Realty Times Feature Article by Blanche Evans

Chapel Hill may be known as the home of the University of North Carolina, but it is also in a rising sellers' market as the town offers Southern charm as well as educational opportunities, jobs and easy access to big city amenities in nearby Raleigh-Durham.

Says Realtor Marian Fiorentino, "Chapel Hill is home to the University of North Carolina, one of the most respected state universities in the country. You can go to the ballet and a basketball game in the same day. It has an in-town art museum, a planetarium, great soccer and baseball. Medical facilities are second to none."

Realtors report that Chapel Hill is no insular small town, but has a unique international personality.

"Chapel Hill is a vibrant college town," says Realtor Mark Civiok, "with an international population, diverse housing, high quality of life and big city amenities with a small town flavor."

He explains, "There are good reasons why this booming college town is called Southern Heaven. Rated consistently in "Top Ten" lists by national publications, Chapel Hill and the Triangle region are considered among the best places in the country to live, do business, go to school, receive health care and retire.

"The triangle area is the home of numerous world class corporations, universities and hospitals, resulting in the highest number of PhDs per capita in the country," continues Civiok. "The public schools are also among the best in the country. Recreational opportunities are numerous, and it is only three hours to the heart of the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains or Atlantic beaches. Golfing is plentiful and year round in this temperate climate, and the golf mecca of Southern Pines is within a 1 1/2 hour drive.

"A booming economy, high quality of life, low unemployment, low crime and reasonable cost of living are reasons to choose Chapel Hill," says Civiok.

And it doesn't look like the sellers market is going to slow anytime soon.

"Orange County (Chapel Hill, Carrboro, Hillsborough) and Durham County (City of Durham) are two of the fastest growing counties in North Carolina," explains Realtor Jeff Rupkalvis. "The mild year-round climate and convenient proximity to beautiful mountains and beaches make it a wonderful place to call home.

Large employers include the University of North Carolina, Glaxxo Wellcome, Nortel and Duke University, says Rupkalvis. "These are great college towns surrounded by some of the country's best hospitals and a top notch research/industrial park."

Blanche Evans is the publisher of Agent News and the associate editor of Realty Times, the Internet's largest independent real estate news service. She is the author of two best-selling real estate books: The Hottest e-Careers In Real Estate, Real Estate Education Company, an Internet marketing primer for real estate professionals, and homesurfing.net: The Insider's Guide To Buying And Selling Your Home Using The Internet, Dearborn, a consumer homebuying and selling guide. In 2000, she was recognized by the editors of REALTOR(r) Magazines as one of the 25 Most Influential People In Real Estate.

Published: May 7, 2002

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