I lived in Illinois for almost 27 years and have come to like the Chicago area very much, except for the weather which I find almost unbearable. The long harsh winters have really taken their toll. And you see I am a Southern girl. You can take the girl out of the South but you can't take the South out of the girl. The last couple of years I've really had a longing to go back to my roots. Possibly about two years ago I began searching and analyzing larger Southern cities with certain criteria in mind that I would need in a good place to call home. It's amazing how many times Raleigh, NC came up at the top of the list so I started looking at this city more closely, feeling more sure as I went along that this was the place for me. On Jan. 25 of 2008, I was on a real estate website and as a result, a realtor named John Kukura started sending me the multiple listings for the Raleigh area. I really liked what I saw and made plans to visit the area. Visited Raleigh in May and the realtor showed some houses and took us on a tour of the area. John is a great realtor; he was so helpful and was determined that we should know just about everything there is to know about the area. Armed with lots of information, we returned to Illinois with a determination to go forward with a move sometime in the indefinite future. Well now there was the current home in Illinois. It needed some work done which we proceeded to do. Then we contacted an Illinois realtor (with some help from John) and put the Illinois property on the market. However the economy and the housing market are not good to sellers at the present time so it remains to be seen when the house will sell. But alas I was still viewing the Triangle area multiple listings every day. In early August 2008, I saw a two year old home at a great price that appeared to be just what I wanted. John visited it and reported that it is a nice house so I proceeded to fly down to Raleigh on Aug. 16 with the intentions of putting a bid on this particular house. I did some heavy praying in the plane on the way down that God would help me make a wise decision. When I went into the house, I did like it but there was something about it that bothered me although I couldn't really put my finger on it. Well John had a few other houses lined up for me to look at so we finally ended up at a new subdivision where I looked at a house that I liked very much; it seemed to suit my needs just fine except I wasn't too crazy about the colors on the outside or the inside. John mentioned that another house of this same model was under construction just about three houses down the road and I could still pick out my own options and colors. When we went back to the builder's office, I ended up with a contract on this new house that is under construction. I am so happy to see the red dirt and mimosa trees in my yard because I had those in my parents' yard when I was growing up. I am excitedly awaiting the time when my new house will be finished and I can make the move half way across the country. |
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John Kukura Realtor Website: jkHomeSite.com |
John Kukura is a great guy who goes the extra mile to make sure his clients get exactly what they want. He has been such a help and a great encouragement to me in my search for a Raleigh home and in my quest to relocate to the area. Sybil Vaughn |
These are pictures that John took on Aug. 23, 2008, one week later after I signed the contract with the builder . I find it amazing how much they have accomplished in a week's time! |
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| Raleigh, North Carolina |