Great post at Rain City Guide by Ardell on earnest money The buyer usually writes a check for the Earnest Money deposit at the same time that they sign the offer and they hand it to their Buyer Agent. …If you know you really want the house when you make the offer, and you have no problems at all throughout the transaction, the Earnest Money just slides like butter from your hand and back into your hand. Whether it actually goes into your hand at the end or is paid against your costs varies from transaction to transaction. But it still simply comes back to you like a boomerang.The only time you should be worried about handing over an Earnest Money check, is if you are not sure you want the house at the time you make the offer.In our market, the check is made payable to the Buyer’s Agent’s company, where it is held in escrow until Closing.
Date Archives February 2006
9th Grade Math, here I come
Sorry, I couldn’t resist. I am so proud. Anybody who has helped with 6th grade math (as I have) should get ready … You Passed 8th Grade MathCongratulations, you got 9/10 correct!Could You Pass 8th Grade Math?Thanks to Scienceblogs for the heads-up.
Afternoon links, regional real estate stuff
Predatory Lending article (PDF)Orange County is joining the trend and raising property taxesBiscuit Run headed to the Albemarle County PlannersDo you want your employer to provide health care or buy you a house?
TJ: Founding Father of Sprawl?
As a writer, philosopher and leader, Jefferson was able to hard-wire an anti-urban bias into the culture of the United States. Consider the U.S. Constitution. What power does it give to cities and towns? None, nada, zip. In fact, the Constitution doesn’t even mention cities and towns. It does give a lot of power to states. And states get more power — through representatives — by increasing their population.I had no idea. Hat tip to Inman.
Portland as “the” example?
Portland is often used as “the” example for how to manage growth effectively and efficiently…. Land use regulations affect housing affordability, sprawl, congestion, etc. Pretty much everything. How does Portland fit in?Did the Portland experiment work? After more than twenty-five years in operation, the results of the Oregon experiment are controversial and puzzling. Growth control in Portland, like the text of the Bible, seems to provide almost anyone studying it evidence to bolster a pre-existing viewpoint.Hmmm. How do we apply what they have learned in Portland to how we want the Central Virginia area to grow?… Where does the vaunted Neighborhood Model fit into the grand scheme?This Google search yielded some interesting results …… What seems to be neglected is an understanding of how all localities interact and connect.
Great post on housing valuation
Merv has an outstanding post this afternoon. Read the whole thing.TAX ASSESSMENTS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MARKET VALUE OF A HOMEAPPRAISALS HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MARKET VALUE OF A HOMECMA’S HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MARKET VALUE OF A HOMEZILLOW ZESTIMATES HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MARKET VALUE OF A HOMEYOUR NEIGHBOR’S OPINION HAS NOTHING DO TO DO WITH THE MARKET VALUE OF A HOMEWHAT YOUR NEIGHBOR’S SOLD FOR 6 MONTHS AGO HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE MARKET VALUE OF A HOMEALL OF THE ABOVE HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE MARKET VALUE OF A HOME (Bolding Mine)If you have questions about how one arrives at a house’s value, read this article.
The 4 P’s
The Four P’s of blog marketing – Passionate – Write about issues that are near and dear to your heartPurposeful – Make sure you keep the end in mind; why are you blogging?Present – Keep an eye on what’s topical todayPositional – Take a stand on an issue and follow itThanks to the Micro Persuasion for the story. Concise and well-said.