What we are seeing also is that buyers (and sellers) are finally re-recognizing the intrinsic value of housing.And the email from the reader -I suspect you might not be terribly eager to pick a fight with your own Chal/Albemarle realtor colleagues, but I just read the new essay on CAAR.com by Judy Savage and it’s a doozy…. It is each Realtor’s job to advise his client of the state of the market, the risks involved and help them determine whether the purchase or sale is right for them.I see the letter as a call to action for Realtors to do what we should have been doing all along, but now with more urgency…. To do otherwise accomplishes three things -1) Doesn’t sell the house2) Makes the Realtor seem ineffective3) Contributes to the glut of inventory4) Doesn’t sell the houseSetting asking prices for too many used to be an exercise of asking the sellers what they wanted to ask, rather than doing legitimate statistical market analyses…. The seller says that he would rather let the property go to foreclosure than take out a loan to cover the difference between the selling price and what he owes.When sellers are setting market value based on what they owe rather than what the market will bear – What is the Realtor to do?* AC – Thank you for the email.
Date Archives January 2008
Tuesday links 01-08-2008
Once it becomes invisible, we all benefit.Green tax breaks may be coming to the City of CharlottesvilleLawsuit against Wintergreen may go forward…. As someone said before – only the attorneys truly win.Albemarle County and Charlottesville City school systems don’t use public funds wisely. (hat tip: Bacon’s Rebellion) The PDF Study is here.City of Charlottesville fell into this category (as did twelve others):Least Cost-Efficient Districts. Twelve school districts fell in the Lowest Achievement-Worst Price grouping which was worst group in the state in terms of quality and cost.
Speaking in New York City this week
I sat on a similar panel last fall in San Francisco and am privileged and honored to speak again.The panel is titled “Blogging, a Fresh Take on Client Prospecting” with Pat Kitano, Johnathan Butler and Frances Flynn Thorsen. The best part of going to Inman is the chance to connect and reconnect with others in the real estate world.My secret for “getting clients” through blogging?… Be consistent, honest, transparent and provide the best local real estate information…. Is there anything in particular that would cause you to contact a Realtor because of his or her blog?
Tracking local politics that affect the real estate market
Politics influence the real estate market – Things like impact fees on developments, qualifications of assessors and appraisers, tax credits for energy efficient or Earthcraft houses, exemptions for wells on properties under three acres, limitations of property tax rates, suspending water hook-ups during certain emergencies (the potential for abuse on this one seems particularly likely, and would definitely impact the real estate market), not to mention the Dillon Rule, and also whether or not you could use your fireplace if you lived in a densely-populated area, or whether you can give your 17 year old kid a glass of wine.Simply put, knowing that there may be a tax credit for energy efficient houses makes me better able to represent my clients. Knowledge and information are power; being able to efficiently manage that information is equally powerful.If you scroll down, you will see this new sidebar addition, showing the bills in the Virginia General Assembly that I am watching. Courtesy of Richmond Sunlight, you too can track bills that affect you in the General Assembly; go to the new Photosynthesis page here.I do wish there was a way to filter out all the commendations and celebrations, and I wonder how much each one of these costs taxpayers…. (please note the sarcasm)I wonder if this could develop into a social network of people tracking bills, maybe even become a Facebook widget.If we leave politics up to “everyone else,” we are doing ourselves a disservice.
Being number one for this search is good
Charlottesville, VA real estate statistics
Would you buy a house with this HOA restriction?
From an otherwise-promising new development in Charlottesville:All toys, bicycles, tricycles, motorcycles, mopeds, and such other similar items located on a Lot or adjacent streets shall be removed each evening to an area not exposed to view from any other Lot or street.
I am not a lead
For years I have thought of those who contact me through this blog not as leads but as people who want to have a conversation about real estate. So far, that’ worked pretty well.nullFew things are more de-personalizing than referring to someone and their family as a “lead.”