CNBC noted last week that vacant homes are having a national impact on the market, but this post is about the local market – Some of the consequences of vacant houses – potential identity theft , homeowner’s insurance rates going up (or being canceled) , snowball effect on neighborhoods , … localities’ budgets will likely be impacted by all the vacancies … If you’re a buyer looking at a vacant house, you may want to (get permission) and come in before the home inspection and spend some time flushing toilets, running water, running the dishwasher, washer/dryer, etc. – the snapshot provided by a short (although thorough) home inspection may not provide all the insight you need.
Date Archives October 2008
Nuggets of Knowledge
One of the reasons I love Twitter is finding things like this from people I respect: 
(That picture is not really Jeff Brown – it’s Jeff Turner ) Find me on Twitter .
Charlottesville Loses Something Hugely Valuable
I’m sure (and hopeful) that there will be homages to the Vinegar Hill Theatre in the coming days and weeks, but let me put forth my two cents – It. … I saw only a few films there over the years, most memorably Life is Beautiful with my now wife, when they unfairly turned the lights on as soon as the credits started to roll – and we all had somehow gotten something in our eyes.
Agent Genius Spheres and News
Agent Genius , the national real estate news magazine, launched two new features/branches this morning – AG Sphere and AG News – If you’re a consumer curious about what some of the best and brightest real estate minds have to say, or if you’re in real estate and want to learn about real estate trends, technology , mortgage news , even finding a local real estate professional and general movements within the industry, check them out. *Disclaimer: I am honored to be one of the writers at AG, but that doesn’t influence how impressed I am by what they continue to do.
Charlottesville Realtor Association to write Neighborhood pages on Wikipedia
Courtesy of C-Ville – Savage emphasizes the project is still taking shape, but the basic concept is that CAAR would begin a Wikipedia entry with some information about a neighborhood and expect “homeowner associations, people who live or used to live in the neighborhood, realtors, and other locals to contribute.†… First, placing editorial power in the hands of readers, sometimes called crowdsourcing, does not entirely eliminate the possibility that “realtors could go on Wikipedia solely as a venue to advertise themselves.â€
Charlottesville Real Estate Company Streamlines
Now as we face inevitable – and desperately needed – cleansing of the real estate hobbyists from the entire industry, they are among the first to recognize and react to current and projected economy. … And I suspect that this is but the beginning; Real Estate III has so many offices that one or two (or probably even three or four) won’t matter so much in the grand scheme … but for the companies that have only one office …
New Appraisal Issues Affect Realtors
When the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) was appointed conservator of FNMA/Freddie, implementation of the HVCC was pushed back to next year, but you can expect that the appraisal portion of your closing process will be different when it is implemented next year. … In the last week alone, we have been hired to reappraise two properties where the underwriter felt that the original appraisals, conducted at a lowball fee by someone else, simply did not provide enough detailed information to allow a decision.