There are no little deals.Every transaction is a huge transaction for the buyer, and usually the seller, too. Dismissing the “little” deals as such is detrimental to everybody involved. We were all, at some point, a “little deal” ourselves.
Date Archives August 2007
Notes from the frontline
For the past week, I have shown most of the inventory in the $300k-$550k price range in the City of Charlottesville and the urban ring.1) Appraisals from four, six, eight months ago do nothing other than lead the seller astray…. (and, no, I do not necessarily see this as a “price drop” – it is the non-realization of unreasonable expectations.2) Negotiating from what you “need to make” is an untenable position. While completely relevant from an individual financial point of view, this position is not relevant from a market-value point of view.3) As a seller, you might not get a better offer. You got to know when to hold ’em, know when to fold ’em,Know when to walk away and know when to run.You never count your money when you’re sittin’ at the table.There’ll be time enough for countin’ when the dealin’s done.4) There are a lot of buyers in the market – they simply have more to choose from and often times, there is more than one “right” house for them.5) Summarizing the broader Charlottesville market is impossible.
Tuesday links 21 August 2007
If you don’t think the tax code is screwy, read this.Making a low offer – more on this later this week.How the media missed the signs of the mortgage meltdownHow real estate commissions work – an outstanding and enlightening post (hat tip: BHB) – read more about divorcing the commissions here and here.The buyer and the seller should each pay for their own services rendered to them. This practice of the seller paying the buyer’s agent is just nuts.Mike has written some of the best stuff on the future of the MLS. If you’re interested in the evolution of the MLS, start here…. Realtors, this may seem inconsequential; it’s not – the decisions that we as members of the real estate community make – and don’t make – will shape the future of the business.Crime in Downtown Charlottesville – if we could get this data released consistently, think of the value the real estate consumer (and citizens) could have.If you’re not shopping at the Charlottesville Habitat Store – why not?Living frugally is cool.Get your RealCentralVA gear here!
Blog Action Day – 15 October 2007
Normally I don’t buy into these things, but this one seems worthwhile and credible:Blog Action Day (and their blog)On October 15th, bloggers around the web will unite to put a single important issue on everyone’s mind – the environment. Every blogger will post about the environment in their own way and relating to their own topic. Our aim is to get everyone talking towards a better future.As I have written many times before, being mindful of our impact on the environment ought not be a political issue; conservation makes sense (particularly now in the midst of a drought)…. Living green is easier than ever.Start learning more:TreehuggerWikipediaDiggGreen TVWe can live greenGreen moviesThere is real momentum to the green building trend:Thanks to Lani, Copyblogger and ProBlogger for the heads-up.Any other blogs in the Charlottesville area planning on participating?
Light blogging this week
I need to recover from the past several days of intense showing and inventory analysis, so this week will be a bit light.
Something all Realtors and sellers should read
Part of an email from a buyer client who is searching for homes in Charlottesville:We overlooked this home because it only had a photo of the outside, but the home next door to it was for sale and I found a virtual tour through Trulia- it is beautiful…. The outside looks well-kept.The realtor is doing his client a disservice by only having one photo, but the resultant lack of interest may work to our advantage.It is the Realtor’s responsibility to do his or her job well. It is the client’s responsibility to check up on what their Realtor is doing on their behalf. I like to show properties that have one or fewer photos – it usually means that the Seller will have had less traffic and will therefore be more willing to negotiate a lower offer.
Insight into blog readers’ minds
But if that Realtor has a qualified buyer, what good would come from shooting yourself in the foot?- real estate sales in charlottesville va+july 2007 – or, go straight to the Market Statistics category on RealCentralVA- realtor ethics questions and illegal incentives – duh. This is the problem with cooperative compensation – where the seller “pays” the buyer’s agent – particularly builder incentives.- charlottesville va foreclosures – why is one of the condo communities in Charlottesville advertising for this search term? I can understand the big companies and the odd Realtor but what are they saying?- advertizing real estate & relocation realitors – only for the misspellings. It’s Realtor.- dual agent horror story – surprisingly there are only slightly fewer results in Google for “dual agent success story” – but the results for the horror story search are much, much more pertinent.- jim duncan – there are 2.3 million results for this search, and I’m number one and two.