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The Breeze in Raleigh Real Estate

Place For You and Your Pets to Visit

August 9th, 2008 11:02 AM

I heard today that Tavolla Rossa, a nice Italian Resturant near Crabtree Mall, welcomes dogs and their people on their patio every Sunday at 5 pm. They will be donating a portion of the proceeds to the Wake SPCA. www.tavolarossa.com for more information!

Posted by Louise Griffin on August 9th, 2008 11:02 AMPost a Comment (0)

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Mortgage Closing Costs Low in NC

August 9th, 2008 11:00 AM

I read this today in the N&O and thought it might be of use to you!

North Carolina is the least expensive state for mortgage closing costs, according to a study released this week by Bankrate.com. The state unseated Indiana, last year's winner, for the honor.

Mortgage closing costs -- which can include lawyers' fees, title insurance and various taxes -- averaged $2,650 in North Carolina, compared to a national average of $3,118.

Posted by Louise Griffin on August 9th, 2008 11:00 AMPost a Comment (0)

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Visit Louise at Raleigh's Earth Day Celebration

April 17th, 2008 3:03 PM

Location: NC Museum of Natural Sciences

Date: Saturday April 19th, 2008
Time: 11 am-7 pm

Visit Louise and learn about Green building at the Green Home Builder's of the Triangle booth (Louise will be there 3-7 pm).

Burt’s Bees presents the 1st Annual Planet Earth Celebration, a fun-filled, interactive experience that will bring together our community to celebrate our planet while learning practical ways individuals can help make our local and global environment healthy. Held on the grounds of the Museum of Natural Sciences, it will be an engaging spring afternoon in downtown Raleigh with:

– Performances by the Junk Music Man (plays over 200 pieces of trash!)
– The 8th Annual Sustainable Design Competition
– Presentation by speakers from Al Gore’s Climate Registry
– A Burt’s Bees mobile tour experience and warehouse gift sale
– Local bands play throughout the day
– Kids activities with the Scrap Exchange
– Downtown restaurants with local cuisine
– Nearly 50 local businesses and non-profits share goods and services

This is a green festival, managed and operated in a way that will minimize our footprint, and optimize use of goods and services that respect the Earth.

Posted by Louise Griffin on April 17th, 2008 3:03 PMPost a Comment (0)

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Just Listed! 3402 Lake Boone Trail Raleigh, NC 27607

March 14th, 2008 10:50 AM

$1,075,000.00
3402 Lake Boone Trail

Raleigh, NC 27607

Beds: 4.0	Rooms: 4
Baths: 3.00	Sq. Ft.: 4368.00
Garage: 0	Built: 2007

This is a new listing that
I thought you might be
interested in. Visit this
listing online to see more
photos of the property,
Google Earth satellite
images, and much more.

If you have any questions
about this property or
require more information,
please feel free to call.

Louise Griffin
Louise Griffin - RE/MAX United
919-796-3470
www.breezewithlouise.com

Visit this listing at Here

Posted by Louise Griffin on March 14th, 2008 10:50 AMPost a Comment (0)

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A virus for Valentine's?

February 13th, 2008 3:08 PM

Information safety is important in my profession. After I read that some Valentine's email cards might contain viruses, I received this information on checking your attachments for free over the internet and thought it might help you.

Have a Suspicious File? Check it Here: www.virustotal.com you receive a file attached to your e-mail recently? Be suspicious even if it's from a friend. There's a lot of nasty stuff out there. Here's an on-line service that will check those e-mail files your not quite sure of.

These folks analyze suspicious files and detect viruses, worms, trojans, and all kinds of malware by running them through over 30 top anti virus and malware checking programs maintained on their web site with real-time automatic updates of virus signatures.

Use of this service is on the house -- pretty good considering that this was honored by PC World Magazine as one of the 2007's one hundred best products of year in the Web Site Security category.

Posted by Louise Griffin on February 13th, 2008 3:08 PMPost a Comment (0)

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City Certified Car Washes

February 12th, 2008 10:59 PM

As you've probably heard, the city of Raleigh has implemented Stage Two water restrictions, effective Feb. 15. Below is a list of city certified car washes that may remain in operation. Some of you have asked why the city of Cary does not have the same restrictions, and it is because they have a different water supply. However, no matter where you live, conservation is the word of the day. Please email me at louise@breezewithlouise.com if you would like a copy of the entire Stage Two restrictions.

The following is a list of car washes the City has certified as in compliance with its water conservation requirements. These facilities may continue operating when Stage 2 measures are enacted:

American Pride - Atlantic Ave. American Pride - Brier Creek American Pride - Capital Blvd American Pride - Hwy. 70 American Pride - Knightdale

American Pride - Millbrook Road American Pride - Wake Forest Auto Bell - Hwy 70/Garner Auto Bell - Knightdale/Hwy. 64 Auto Bell - Millbrook Rd

Auto Bell - TW Alexander Auto Pride Car Wash - Edwards Mill Auto Pride Carwash - Hwy 401 Autowash Express - Signet Rd

Autowash Express - Six Forks Rd Big B's Carwash – Wendell Bunky's Carwash - Glenwood Ave. Capital Car Care - Greywood Rd

Circle K - 11700 New Leesville Rd Circle K - 3600 Lake Boone Trail Family Carwash - Western Blvd. Fast Lube Plus - Benson Hwy.

Han Dee Hugos - 10100 Leesville Han Dee Hugos - 10550 Durant Han Dee Hugos - 220 Six Forks Han Dee Hugos - 3220 Duraleigh Rd

Han Dee Hugos - 3611 Hillsborough Han Dee Hugos - 5101 Capital Blvd Han Dee Hugos - 7540 Creedmoor Rd. Han Dee Hugos - 800 New Hope Rd

Han Dee Hugos - Gorman Street Kangaroo Gas - Lake Boone Trail Mr. Carwash Auto Spa Northridge Auto Spa - Sandy Forks Rd

Oasis Carwash - New Bern Ave. Poole Rd. Carwash - 3405 Poole Rd Popes Carwash - Corporation Dr .

Prestige Auto Spa - New Falls of the Neuse Rolesville Carwash - Main Street Shell - EP Gas - 7604 Hwy 64

Sparkling Clean Carwash - Pleasant Valley Rd. Sudz Carwash - Peace Street Supreme Car Wash - Hwy. 70 Garner

Wake Forest Auto Spa - US 1

Posted by Louise Griffin on February 12th, 2008 10:59 PMPost a Comment (0)

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Who is YOUR celebrity neighbor???

September 26th, 2007 2:39 PM

Loved this article...I can't promise you Oprah but I will find you a great home in the Raleigh area!!!

Next-Door Celebrity Neighbors
by Broderick Perkins

Oprah's the girl next door?

An Elvis sighting in the neighbor's backyard?

"The Donald's" limo parked outside?

You wish, apparently.

When Tallahassee, FL-based real estate magazine publisher Homes & Land (H&L) took the slow housing market as an opportunity to Hollywood-up it's marketing, it discovered Oprah Winfrey, Elvis Presley and Donald Trump were the most sought after next-door celebrity neighbor.

In your American Dreams.

H&L culled from callers to its "Homeline" telephone service center, a survey of thousands, each asked to name the celebrity they'd most like to have as their backyard fence mate -- dead or alive.

Overall, after Winfrey, Presley and Trump came John Wayne; Tiger Woods; George Clooney; Paris Hilton and Dolly Parton in a tie (wouldn't that cause a neighborhood uprising); another tie with John Travolta, Denzel Washington, Clint Eastwood and Bill Gates; Pamela Anderson; the most appropriate tie -- Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie; tie, Tom Selleck and Julia Roberts; tie, Tom Cruise, Kevin Costner and Mel Gibson; tie, Bruce Willis and Martha Stewart (when he destroys the block, she'll tidy up); tie, Robert De Niro, Warren Buffet, Frank Sinatra and Princess Diana (Frances); tie, Jennifer Lopez, Kenny Chesney and Richard Gere; tie, Hugh Hefner and Jack Nicholson (Viagra flows in the streets); Jennifer Aniston and Al Pacino.

H&L found when it asked for "celebrity" neighbors most of those polled chose movie stars as opposed to sports heroes, music makers or others in the public eye. Tiger Woods, for instance, was the only athlete to make an appearance on the top 20 list.

Winfrey and Washington, were the only African Americans in the top 20, which was dominated by white celebrities. Woods is interracial and considers himself "Cablinasian," a portmanteau he coined from his Caucasian, Black, American-Indian, and Asian ancestry.

Five singers topped the charts including Presley, Parton, Chesney, Sinatra and singer-actress Lopez, the only Latino in the group. There were no Asian entries.

Women wanted more celebrity women next door than male celebrities and chose Winfrey, Hilton, Parton, Travolta and Clooney as their top five.

Men chose all men, Presley, Wayne, Trump, Woods and Gates, as their top most sought after next door neighbor? Bonding, apparently, was more attractive to them than the opposite sex.

Pulling anecdotal comments out of the poll, H&L found that many of the men who did want Anderson next-door claimed they'd "have a nice view from my window."

They don't call them Andersen Windows for nothing.

However, one 50-something voter from California claimed he wanted to live next-door to the Bay Watch Babe because he "liked her politics."

He likely lives in the Central Valley's agricultural region where lots of packaged nuts are produced.

Elsewhere in the poll, Anderson, De Niro and Pacino received only male votes. Princess Diana and Gere had all female votes.

Most sought-after next door celebrity neighbors ranked by age group included:

Twenty-somethings. Women chose, Reese Witherspoon, Usher and Johnny Depp. Men opted for Tyra Banks, Beyonce Knowles and Jim Carey.
Thirty-somethings. Women chose Queen Latifah, Rachael Ray and Tyra Banks. Men? Ozzie Osbourne, Eva Longoria and Scarlett Johansson.
After leaving their 30s, men appeared to lose interest in having celebrity women next door.
Forty-somethings. For women it was Matthew McConaughey and Dr. Phil (McGraw). Men chose Jon Bon Jovi and Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Fifty-somethings. Women wanted Sean Connery, Ellen Degeneres and Harrison Ford next door. Men opted for Alan Jackson, Ernest Hemingway, and Sylvester Stallone.
Sixty-somethings. Women selected Richard Gere, Barbara Streisand and Eleanor Roosevelt. For men it was Winston Churchill, Joe Dimaggio, Mohammed Ali and Sophia Loren. Good for her.
Seventy-somethings. Paul Newman, Barbara Streisand and Bob Barker were women's choices. Mickey Mantle, Roy Rogers and Jay Leno did it for men.
Eighty-somethings. Women wanted Jay Leno and Bill Graham. Men pined for Chris Matthews and Roy Rogers.

Published: September 26, 2007

Posted by Louise Griffin on September 26th, 2007 2:39 PMPost a Comment (0)

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Water Conservation Tips

August 29th, 2007 8:51 AM

There's lots of confusion over the new Raleigh regulations for watering. The new rules are not yet posted in electronic form, to help us clairfy watering restrictions for lawns, gardens, etc. In the meantime, for some overall tips on how to save water, here are some (generally) easy tips from California (they are used to dealing with H2O shortages):

California Water Tips

Posted by Louise Griffin on August 29th, 2007 8:51 AMPost a Comment (0)

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Great Grocery News

August 9th, 2007 9:58 AM

It may be hot but this is cool news for those of us who live or work inside the beltline....come out and support them!!!

Saturday August 11th from 11 am – 6 pm Capital City Grocery is having its Grand Opening celebration!

There will be live music, local farmers demonstrating their products, Alex’s Lemonade to support childhood cancer, and the NC department of Agriculture Market Basket (oh by the way it towers over our porch).

All day purveyors will be sampling their products, everything from local meat on the grill, local and imported wine and beer, locally roasted coffees, in-house prepared meals, and much much more.

This will be a great opportunity to enjoy a snack on the porch and take a look at the interesting and tasty products and services Capital City Grocery has to offer.

Click here for a map to Capital City Grocery.

Capital City Grocery
10 W. Franklin Street
Raleigh, NC 27604
(919) 833-7096

Posted by Louise Griffin on August 9th, 2007 9:58 AMPost a Comment (0)

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Yes, it's hot

August 9th, 2007 8:13 AM

Well...we ARE in the South. This is the weather that makes us all appreciate that we live somewhere with a FOUR season climate...soon it will be fall. However in the meantime, for the sake of saving money, and to help the environment, here are some tips from Progress Energy to save you money on your utilities:

Save electricity

Progress Energy suggests these tips for conserving electricity and helping utility companies keep up with demand:

* Turn off unnecessary lights and avoid using dishwashers, washing machines and dryers and doing other chores involving electrical equipment until after 9 p.m. when customer demand usually subsides.

* For central air conditioning systems, keep the fan switch on your thermostat in the "auto" position when cooling. This gives you better cooling and humidity control. Having the fan switch "on" continuously could cost an extra $25 a month on your electric bill.

* Set the thermostat a little higher. Most people can be comfortable with a setting of 78-80 degrees Fahrenheit, plus you'll save up to 7 percent of your cooling costs for each degree above 78.

* Use a ceiling fan or portable fan to supplement your air conditioning. A fan can make you feel three to four degrees cooler (and only costs a half-cent per hour to operate) so you can set your thermostat a few degrees higher and save on cooling costs.

* When you leave home, turn off the ceiling fans and set the thermostat up a few degrees.

* Clean or change your filters monthly. Dirty filters can increase operating costs by 20 percent. Don't block registers and vents with furniture or drapes.

* Close blinds, drapes and shades during the hottest part of the day. This keeps the sun's rays from heating your home.

* Use your microwave oven to cook food. Microwaves use less than one-half the power of conventional ovens, and they don't heat up your kitchen.

* Caulk, seal and weatherstrip all openings from your home to the outside. Eliminating air leaks in your home can save you up to 10 percent in energy costs.

Posted by Louise Griffin on August 9th, 2007 8:13 AMPost a Comment (0)

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