GRM Welcomes New Property Manager Lauren Peters

Lauren Peters

Golden Realty & Management welcomes a new broker/property manager, Lauren Peters, to its expert team of real estate professionals. Lauren is a 2010 graduate of North Carolina State University and obtained her NC Real Estate License in 2011. She has five years of property management experience, employing a "hassle-free" approach to ensure both landlord and tenant satisfaction.

"Lauren's approach perfectly aligns with the Golden Realty motto of taking the headaches out of real estate," stated Mike Golden, owner of Golden Realty & Management. "She is a welcome addition to our staff and we believe our clients will enjoy working with her."

A Georgia native, Lauren relocated from Atlanta to Raleigh in 2006 in order to play softball at college. In her spare time, she currently tutors at The Performance Academy in Apex providing softball instruction to young girls aspiring to be college athletes. Lauren enjoys a variety of other interests including traveling, drawing, and photography. She resides with her dog, Griffey, in North Raleigh.

Raleigh 18th Best City in America

Photo credit: Steven R. Eubanks

Bloomberg/Businessweek has just released its 2012 list of America's 50 best cities in which to live, and Raleigh comes in at number 18.

Points were scored for the number of leisure opportunities, quality and number of educational institutions, a positive work economy, low crime stats, and even a good breathing environment.

As the "City of Oaks," it's no surprise that Raleigh fits the last bill for good air. We also do pretty well in the other areas: We have hundreds of unique (non-chain) restaurants and bars, several world-class museums, the best public schools in America, and we're home to several major sports teams such as the Carolina Hurricanes. Furthermore, we're growing by leaps and bounds, thanks to consistent high rankings on "best of" lists. You can see all of Raleigh's recognitions on the City's website.

Be sure to check out Golden Realty & Management if you're thinking of relocating to Raleigh - as local residents and area experts, we may be able to save you time and money with your next home purchase!

GRM Welcomes Tom Rittenhouse, Associate Broker

Tom Rittenhouse

Golden Realty & Management is proud to welcome Tom Rittenhouse to its team of experts. With more than 30 years in the real estate industry, Tom has specialized in the listing and selling of bank-owned and foreclosed properties for the past 14 years.

Tom is a graduate of the Floyd Wickman Real Estate Listing Sweathogs Program, and has worked with Century 21, Coldwell Banker, Premiere Asset Services, and Regions Mortgage and Financial Asset Services. His track record includes marketing and selling an average of 15+ bank-owned/foreclosure properties a year, and he works with the banks/service companies to facilitate the repairs, the BPOs (Broker Price Opinions), and other local real estate agents to get them on the market and sold.

“Tom’s experience and expertise will help us better leverage the foreclosure market for our clients,” according to Mike Golden, owner of Golden Realty & Management. “We’re excited to have him with us.”

A local Triangle resident, Tom currently lives with his wife and daughter in Durham, North Carolina.

10 Steps to Home Ownership for First-Time Buyers

Ready to take the leap into buying your first house, but not sure how to get started or what the process will involve? With Golden Realty & Management, the road to home ownership can be smooth and fun! We’ve compiled a list of what it takes to become a first-time home buyer, from start to finish.

1. Meet with your real estate agent. Ideally, that’s us! We will help you determine the general price range, desired locations, the amenities you want in your new home, and any other needs and wishes you may have.

2. Get prequalified with a lending company. This will give you more leverage as a potential home buyer—in today’s local market, many sellers won’t accept a bid from a potential buyer without prequalification. Furthermore, you will have an exact picture of what you can afford.

3. Look for homes. As your agent, we will be looking for homes for you, but feel free to browse on your own using our free listing service. From these sources, make a list of the top six to ten homes that you would like to see and let us know. We will make arrangements to tour them with you.

4. Narrow the selection. Let us know which homes most pique your interest. We will conduct research and present you with more information about the homes to help you make your final decision.

5. Pick a home and decide on an offer. We will help you determine the best method for submitting your offer and will provide advice regarding amounts and contingencies.

6. Wait while your offer is presented. We will present your offer to the seller through their real estate agent. If they agree to the offer, the closing process can commence. If they don’t agree, they may either refuse or counter the offer, in which case you may counter back. We will advise on the available courses of action during this process.

7.  Begin closing preparations. Once all parties have agreed upon a contract, we prepare all of the paperwork and schedule all of the necessary home inspections, appraisals, attorneys, and any other tasks or inventory necessary for the closing.

8. Do a final walk-through of the property. Close to closing, you can do a final walk-through to confirm that any requested repairs have been completed and the property is ready for transfer of ownership.

9. Flex your fingers, and sign, sign, sign! At the closing meeting, your signature will be requested on many documents in multiple copies, which we will have provided in advance for you to read. After all signatures have been obtained, you will receive the keys to your new home!

10. MOVE IN! And enjoy!

Man Leete, Broker/Realtor® and Acreage Specialist Joins Golden Realty & Management

 

Man, his wife Diana,
and kids Abram and Jenna

Raleigh, NC — July 9, 2012 — Golden Realty & Management, a full-service real estate company, welcomes Man Leete to its team of experts. Man is a North Carolina native with more than ten years of experience as a real estate agent, specializing in homes with land, farms/acreage, vacant commercial land, and new construction/Energy Star-certified homes.

Prior to joining Golden Realty, Man worked for Coldwell Banker Howard Perry and Walston, and Century 21 Vicki Berry Realty where he represented clients throughout the greater Triangle area. At Century 21 he achieved several accomplishments, including setting records for the largest sale and the greatest number of high sales—outperforming more than 100 agents.

Man received his agent and broker license from the North Carolina Real Estate Commission after 11 years in the textiles industry. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Textile and Apparel Management from North Carolina State University. He is also a private pilot.

“We’re excited to have Man on our team,” says Mike Golden, owner of Golden Realty & Management. “His local land and acreage contacts and real estate experience will allow us to provide more options and value to our clients.”

Happy Fathers Day!

Free Apps for Triangle Home Hunters

Are you looking for a home to rent or buy in the Triangle? If you have a smart phone, there are lots of free apps available to help you with your search! Here are our recommendations:

• Weather – The Weather Channel – Dress comfortably for your hunting excursions - check the current temps in any Triangle city or an hourly, 36-hour, or 10-day forecast. Includes radar maps!

• Real estate finders – Plot your route - Zillow, Trulia, and Realtor.com all have free apps that let you find properties for sale and rent and tons of features to help narrow your search.

• House info - A new app called HomeSnap lets you take a picture of a house while you're out and about, and get instant details like whether or not it's for sale, the price, square footage, and lots more.

Richard Bowen Jr. of Golden Realty & Management Awarded CCIM Designation

Richard N. Bowen, Jr.

Raleigh, NC — May 6, 2012 — Golden Realty & Management, a full-service real estate company, is proud to announce that Richard N. Bowen Jr., Director of Commercial Sales, has been awarded the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) designation by the CCIM Institute, one of the world’s leading commercial real estate associations.

Richard received the award on April 25, 2012 in Kansas City, Missouri, after completing and passing an intensive, graduate-level education program focusing on the cornerstones of commercial investment real estate. As a CCIM, Richard is recognized as an expert in commercial real estate brokerage, leasing, asset management, valuation, and investment analysis. CCIMs also have access to a wide array of valuable online resources, such as mapping, demographic, and other analytical tools, and are able to market properties through CCIMNet, a national commercial property exchange.

Golden Realty & Management to Sponsor Shop Local Raleigh’s Brewgaloo 2012

Raleigh, NC — April 9, 2012 — Golden Realty & Management, a full-service real estate company, is proud to be a Mug Club sponsor of Brewgaloo 2012, a local craft beer festival presented by Shop Local Raleigh.

Brewgaloo will highlight local craft beer breweries, with local food trucks serving food and local bands providing entertainment for guests. The event will be held Saturday, April 28 in Raleigh City Plaza. Brewgaloo patrons will sample craft beer from local breweries such as Aviator, Natty Greene’s, Big Boss, Bull City, and many more. “Beer bucks,” or tickets, will be used as currency with brews sold in 3 oz. and pint sizes. Mug Club sponsors of the event have their logos visible on unbreakable pint glasses, which will be distributed free to patrons with a valid form of identification.

Golden Realty & Management Joins Greater Raleigh Merchants Association and Shop Local Raleigh

Raleigh, NC — March 22, 2012 — Golden Realty & Management, a full-service real estate company, has joined the Greater Raleigh Merchants Association (GRMA) and Shop Local Raleigh.

Established in 1940, GRMA is a non-profit organization that promotes an environment of communication, cooperation, and support for local businesses. An advocate for small businesses with the Raleigh City Council and Wake County Commission, GRMA stays abreast of issues and helps to negotiate and regulate laws that affect its members. Shop Local Raleigh is a GRMA movement designed to create public awareness about the benefits of patronizing local, independently owned businesses, and maintains a directory of local members spanning many industries.