NCAR News

NC Gets $15M to Help Small Businesses
North Carolina has received $15.2 million in its second round of funding from the U.S. Department of Treasury State Small Business Credit Initiative, according to a news release issued by Gov. Beverly Perdue’s office. The initiative makes capital available for small businesses throughout North Carolina.
Read more.

North Carolina Ranked Seventh for Total Income Growth
When it comes to personal income growth, North Carolina ranked seventh in the nation during the second quarter, according to a recent report drawing from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis' data. Texas ranked No. 1.
Read more.

Raleigh, Charlotte Among ‘U.S. Markets to Watch’
The Urban Land Institute’s recent “Emerging Trends in Real Estate Forecast” report ranked Raleigh No. 11 and Charlotte No. 17 for the top U.S. markets to watch in 2013. The No. 1 market to keep an eye on: San Francisco.
Read more. 


Big News You Don’t Want to Miss: RPR Launches to All REALTORS® November 1
Realtors Property Resource® (RPR®) is pleased to announce that beginning on November 1, 2012, the RPR member benefit will be available to ALL REALTORS® across the country. If you haven’t heard of RPR, it’s a national property database from NAR designed to provide REALTORS® with advanced technology tools and features that can be utilized to provide your clients and customers with dynamic reports and analytics which can assist them in making better-informed decisions when buying or selling properties.
For an overview of the power of RPR and information on how to access it, NAR is hosting a webinar on Thursday October 25, 2012.  To register for this webinar, click here. 

For additional information on RPR, click here.

NAR Commercial News

EDUCATION
Commercial Intelligence Briefing: Avoiding Litigation In Leases
In the newest NAR Commercial Intelligence Briefing podcast, attorney Jim Hochmanm, a NAR Signature Series Speaker, discusses the anatomy of a lease, avoiding litigation and more. As a partner at Coman & Anderson, Mr. Hochman represents many commercial real estate brokerage firms, receivers, landlords, tenants, and real estate investors by assisting in commercial and residential real estate transactions.

LEGISLATIVE
EPA Lead Paint Rulemaking: Delayed Three Years
The Environmental Protection Agency has further delayed its plans to propose and then finalize a Lead Renovation Repair and Painting (LRRP) rule for potential lead-based paint hazards in commercial and public buildings. Read The Source blog for details on NAR’s efforts thus far, including letters to EPA and oversight from the Hill which have resulted in a significant delay in EPA’s issuance of new regulations.

TECHNOLOGY
LinkedIn Gives Company Pages a Facelift
LinkedIn is rolling out a major redesign for the 2 million Company Pages on the popular professional networking site. That means business owners will have additional ways to market their brands, and connect with clients and partners, according to LinkedIn. When was the last time you updated your profile? LinkedIn is your digital resume – be sure your profile represents who you are, the skills you bring to the table, and a history of your experience in the commercial real estate industry.

RESEARCH
Commercial Real Estate Prices Rising
At least in regards to prime commercial real estate properties, prices have been making a very nice recovery. Commercial real estate prices in September were up 6.2 percent from one year ago, and are now very close to the peak prices achieved in 2007. NAR’s Chief Economist Lawrence Yun delves deeper into what this means for the industry in NAR’s Economist Outlook Blog.

EVENTS
REALTOR® Annual Conference & Expo
Are you aware of all the great commercial sessions & activities planned for this year’s event? Highlights include the Commercial Caffeinated Networking Breakfast, Commercial Red Carpet Reception, Commercial Block at the Expo, and Education sessions on 1031 Exchanges, Abandoned Property, Financial Analysis and more! There is still time to register and attend – we look forward to meeting you there! Helpful Tip: Use the Conference Scheduler to plan your entire conference experience.

Big News You Don’t Want to Miss: RPR Launches to All REALTORS® November 1

Realtors Property Resource® (RPR®) is pleased to announce that beginning on November 1, 2012, the RPR member benefit will be available to ALL REALTORS® across the country. If you haven’t heard of RPR, it’s a national property database from NAR designed to provide REALTORS® with advanced technology tools and features that can be utilized to provide your clients and customers with dynamic reports and analytics which can assist them in making better-informed decisions when buying or selling properties.

For an overview of the power of RPR and information on how to access it, NAR is hosting a webinar on Thursday October 25, 2012.  To register for this webinar, click here. 
 
For additional information on RPR, click here.

Voter Registration and One-Stop Absentee Voting

October 12th was the last day to register to vote in person on Election Day.  However, if you missed the registration deadline, you may register in person and then vote at a one-stop absentee voting site in your county of residence, during the one-stop absentee voting period, which will be Oct. 18-Nov. 3. To register and vote under this statutory provision, you must:

1. Sign and complete a voter registration form, attesting that the person meets each eligibility requirement under law. Such attestation is signed under penalty of a Class I felony.
2. Provide proof of residence by presenting a document which shows the person's name and current address in the County.

Acceptable identification includes: a North Carolina drivers license; a photo identification from a government agency; or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck, or other government document. 

Click this link for a full list of acceptable documents.

Click here to find one-stop voting sites in your county.

The Real Facts of N.C. Real Estate

Economy

The accolades for North Carolina just keep coming.

The Greensboro­/High Point area and Asheville were recently
named among the best metros for job prospects this fall.

Meanwhile, Durham was named for having one of the
healthiest economies, Raleigh was named the No. 1 market
for retail job growth, and Charlotte was named among the
most popular relocation destinations.

In September, the unemployment rate in the United
States fell to 7.8 percent, which marks the first time the rate
has fallen below 8 percent in nearly four years.

In September, consumer confidence surged to the highest
level since February, a sign that Americans are feeling better
about the economy

The City of Raleigh is kicking off the Blount St.- Person St. Corridor Study with a public meeting Monday, October 22nd at the AIA Headquarters, located at 14 E. Peace St.

Registration begins at 6:30 pm, with the meeting lasting from 7-8:30 pm.

The corridor study will focus on and identify multi-modal transportation and streetscape design options and programmatic strategies to improve the corridors, with a particular focus on how transportation and streetscape strategies impact placemaking and economic development. This first meeting will focus on the community's view of the corridors as they currently exist, and their vision for what they could be in the future.

For more information, and to sign up for regular Corridor Study emails, please visit the project website

Sir Walter Raleigh Awards

Come out and celebrate 30 years of design excellence at the Sir Walter Raleigh Awards, October 9, 2012 

at the Nature Research Center, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, 121 West Jones Street, Raleigh.
Reception and refreshments begin at 6:00 p.m. and the award ceremonies begin at 7:00 p.m.
The guest speaker this year is Jim Goodman, President of Capitol Broadcasting Corporation.
RSVP today to rotonda.mckoy@raleighnc.gov