Chapel Hill Real Estate Search

The new development on East Main Street got its official go ahead last night from the Carrboro Board of Aldermen.  Good thing too, since the developers of 300 East Main, led by Laura Van Sant have jumped through many hoops and don’t deserve to be held up any longer.

One criticism I genuinely don’t understand comes from the folks that say that area of town needs to be protected - we don’t want it to lose it’s Carrboro charm.  Have they walked around there lately?  Or driven through there??  What is charming about Surplus Sid’s or the KFC?   This development looks like a great addition to the town — architecturally and for our tax base!  

Demolition could start by the end of the year, with construction moving forward in 2009.  This Carrboro realtor says go, go, go!

Today I want to talk about a subject that is near and dear to our hearts!  Property Taxes!!!   I have been a member of the Orange County Board of Equalization and Review since 1993.  This is the appointed body that oversees the assessors numbers - our tax values.    The assessed value of your home and the market value are two very different numbers derived and used for different purposes. 

The Assessed Value:  The value of a property according to the tax rolls in ad valorem taxation.  May be higher or lower than market value, or based on an assessment ratio that is a percentage of market value. 

Market Value is a type of value, stated as an opinion, that presumes the transfer of a property (ie a right of ownership or a bundle of such rights) as of a certain date, under specific conditions set forth in the definition of the term identified by the appraiser as applicable in an appraisal.  

The assessed value will be established using market data.   The assessed value will be value from January 1, 2009 forward for the next four years and when applied to the tax rate will determine your taxes.  The tax rate will change annually thereby raising your taxes.   However, the tax rate drops after a revaluation.  In Chapel Hill from ‘04 to ‘05 the rate fell from 1.655 to 1.5484 and from ‘00 to ‘01 from 1.727 to 1.551.   In Carrboro the rates will be slightly higher (bummer) but the rates will also drop year to year in a revaluation year.   So your assessed value will go up but your tax rate will go down generating a modest, so to speak, increase in your taxes.  

Call me, Reg Morgan, your Chapel Hill realtor if you have questions on home values in your Chapel Hill neighborhood.

One of the best things about relocating to the Chapel Hill area is that you will never miss out on a good meal!  Our area is filled with great restaurants - last night my wife and I dined in Provence!  I mean, at Provence in Carrboro.

What a great place.  We had a delicious meal, starting with a salmon terrine and escargots in roguefort!  For my main course, I had the herb crusted rack of lamb - and it was spectacular, with grilled beets and onions and a potato gratin on the side.  My wife went with a special entree - a quartet of fish, including lemon sole meuniere,  sashimi grade tuna au poivre, salmon en papillotte with bernaise sauce and grilled tuna with a fabulous tapenade crust.

We regretfully skipped the desserts to get over to Southern Village and see Mamma Mia at the Lumina.

It was a wonderful evening in Carrboro and Chapel Hill.  Join us!   If you are thinking of relocating to the Triangle, contact Reg Morgan at Prudential Carolinas Realty.  With over 20 years of experience in buying and selling real estate, I will help guide you through your move.

There is a new and very exciting neighborhood under construction in Carrboro - Winmore.  Off Homestead Road and near Bolin Creek, homes are going up with the preservation of green space and good environmental stewardship foremost in the minds of builders and developers.

The mixed-use neighborhood will include town homes and single family homesites with prices ranging from the 300s to the 900s.  Amenities include a swimming pool, playground, trails and a restored farmhouse that is for community use.  Over 40% of Winmore’s 66 acre land parcel is dedicated to green space - it is a wonderful place to live.

Contact Reg Morgan for more information on Winmore - or on any other Chapel Hill - Carrboro neighborhoods.

The Carrboro Board of Aldermen approved the new development plans on Main Street in Carrboro.   It has some very exciting components - this is the space that currently houses the Cat’s Cradle and the Arts Center.  Check out this  article from the Carrboro Citizen that gives more information and I’ve included a drawing here.

If you have questions about Carrboro real estate - call Reg Morgan.  A Carrboro realtor with over 20 years of experience buying and selling real estate.

It’s time for fresh fruit, vegetables, flowers and those amazing chocolate chip cookies!  Mark your calendar for the Carrboro Farmers Market to open on Saturday, March 24th.  We’ve missed the wonderful fresh produce and our great visits with our local farmers.

Welcome back to Carrboro!

Presales are well underway for an exciting new area of Carrboro.  Winmore promises to be a special neighborhood with homes, shops, businesses and townhomes.  Getting in early is a great way to watch your real estate investment appreciate. 

If you are considering a move - or an investment here in our Carrboro real estate market, call Reg Morgan.

The Durham-Chapel Hill-Carrboro Metropolitan Planning Organization  (DCHC MPO) which plans and administers the state and federal transportation projects in our region, has drafted population and employment forecasts through the year 2035.  A transportation modeling process will use a final version of the Socioeconomic Data (SE Data) to help determine which transportation projects will be included in the region’s 2035 Long Range Transportation Plan.  We are all encouraged to review and comment on the data, especially the areas that we are directly familiar with.

The website outlines many ways to participate including public workshops, hearings and public comments.  Take a look at the information and add your thoughts to this important process.

The Carrboro Board of Alderman closed the year with the issue of a new construction building moratorium still looming.  The area under discussion includes a 3,787 acre area known as the Northern Study Area.   Mostly encompassing the area that was recently annexed to the Town of Carrboro.  It goes from Rogers Road and some of the railroad track on the eastern edge, to the north it includes the area up to Eubanks Road and the southern edge is at Estes Drive and Greensboro Street.  Discussions are still underway, and hopefully a final decision will be made within the next few months.  

I’ll keep you posted on this issue, but if you have a Carrboro real estate question, call Reg Morgan.   Take a look at the current Carrboro MLS listings that are on the market now.

 

Carrboro NC is a wonderful, small town next to Chapel Hill and in Orange County.   Formerly a small mill town  - it is now home to a thriving arts community, many art galleries, the Arts Center and a select segment of the great workforce that makes up UNC - Chapel Hill, Duke and the companies of the Research Triangle Park.

Carrboro is part of the top rated Chapel Hill Carrboro school district.   We’re all looking forward to the new Carrboro High School that will open off Smith Level Road in August of 2007.

Carrboro has a number of real estate options — charming, restored mill houses in the center of town, new construction, condos, luxury homes with beautiful wooded lots and established subdivisons with a wonderful neighborhood feel. 

Many of these homes are a walk to the charming Carroboro town — the Farmers Market on Wednesday afternoons and Saturday mornings, Weaver Street Market or the Open Eye Cafe for some of the best coffee in the Triangle.   If you are looking for great restaurants - try Elmo’s, the Acme Grill or one of our favorites - Akai Hana for delicious and fresh sushi.

Don’t forget to stop in at Fleet Feet Sports and say hello to our friends, Bobby and Rona, great runners and the owners of one of the top running stores in the Triangle.  Fleet Feet organizes running groups and some of the best races in the area.

Call Reg Morgan, your Carrboro realtor to discuss Carrboro real estate options.   Take a look here at some of the current Carrboro MLS listings.

Let’s take a walk around Carrboro!