but -Two properties clients of mine were interested in recently went under contract.What made them sell?Property #1 – in the City of Charlottesville (property links will expire in 7 days)Came on the market in March – asking price of $199k…. One dramatic reduction on 30 October – four offers followed.Property #2 – in the City of CharlottesvilleCame on the market in February for $630k, $50k price reduction in March…. The property went under contract seven days later.Lessons learned -1 – Price it right from the beginning.2 – If the market says the price is high, reduce it…. What you need to make to buy the next house is irrelevant to what your home is worth today.5 – Both clients found me because of this blog.Point of clarification: we wrote an offer on the first one and “lost” and serendipitously never made it to the second.
Date Archives November 2007
Trulia says – Two Foreclosures in Charlottesville?
This post started as a breathless analysis of how great Trulia’s new foreclosure search is, how I would use it every day, tell my clients to use it,(everybody wants to learn about foreclosures) how Charlottesville does not have an effective or efficient method to search foreclosures, and how I and my buyer-clients would be able to use Trulia’s new partnership to our advantage.But. The data’s just not there (yet).A quick baseline:- The local MLS shows 1306 active properties in Charlottesville and Albemarle.- Trulia shows just more than half – 699 active properties in Charlottesville.The discrepancy is likely partially attributable to a difference of semantics when searching – when searching the MLS, I request listings in “Charlottesville City and Albemarle County;” when searching Trulia – Charlottesville does not necessarily include Albemarle…. basic data accuracy issues that come from maintaining such a large database of properties without direct reciprocal accountability to the listing agent.This is likely a very useful tool and one that will be very useful – but it’s only a step in the right direction…. They offer far more peripheral information to the consumer than the local MLS does – but for now, the local MLS beats the pants off of their property database.*one of these days I’ll figure out how to use their API and embed these searches in my website and on this blog.
Sorry about all the spam
More and more sneaks through every day. I love Askimet, but may have to implement additional measures. Nobody likes seeing those pornographic comments, but I have responsibilities other than monitoring spam comments.
Seen in the search results
jim duncan blog – I’m in a constant battle to maintain my presence at the top of Google. Being able to say “google me” with confidence that I’ll be at the top – priceless.Housing market + Charlottesvillecondo growing pains – we certainly have them here.
The first significant builder “transition” in Charlottesville
Wade Builders, Inc. will be transitioning their company from a predominately Residential Retail Home Builder to a Property Management Business during the remainder of 2007 and throughout 2008…. Wade Builder will perform on all contracts, warranties and deliver the quality construction we have come to expect.And – Courteney Stuart has an excellent cover article about Wade’s transition in today’sHooK.Indeed, in recent days, several other local builders acknowledged they’ve had to cut their own workforce and that in the upcoming year they expect to build about half the number of houses they’ve completed in other years. Mike Gaffney, of Gaffney Homes, says he’s cut his staff by about half and is discounting some of his existing inventory and converting others to lease-purchase options. Church Hill Homes has cut staff and plans to build about 50 homes this year, down from 80 annually in recent years.How long before buyers (and good Buyers’ Agents) start asking for financial proof that the builders will be in existence long enough to service their warranties?
Housing and tech in Charlottesville
That is the total economic impact that the high tech industry had on the Charlottesville/Central Virginia region – not too shabby for a Metropolitan Statistical Area with a population of about 175k.Chemical Weapons Research Analyst, Journeyman All-Source Analyst “(working as a member of a government-contractor team supporting the Counter-IED Targeting Program (CITP) …… Combine the government contractors, government jobs – both military and civilian at the current National Grounds Intelligence Center and soon-to-be Rivanna Station Military Base, with Charlottesville’s growing high-tech presence:“Charlottesville is not the biggest player in the high-technology sector in this region,†Kinsey said. “The big interest is starting and encouraging smaller businesses, not necessarily looking for a big, high-tech industry in Charlottesville.â€The study, compiled by the Center for Public Policy at Virginia Commonwealth University with data from 2006, showed the Charlottesville region ranks fifth among 10 Metropolitan Statistical Areas for technology employment with 11,690 full-time and part-time jobs and fourth in number of high-technology firms with 635 companies reported…. However – one of the downsides (there are others) is this – a lot of those seeking to relocate to the area need to temper their expectations.The impact of these jobs is felt throughout our economy and makes its way to housing:The total economic impact from market transactions is comprised of three phases: direct, indirect, and induced economic effects.
How do you determine the cost of doing nothing?
That is a question that needs to be asked with regards to our water supply.Take the time to read the whole thing.”This community has struggled for over 20 years, dating back to the beginning of property acquisition for a “Buck Mountain Reservoir” in the early 1980’s, to find a new water supply that can be permitted by appropriate regulatory authorities,”…“It’s not appropriate to look at that entire price tag as being solely the result of growth,†Frederick said. “The existing Ragged Mountain Dam, the upper dam is 122 years old. The lower dam is 99 years old. We have a Sugar Hollow pipeline that’s 80 years old.â€