It was nice to see the Triangle area generate some buzz recently in an article New York magazine wrote about a perfect weekend in North Carolina. You can read the article called Bypass Barbecue in North Carolina here.

The Durham Farmer's Market

The Farmers’ markets in the area are especially attractive to visitors and locals with the Triangle area fast becoming a foodie heaven.  Durham Farmers’ market in Durham Central Park is a must-do.

The peaceful area surrounding the creek pictured to the right is one of my very special places.  My wife and I are fortunate to have some untouched land in Elkin, NC  that is bordered on two sides by beautiful creeks.  On the north side, Grassy Creek separates our land from that of  the Elkin Creek Vineyard. Looking across to the hillside provides a wonderful view of their vineyard and ever expanding plantings of grapevines. Following the perimeter of the property and the creek west and then southwest brings you to the spot Grassy Creek flows into the Big Elkin Creek…….a spot we call “Where Two Creeks Meet”.

Continuing to trace the perimeter of the property, but now following the Big Elkin Creek south for about 200 yards will bring you to my favorite spot.   You can hear the rapids of the water flowing over the rocks, birds near and far, and absolutely nothing else! When looking around, you are completely surrounded by nature, facing a mountain with huge boulders jutting off the rugged profile.  It rises up 200 feet or more, and is covered with mountain laurel and rhododendron.   You would swear you were in the middle of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The solitude of my special place brings me great joy, and I go there to hike around  and get lost in the natural sights and sounds as often as possible.

Elkin and the Yadkin Valley Wine Region have many wonderful homes, vineyards, tracts of land and unique properties.  In the current economy, they are more affordable than ever before.  I would be honored to help you search and find your special place.

Perfect for Valentine's Day: Roses from Chapel Hill's Purple Puddle on Elliott Road

Of course Valentine’s Day is the perfect day to express your love to that special someone. The typical Valentine’s Day date in Chapel Hill will probably feature flowers and dinner. Two favorite restaurants for such an occasion in Chapel Hill are: Carolina Crossroads Restaurant at the Carolina Inn and Elaine’s on Franklin.

While the braised pork Osso Busso with Bourbon Cider Jus at the Crossroads and Elaine’s truffled cauliflower soup 
w/ a floating grilled cheese sandwich 
of parma prosciutto & Italian truffle cheese are both mouthwatering demonstrations of your commitment to your Valentine, a love nest might just seal the bond.

Make this Valentine’s Day a day to remember with a tour of these exceptional Chapel Hill one-bedroom condos. Contact Allen Lyles to make it happen.

Chapel Hill Condo - Barbee Chapel Road

Chapel Hill Condo Meadowmont Village

Chapel Hill Condo Environ Way: One-bedroom

To begin, we’d like to offer the observation that while personal service remains priceless in our rapidly changing real estate environment, embracing the latest technological advances is also critical to ensure that the best opportunities can be seized.

As part of our commitment to this type of innovation, we are quite proud to be the first North Carolina real estate firm to bring you the search capabilities of Carolina Data Share (CDS). North Carolina’s six largest real estate Multiple Listing Services from the mountains to the coast have launched a program to share listing information for display on brokerage websites. CDS aggregates Multiple Listing Service (MLS) listing information into a single database creating the largest selection of active real-estate listing information available in our state. As a Buyer, you benefit by having access to the most comprehensive source of listings, and as a seller, you will enjoy the widest possible exposure for your property with the ability to be advertised on REALTOR® web sites across North Carolina.

The MLSs actively involved in the CDS project are:

• Brunswick County Association of Realtors® (Brunswick, Bladen & Columbus counties)
• Carolina Multiple Listing Services, Inc. (Charlotte-Metro area)
• NC Mountains MLS (Asheville, Brevard, Hendersonville & Waynesville Metro areas)
• Triad MLS, Inc. (Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point Metro areas)
• Triangle MLS, Inc. (Wake, Durham, Johnston, Orange, & portions of 12 other NC counties)
• Wilmington Association of Realtors® (Wilmington area)

Additional MLSs will be added throughout 2010.

So, to check out over 100,000 real estate listings from the North Carolina Mountains to Wilmington area beaches, just visit our website, www.DreamMakerPropertiesLLC.com. On the right side of any page (including this one!), you will see a map of North Carolina with a hot link above that says “Search NC Mountains to Coast”. Simply click this link and a map will appear where you can refine your search to the area and type of property you are seeking. You can also save your searches, email listings to friends and family, and create a Favorites folder to return to as you wish.

We’d love to hear what you think, so please post your comments and let us know how we can help. Happy property hunting!