Fayetteville, NC celebrates “A Dickens Holiday” each year. Here are some photos from this year’s event.

Though it is officially named “A Dickens Holiday” so that it is as inclusive as possible, we always refer to it as a Dickens Christmas in my home.

The celebration consumes the better part of a day, with downtown closed off to traffic (I love that we have a pedestrian mall in our downtown on Hay Street!) and many different events filling up the afternoon.

What a fun day it is, with many different people in period clothing and local actors in costumes from Dickens’s A Christmas Carol running around downtown, interacting with the people. Scrooge, Tiny Tim, the Ghost of Christmas Past–all here in Fayetteville to celebrate the season!

The Facinate-U Childrens Museum offers kids the chance to make a Victorian Christmas tree ornament to take home or to hang on the community Christmas tree. The Transportation Museum offers up a Victorian model train display in addition to its other displays of period transportation. And, there’s a period exhibit of Victorian life on the second floor of the Market House.

And, there are plenty of other events. Carriage rides, a tuba concert, professional chef gingerbread house competition, Victorian costume competition, and lots of entertainment. Then, of course, the local downtown merchants are out displaying their wares. There are street vendors, musicians, and carolers. The Christmas wreaths and decorations are mounted on the lampposts, and downtown is decorated and ready for Christmas!

But, the premier event occurs right after dark.  The entire crowd participates in a candlelight procession down Hay Street to the Market House. What an awesome sight–thousands of people with candles strolling though the town! We enjoy a great fireworks display, and then Tiny Tim ushers in the Christmas season by lighting the community Christmas tree in the center of the Market House.

My family and I love attending this event and it will be a Christmas tradition with us for many years to come.

My favorite part?

I just love strolling through downtown, sharing gingerbread and spiced cider with my baby girls, and listening to the carolers sing all my favorite Christmas carols! Who wouldn’t love to see the smiles on the faces of their children that this event brings to my children each year!

Click on any photo below and enjoy the show!

• The location just can’t be beat.  These neighborhoods are ideally located and commute times are short to Fort Bragg, downtown, and many of the popular shopping and restaurant areas.
• The Terry Sanford School District remains a very popular choice with parents and children.  A strong academic performance and a very successful athletic program make this school district notable state-wide.
• Property values remain strong, even in a depressed market.  During the recent strong real estate market, these homes appreciated very well; in the current weak market, they are holding their value more than others.
• These are established neighborhoods, they are the heart of Fayetteville.  They have enjoyed a reputation as some of Fayetteville’s premier communities.

I live in this area, and I chose it for many of the reasons I’ve listed.  But, what I like best about living in Haymount (or VanStory Hills, in my case) is how easy it is to enjoy the simple pleasures of living here.

This morning, after a walk through the neighborhood, my family and I piled in the car, drove 5 minutes to downtown, and went to the Farmer’s Market. Our favorite vendors are always there. Mr Lamar always has fresh eggs for us and the sweet potatoes my girls love so much. The Hale Family Farm, where we buy our free-range organic chickens always have such a pretty display.

Our take this morning? Farm fresh eggs and grape tomatoes. Baby eggplant. Whole wheat and honey whole wheat bread. Fresh honey and chocolate zucchini brownies.

No pictures of the brownies–here’s all that’s left.

The Fayetteville Farmer’s Market is open on Saturday morning.  It is located at 131 Gillespie Street in the parking lot of the County Courthouse, directly across from the corner of Franklin and Gillespie.  On Wednesday afternoon, it is located behind the AIT Building on Maiden Lane.

Click on any photo below and enjoy the show!

A very nicely updated 3 bedroom/1.5 bath home in Haymount!

Here is a Google map of the location.

Located in the much-desired neighborhood of Haymount, this home is convenient to downtown, the major shopping areas and Fort Bragg. Haymount is a very popular neighborhood in Fayetteville, NC. It is an established neighborhood near the heart of the city. It features mostly single family homes that were built in the first half of the last century, and which have been upgraded to meet today’s needs. Haymount is a pretty neighborhood, with lots of trees and green spaces. It is also located in the Terry Sanford School District, one of the most desired school districts in Fayetteville, NC.

Here is a video tour of this home:

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This home has been well updated. It has very large rooms, unusual for many homes in Haymount, with soaring 9 and 1/2 foot ceilings. The rooms feature gleaming hardwood floors, wide base molding, and crown moldings in the formal rooms. The formal living room has a large picture window overlooking the pretty front yard, a gas fireplace, and access to the screened porch. It opens to the formal dining room, which has enough room for the largest furniture. It features a bay window.

The kitchen has been nicely updated, with modern appliances and plenty of cabinets for storage. The floor is tile.

The bedrooms are all situated of the main hallway, a quite dramatic space. Each room has the same soaring ceilings, wood floors, and plenty of windows. The middle bedroom features a bay window that mirrors the one in the dining room.

The home also has a screened porch, a great place to relax. It is on the front side of the home overlooking the front yard. The front of the home is very pretty, with a green yard and a white picket fence. The backyard is fully enclosed in a privacy fence.

For more photos, visit the photo gallery. Click here to see this Featured Home™ on REALTOR.com®.

Buying the right home in the Terry Sanford School District, or in the case of my clients, the Alma Easom Elementary School area means you have to move quickly. Terry Sanford is one of the most desired school districts in Fayetteville, NC and houses for sale in Terry Sanford can sell even before they hit the Multiple Listing Service. One of my latest listings in the Terry Sanford School District sold in just days, and I blogged about the beautiful home my sellers had for sale and the multiple offers my sellers received on their home!

The national media has recently painted a picture of a declining real estate market, and indeed, in many areas, that is an accurate portrait. But, real estate really is a very local market, and even in a sluggish market nationally, or state-wide, or even city-wide, there are areas that defy the trend and sell very well.

Fayetteville, NC - History , Heroes, and a Hometown Feeling

Real estate sales in Fayetteville, NC have certainly slowed down from the hectic days of a few years ago. Generally, however, Fayetteville seems to be a balanced market, and home values have not seen the decline that other areas of the nation have experienced. Still, sales in Fayetteville have slowed down considerably in upper price ranges, and some sellers are under pressure to price their homes to sell. Unless, of course, the home is in one of the most desired school districts.

The Terry Sanford School District is one such area in Fayetteville. Located near the heart of the city, the Terry Sanford School District ran out of room to grow long ago. Because of its central location, it is close to the most frequented places in Fayetteville. Downtown Fayetteville, with its shopping and parks is only minutes away. Fort Bragg, a major employer, is just a 10-15 minute drive. And the local mall and major shopping plazas are just up the street.

The area is typified by very well-established neighborhoods, charming homes, and old oak and magnolia trees galore! The neighborhoods have very recognizable names in this area: Haymont, VanStory Hills, Murray Hills. Many homes were built in the 1940′s, 50′s, and 60′s and have been renovated to meet modern needs. Often, buyers have to be willing to put money into the home to get the features or amenities they feel they need or to update dated rooms. Finding one that offers the amenities and space of a newly constructed home is very difficult.

In the case of the clients I am currently working with, that is especially true. They really want to be in the Terry Sanford School District because they want to be able to place their children in the Alma Easom Elementary School. They also want 4 bedrooms and 3 baths. And, like all of us, they want it to be affordable! Finding a home that meets all 3 of those needs in the Terry Sanford School District is a tall order!

Yesterday, a home that comes close to that description came on the market. I knew that my clients would want to see it, but they were on a vacation in California and wouldn’t be back until Sunday evening! They aren’t the only ones looking for a great home in this school district, so I scheduled an appointment to preview it, took along my video camera, and shot 20 minutes of video (!) that my husband compressed and loaded on my server so that I could email a link to my clients, and they could have a video tour of the home.

Evidence of how popular the Terry Sanford School District is–when I got to the home to film the tour, there were 6 other business cards on the counter of agents who had shown the home to prospective buyers. The home had only just been posted on the MLS and there weren’t even any pictures of it loaded!

I know my clients were excited to be able to see a tour of the home even though they were so far away, and I know they want to see it as soon as they get back.

But, the lesson in this for buyers is simple. Homes in the Terry Sanford School District, even in this market, can sell very quickly and if you want to get the right home, you may have to act fast!

If you want to see what homes are available in the Terry Sanford School District, visit my website and click on the link to Search the MLS. Be sure to bookmark the link, homes sell quickly and you’ll want to check frequently for updated information.