Wall Street Journal, June 4, 2011
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As Listed By: Financial Edge on Investopedia.com May 25, 2011

1. Lowest Housing Prices in Years

2. Interest Rates at a 50-Year Low

3. Interest Rates Expected to Go Up

4. Adjustable Rate Mortgages at Record Lows

5. Low Down Payment Mortgages Available

6. Easy to Qualify, Easy to Borrow

7. Lenders Offer No-Fee Mortgages

8. Home Builders Eager to Sell, Offer Incentives

9. Motivated Homeowners Desperate to Sell

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The Raleigh/Cary area has the highest well-being in the South and the nation's top Work Environment Index. That is according to the Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index, which placed the area third nationally among the nation's most populous cities with an index of 68.6, just a smidgen behind Washington, D.C./Arlington/Alexandria, Va., at 69.1 and San Jose/Sunnyvale/Santa Clara, Calif., in first place with a composite score of 69.2.   Read More...

On Jan. 4, the Raleigh City Council approved a concept for replacing of the railroad bridge, a improvements to Tryon Road, with the North Carolina Department Transportation (NCDOT).   Read More...

"It's been a long time since a builder has excited me so much," says Stephanie Gaither Harris, a Durham Realtor® with Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston for the past ten years. "I've toured the beautiful homes at Brightwood Trails... The quality of WinStar construction surpasses everyone else in this price range. What other builders consider upgrades are standard features in homes by WinStar. I'm very impressed."   Read More...

(excerpt) "Looking to snap up some investment properties on the cheap? You may want to consider Durham, N.C....

...In the best markets, home prices already are stabilizing. Durham, N.C., for instance, is home to Duke University and is near the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Big companies like IBM Corp., Glaxo Smith Kline PLC and Nortel Networks Corp., as well as numerous biotech start-ups, have facilities at the nearby Research Triangle Corporate Park. About 40% of area jobs are in health, education or government, according to Local Market Monitor.

Haywood Davis, owner of a Century 21 real-estate brokerage in Durham, says home-sales volume in the area increased 13% last month over July 2009, though prices rose only slightly."   Read More...

Durham would rank as a retiree Mecca even without Duke University's stellar lifelong-learning program. Residents enjoy four seasons -- but without them being too extreme. Homes are affordable, the area is dotted with golf courses and parkland, and the region is home to a renowned university medical center.

This former tobacco town also is a budding cultural haven. Duke's Nasher Museum of Art has a growing contemporary art collection. Concerts and Broadway hits, such as Billy Elliot and the Lion King, frequently make their way to the newly built 2,800-seat Durham Performing Arts Center.

Duke's 33-year-old senior learning program is one of the largest in the country, with more than 1,500 members. There are 100-plus courses offered every term, covering topics from Introduction to China to Alexander the Great. Plus, because most courses are offered on campus, members can mix with the younger generation in the student center, libraries, and dining halls.    Read More...

  

Check out photos of our Very Cool Homeowners celebrating spring WinStar style.  With Lumpy's Ice Cream, music from Garland Mason, and the best homeowners anywhere, a good time was had by all!   Read More...

WinStar Homes was honored at the 2009 Parade of Homes banquet on Tuesday, October 13, winning both the Gold and Silver awards in the fiercely competitive $294,488-329,899 category.  The gold went to the romantic Savannah Grande, and the silver was awarded to the beautiful Brunswick.  Congratulations WinStar Homes!