeowner looking to refinance, Jane Shealy followed banking news relentlessly in recent months and prepared for the worst. Banks, spooked by the subprime “meltdown” had tightened their standards; she wouldn’t get a loan. She could sell her house, but the market is down; maybe no one would buy it. There was a bail out for folks with ARMs like Shealy, but she wouldn’t qualify. Read On....

Outdoor Retreats
There's nothing more enticing than an outdoor area where one can leave behind stressful day living and enjoy moments of peace and beauty in the midst of mother nature.

Urban Living: Downtown Condos on the Rise
Walls of glass, with cityscape views. Sleek spaces, clean and airy. Urban energy, right outside your door—this is the new downtown living that’s exploding on the scene in the heart of the Triangle’s city centers. It wasn’t that long ago that downtown, after business hours, meant deserted streets, lined with neglected has-been buildings no one would choose to call home. How things have changed in the past five years! With more than twenty metropolitan condos built, under construction or on the drawing board in Raleigh alone, urban living is once again flourishing in the Triangle.

5 Ways to Enhance Your Home's Curb Appeal
Next time you pull into your driveway, pretend you’re doing so for the very first time. Try to look at your home and its surroundings from a stranger’s point of view, and ask yourself, “Do I like what I see?” Hopefully, you’ll answer “yes” with regard to the big picture—after all, it really is your home! However, if it’s been a while since you updated any of the exterior features, it’s likely that you’ll follow that “yes” with a “but,” as in “but there sure is room for improvement!” If you find that your curb appeal is, well, less than appealing, you may want to take a closer look at the following features.

Breathe Easy: Fighting Air Pollution Inside Your Home
We all know about air pollution — from factory and power plant emissions and automobile exhaust. But did you know that the air you breathe inside is typically three to five times dirtier than the air outside?

Nurseries & Children's Themes
Today’s nurseries and children’s rooms— personalized, organized, and ever-evolving! If the emergence of Baby Gap, Baby Einstein, and gourmet baby food conveys anything, it's this: times are a-changing. Gone are the days when mothers and fathers were content to bring their bundle of joy home to a plain crib in a simple, white-walled room.

Go Green!
Featuring SolVeloz Integrated Solar Pumping Station by SolarH2OT and Icestone, a durable surface made of recycled glass and concrete

A 911 Decorating Emergency in the Laundry Room: Local Law Enforcement: Agent’s handy work to the rescue!
This home’s laundry room was a violation of style and organization! So the homeowner, a Local Law Enforcement agent named Brian, brought the room up to code.

Beautifying Floors & Doors: NHance Brings a New Environmentally-Friendly Definition to Before and After
Charlene Wenrick’s North Raleigh home had been on the market for three months without so much as a nibble when her real estate agent brought to her attention that the sad state of her hardwood floors might be to blame.

I love the tray ceiling effect, but I do not want to spend a lot of money to completely renovate. Any suggestions on how I can create the same effect?


I want to add some flair to my hardwood flooring. What are the latest trends in rugs?


An Interview with William Poole, America's Leading Designer of Classical Homes
Award-winning designer William Poole has designed more than 10,000 home plans that have been built not only throughout the United States, but in almost every country throughout the world. In fact, approximately one million families live in William Poole-designed homes.

Remodeling your Kitchen?  Make your old cabinets count through the Habitat Wake Kitchen Cabinet Campaign
By collecting 40 pre-owned kitchen cabinet sets in 2008, Habitat for Humanity of Wake County can fund the building of an entire Habitat home. 

Woman’s Club of Raleigh teams up with the ASID for 2008 Showhouse
Once again the Woman’s Club of Raleigh (WCR) has partnered with the Carolinas Chapter of the American Society for Interior Design (ASID) to present the WCR 2008 ASID Designer Showhouse which will be held May 10 through June 1 at Ramblewood at North Hills.

WakeMed Foundation Joins WRAL and JM Davis Custom Homes to Offer the WRAL Concept Home Tour
WRAL, the WakeMed Foundation and JM Davis Custom Homes is inviting the public to the WRAL Concept Home Tour.  The 2008 WRAL Concept Home will be a showcase of fine living with 4 bedrooms, 5 1/2 baths and will feature a state-of-the-art theater room, a screened-in porch with a fireplace, gourmet kitchen and first floor master suite.

Selling Vs. Renting: The Pros and Cons of Each
At some point in time, many homeowners find themselves asking the question, “Should I put my home on the market and sell it, or should I keep it and rent it out?” As with most finance and tax-related questions, no simple answer exists. However, with issues related to each scenario pointed out by experts in the industry, perhaps the decision can become easier to make. Read on to acquaint yourself with the pros and cons of selling vs. renting, as shared by Gina Miller of RE/MAX UNITED and Mary Jo Ryan of Coldwell Banker Howard Perry & Walston.

The Great American Town of Holly Springs
Located in southwestern Wake County, Holly Springs is a bustling, thriving work in progress. Ranked nationally as one of the best places to live in the nation, the town welcomes more than a dozen new families on average each week.