Chantal Allam

North Carolina

Real Estate Journalist at The News & Observer

Real estate reporter @newsobserver. Mom, cat/dog lover, Survivor superfan, francofile. Past lives: tech journalist @wraltechwire and researcher @SevenNetwork.

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Articles

Raleigh’s circular Holiday Inn isn’t going away after all. Here’s more on its makeover

2 days ago | heraldsun.com | Chantal Allam

A cylinder-shaped Holiday Inn, once threatened with demolition, is getting a makeover in downtown Raleigh. After years of uncertainty and in a surprise twist, its owner, Tidal Real Estate Partners, confirmed that it plans to convert the 20-story building at 320 Hillsborough St. into a Hotel Indigo, a brand of IHG Hotels & Resorts. The chain focuses on creating “small, individually owned boutique hotels,” company spokesperson Joyce Fitzpatrick, said in an email to The N&O this week.
Durham's Topgolf location is up for sale with a sky-high price tag

3 days ago | newsobserver.com | Chantal Allam

A little more than a year since it first opened, Durham's Topgolf has hit the market with a hefty price tag. Greenville, South-Carolina-based Realty Link, an active developer of Topgolf entertainment centers across the country, recently listed the three-story, 102-bay facility at 4901 Topgolf Way off Page Road for $38.18 million.
American Underground is moving its Main Street HQ from Durham's Main Street. Why?

4 days ago | newsobserver.com | Chantal Allam

For the last 10 years, American Underground (AU) has been headquartered on Durham's West Main Street, leasing 40,000 square feet of office space inside nonprofit Self-Help Credit Union's building. The lease is now up. In a post-pandemic market where deals are slow and office vacancies are high, the startup incubator will return to its original 2010 launchpad: the historic American Tobacco Campus (ATC), just a few blocks west on the other side of the railroad tracks in Durham's downtown.
Durham office building sells for half its 2022 price. Is this the start of a trend?

5 days ago | newsobserver.com | Chantal Allam

Crescent Communities recently sold SouthCourt, a 140,000-square-foot office building in Durham's University Hill neighborhood, for $11.8 million. Just three years ago it paid $22.35 million for the property. Crescent Communities Crescent Communities recently sold SouthCourt, a 140,000-square-foot office building in Durham's University Hill neighborhood, for $11.8 million. Just three years ago it paid $22.35 million for the property. The Charlotte-based developer is downplaying the loss.
Durham office building sells for half its 2022 price. Is this the start of a trend?

5 days ago | flipboard.com | Chantal Allam

2 hours ago Flight Of The Rich Get briefed ahead of your morning calls with the latest UK business headlines, key data and market reaction Morning, I’m Louise Moon from Bloomberg UK’s … Now $3 Million Homes in California A Spanish-style house in Los Angeles, a ski house in Mammoth Lakes and a midcentury modern house in Palm Springs Kevin Abesamis - Neue Focus Kevin Abesamis - Neue Focus Kevin Abesamis - Neue Focus Kevin Abesamis - Neue Focus Kevin Abesamis - Neue Focus Kevin Abesamis - Neue...
Buc-ee’s is coming to NC, but critics remain vocal about mega-center’s impact

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Chantal Allam |Tammy Grubb

Buc-ee’s has already received the green light to build one of the world’s largest gas stations on 32 acres at Exit 152, off Interstates 85/40 in Mebane. But the project’s opponents in this small but growing blue-collar town refuse to back down.
Buc-ee's is coming to NC, but critics remain vocal about mega-center's 'burden'

1 week ago | newsobserver.com | Chantal Allam |Tammy Grubb

Buc-ee's has already received the green light to build one of the world's largest gas stations on 32 acres at Exit 152, off Interstates 85/40 in Mebane. But the project's opponents in this small but growing blue-collar town refuse to back down.
How these baby boomers skipped traditional mortgage to finance new Raleigh home

2 weeks ago | newsobserver.com | Chantal Allam

For the past 12 years, Chris and Terri Darden have lived as renters. Most recently, they paid $2,945 a month for a four-bedroom house in Cary. They thought it was their best option. They'd owned before but now In their mid-60s, buying felt out of reach. "We didn't want to get into a 30-year loan at our age," said Terri Darden. "We might not live that long."They also worried about reselling if they had to relocate for work. They run a construction company.
How baby boomers are boxing out millennials in a Triangle housing showdown

2 weeks ago | newsobserver.com | Chantal Allam

Annabella and Larry Vagonis may be empty-nesters, but they've been living like college kids since moving to Chapel Hill's Governors Park in April. In the living room of their new 2,613-square-foot Craftsman-style home, a king-sized blowup mattress doubles as a couch and bed. Unpacked boxes line the walls of empty rooms. It's far from downsizing, they admit, but they're giddy. In a three-way bidding war, these baby boomers (she's 68, he's 67) offered $710,000 - $10,000 above asking price - and won.
It's not Raleigh.

2 weeks ago | newsobserver.com | Chantal Allam

Two North Carolina cities cracked the nation's top 10 places to live for 2025, according to U.S. News and World Report. But which ones may surprise. Unlike last year when Charlotte and Raleigh placed fifth and sixth respectively, both metros tumbled in the general rankings this year. Out of 250 cities, Raleigh was No. 155. Charlotte didn't even make the cut. On the plus side: Cary ranked No. 5 and Apex ranked No. 7. And Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Durham all made the top 250.