Every October: NC State Fair

Crisp apples, brisk fall air, the leaves are starting to turn...these are the things of FALL. One of the great things to do every fall in the Triangle area is go to the State Fair. I grew up in NH and was raised on an annual agricultural fair. Every Labor Day week my grandparent's home town hosted a big agricultural fair that brought tons of folks to their sleepy town.  I have fond memories of my 
grandparents entering their roses 
and winning ribbons.

 Now my family has started it's own tradition and there is hardly a fall that passes that we don't get on down to the State fair.

The NC State Fair pulls 800,000 attendees during the 10 days it is open.  It has been going on for almost 150 yrs.

 I love the garden competitions.

 The FOOD!!!!!!

Every year it seem that there is a contest for the grossest combination

  

THE ANIMALS
 & the smells!

  


THE RIDES

So what is it about the NC State Fair that pulls so many people? Is it the rides? Is it the food? The animals or the smells? Or is it the people watching? Personally I love it ALL!



NC State Fair

Accessible Home & a Love Story

Dual roll under sinks

    Every fall, Wake county has the Parade of Homes where the builders put out there very best examples of their work for the public to come out and see. The homes are judged by the Home Builders Association and win prizes. The majority of these homes are for sale (95%). This fall there was a very unique & beautiful home that was featured on the Parade. This home was not for sale, in fact it was built specifically for a couple with unique needs. This home was not your average home in that it was valued at 2.5 million dollars. It also was not just an average home because it had an amazing story behind it.




Through my coworkers at Go Realty, I was  lucky enough to meet the owners and learn the heart warming  story behind the home. Because of my specializing in accessible homes they knew I would want to meet them. The home was built for Shane and Jennifer who both have Cerebral Palsy from birth. Shane uses cruches to help him walk and Jennifer does not need canes but still has her struggles. The home was build & designed with many Universal Design elements in mind. There is an elevator from the 1st to the 2nd floor. The doorways are at least 36 inches wide. The halls are extra wide. In the master bath room there are roll under sinks and a roll in shower.

                         

               Built in bench & hand held shower head

Zero threshold roll in shower

 There are several zero step entries into the home. There is a ramp outside from the screened in porch out to the pool. All the rugs are recessed into the hardwood floor to prevent trip hazards. In all my years of specializing in accessible homes, I had never seen this! The hardware throughout the house is the easy grab and lever type. The tub in the master is an air tub rather than a whirl pool Jacuzzi type because it is healthier to circulate air rather than old water that remains in the tubing inside the tube. Not much was over looked.

                                       

Inlaid or recessed rug into hardwoods

   So back to the heart warming story behind the house. It was actually Shane's  dad who built the house for them. Shane and Jennifer have only been married one year. They met in church.  Having both grown up with CP, they had alot in common, they connected and fell in love.

   It is true that not many newly weds get such an amazing gift of a 2.5 million dollar home built specifically for their needs. Shane is an only child and his dad who was a high school drop out and had a sever stuttering problem built a printing empire and sold the company for an amazing profit. He wanted to give something of meaning to his son & daughter in law. What better than a custom home? Home is where the heart is!


There is one more twist to this love story. Jennifer had been a special ed teacher in Wake county for many years. She also has always loved dance and grew up taking lessons  and performing despite her  disability and how it impacted her mobility or maybe because of it. She now would like to teach special needs children to dance and there is a studio in her new home where she can do just that!

Honored by an article in my local paper

I am honored and tickled pink that there was an article written in my local paper about my niche in real estate and what I do. The title is "No barriers to a dream home".  My mission is be of serve to the WHOLE disability and "aging in place" community. Hopefully the article will bring more business my way but as quoted in the article, "It's very rewarding; it's not about the money. It's more about helping people find the right home that's going to work for them."

This is a link to the article.

Cary News article

 I do, what I do because it comes from my heart. I have always been around people of "different abilities". My sister was born deaf and due to the effects of Rubella she was more fragile than most kids plus she could not speak their language. When she died in 1983. After this, I threw myself into work in the Deaf community. I learned to respect their culture and love ASL, their language. It is sad to admit, but my signing skills improved  after she died. It was because of the immersion. I was the best signer in my family but when I went to her school ( Austine School for the Deaf), I have vivid memories of saying to her friends "Say it again, slowly". Immersing yourself in a culture teaches you quickly. I owe a lot of who I am today to my sister Susan and my experiences growing up with her.

Susan, in some way, prepared me to be Joshua's mom (my youngest son). Joshua has autism. He is high functioning and fully included in school, but he will always struggle with his autism, social things and emotions. There have been times in his life when he exhibited classic autism: not talking till the age of 4 1/2, flapping his hands, biting himself, talking to himself with rote scripts, ect. Because of inclusion, he has done very well. He has incredible gifts to share. He is very gregarious for someone with autism and the kids in school genuinely like him. He is not afraid to stand up in front of a crowd and do his thing. You should have seen him at his poetry slam at school last year. He ROCKED the house.

Yes I am a proud mom.

Albert Einstein once said, "Everyone is a genius. If you judge a fish on it's ability to climb a tree, it will live it's whole life believing it is stupid." I love this quote.

I do what I love: helping people and being of service in my community. It just happens to be focused in real estate.  It seems to have served me well....ten fold.

Letter of Recomendation

When someone takes the time to write an incredibly glowing letter of recommdnation for you and you feel so honored by it, you just have to share it. Thank you Jerry. I am flattered and honored.

                                                                    112 Country Club Drive

                                                                    Monroe Twp., N.J. 08831

                                                                    September 20th, 2011

                                                                    Cell# 732-261-6555;Home#732-521-5043

Mrs. Karen Barbour

Go Realty

123 Weston Parkway

Cary, N.C. 27513

Cell# 919-931-1939

Re: Letter of Recommendation for Superb Assistance

Dear Karen:

        Sharon and I were overwhelmed  with your sincerity, knowledge of the Cary/Chapel Hill/Apex housing market, unselfish time devoted to house hunting for 3 1/2 days,contacts to whom you introduced us, dinners at expensive restaurants you expensed to your personal credit card, and driving us throughout the area to obtain a first hand impression. We have dealt with dozens of real estate agents during our 45 years of marriage in home purchases, and, no real estate adviser could even match your devotion to client needs; to paraphrase a financial term, "you ability is certainly over the top"!

    

  When I e-mailed your informative website on July 12th, citing a "Special Needs Trained Real Estate Agent" because of Sharon's spinal cord injury, you replied the next day with an informative e-mail. During the ensuing two months until we drove to Cary on September 14th, you mailed detailed brochures of the local area, e-mailed pictures of at least 75 plus homes which met our financial criteria as well as Sharon's requirements for a ranch home with no steps, initiated and promptly returned dozens of phone calls, and specially allocated three days to visit homes(and not being present in your office for sales leads). There was no expectation of a commitment to bid on a home by us; rather you unselfishly drove us to various communities, toured Chapel Hill for an extensive time, called individuals whom promptly called back to answer our many questions, and provided any data we requested.

    As you are aware, we are serious about bidding for a terrific home in Carolina Preserve which is a resale of 5 years, priced within our financial parameters. It meets all of our requirements and is in "move in condition". I have discussed my potential move to Cary with the V.P. of my firm, since I have to continue working. After she receives an answer from senior management, I will discuss an opening bid with you, if allowed to relocate with my firm.

     When we often sought your opinion of a specific house, you stated repeatedly "You should be comfortable with the financial commitment required and enjoy your surroundings". Never once did you worry about commissions that might be bypassed if we did not bid on a house you visited with us. This attitude is exemplary and why I was as enthusiastic when interviewed by Jennifer of the Cary newspaper on Friday, September 15th in Apex.

Jennifer was overwhelmed with my praise of your ability, and never expected such as laudatory interview from a prospective client. However, you deserved all the accolades, and hopefully, will be featured in the "Home News": section shortly.

     Please cite this letter to future prospective clients for whom you will assist in a home purchase. They can be relocating "Yankees" (although I am proud to be an Akron, Ohio Midwesterner by birth and college education),  local retirees, young families upgrading, or "Special Needs' clients for whom you can readily assist in their housing requirements. My cell and home numbers are cited on top of this letter, namely, Cell # 732-261-6555, and Home # 732-521-5043. They can call anytime, and I will provide them with frank answers including impressions about the area, homes, restaurants, taxes, utility costs, etc.

     Most important for any prospective client is THE INTEGRITY OF THE REAL ESTATE AGENT for which you are nonpareil (defined in Webster's dictionary as "an individual of unequaled excellence") -Karen, you personify this trait and MORE!

                                                                                        Sincerely,

                                                                                        Jerry Meyers 

Cary Pines : Why I love my neighborhood

I have lived in Cary Pines subdivision for 15 years and I love where I live! Here are ten reasons why.

1. Our homes hold their value and are easy to sell

With in the last 2 years 80% of the homes sold within 2 months or less. That is pretty spectacular.

2. We're in a wonderful location (Great commuter location to RTP, I 40, & down town Raleigh)

3. We're a 10-15 min drive to the RDU but we’re not in the flight path

4. We're walking distance to the Cary Dog Park (bow wow)

 

5. We're walking distance to Godbold Park and Cary’s Skate Park

6. There are 3 different grocery stores within a mile of our subdivision

7. Incredible neighborhood schools

8. There is a wonderful Greenway behind our subdivision

9.  Low crime & concerned neighbors who look out for each other

10.  Target is Coming! (less than 2 miles away!)

By the way we are also on Facebook!

Moving to Cary or to Wake county with a child with a developmental disability?

 Are you planning on moving to Cary, NC and you have a child with developmental disabilities? I am the Realtor for you! My youngest son has autism and we have been in the Wake county school system since preschool. I can tell you all the good, bad & ugly. Luckily there has been very little ugly and we have been very happy with the Wake county schools that Josh has attended. He is in middle school now and doing very well!  I think I was more nervous about the transition than he was.

  I can only give you specifics about the school we have attended & I can lead you to resources about other schools. Believe me when I tell you talking to "other parents" will be your best resources. A wise early interventionist told me that and she was right.

  Another great tip is ALWAYS do a "positive student profile" for each IEP and ask to read it in the beginning of the meeting. This sets the meeting in the right tone and let the team know that you know your child well and have their best interests at heart. If you need a copy of a "positive student profile" email me and I'll send you one. Also bring food to the meeting (cookies or something) as food always brings people together. The IEP  can be nerve wracking process so being prepared and doing things that help, start if off on the right foot.

  So as I am showing you around Cary and the surrounding area you can pick my brain for resources and gems of knowledge. I will do the best to share from my experience and hook you up with other resources. Moving to a new area is hard enough. Having someone who understands special needs and the system can be worth a million. I hope I can help with your transition here.