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💙 BRIEF: NCDOT plans a Rogers Road bridge in Wake Forest
Published 22 days ago • 7 min read
Happy Friday, Triangle!
It’s a big week of things happening! The fair just opened with a $25 million food hall (and changed how its vendors get paid), pumpkins are about to float across Bond Lake, and there are 6 gated 3-acre building opportunities in Hillsborough worth a look.
Grab your coffee & let's get into it.
Here’s your D&M BRIEF:
[B]est Weekend Plans: Pumpkins on Bond Lake & a Durham makers market. [R]ealty Pulse: The market's holding at a slight seller's edge [I]n the News: Inside the fair's new $25 million food hall [E]xclusive Listing: A rare 3-acre offering & a move-in-ready Apex home [F]riday Favorites: An Italian deli opens in Oakwood, plus a timely fall tip
What this means: The market action index sits at 33, a slight seller's advantage, and is essentially unchanged from last month's reading of 33, though it has been cooling gradually for several weeks. The median list price is holding steady at $519,945, even as active listings have climbed to 1,260 and half of all listings (50%) have taken at least one price cut. For sellers, that mix of steady prices and rising competition means accurate pricing matters more than it did earlier in the year. For buyers, more inventory and a median of 70 days on the market open up more room to negotiate. If listings keep outpacing demand, it could put mild downward pressure on prices in the months ahead, worth watching, not worrying about.
Curious what this looks like for your specific neighborhood or price range? Let's talk real (estate)
The 158th North Carolina State Fair opened Thursday, Oct. 15, at the fairgrounds on Trinity Road, and this year it debuted a $25 million food hall, a new permanent building anchoring a fair that organizers expect to draw about 950,000 visitors across its 11-day run. The fair continues through Oct. 25.
▷ What is new inside
The food hall's headline vendor is The Yard Milkshake Bar, which appeared on "Shark Tank" in 2019 and runs its main shop in Seaboard Station. It brought six specialty milkshakes to the fair, among them the Raleigh Food Trap, made with red velvet ice cream and red velvet cheesecake, and a strawberry-and-cream cheesecake shake served in a vanilla-iced jar rolled in graham crackers. Elsewhere on the grounds, the fair is running more than 90 rides, with the 230-foot America 250 Ferris wheel as its signature attraction.
▷ A new deal for vendors
The larger change this year is financial. Rather than paying a flat fee, vendors now give the fair 15% of their sales, and a fair spokesperson said North Carolina is one of the last large fairs in the country to adopt a percentage-based model. Several long-running vendors chose not to return, including Al's French Fries, ending a nearly 70-year presence, and Oak City Fish and Chips, which said on social media that both its customers and the business deserved better. Others stayed on, including Deep River Kettle Korn, back for a 12th year, and Angel Sweets, whose owner said she would wait to see how the new model affects her bottom line.
▷ Why this matters for the Triangle
The State Fair is one of the region's largest annual gatherings and a meaningful economic engine for Raleigh every October. The food-hall investment signals that the fairgrounds is building for the long term, while the move to a percentage model — and the departure of decades-old vendors — marks a real change in how a beloved tradition operates. For longtime fairgoers, some familiar stands are gone this year, even as the new food hall and the America 250 Ferris wheel pull crowds through Oct. 25.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...
TRAVEL
Volaris begins nonstop RDU–Guadalajara flights
The airline launched the new international route on Oct. 16, flying Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays on a 238-seat Airbus A321neo; the service gives RDU nonstop links to three Mexican cities.
The project will carry Rogers Road over the CSX S-Line with two lanes in each direction, a turn lane, and sidewalks; construction is expected to begin in late 2026 or early 2027.
Lot C - Arden Estates Court, Hillsbourough, NC 27278 | $1,220,000 for a 4-bed, 3,627 sq ft Drees home on 2.99 acres
Magnolia Estates is a rare offering for Orange County: a gated community of just six private homesites, each spanning 3 to 5 acres, on the south side of Hillsborough. The acreage allows for true country privacy, with room for horses and animals, while sitting within a short drive of the region's largest job centers.
Homes here are build-to-suit through Drees Homes, a nationally recognized builder. Buyers can design a semi-custom plan with options such as a main-floor primary suite, a detached workshop, or resort-style outdoor living.
Key features:
Six homesites total, 3 to 5 acres each
One of the few truly gated communities in Orange County
Horse- and animal-friendly acreage
Semi-custom, build-to-suit homes by Drees Homes
Minutes to Chapel Hill, Durham, UNC Hospitals, Duke, and Research Triangle Park via newly expanded roads
Under 10 minutes to historic downtown Hillsborough, area wineries, farm markets, and the Eno River trails
2297 Kettle Falls Station, Apex | $625,000 for a move-in ready in Apex, minutes from Veridea
This home sits in Friendship Station, one of Apex's fast-growing communities, and it is ready to move into now, without the construction noise or the post-closing add-ons that come with a new build.
The main level centers on a chef-style kitchen with an oversized quartz island, stainless-steel appliances, extra cabinetry, and a walk-in pantry. A dedicated first-floor office doubles as a guest room, and the home is set up for first-floor bed-and-bath flexibility, the seller is offering a credit toward converting that full bathroom.
Upstairs, the primary suite includes dual vanities, a tiled frameless walk-in shower, and a large walk-in closet, and a second-floor loft works as a playroom or media space. A covered screened porch overlooks a flat, fully fenced backyard, and the home has fresh paint, new carpet, and luxury vinyl plank flooring throughout.
The location is the other draw. The community includes a pool, cabana, playground, and picnic area, and the home is zoned for the Apex Friendship schools within walking distance. Beaver Creek shopping, Apex Nature Park, the American Tobacco Trail, Costco, and U.S. 1 are all close by, as is the future Veridea development, the site of the new N.C. Children's Hospital.
Key features:
Move-in ready, with a fenced backyard and covered screened porch
Chef-style kitchen: quartz island, stainless-steel appliances, walk-in pantry
First-floor office/guest room, plus a seller credit toward a first-floor full-bath conversion
Primary suite with dual vanities, frameless walk-in shower, and walk-in closet
Second-floor loft; fresh paint, new carpet, and luxury vinyl plank flooring
Community pool, cabana, and playground; walkable to Apex Friendship schools
Oakwood just got an Italian deli worth the trip. Gallicchio's Market & Eatery opened at 702 N. Person St., the former (Ish) Delicatessen space next to Person Street Pharmacy. Expect house-made pastas, salads, and Italian sandwiches (a muffuletta, a meatball sub, roasted pork with broccoli rabe), plus a case of take-home meals by the door. Opened Oct. 8.
Barbie and Hot Wheels are getting a massive indoor waterpark in NC
Slated to open in 2029 at Roanoke Rapids’ new $500 million Weldon Mills Resort, the Mattel Wonder Indoor Waterpark will feature a retractable roof, high-energy competition slides, and immersive wave pools! Because it is part of a massive new destination featuring hotels, dining, and entertainment right off the I-95 corridor, it makes an easy day trip or weekend getaway!
Hold off on the big gutter clean-out for a few more weeks.
The Triangle's willow oaks and pin oaks are late droppers, they'll keep shedding well into November, so a mid-October scoop-out usually means doing the whole job twice.
Do a quick downspout check now to keep water moving through the heavy leaf weeks, then book the real clean-out once the trees are bare. That takes your ladder trips from two down to one.
Client Testimonial
Brette and her team were excellent to work with! We would highly recommend their services! We were out of state buyers and Brette really helped us to understand the area as well as the transactional items that are unique to North Carolina. She really helped to walk us through the entire process. She is very detail oriented and helped to make sure that any potential issue with the home was fully addressed. We definitely expect to work with her again in the future!
—Tom C.
Thanks for reading the D&M Triangle BRIEF. See you next Friday!
—Brette Davis
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I’m a Raleigh-based agent who’s passionate about real estate, local life, and making homeownership feel easy (and fun!). Subscribe and join 2,000+ readers who get the inside scoop every week!
