October 2011

Happy Hallow-Eno

Submitted by urbandurham on Thu, 10/27/2011 - 1:27pm

Durham has many gems, both manmade and natural. One that shines the brightest around this time of year is the Eno River State Park. With autumn upon us, the trees of the Eno will be ablaze in bright red, orange and yellow. The 3,000 plus acres of natural beauty that surround the Eno River provide the perfect place for a family hike, picnic or photo session. Just a few miles north of downtown Durham you can find yourself lost in the midst of woods, water and wildlife. With 5 easy access points and roughly 25 miles of named hiking trails, it couldn’t be easier to enjoy the celebration of colors that is autumn on the Eno.

The park’s website at www.enoriver.org has everything you need to plan your visit and make the most of your time in the park. The weekend of October 29th is scheduled with fun events from early morning birdwatching to a haunted hike at 5:30pm followed by a Halloween Campfire Celebration at 6:30. Sunday’s activities include a Fall Color Walk at 1pm. Monday the 31st features Hallow-Eno at 6pm. At the site you can also check out the activities already scheduled for November and December.

Most of us know and love the park for the Festival for the Eno; the wonderful music and food festival held around the 4thof July. The Festival is the primary fundraiser for the conservancy that protects the river and surrounding forest. (The park site also provides an easy way to make an online tax deductible contribution to this cause. Otherwise the park is free.) Enjoying the Eno in the fall is a whole different experience. The same beautiful setting without the crowds and heat plus the visual treat of autumn’s bold Technicolor.

The many hiking trails provide loops of differing lengths that take off from convenient parking. Trails follow along the river, cross it on swinging footbridges and run up and down hills. The park provides picnic areas with tables or you can just throw out your own blanket and dine trailside. The river itself is open to canoeing and fishing and the website provides access points for both. Detailed trail maps are also available for downloading and printing at the site.

If you have never been to the park this is the perfect time of year for your introduction. If you are a veteran than you know, autumn may be the most beautiful time of year to spend a day or just an afternoon hiking its trails and enjoying its serenity. Either way, it is one of Durham’s crown jewels and should not be missed showing its colors.

Urban Durham Realty Invites You to Thirst4Architecture Happy Hour

Submitted by urbandurham on Mon, 10/24/2011 - 8:06pm

Interested in Modernist homes, great architecture, and good beer?

Then, c'mon out! This Thursday, 10/27 from 6-8 pm, Urban Durham Realty is partnering with Triangle Modernist Houses and Preservation Durham to host the final Thirst4Architecture happy hour at Fullsteam Brewery.

There are no presentations - Thirst4Architecture is an informal happy hour with the purpose of generating passion about good design & making connections. Come and join us for a chance to meet and mingle with like-minded architecture lovers! The event is free & open to the public, cash bar.

Hope to see you there!

Bull City Chickens

Submitted by urbandurham on Tue, 10/18/2011 - 6:07pm

By: Mariana Byrd

Bull City Chickens is a website solely dedicated to...you guessed it...chickens in Durham! I thought this topic very appropriate to blog about since the chicken is the unofficial mascot of Urban Durham Realty (just take a look at the “chicken chase” we have in our houses for sale).

This month alone, Bull City Chickens is involved in three different, yet related, events:

1. Eggalicious “local chickens, local eggs, local restaurants”. Through October 22, 2011 participating local restaurants will feature a dish using local eggs. Yum!


2. Bull City Coop Tour - First annual self guided tour through some wonderful residential chicken coops takes place on Saturday, October 22, 2011 from 9:30-3:30pm. Maps available at the Durham Farmer’s Market and Bull City Burgers & Brewery. 

3. Chickenstock - Free festival that brings the community together to learn about urban chicken raising and sustainable living. Festival takes place right after the Bull City Coop Tour this Saturday, October 22nd from 4-7pm at Bull City Burgers & Brew. Live music!

What a great way to support the local economy, eat some delicious food, and get some great ideas from your neighbors. This is what Durham is all about!

While you’re at it, you can take Jessica’s advice from last week’s blog and have some fresh local eggs for potential buyers next time you sell your home!

 

It's the little touches

Submitted by urbandurham on Mon, 10/10/2011 - 8:06pm

By Jessica Slice-Sadler

It may be the economy or advice from HGTV, but for whatever reason I've been noticing that sellers are presenting their homes in a more welcoming fashion. From coffee to cookies to little notes, sellers seem to be welcoming potential buyers and the new owners into their homes.

Examples include a fresh fruit, scone and coffee spread at an inspection. Sweet notes on chalkboards, letters to the buyers in the home. One home I showed during a cold time of year always had fresh-brewed coffee and cookies waiting for us. While I don't know that a bad house will sell because of chocolate chip cookies, I know they can help buyers have a positive association with a house that is already a possibility.

Showing your house is hard and the pressure to entertain for every showing is overwhelming but there are a few ideas that may make the difference in a sale. Or, at the very least, help foster a positive interaction between buyers and sellers.

1. Leave shoe covers or slippers if asking buyers to remove shoes.
2. Turn thermostat to a comfortable temperature for showings.
3. Leave some sort of treat such as cookies, granola bars, or chocolate.
4. Bottled water is a great touch.
5. Leave some sort of note welcoming buyers to your home.

If you don't have the time to take the above suggestions, Urban Durham will help you make your home a more welcoming place. For every listing we hide a ceramic chicken somewhere in the house. If found, the buyers receive a gift certificate to a local restaurant. We also leave little snack packs in the house with popcorn, granola bars, or chocolate. We hope these little touches make viewing our listings a positive experience.

Whatever you do try to make your message: Welcome Home.

Reliable Cheese, Reliably Good

Submitted by urbandurham on Tue, 10/04/2011 - 10:44am

By Courtney James

I consider it a very important part of my job to experience all the new establishments that Durham has to offer (especially the eating establishments). I am often in the position of being in front of people new to the area, and it’s important that I give them good advice on where to eat. Okay. Did that convince you? While this is all very true, I have a feeling that my habits would not change if I weren’t in this position. In any case, to reinforce this practice at work, we have implemented a monthly team building event where we, as a group, attend a local restaurant or other venue to enlighten ourselves on what Durham has to offer. In the past we have taken a walk on the Tobacco Trail after hitting Scratch, eaten sandwiches from Old Havana Sandwich Shop while playing boardgames at Fullsteam, and eaten lunch at Geer Street Garden. And this was all for the sake of our education.

This past month, we visited Reliable Cheese Co.. I have been very excited about this cheese shop opening in downtown Durham, but sadly had never made it there until last month. If this is any indication how much I enjoyed it, I’ve been there twice since our class. The owner, Patrick Coleff, taught us more about cheese than I think any of us thought we would learn. We had a phenomenal tasting as part of the class, which helped to power us through the intense instruction. If you have not had a chance to make it to this fabulous store, don’t wait any longer.