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A show for Real Estate Agents at any level, Buyers, Sellers and anyone interested in learning more about this crazy industry.
GINA STEPHENS: But he said, I feel like it's elevated
how people see me in the community. It's elevated
they think I take my business more seriously.
It led to him changing locations, doing something
more high profile. So I think print does that
for brands.
KELLEY DUBOIS: You're listening to On the Real
Estate, a show for real estate agents at any level,
buyers, sellers, or anyone interested in learning
more about this crazy industry we're in. I'm Kelly
DuBois. Today, our guest is Gina Stevens with
Raleigh Magazine. Gina is the publisher. Thank
you for coming, Gina.
GINA STEPHENS: Thanks for having me.
KELLEY DUBOIS: Tell us a little bit about your
magazine first. I'm curious, I wanna hear everything.
Then we'll go to real estate.
GINA STEPHENS: So Raleigh Magazine is like a city
magazine, like you'd see in Boston, Atlanta, and
Chicago, really designed to be an insider's guide
for somebody who maybe has lived here a year or
five years, or for that person that maybe has
lived here their whole life but feels like it's
changing at warp speed and they can't keep up.
And I've owned multiple publications in the market
for a long time, but there wasn't really a city
magazine. And I was afraid that someone would
come in from out of town and start one. And I
really wanted it to be an insider's guide.
KELLEY DUBOIS: I love that.
GINA STEPHENS: And it's a mixture of politics,
a lot of development, a lot of real estate news,
sneak peeks of new restaurants, bars opening.
We even name Bartender of the Year and Restaurant
of the Year, fun stuff. But we also cover that
hard stuff, like in this last issue we did a story
on Raleigh's escalating homeless population and
how that's affecting the city and what we can
do to help those people.
KELLEY DUBOIS: I love it. So you have had the
magazine for eight years. So let's go back eight
years ago. How much has Raleigh changed?
GINA STEPHENS: Well, it's unbelievable. I mean,
it really is unbelievable to think about what
the city looked like eight years ago. I mean,
Smokey Hollow didn't exist. Most of what is on
the opposite side of North Hills where Capitol
Grill, most of that didn't exist back then. It
was just really starting to develop over there.
The towers Downtown, I mean, it's incredible.
I went back when I was preparing for this to look
back to our first issue eight years ago and it
was really funny. The average closing price on
a house that month was $273,600.
KELLEY DUBOIS: I pay attention to that all the
time and it's mind boggling.
GINA STEPHENS: Oh yeah.
KELLEY DUBOIS: Well, I say to clients that are
relocating to our area, which is a huge amount
of people, I'll say, in the old days, Raleigh
used to be still country. They're like, oh really?
How long ago? I'm like, 10 years ago. Yeah. Like,
I'll refer to 10 years ago as the old days because
it's just changed so much. You know, it would
be like, in the old days, Holly Springs wasn't
Holly Springs. You know, like, Kerry was really
country. It's hard to understand if you didn't
see it. Like, even five years ago for all those
places have tremendously. Oh, absolutely.
GINA STEPHENS: I was telling my team, I really
wanted to do a time lapse of that Peace Street,
Smokey Hollow area. Do you remember when they
took finches down? Yeah. I mean, it won't be long
before people can't even remember what that looked
like.
KELLEY DUBOIS: I love that idea that you should
definitely do that. I think so many people would
think that's interesting. Because when we're seeing
change so quickly, because usually whenever you
do hear people say the old days, well, you're
talking like 50 years ago. I think a minimum,
maybe 25 years, right, in the old days. But when
we're talking like massive changes over 10 years,
GINA STEPHENS: That's a funny story. So I live.
sort of Northwest Raleigh. I live in a neighborhood,
Wood Valley, that was built in the 90s. moved
there with when my second child was born. have
been there. 21 years, which makes me really old.
KELLEY DUBOIS: But.
GINA STEPHENS: When I bought my house, you could
drive across over 540, the neighborhoods just
beyond it, you could look in both directions and
not see a car. Because 540, that section of it
was so Brand new, no one was using it. That was
just 20 years ago. So I think you're right, especially
newcomers, they think it's always been this way.
KELLEY DUBOIS: No, broadly with country. Yeah.
Yeah. So with that being said, the growth so quickly,
even in 20 years, it has primarily been because
of relocations. And it really is a great place.
North Carolina as a whole, I think, is a wonderful
state to live. We've got so much to offer. And
I see it in my specific market with the huge relocation
infrastructure. How are you seeing that reflect
in your magazines?
GINA STEPHENS: It's been crazy. We call it the
C-Word. We don't like to talk about COVID a lot.
And while a lot of publications really struggled,
and we did too from an advertising standpoint,
we really shifted our model, not knowing whether
people would pick up the magazine or what would
happen. And we worked with restaurants to put
them into go orders. And with apartment communities,
the high-end ones to sealed boxes. And what we
found is newcomers, I mean, pouring in the gate,
60, what, 60,000 moved here during that time.
And most came from larger cities. And so they
are just, they're like sponges. They wanna know
everything. They don't understand what a Bailey
Box is. They don't know ITB and... So there's
a lot they want to learn. They want to be insiders.
So we run everything we write about through a
filter. We obviously want locals to feel comfortable
and feel like it's worth reading, that it's not
a newcomer's publication. So it's really important
to us that we sort of have an inside scoop on
anything so that it appeals to both groups. But
there is this craving of these newcomers wanting
to understand sort of the history and the pockets.
You know that.
KELLEY DUBOIS: I agree with that. People wanna
feel included. They do. Nobody wants to stick
out. I think sometimes locals, though maybe not
meaning to, they'll be like, oh, you're a transplant,
or oh, you're not from here. And in a way, you
automatically kind of get a little bit of a defense
going on. Like, I'm a transplant. I'm not from
North Carolina. I've been here for 13 years. I
can't imagine moving again. But you know, it does
take a little bit. So whenever you have anything
that's gonna give you a little bit of value, which
Raleigh Magazine gives value. It tells you what's
going on. It tells you what had previously gone
in. It's telling you what is up and coming. That's
important. That's important to the transplants.
And it's important to the born and raised who
have kin here from how many years before them.
GINA STEPHENS: And I get excited when I happen,
and it happens a lot, happen across somebody sitting
at bar, dinner, and they'll say, oh, we just moved
here. We've been here three months. They're my
favorite people to talk to. Because they're so
enthusiastic. They chose Raleigh. They weren't
born here. They looked around the country and
had a choice of where to go. And they chose our
city. Which, I know that. That's a great way to
look at it. We can sit up straight and be proud
because we do have a lot to offer. So I love talking
to those people about how and what was the driving
factor in making a decision. I also think it's
funny, we run into a lot of people who they move
here and they go, oh, we bought in Holly Springs
and we stayed there eight months, nothing against
Holly Springs, that's not my point. But then we
found our people in Five Points, we found our
community. So many times people move here and
buy. because they're in a hurry to find something
and then they realize maybe they didn't find the
right community and so they're shopping again.
KELLEY DUBOIS: I deal with that a lot.
GINA STEPHENS: I bet.
KELLEY DUBOIS: We have people that'll call all
the time about relocating or on our website filling
out the little informations and they're all over
the place. The husband will be working here, the
wife will be working here, or they're worried
about extracurricular activities. Whatever anybody's
personal situation is, I'm always like, we're
kind of all over. Why don't we rent for six to
12 months? Figure out where we like and then we
can revisit. because what's the point of buying
to move again in 12 months or be unhappy? I always
say, you're buying a house, not a shirt. We can't
return it. It's because after six to 12 months,
you know where you're going to be. And yes, are
you spending a lot more money in rent? Maybe,
I mean, yes, you are. That's not debatable. But
you're not going to make money selling your house
in this market in 12 months. You're going to lose
by the time you're paying attorney fees, deed
transfers, real estate fees. Because you're not
making that money, so pay the rent.
GINA STEPHENS: And it's peace of mind that you're
buying. I had an editor whose husband worked for
some movie production company, and they brought
them here. And they rented a house. Um. and literally
lived, I mean, lived at, she hated the house,
she hated the location, but they lived there for
12 months and did the research before they figured
out where they wanted to be. And they wanted to
be Downtown Oakwood. She goes, I would have never
jumped at that if I had just come through for
a weekend looking at houses. I think it's hard.
KELLEY DUBOIS: It's very hard, especially if you
don't know where you're going. Even people that
don't, that have lived here, whether it's all
your life or years, It's really hard to know what
you want when you're committing to something long,
like a house. It's a huge commitment. It's very
expensive. 300,000 is really the price of your
new starter home, which is mind boggling to me.
And then, the more money you're going, the harder
it is to think about, now what do I do? I don't
like it, I'm stuck. Like you're a person said.
And I really do think with home buying, the easiest
way to decide what you want is knowing what you
don't like. You know, you don't know what you
want until you feel it.
GINA STEPHENS: It's funny, I use that phrase a
lot with my advertising clients because a lot
of times we work with people that know they need
to advertise. They haven't had to do it before,
but they know there's so many newcomers here and
want to and they don't know where to start. And
I'm like, okay, better yet, tell me what you don't
like. Because I can figure out what you like based
on what you don't like. I'm not far from an empty
nester. My youngest is going to be a sophomore
in high school, and I have started to think about
wanting to live in the Cotton Mill or Bloomsbury
Downtown. I spend more time driving back and forth
from North Raleigh to Downtown because of what
I do. And my kids are like, what? You're gonna
sell our house? And I'm like. I don't need 4,000
square feet and an acre and a half if it's just
me. So it's, so you do start, there are stations
in your life where you start to... to change maybe
what you like.
KELLEY DUBOIS: That's a really good point that
you made also that I hear a lot of people say
in real estate, they want to move. So I have huge
age differences between my kids. So I have 21
down to five, but so I have also different groups
of friends from their friends, you know. I'm the
young mom with my older kids. I'm the old mom
with my young kids. But with my older kids, most
of them are becoming empty nesters right now.
They want to move because they primarily want
to downsize. And it's funny the different things
that they want to do. Some of them are like, well,
our kids are now out of state or the youngest
is going to college. We now are looking at places
at the beach or we're looking at places in the
mountains. I mean, they're looking at moving,
like staying in the state, but moving. Their kids
are having a fit. And for that, my answer always
is, well, tell your kids that they can purchase
the house at, you know, whatever number you work
out. Or they now need to kind of revamp with your
new chapter. And I think that's the other thing
whenever you're buying a house or looking at moving.
It's a new chapter. So you have to make it about
the people that are primarily going to be in that
chapter. And parents, I think, have a guilt, specifically
mothers.
GINA STEPHENS: Always.
KELLEY DUBOIS: Mom guilt is, I grew up Catholic,
so my guilt is more a Catholic guilt. Oh, you're
twice as much guilt. It's insane. Yeah, so your
mom guilt is kind of like, well, is that going
to feel like home? Is that going to give them
enough space? Or I also deal with a lot of older
people that have moved from up north. There's
a specific neighborhood in Sanford called Carolina
Trace. It's a... skated community on a lake with
two 18-hole golf courses. It's wonderful. A lot
of northerners would relocate there whenever they
retired. Well, now those, the OGs, the originals
of Carolina Trace are now going into like one
of three tiers of living or assisted living facilities.
And their biggest thing whenever, you know, they're
looking, relocating from another state is, well,
is there gonna be enough bedrooms for when my
children and grandchildren move? Well, we have
this amazing thing called VRBO and Airbnbs, Hotels,
and they're probably at most gonna visit twice
a year.
GINA STEPHENS: Twice a year. I told my kids, I
said, if I end up at the cotton mill, which I'm
waiting for someone to die off or sell, advertisement
here, I said, Longleaf, you will stay. And they're
like, what, you're gonna put us in a hotel? I'm
like, yeah, you're not gonna visit that often.
Twice a year, I will put you at the hotel.
KELLEY DUBOIS: Because I guarantee you, your children
are not buying a house based on their parents.
They're just not, you know? So buy your house
for you.
GINA STEPHENS: Yes, for sure.
KELLEY DUBOIS: So I'm looking at your magazines
and I see tons of advertisements with real estate.
I work, I think, with a lot of new agents that
it does not occur to them that magazines, specifically
like Raleigh Magazine, any kind of magazines that
add value to people that have relocated here or
are wanting to learn more about advertising in
magazines. And I'll say that to them and they're
like, oh, I didn't think about that. Do you come
across that a lot?
GINA STEPHENS: You know, there were a number of
years where everyone thought digital was the answer
to everything. Yeah. And I think there's still
a segment of the population that believes that.
And that's why we sort of have all of those opportunities.
So when someone just wants digital, you know,
we do all the email marketing, we give you, and
we have a huge audience. But we work with Real
Estate Offices, and some of them have been with
us as many as five years, never missed an issue,
and can track it back to the houses they sold
or the leads they got. I think it depends on your
approach. I do think there's great value in it.
I think it says a couple of things. When someone
sees you in print, it means you're established.
KELLEY DUBOIS: I agree.
GINA STEPHENS: And especially if you are doing
it on a regular basis or semi-regular. It means
that you're investing in your company and you
believe in what you're doing. I think there's
a prestige that comes with that and that respect
and integrity ingrained in that. I think the perception.
I think there's a great way that Real Estate Offices
and realtors can work with magazines, specifically
us. Some of my best stories come from people in
your industry. When they start to see a trend,
you know, you've had three clients all asking
for the same thing. We did one of my best stories
early on, was when that trend started where if
you wanted to buy a house in the room, multiple
offers, write a letter. Love letters. Make them
love you. A realtor mentioned that to me casually
in conversation. And I was like, what? And she
goes, oh yeah, all my customers are doing that.
And so we were able to do that story, interview
her. She didn't pay for that. We're not a pay
to play. And I would say that if... If you're
considering advertising and they say, we'll write
about you if you advertise, don't do it. Because
that means somebody's not reading their magazine
for the content. they're just putting anything
in there.
KELLEY DUBOIS: I do agree with that.
GINA STEPHENS: It shouldn't be leveraged, the
two. If you come to me with a good story, whether
you don't advertise with me or you do, it doesn't
matter. If it's a good story, we're gonna do it
and we're gonna reach out. It's also a great way
to become a resource. Several times a year, almost
every issue, we do a story on what's happening
in the home market. Last issue, it was on the
six new condo communities that are coming online.
In March, we pulled six houses that sold. in January.
and looked at what they sold the time before versus
what they sold for in January. And we reached
out to a couple of Real Estate Offices that we
have relationships with to get their perspective.
Why this street? Why this neighborhood? Why a
493% increase in a house every five years? And
so if you've got a relationship like that with
a publication, they're likely to use you as a
resource.
KELLEY DUBOIS: Absolutely. That goes to networking
in general. I cannot stress how important networking
is to any real estate agent or. sales in general,
right? You have to meet these people so that you
pop into their head and you leave an impression
to where they're going to think of you about being
a professional that's knowledgeable and wants
to play with others and is personable. And you
can't do that if you're just hiding in an office
all the time. Sending emails.
GINA STEPHENS: Yeah. You have to meet people face
to face and have conversations and pick up the
phone and call. You do. Yeah.
KELLEY DUBOIS: And that's the part that I think
most people struggle with, which is if you are
not going to become rememberable to people, you
will quickly be forgotten.
GINA STEPHENS: Oh, people laugh at me. I don't
go anywhere that I don't have a Raleigh magazine
or two with me. And they're like, why are you?
I'm like. That's who I am. That's what you're
always, you wanna leave that.
KELLEY DUBOIS: That's your Brand. It is.
GINA STEPHENS: You wanna leave your Brand and
you want to make sure they remember you when you
walk away.
KELLEY DUBOIS: And I think that's a good thing.
I love that you do that. You're proud of it and
you should be proud of it. If you don't believe
in what you have, why would you expect anybody
else to believe in it?
GINA STEPHENS: Well, and also think back to the
advertising piece or how you share your message.
If you work in real estate, you've sold houses,
you have clients that are happy and have had great
experiences with you. Sometimes, think about when
you go to rent a house at the beach or you buy
a product. We all scroll down and read the reviews.
KELLEY DUBOIS: I read them and I do them. That's
great. I really do. I don't, I very rarely buy
something without looking at a review also. I
put a lot of emphasis in reviews.
GINA STEPHENS: I think when you're spending money.
whether it's a house or whether it's a pair of
shoes or a beach house for the weekend.
KELLEY DUBOIS: The thought of a bad review, that
sets me into an anxiety attack. I work really
hard and I don't want anybody to think that I
did not do a good job with them. So I do think
about that. So let's go back to newer agents,
well, any agents. I don't care if they're newer
agents who have been established and are trying
to continue growing, advertising in magazines.
What do you think you see with agents is the biggest
benefit of doing so?
GINA STEPHENS: I do believe it goes back to the
credibility of it. And I think it gives, you know,
a lot of times when someone advertises with us,
I do a lot of chatting with them about maybe it's
not your face that's in the ad. as much as let's
put a house that's sort of indicative of what
you sell the most of or what you specialize in.
And I know they always say, well, I sell everything.
But I always like to say, you want to give people
an idea of... what your specialty is or what they
can count on you for. And I think showing some
sold property or something that you have on the
market really helps. And by being a monthly magazine.
you know, our turnaround. you know, likely what
you put in there won't be sold by the time the
next issue rolls out. Right. So I think that,
and again, we've worked with companies who swear
by it, have had great success, but we also, like
you, have a Podcast. We... We have the largest
social media of any print media in the triangle,
including the News Observer and the Indy, which
have been around over 40 years. So... For somebody
who's looking for a channel to share their message,
print may be it, but digital might be it. And
so we've really, we're more of a Omni-channel
Company. People often think all we do is print.
And so, but we offer all of that. And I think
it's just like you, when you sit down to go, okay,
what kind of neighborhood, how many bedrooms?
For us, it's about, so what are you interested
in? And what is the message you're trying to share?
We have a full design team that puts together
probably 60% of the ads you see in the magazine.
It's more about working with you to figure out
the best way to share your message with who you're
trying to reach. Because our Instagram follower
is a very different person in some cases than
the person that's reading print, or the million
people a year that go to the website. So it's,
for us, it's about a layered approach, trying
to help you get your message to the right person
through a couple of different channels.
KELLEY DUBOIS: I love this. If you are a realtor
listening to this, what Raleigh Magazine is offering,
it's helping build your Brand. And that is so
important. I say that all the time. Brand building
is so important. Not your Firm. Remember, your
Firm already has its Brand. It's already spent
a lot of money being that name or that Brand.
We're talking about your Brand. And every realtor
should have their own Brand. The most successful
ones always do. If you don't, this might be a
wonderful partnership to help build your specific
Brand. They're going to put your picture in it.
Again, if you don't want your picture in it, I
am a person that does think your photo. should
always be attached to your name as a realtor.
I don't understand why people don't. And I hate
photos, hate photos. Get professional hair and
makeup, get professional photos, they go a long
way. I am obsessed with my headshot because of
the professional makeup. If I could just have
her with me all the time, we would be great. With
your team that helps Brand, set up the advertisements,
which I call branding, because that's very helpful.
Like, is there a specific amount of time that
they have to commit to? Or what do you see most
agents do? If they're monthly publications, obviously,
can they just do one month? Can they do six months?
How do they set that up?
GINA STEPHENS: You know, it's funny, very often
I'll have somebody come to me and say, I want
to do a full page, one time. And I'm like, I really
don't want to take your money because there are
very few things that people are going to make
an impulse decision on. You're not selling a pair
of tennis shoes. you're selling something impactful
that's gonna change their life. They need to see
it repeatedly. So very often I suggest people
do a minimum of three issues. They can be every
other issue, however you wanna do it, but at least
they need the repetition of that. We have a photography
team who has a makeup person. So if someone doesn't
have headshots for themselves, that's what we
sort of recommend is a minimum of that. But we
still don't have a conversation. If you've got
logos, photos, show us things that you've created
for your clients. And then we come up with a couple
of different ads. And I'm proud to say that If
you're familiar with the new beautiful building,
400H, that's going up on Hillsboro Street.
KELLEY DUBOIS: Gorgeous.
GINA STEPHENS: Gorgeous. They have a full team
of marketing people, but they asked us to do their
ads because they love what we do. I think we have
a really talented team. and we make sure that
everyone doesn't look the same and we hope you.
craft your ad to match your Brand.
KELLEY DUBOIS: That's really important because
you do want to be able to stand out. And if everybody
is kind of all the same, you're just blending.
GINA STEPHENS: I have a great story and I won't
name the real estate office, but they had been
in business for 10 years. It's a last name, the
company name is. and he had never done any advertising,
never. and decided to give it a shot. They've
been with us now for five years, and swear by
it. He goes, my neighbors now know what I do.
And I was like, I'm sure your neighbors knew who
you were. But he said, I feel like it's elevated
how people see me in the community. It's elevated
they think I take my business more seriously.
It led to him changing locations, doing something
more high profile. So I think print does that
for brands.
KELLEY DUBOIS: It's gonna come off wrong, but
it is, I think, I hope everybody knows what I
mean. It's going to make it seem like you are,
not better than you are, but you're more together,
established, possibly even successful. Because
when people are seeing you in print, even if you've
just had 10 closings in a year, but if they see
it, they're gonna think, wow, that person must
really be killing it. They must really be pretty
big in their market. So if you're doing 10, great
job. Put yourself in some print, and then maybe
next year you're gonna see 20. Keep going, because
if you could let yourself stay stagnant and just
keep doing the same thing, that's all it's going
to do. You have to keep on investing in yourself.
And if you are newer to this and you're not familiar
with it, anytime you're going to do this print
work or advertisements, those are all tax write-offs,
which you need as a realtor. So do it, see the
differences, and let's see how it's going to take
you to the next level, because it should take
you to the next level.
GINA STEPHENS: Well, and for us, we try to integrate
our advertisers and people we work with into events
that we host. So we just did an event for, we
named, honored 17 women who are shaping the future
of Raleigh. I like to say they had their hands
in the dirt. They really. Love that. And we invited
many of our clients to be in the room for that.
So they're all of a sudden meeting 50 new people
that they maybe wouldn't have had access to otherwise.
Yeah, networking. It really, it's all about that.
KELLEY DUBOIS: I take magazines even if I'm like
vacationing or not from somewhere, I don't even
work that market. I mean, specifically like in
different markets, I have no idea who their top
producing agents are, no idea about the different
firms. I mean, you've got your Token Nationwide
Firms, but I'll always grab magazines and look
through them to see who's advertising, just to
put a name with the face, just to kind of say,
have I heard of them? Most of the time I haven't
because they're markets I'm not familiar with,
but I still want to get different ideas. I'd be
like, oh, that person's probably killing it, or,
oh, I like the way they set that up. So just the
constant dorky research that I'm doing and curiosity,
just curiosity.
GINA STEPHENS: I do the same thing.
KELLEY DUBOIS: And in my local markets, I look
in the magazines and be like, oh. why isn't, I
didn't see that agent in there, or ooh, I wonder
why they're not doing it anymore. Just certain
things, because to me, you constantly have to
stay present. And if you're not, why? What are
you hearing about the feedback from people who
have relocated here, whether it's six months ago
or six years ago? What is... this is going to
be a two-part question. What is their favorite
things that they have kind of discovered in our
Raleigh or even Halo area about what we have to
offer?
GINA STEPHENS: I think I hear a lot, and there's
a general and a specific, I think they love how
much there is to do in all the different pockets.
That there's stuff going on in Five Points or
stuff at Dix Park that, depending on what they're
interested in, they can find something in different
areas. There's always something happening. I also
think they're really excited to see our food scene
blossoming. A lot of them have come from larger
cities that have maybe a bigger food scene or
more developed. I think they're excited to see
new areas like the Exchange popping up and Ironworks
and Crawford Oatney, another new restaurant that's
maybe not on Person Street, that's a little further
out. You know, I think people are really excited
about Fenton.
KELLEY DUBOIS: Oh, I think so too.
GINA STEPHENS: And I was really surprised because
you've been here just long enough to understand
that
KELLEY DUBOIS: Raleighites...
GINA STEPHENS: don't typically love Carrie. There's
that love hate relationship.
KELLEY DUBOIS: Carries Carrie.
GINA STEPHENS: But I think... Fenton has sort
of merged the two. I'm amazed at how many people,
friends of mine who go, oh, I went to the movie
and I went to Fenton, or I went shopping and went
to dinner, you know. And so they're thinking about
it as more of a broad area. I think Giorgio opening
East End Bistro, I met a couple who had just driven
to Chapel Hill to go to one of his restaurants
in De Durham because they loved it so much here.
So I feel like they're excited about all the opportunity
that's tying the community together.
KELLEY DUBOIS: I agree with that. I think that
the pockets, you know, I'm even hearing people
talk about like the mosaic in Chatham County over
in Pittsburgh. So same type of thing. They're
expanding and all these places are within an hour,
I'd say.
GINA STEPHENS: People who are moving here from
California and other places who sit in traffic
for hours to get anywhere, for them to drive an
hour to Chapel Hill or to Durham, it's nothing.
That's not bad. The ones of us that have been
here a long time are the ones that bitch and groan
about, excuse me. That's exactly right.
KELLEY DUBOIS: That is exactly right. The ones
that have been here forever are like, oh, it's
take, I've added on another 10 minutes of my commute.
Okay, well, it's still under 30 minutes. So we
doing good.
GINA STEPHENS: Yeah, we're still really in good
shape.
KELLEY DUBOIS: And what is the biggest thing that
you're hearing from people not from here that
they wish that they were kind of seeing or miss,
I guess, from where they came from? They would
like to experience it here.
GINA STEPHENS: The one thing I hear a lot is that
Raleigh needs is sort of the the bean in Chicago.
or some iconic, when they have family visit, they
want to take them to something that is iconically
Raleigh. That they can have their photo taken
in front of. And I think we're working on that.
I think as a city we're working on that. It wouldn't
surprise me if Dix Park or things at Dix Park
would not. ultimately be that.
KELLEY DUBOIS: like a. a staple right in the center.
Like the arch. Yes. Those are hard things to do
though.
GINA STEPHENS: They really are.
KELLEY DUBOIS: That's part of the actual city
that's been there forever.
GINA STEPHENS: I think, I mean truly, when I heard
this the first time, it made me pause. We are
building the last great American city park at
Dix Park. there is no other city in the country
that has that land in its city limits to devote
to a park. And when you think about it in that
way, what a treasure. And I don't think a lot
of people go out there, and we're gonna be doing
a pullout in one of our upcoming issues that explains,
because there's gonna be a brewery out there,
and there's going to be food out there, and there's
five different entrances. I don't think people,
a lot of people, they think it's a green pasture,
unless I wanna throw a frisbee or walk the dog,
why am I going? And there's a lot more to it that
is coming and about to happen. So I think that
could end up being our sort of central part.
KELLEY DUBOIS: I think that's a really good thought
to it. I think also Raleigh has some great parks
in general. I mean, there's lots of things that
are, and. There's things that are always going
on at one of the parks. Another thing that I think
that Raleigh has is I am a former soccer mom with
my... 18 year old and Raleigh has some great facilities
for sports. Whether you're talking soccer, lacrosse,
the softball fields, baseball fields. I don't
think people that aren't from here realize how
good. If you're from here, you might not understand
how good they are if you haven't compared them
GINA STEPHENS: Well, and if your kids didn't play
soccer and you didn't spend a lot of time. I'll
tell you, I am really excited. I've been part
of the team helping make this happen with the
Skate Raleigh Park.
KELLEY DUBOIS: Oh my gosh, it's awesome.
GINA STEPHENS: I don't think I've seen anything
that has unified the entire city. No one has a
negative thought about this. It is going to be...
They're taking such an eyesore space along Capitol
Boulevard. And my understanding, if the planets
align, they will do the ribbon cutting the end
of June. They want it to be open in first phase
in July for kids to be able to enjoy. But you
talk about something that's going to cross all
socioeconomic, race, ages, sports, I mean anything
that has a wheel on it.
KELLEY DUBOIS: Yeah, it can go.
GINA STEPHENS: It is going to be so good for our
city.
KELLEY DUBOIS: I love that and I agree. I think.
I think that the parks here are great. I think
that they try and reach out to all the different
demographics and whether you're the... X game
sport types or your traditional, you know, American
football, it doesn't matter. I think that there
are some great facilities. And with the exception
of the equipment, they're free. You know, that's
really important.
GINA STEPHENS: Well, in the skate park, that's
one of the things they talked about. It's one
of the lowest thresholds of cost to get involved
in, whether it's a skateboard or a scooter. There's
not a lot of stuff you need to be able to make
that happen. I love that.
KELLEY DUBOIS: You know, I grew up in the 90s,
so Tony Hawk was huge. So let's go back.
GINA STEPHENS: Well, there's rumors they're trying
to get him here for an event. So you may get to
see him in person.
KELLEY DUBOIS: So Gina, on our segment, our Podcast
for On the Real Estate, I always end with a can't
make this shit up story. I love stories that are
just so bizarre where I'm like, that's not true.
And they're like, can't make this shit up. Let's
hear, I bet it was hard for you to narrow one
down.
GINA STEPHENS: It was, so I took it to the editorial
team and I said, I've really, you know, we're
expected to know good stories. And I hope this
one falls in line with the kind of stuff that
will make you say you can't make this shit up.
There is a active working brothel. in Raleigh.
and not where you might think it is happening
on a, right above a thriving area, above a grocery
store. That's all I'll say for now. but it's truly
happening. the place you're involved.
KELLEY DUBOIS: Uh-huh, now I just want to find
it. Not for a side job.
GINA STEPHENS: I didn't even think of that. You're
sharp.
KELLEY DUBOIS: I'm just nosy, I'm just nosy.
GINA STEPHENS: No, I mean, so it's like, you know-
KELLEY DUBOIS: Did you get tipped off on this?
GINA STEPHENS: We did, we did.
KELLEY DUBOIS: Are you gonna do a story on this?
We should.
GINA STEPHENS: We're working on it.
KELLEY DUBOIS: Do you like how I included we?
We should.
GINA STEPHENS: Absolutely, absolutely. And I will,
off the air, I'll share with you. But it's interesting
how, you know, when things grow as fast as it
has. and we've got cool stuff and it brings out.
the CD. I don't know another word for it. It brings
out another element.
KELLEY DUBOIS: All right.
GINA STEPHENS: So. But I just thought that was
pretty fascinating. The other thing, if that doesn't
shock you enough, we found out today that the
city of Raleigh is going to make a parking ticket.
fine on Glenwood South is going to go from $30
to $200.
KELLEY DUBOIS: A $200 parking ticket?
GINA STEPHENS: And the reason is that they believe
that some of the traffic on Glenwood South is
leading to some of the crime and issues they're
having. So this would be a way to deter parking
on Glenwood South.
KELLEY DUBOIS: But where are we supposed to park?
GINA STEPHENS: I guess parking decks or private
lots, but get it off the street. I don't know
much more than that, but that's pretty steep.
KELLEY DUBOIS: Parking kind of makes me crazy.
Yes.
GINA STEPHENS: It's a hot button with everyone
I know.
KELLEY DUBOIS: So far, I can't make our shit up
today. We have learned that Raleigh has a whorehouse
and parking is $200. So either way, you're kind
of getting screwed if you don't pay attention
to what's happening.
GINA STEPHENS: Can't make that shit up.
KELLEY DUBOIS: Can't make that shit up. Well,
thanks, Gina, for coming to visit. I think we're
leaving on a great note.
GINA STEPHENS: Thanks for having me.
KELLEY DUBOIS: Thanks everyone for listening to
this episode of On the Real Estate Podcast brought
to you by House Hunt with Kelly and Adcock Real
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