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💙 BRIEF: The biggest thing happening in Apex isn't a house
Published 14 days ago • 6 min read
Happy Friday, Triangle!
Halloween falls on a Saturday this year, which means we get a full day of it: costumes, trunk-or-treats, and candy runs, no weeknight rush.
Here's the bonus: clocks fall back Sunday at 2 a.m., so there's an extra hour waiting on the other side of Halloween night. I'm voting to spend mine with coffee on the porch 😌☕
If you'd rather skip the sugar, the Canes are home Sunday afternoon and HollyFest takes over Holly Springs all day Saturday. Either way, it's a good weekend to be here.
Grab your pumpkin & let's get into it.
Here’s your D&M BRIEF:
[B]est Weekend Plans: A full Halloween weekend [R]ealty Pulse: Why nearly half of Raleigh listings have cut their price [I]n the News: A $100 million gift just put NC's first children's hospital in Apex [E]xclusive Listing: A move-in ready Apex home, minutes from the Veridea project [F]riday Favorites: Shark Tank's take-home seafood steam pots just landed in Raleigh
—Brette
[B]EST WEEKEND PLANS
EVENTS
BEST THINGS TO DO THIS WEEKEND IN THE TRIANGLE
FALL FESTIVAL
HollyFest
📅 Oct 31 | 10 AM–4 PM
📍 Jefferson L. Sugg Farm at Bass Lake Park, Holly Springs
What this means: The Market Action Index sits at 32, down a point from last month, which keeps Raleigh in a slight seller’s advantage even as the market continues to cool. The median list price is $525,000, close to flat month over month, while active listings have climbed to 1,298. Nearly half of current listings (47%) have taken a price cut, and the median home is spending about 70 days on the market.
For buyers, that combination means more choices and more room to negotiate.
For sellers, homes are still moving, but pricing right from day one matters more than it did a few months ago.
Curious what this looks like for your specific neighborhood or price range? Let's talk real (estate)
[I]N THE NEWS
HEALTH CARE
A $100 million gift lands North Carolina's first children's hospital in Apex
The Duke Endowment is giving $100 million toward the new North Carolina Children's Hospital in Apex — the largest donation the project has received to date. The private foundation announced the gift on Tuesday, Oct. 20, in Apex. Jointly run by UNC Health and Duke Health, N.C. Children's would be the first freestanding children's hospital in the state, in what is currently the most populous U.S. state without one.
▷ The money behind it
The gift follows a $25 million donation from Coca-Cola Consolidated. The state legislature committed $425 million toward construction and granted UNC and Duke antitrust protections for operating the hospital jointly. Some legislative leaders had hoped to add hundreds of millions more, but that proposal did not survive budget negotiations.
▷ Where it is going
N.C. Children's will be built on 220 acres in the under-construction Veridea development in Apex, near the intersection of U.S. 1 and the Triangle Expressway. More than 15 sites across the Triangle were considered. UNC and Duke selected Apex for its access by car and air, local-government support, room to grow, and proximity to both universities.
▷ Timeline
The hospital is expected to break ground next year and to open in the early 2030s. Officials estimate it will create 8,000 jobs once it is operating.
▷ Why this matters for Apex
For years, North Carolina families whose children have complex conditions have traveled to Philadelphia, Atlanta, or Ohio for specialty care. A freestanding hospital in Apex would keep that care closer to home and give the region a new venue for pediatric research. For the Triangle, it anchors one of the largest development sites in the area and places a major medical institution at the center of Apex's fast-growing southwest corridor.
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...
CULTURE
A century-old Durham building reopens as an arts hub
Boardinghouse Arts has turned a 100-year-old former grocery and boarding house at 703 W. Trinity Ave. into a gallery, a basement recording studio, and rentable artist studios; a solo show by Saba Taj runs through Dec. 20.
Raleigh is set to break ground on a $54 million Chavis Park aquatic center
The John Chavis Memorial Park project will add indoor and outdoor pools and a large slide, with completion expected in summer 2029; city staff said the bid came in under budget.
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
Shark Tank's take-home seafood is now in Raleigh. Topsail Steamer opened in Brennan Station on Creedmoor Road — a few doors from Trader Joe's — with build-your-own seafood steam pots you finish at home in about 40 minutes.
It's run by two sisters who grew up on it during family trips to Topsail Beach.
Introducing The Oakline, a brand-new 16-minute elevated walk connecting downtown Raleigh straight to Dix Park! Similar to NYC’s High Line, it’s a car-free, shaded, garden-style path raised above the heavy traffic, cloverleaf interchanges, and railroad tracks that currently block the way. This $90 million vision uses three new bridges crossing streets like MLK Jr. Boulevard and McDowell Street to safely link the Martin Marietta Center directly to the park. Backed by developer Robbie Ferris and former planning director Mitchell Silver, who called it a 20-year puzzle finally solved, an official feasibility study kicks off this fall.
Set your clocks back an hour before bed Saturday night. While you're at it, swap the batteries in your smoke and carbon-monoxide detectors. It's the easiest reminder on the calendar, and heading into furnace-and-fireplace season, it's the one worth keeping.
Client Testimonial
Brette and her team were great, every step of the way. We would recommend her and her team to anyone that is looking to buy or sell. Brette’s knowledge is invaluable and helped guide us throughout the process.
—Eric S.
Thanks for reading the D&M Triangle BRIEF. See you next Friday!
—Brette Davis
Want to stay in the loop between Fridays? Follow me on Instagram for real estate insights, local events, and what’s happening around the Triangle.
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!
