5 Things to Avoid Before Buying a Home – Simple tips that can save a lot of heartache, stress and money.

Real Estate Insurgency Manual, Part 1: Outmaneuver and Neutralize – Much of this is how and what Nest aims to accomplish

City of Charlottesville discriminating against homeschoolers and private school kids?

Linked Data is Blooming: Why you should care

Have you heard about the Home Valuation Code of Conduct?

In a nutshell, mortgage originators (if paid commission) will no longer have contact with appraisers for conventional mortgages. Appraisals will be ordered via an appraisal management company–oddly similar to what Washington Mutual used before New York Attorney General Cuomo investigated. Although this is effective for loans delivered to Fannie/Freddie on May 1, 2009 or later, lenders will adopt the Code well in advance in order to be able to deliver compliant loans.

Choosing the Right REALTOR to sell your home – sage advice from a Realtor friend in Miami; advice that is applicable when choosing a Realtor in Charlottesville or anywhere else.

Remember that it is a particular agent’s service that you will be relying on, not necessarily the brokerage. With all the changes in real estate in the past 2 years, it is no longer about hiring the big dog brokerages anymore. It is about hiring agents that provide service, that are Internet proficient and that will expose your listing to the broadest audience possible. Rick and I left a big brokerage because they were limiting the way we exposed our listings and setting boundaries for us that were directly impacting our clients and our ability to market effectively.

The ROI of Stories – An Informal Case Study – this fits in line with something I was thinking the other day. When interacting with people, ask them how they’re doing. If they’re in a crappy job that typically is unrewarding, a simple and genuine “how are you doing?” combined with a smile can make the experience much better for both people.