“An Officer does not parade about with a pink umbrella.â€Whenever the government operates a facility in a way that negativelly (sic) affects the property interests of nearby owners, the question arises whether it has effected a taking.And sometimes you need a bit of positivity. I have just noticed that BizzyBlog has a habit of posting positive stories – refreshing.Contributing to the contracting market? Or creating opportunity for others?Some adjustable-rate mortgage borrowers, though, and especially those with below-median income, appear to underestimate or not know how much their interest rates could change.Direct to consumer marketing works.Don’t forget to listen to WNRN this Sunday morning.
Date Archives May 2006
What will 29 look like in 5 years?
CvilleTomorrow has an excellent summary of the recent North Pointe hearing, highlighted (in my opinion) by Supervisor Ken Boyd’s question;“I have [a question] for staff and the applicant. On the one side you feel like you have met the neighborhood principles, and staff says you haven’t met the neighborhood principles…. Sean Tubbs with CvillePodcast continues his superlative efforts to inform the public with this interview with Senior Planner senior planner Judith Wiegand and Harrison Rue of the Thomas Jefferson Planning District. Podcast is here.More can be found at the Places 29 website. I missed the hearing last night, but look forward to the accompanying analyses by the local media and bloggers…. Everybody is impacted by 29 – the email I received from a potential buyer searching for a weekend home is telling – Driving back on Sunday, we ran into hellacious traffic starting in Culpepper (sic) that continued until we exited the beltway. Our feeling is that the benefits that you reap from having a place in the country are vitiated by the tortuous drive back to D.C. We’re now thinking about a place farther away for longer stays…. I will contact you in the event that our plans change.
More on Gen X & Y and the real estate market
This story clearly defines the some of the differences facing some real estate professionals regarding the emergence of the Gen X & Y real estate market…. Two of my favorite descriptives are:Blunt – Another of Gen X’s traits is that they are characteristically straightforward and have little patience for deception and doubletalk. They aren’t shy about sharing their opinions of you, your company or your brand in a variety of forums either.Skeptical – In addition to a quickly evolving technology landscape, Gen X bore witness to an equally rapid change in the media landscape…. One aspect of the post with which I disagree is this – Today, they’re first-time (even second-time) home buyers, they’re new parents, they’re confident consumers and they’re an extremely hard market to talk to.They’re not hard to talk to – they don’t like BS, they are educated, they are opinionated and think that they know what they are looking for.For example – I received a call (internet lead) from a potential client yesterday who started the conversation with, “We’ve been looking on the internet and feel that we have a pretty good idea about what we want.”… That makes my job more efficient and our time together better spent.They are on a very short timeline to interview several Realtors, learn the market and purchase. One of the recurring themes of our 15 minute conversation was that they want to be prepared when they arrive next week so that whomever they choose for representation will not waste their time…. They are probably perfectly capable of doing this on their own but for one simple fact – they seem to have neither the time nor the inclination to do so. Gen X and Y are a segment of the market that is refreshing to work with – candid, decisive, (usually) financially sound, and tech-savvy.
Sunday morning wake-up call
I am going to be on WNRN’s Sunday Morning wake-up call this Sunday, 21 May at 1100. Mark you calendars do go to church or UVA’s graduation … and then listen to the podcast (or subscribe to their feed). Listen for an honest dialogue on the local real estate market.
Quick market update
31 new construction properties in Charlottesville/Albemarle have had price reductions since 1 May. (link will expire in 2 weeks) Price reductions for new construction has been unheard of in this market for the past several years. Changes are upon us.1136 properties are on the market in CharlAlbemarle. 341 have had price reductions since 1 January – 30%!
Today’s signs of the apocalypse
Bodo’s accepts credit cards. Colten broke the story of the impending change last month. A speed bump on the (formerly pedestrian) Downtown Mall.
Leadership
All business requires leaders – be they technological leaders, moral leaders or those who will lead the fight. I came across this speech (transcript) from the Citadel’s Commencement service and feel the need to share. First: Grow where you are planted.Second: Check your moral compass frequentlyThird: Make decisions.Fourth and last, and this is the most basic: Take care of those in your charge….Fundamentally it is true whether you’re in civilian life or the military. It is easier to get forgiveness than it is to get permission…. That’s why you’re getting paid, that’s why you’re there. Make decisions.In other words, better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.Thanks to the Southern Conservative for the heads-up about this speech. The speech is here on the Citadel’s servers. I have posted it here.