The EBA Way - A Better Way to Buy a Home

The Fayetteville-Cumberland County Chamber of Commerce understands "A safe community is everybody's business."  In its continued effort to make Fayetteville one of the safest cities in NC, the Chamber is excited to partner with the Fayetteville Police Department to encourage you to participate in an exciting upcoming event. According to the  Chamber,

"For the first time in 21 years the Fayetteville Police Department is opening the Annual Awards Banquet to the public as a means to engage the community and heighten awareness regarding actual police activities.  The Fayetteville Police Department will be honoring officers, civilian employees, volunteers and members of the community at 7pm on May 29, 2009, at the Crown Coliseum in the Expo Center. Dinner will be served at 7pm and will be followed by the Awards Ceremony."*

Officers and other members of the community will be honored with prestigious awards including: the Officer of the Year; the Life Saving and Police Heart Awards; the Departmental Commendation, Merit, Individual & Unit Accommodations; Good Conduct and Longevity; and Presidential Service Awards.

*Tickets are $25 per person and are available at the following locations:

Systel Business Equipment
2604 Fort Bragg Road
• Callahan & Rice
129 Franklin Street
• Allegra Print & Imaging
3724 Sycamore Dairy Road

Questions about the event should be directed to Amber House at (910) 433-1847 or  (910) 257-7605.

Remember to support local businesses that choose to support Fayetteville!

Facts you should know from: The NC Association of Realtors "For the Record" - May/June, 2009

NC FORECLOSURE FACTS

• While foreclosure filings rose 24 percent nationally,
  the number of foreclosures in North Carolina fell 42
  percent in the first quarter from the same period last
  year.
• In the latest quarter, North Carolina ranked 36th in
  the nation for foreclosure filings.
• In March alone, foreclosure filings fell 40 percent
  when compared to the same period last year.

 NC ECONOMY

• Six N.C. cities – Raleigh, Durham, Asheville,
  Wilmington, Winston-Salem and Charlotte – were
  among the top 20 "Best Metros" in the country for
  business and careers, according to Forbes.
• In a recent study from the National Low Income
  Housing Coalition, North Carolina ranked 21st in
  affordable housing.
• North Carolina recently was named the secondbest
  state in which to conduct business, according to
  Chief Executive magazine.
  

HOMEOWNERSHIP

• Nationally, the median existing-home price
  increase for all housing types from February to
  March was 4.2 percent, much higher than the typical
  1.8 percent seasonal increase between those two
  months.
• The National Association of Home Builders
  recently announced that half of all U.S. households
  (55 million to be exact) can now afford to buy the
  median priced $200,000 new home. That's up 45
  percent in the past 24 months.
• Home-builder confidence was in the double digits
  in April for the first time in six months.
• First-time homebuyer activity has surged. In
  March, first-time homebuyers accounted for
  53 percent of transactions.
• The average price of a home in March 2009 has
  increased approximately 20 percent when compared
  to March 2000.

Source: FOR THE RECORD, The Real Facts of N.C. Real Estate, Issue 3, May/June 2009