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.

Featured in: Favicon

newsobserver.com Favicon

aol.com

apnews.com Favicon

chicagotribune.com Favicon

yahoo.com (+9) Favicon

charlotteobserver.com Favicon

spokesman.com Favicon

mcclatchydc.com Favicon

wral.com

stripes.com + 52 more

Articles

Triangle's largest master-planned community takes next-to-last phase to market

4 days ago | newsobserver.com | Chantal Allam

The Triangle's largest master-planned community, Wendell Falls, is launching its next-to-last phase a decade after it first opened. Starting in mid-May, developer Newland Communities said it will release 169 lots in the 1,100-acre development on the west side of town, south of Hwy. 264 bypass. It's 15 miles east of downtown Raleigh.
Durham's newest 27-story skyscraper is ready for preleasing. Here's a first look

5 days ago | newsobserver.com | Chantal Allam

Prospective renters can now call dibs on apartments inside Durham's newest 27-story skyscraper. Durham-based Austin Lawrence Partners (ALP) began preleasing 188 rental units this week for The Novus, a glassy high-rise at 400 W. Main St. in Durham's Five Points district. The site backs up against the Downtown Loop in one of the city's most bustling commercial corridors.
Raleigh's North Hills will soon have a new 20-story tower. What will be inside.

1 week ago | newsobserver.com | Chantal Allam

A rendering of The Strand, a 20-story mixed-use residential tower in North Hills. Kane Realty Corporation, in partnership with Mitsui Fudosan America, has broken ground on the $200 million project. Kane Realty Raleigh's North Hills is getting a new 20-story luxury apartment tower. Kane Realty Corp. officially broke ground this week on The Strand, a mixed-use building at 4006 Market at North Hills Street in Midtown Raleigh, adjacent to Advance Auto Parts tower.
Raleigh’s North Hills will soon have a new 20-story tower. What will be inside.

1 week ago | yahoo.com | Chantal Allam

Raleigh’s North Hills is getting a new 20-story luxury apartment tower. Kane Realty Corp. officially broke ground this week on The Strand, a mixed-use building at 4006 Market at North Hills Street in Midtown Raleigh, adjacent to Advance Auto Parts tower. The $200 million project, in partnership with Mitsui Fudosan America, is the latest installment of the firm’s long-term vision to revitalize North Hills’ Main District.
Is now the right time to buy or sell a home in the Triangle? What experts say.

1 week ago | newsobserver.com | Chantal Allam

Homebuyers rarely back out of deals, says Tana Widdows, a broker in Chapel Hill. That's especially true in states like North Carolina, where buyers pay nonrefundable due-diligence fees directly to the seller - typically, the amount ranges from 3% to 5% of the buyer's offer. But in the last three weeks alone, Widdows' small Compass team, including 12 agents at Terra Nova real estate services, saw three homes fall out of contract. "Deals are falling apart more often," she said.
‘Micro-living’: Why new apartments are shrinking in size across the Triangle

1 week ago | heraldsun.com | Chantal Allam

Inside a rental unit at Rigsbee Collection apartments, which recently opened at 318 W. Corporation St. in Durham with 178 units -- many between 360 and 500 square feet amid growing demand for “micro-units.” No, it’s not your eyes. New apartments are shrinking across the Triangle as compact living becomes the new normal. In Raleigh, the average new apartment was 935 square feet in 2024 — a 25-square-foot dip in the last 10 years, according to a new study by RentCafe.
Topsail residents blocked Pendo founder's plans to develop. Here's an update.

1 week ago | newsobserver.com | Chantal Allam

Topsail Beach residents had already stopped one of Raleigh's most prominent multimillionaires from building on the last remaining tract of undeveloped land in town. They finally got the last word. With the support of "almost 800 donors," the N.C. Coastal Land Trust closed on what locals call "The Point" - about 150 acres of pristine coastline at 1 Shore Line Drive in Pender County.
NC faces a housing crisis. What are lawmakers doing about it? And will it make a dent?

2 weeks ago | charlotteobserver.com | Chantal Allam

North Carolina is struggling to build enough housing for its surging population, and state lawmakers are scrambling. This legislative session, dozens of bills have been proposed to encourage developers to boost supply - making it a standout year for regulatory reform bills, observers say. At last count, the N.C. Housing Coalition is tracking roughly 120 bills, said Stephanie Watkins-Cruz, its director of housing policy.
First look inside Raleigh's newest high-rise with rooftop lounge and pool

2 weeks ago | newsobserver.com | Chantal Allam

A new 20-story tower has replaced a vacant building and parking lot in Raleigh's Warehouse District. Maeve, a 297-unit glossy-white building at 319 W. Lenoir St., officially opened last week, across the street from the Red Hat Amphitheater. Amid a post-pandemic construction boom, it's part of a recent wave of apartment deliveries, flooding the market with new Class A inventory and driving up vacancies.
Wake County, N.C., Launches New Land-Use Records Platform

3 weeks ago | govtech.com | Chantal Allam

It includes an updated fraud alert system, but property owners must re-register — even if they’re already signed up for existing fraud alerts — to access automated, “real-time” notifications after filings. It’s part of an overhaul that’s been in the works since 2020, said Register of Deeds Tammy Brunner . (TNS) — Wake County’s Register of Deeds launched a new land-use records platform on Monday. It involved moving millions of public records, like deeds and subdivision plats, to the new platform.