Thanks to Latitude 38, this is their new home in the City of Charlottesville : I’m always astounded when builders manage to actually fix the bajillion pieces together. I’m grateful to have wonderful clients who worked with a great builder to make this happen. Located on Mulberry Avenue near Cherry Avenue, another young family is moving in today and have plans to soon add a chicken coop and vegetable garden out back. … Note that there is a stream running through the front yard, so we built a bridge to access the house from the driveway.
Date Archives April 2010
Charlottesville Twitter Week in Review
Interesting stories below about the government’s inability to positively affect the real estate market, walking and biking’s importance to real estate, not paying mortgages increases consumer spending and a whole lot more. … # RT @ Smallchic : @ Marijean I think these’s a good little case study brewing for you here: http://bit.ly/bkx1Wb # Boarding to come back home. … Says a commenter on RealCrozetVa.com # At the top of Diamond Head crater http://post.ly/Yqn3 # Last morning in Hawaii http://post.ly/YnZU # @ robhahn Walking away from mortgages increases consumer spending. 🙂 http://bit.ly/bLC6F4 in reply to robhahn # RT @ mikeroose : @ JimDuncan BH&G is hardly international…. … # Being 6 hours behind east coast time is very disorienting. # @ rerockstar @laniar and, when I think of govt ratings I think of the EPA’s mileage ratings. in reply to rerockstar # @ rerockstar @laniar everytime I think of govt regulating something, I look to how well they manage themselves. & then think differently in reply to rerockstar # Black Bear in Old Trail http://post.ly/Y1MK # The Localist put together a list of – Locally roasted coffee in Virginia – well worth the flavor http://post.ly/XzUb # Rainbow over Hawaii http://post.ly/XrGG # Taking off.
Updated Charlottesville Search for Homes Tool
My beloved search tool has been upgraded … as always, if you have any issues, please let me know either via contact form or in the comments. I (and Diverse Solutions, I’m sure) want this to be the best possible way to search for homes .
Added sharing ability to Twitter, Facebook, Dwellicious, Google Buzz, Email Added print / PDF to Details listing Added ability to have Community, Tract, Zip and MLS Number to Search Widget Added ability to have map auto-open on results pages Added tracking to results map being opened or close between pages Added icon for results map link Improved slideshow look & feel on details Added better full-size photos (just click on the photo in the slideshow to see full size photo) If account has dsSearchAgent Pro: Added ability to have an “advanced” link in Search Widget which leads to a new page with the dsSearchAgent frame auto generated Added ability to set the Template for dsSearchAgent page Added Bing Birds-Eye View to Details pages Added ability to set first/last name and email in wp-admin (necessary for pdf and contact form, shares values with dsSearchAgent) Numerous CSS/UI improvements
…As I noted in November, Bing is much better than Google in some cases .
Part-Time Realtors, Disclose Thyselves!
From VARbuzz, initially quoting the Swanepoel Report –
When real estate agents take on second and third jobs and decide not to disclose that fact to their client, it raises questions concerning their level of commitment and service.
…I mean, if the pilot on my flight was a part-time freelance writer, I’d kinda want to know that he may spend some of his cockpit time on his laptop. … And Lenn hits the nail on the head in the comments – if brokers didn’t hold licenses of part-time Realtors, they’d have nowhere to go.
Search for Homes in Charlottesville However you Please
I find that my clients are all different, and they all like to search for homes in their own way. With that in mind: RealCentralVA.com – Map-based, search by multiple school districts (ie: Crozet & Brownsville Elementary Schools) filter by short sale, Walkscore, foreclosures, and many other ways, such as Days on Market. FranklyMLS.com – Fast, and is a favorite of many of my clients. … How do you like to search for homes in Charlottesville ?
Did you know there is a “Bank Secrecy Act”?
Pursuant to the Bank Secrecy Act and requirements specified by the Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”), [ Bank Name, edited out by me ] will not engage in any transaction with any individual or entity that either appears on the list of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons, Specially Designated Terrorists, Specially Designated Narcotics Traffickers, or that [ Bank Name, edited again ] suspects to involved in a suspicious transaction or one in violation of federal law . … Specifically, the act requires financial institutions to keep records of cash purchases of negotiable instruments, file reports of cash transactions exceeding $10,000 (daily aggregate amount), and to report suspicious activity that might signify money laundering, tax evasion, or other criminal activities. … And from Wikipedia: The Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 (or BSA , or otherwise known as the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act ) requires financial institutions in the United States to assist U.S. government agencies to detect and prevent money laundering . Specifically, the act requires financial institutions to keep records of cash purchases of negotiable instruments , and file reports of cash purchases of these negotiable instruments of $10,000 or more (daily aggregate amount), and to report suspicious activity that might signify money laundering, tax evasion , or other criminal activities.
Housing Costs & and Affordability – Where Does Charlottesville Rank?
The newer website also allows users to break all of the data down into owners costs and renters costs, different income classes, greenhouse gas emissions, and a variety of other factors.
…EIA forecasts that the annual average regular grade retail gasoline price will increase from $2.35 per gallon in 2009 to $2.84 in 2010 and to $2.96 in 2011 because of the projected rising crude oil prices. … Projected annual average retail diesel fuel prices are $2.96 and $3.14 per gallon, respectively, in 2010 and 2011.
Related reading from RealCentralVA.com over the years : 2006 – Gas prices and real estate 2008 – Proof that Gas Prices are Affecting Homebuyers in Charlottesville 2008 – If you don’t think gas prices are affecting buyers