Trinityloftsdurham's Weblog

Region ranks #3 in Five Year Job Growth

trinityloftsdurham — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 16:46:08 +0000

The number of jobs in the Raleigh-Cary area grew 10.3 percent during the five-year period that ended in December – the third best performance among the 67 U.S. metros with a population of at least 750,000.

A study of U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data conducted by G. Scott Thomas of Buffalo Business First, a sister paper of Triangle Business Journal, found that Wake, Johnston and Franklin counties added 47,600 jobs between December 2004 and December 2009, bringing the area’s total number of jobs to 508,300.

Raleigh-Cary ended up on the positive side of the jobs ledge despite losing nearly 20,000 jobs over the past two years. The area had 527,700 jobs in December 2007. (Go to the bottom of this page to see how Raleigh-Cary fared in each of the five years studied.)

Still, Raleigh-Cary trailed only two Texas metros in percentage job growth over the five-year stretch. Austin led the way with 14.2 percent growth, to 781,000 jobs. San Antonio was second at 10.6 percent, to 847,700.”

For the full article from the Triangle Business Journal, please click here.

“The Geer” coming to DAP district, bringing bar/club and music to downtown (from Bull City Forward)

trinityloftsdurham — Sat, 13 Feb 2010 16:34:54 +0000

(For the complete Bull City Rising article, please click here) “For a long time, the old Weeks-Allen Motors building has been one of the more intriguing real estate plays in downtown Durham, with on-site parking, Alivia’s-style big garage doors, and a funky shape making it a much-rumored site for everything from restaurants to the Durham Central Market food co-op.

There’s plenty of other action happening in the vicinity, from Common Ground green building supplies and Cross-Fit Durham to Fullsteam Brewery under construction across the street, and with Manbites Dog Theatre and Claymakers just down the street, along with the under-renovation King’s Sandwich Shop.

And now, you can add music and nightlife to the picture. BCR has learned that there is at last a modern use planned for the building at the corner of Geer and Rigsbee downtown.

Word is there’s a pending bar/club set to open in the Weeks-Allen building, possibly as early as late spring/early summer.”

www.bullcityrising.com

US News & World Report selects Durham as one of its ‘Best Places to Live 2009′

trinityloftsdurham — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 14:17:00 +0000

U.S. News & World Report has selected Durham as one of the Best Places to Live 2009 in the United States as it looked at cities with ‘strong economies, low living costs and plenty of fun things to do.”

“Once a tobacco town, Durham, N.C., has evolved into a world-class center of all things advanced. This city of 206,000, located halfway between the Atlantic coast and the Great Smoky Mountains, is called the “City of Medicine” because of its expansive healthcare industry. And although widely known as the home of prestigious Duke University, it’s also a thriving technology hub. At the same time, Durham’s mild climate allows residents to get out and explore the region’s abundant outdoor attractions. Consider hiking one of the many distinct trails and greenways or heading over to the Durham Bulls Athletic Park for an afternoon baseball game.”

Trinity Lofts featured in Re-Nest: Abundant Design for Green Homes

trinityloftsdurham — Sat, 14 Mar 2009 16:33:37 +0000

Click here to see coverage on Trinity Lofts in Re-Nest – Abundant Design for Green Homes.

Durham area housing market among strongest in the nation

trinityloftsdurham — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 21:49:32 +0000

From the Triangle Business Journal: “The Triangle’s housing market continues to be among the best in the country in terms of prices, according to a new batch of federal data.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency says home prices in the Raleigh-Cary area increased by 2.96 percent in 2008. That ranks the Raleigh metropolitan area 18th best in the country. The Durham-Chapel Hill area also fared well, placing 28th with home-price growth of 2.15 percent for the 12 months ending Dec. 31.

For the full article, please click here.

“Durham, Raleigh rank high in keeping jobs”

trinityloftsdurham — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 22:05:55 +0000

From the Triangle Business Journal – an assessment of the relatively positive economy in our area: “Durham and Raleigh ranked in the top 15 in 2008 among major metropolitan areas in terms of keeping jobs, according to a new analysis. The analysis was performed by American City Business Journals, parent of Triangle Business Journal. It says that the nation’s major labor markets lost nearly 1.2 million jobs last year. The study focused on the 88 U.S. markets that have at least 250,000 nonfarm jobs. They collectively had 90.42 million jobs in December 2008, compared to 91.60 million at the end of 2007. That equaled a decline of 1.18 million. According to the report, Durham ranked 11th best among the metros, creating 1,700 jobs in 2008. Raleigh tied with Seattle for 15th by creating 200 jobs.” For the full article, please click here.

New York Times, Your Money: “It May Be Time To Think About Buying a House”

trinityloftsdurham — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 07:58:30 +0000

”Since prices generally soften in the winter, it may make sense to start looking seriously once the mercury bottoms out. “If you look at new developments next spring, you may not have the choice you thought you would have or be in the bargaining position you thought you would be,” Mr. Shepherdson said. Also, if you wait after June 30, you will miss out on a $7,500 federal tax credit for income-eligible first-time home buyers that works like an interest-free loan. Finally, allow yourself to consider how it would feel if you bought and then prices dropped another 10 or 15 percent. ” Click here for the rest of the piece in the New York Times Your Money section.

www.urbandurhamlofts.com

“The Not So Big House” and “Not So Big ReModeling,” by Sarah Susanka

trinityloftsdurham — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 22:32:38 +0000

Not that we don’t have plenty of space at Trinity Lofts, but Sarah Susanka’s now 10-year-old book The Not So Big House is philosophically what Trinity is all about: “a new way of thinking about what makes a place feel like home—characteristics that many people desire of their homes and their lives, but haven’t known how to verbalize”. The Not So Big House is reviewed in the most recent Forum for Urban Design semi-annual Urban Design Review. “Not So Big Remodeling” comes out in February. ”In the latest groundbreaking step in the Not So Big revolution, Sarah Susanka and Marc Vassallo demonstrate how carefully chosen tweaks and simple additions can make a home seem much larger and more inviting. They avoid high-end architectural solutions, focusing instead on how Not So Big ideas can dramatically improve even the most modest home. The authors show readers how to think like an architect, so they can accurately assess their homes shortcomings, apply Not So Big principles to their remodeling plan, and phase in their project incrementally over time.”