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Morning links for 31 July 2006

“We’ll buy your house!”  And why you should be wary.  If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.Why are homes price drop resistant?After a weekend alone with my 2 1/2 year old, this is comforting.  Kudos to Wikipedia for helping to educate bloggers (and everyone else) on the importance of citations.Will Google learn from Yahoo?I need to learn to Get Things Done.

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Friday Links – 07-14-2006

As the week winds down for most (I am gearing up to continue showing throughout the weekend), these are a few stories worth reading, each of which relates in some way to the CharlAlbemarle region’s real estate market.Ardell at RCG has two outstanding posts -Negotiating Fees with the Buyer ClientIf wishes were horses, beggars would ride – a call for civilizing the process of the real estate transaction.Thinking Entrepreneurially about TransitCoolTown Studios has this:53% of 24-34 year olds would choose to live in transit-rich, walkable neighborhoods, less than 25% of middle-aged Americans are interested in living in dense areas.  Source: CNU- Demand for housing within walking distance of transit will more than double by 2025.  Properties within a 5-10 minute walk to a train stop are selling for 20-25% more than comparable properties further away, and going up.  Source: Center for Transit-Oriented DevelopmentWhat’s a government to do when their massive annual raises stagnate?Bankrate.com under fireOnline home valuations are useful, but …The desk-top appraisal said the home would be worth $400,000, but the drive-by and on-site visit lowered it significantly, to the $305,000 to $320,000 ballpark, which Mr. Hagar said would be the most accurate for our purposes.Have a good weekend!

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A buried stream

A buried stream shows itself.  This was not discovered in the home inspection.My client emailed me this movie with these (partial) remarks – …  there is a creek at the bottom of Mulberry Avenue …  the city was working a week ago down there, but I heard there is natural stream coming from the top of the street, somewhere between Mulberry ave and Center ave.  I don’t know if the water is coming from the street, or from the ground….  Anyway.  Thank goodness they didn’t built the house further back…And the next morning – This morning, if you sit next to the path of the stream, you can still hear the water flowing underneath the grass.  It’s still there, but more quiet.

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Soccer catches on

Way off topic, other than the fact that playing, coaching and watching soccer brings me joy:Despite the general lack of interest in the World Cup by the US audience, the soccer tournament is more popular than the NBA basketball championship and the NHL’s Stanley Cup hockey title.  Both of those events were being held at the same time as the World Cup.Anything worth while takes time.

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