Sued for Cigarette Smoke, Government tracking Cell Phones and House Prices

A few stories of interest from my Posterous site this week: – I know a lot of people lost power last week in the Charlottesville area, but I am grateful we did not, particularly with trees such as this weighed down .

– An energy-efficient tax credit – the amount of time and effort required to claim a $10 credit – is it worth it, or political posturing and pandering ? – Who knew that Bodo’s had gift cards ? – Home prices to drop an additional 20% ?

This story of a listing broker being sued for (allegedly) assuring a buyer that the cigarette smoke smell would dissipate is interesting and is a perfect reminder of : – The four corners principle in real estate. – Why one of my favorite answers is, I don’t know, but I’ll find out.” – Would the situation have been different if the buyer had had buyer representation?

…Department of Justice lawyers say that “a customer’s Fourth Amendment rights are not violated when the phone company reveals to the government its own records” that show where a mobile device placed and received calls.

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IndyMac … What?

Courtesy of RealCville : Hey, grab a stiff drink and try not to lose your lunch as you watch the video (linked below) about the bailout of IndyMac Bank, which was seized by the FDIC in June 2008 because it was l osing so much money on defaulting mortgages. The video has a couple of take-aways: it’s often more profitable for certain banks to avoid mortgage modification, and Goldman Sachs controls the financial world has has the Obama administration by the balls is an agent of the Devil makes a lot of $$$$$. And I received an email referencing this video from someone whom I respect asking for my thoughts. … If only there were officials tasked with representing the peoples’ interests, maybe located in a central location where they could have meetings and respond to the demands of the citizens … this sort of thing makes paying taxes offensive and frankly irresponsible.

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Please Google, Bring Fiber to Charlottesville

From now until March 26th, we’re asking interested municipalities to provide us with information about their communities through a Request for information (RFI), which we’ll use to determine where to build our network. More at the Wall Street Journal From TechCrunch : Google owns its own vast network of dark fiber around the globe to connect its data centers, speed up search, and lower its cost of streaming billions of videos a month on YouTube. … It is not clear what Google services will come with a broadband subscription, but it is a safe bet that Google will be the default search and Gmail will be the default email. … Charlottesville has been consistently rated as a top “Digital City” and while I think it’s a bit of a silly designation, why don’t we capitalize and leverage this?

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Sellers, Proof-Read your Realtor’s Ad-Copy!

I wonder how long it will take before this part of the ad is edited.

4 Bdrm 4 bath 4,400 sq./ft. hillside home on 4 plus acres, 7 min. from Middleton. … Fieldstone fireplace, wraparound porch, storm/wine cellar, spectacular room to grow marijuana , open floor plan, elevator and handicap accessible with in-law suite. 2 1/2 car garage with lower level shop. Separate 40′ x 60′ commercial grade shop with loft, office and 3/4 bath.

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More Charlottesville Real Estate Data than You Might Have Wanted

This is going to be a developing post as I read through Barry Merchant’s presentation from this morning. Barry Merchant’s VHDA presentation at Charlottesville Area Association of Realtors (PDF) Additionally,

Nest Report Here is an advance copy of the Nest Report, what we believe to be the best, most “comprehensive and transparent analysis of the residential real estate market in Charlottesville, Albemarle and surrounding counties, prepared quarterly by Nest Realty Group.” Nest Report – Year End 2009, Predictions for 2010 (PDF) Comments, feedback and input welcomed.

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Nest’s Growth is Good

The move combines two of Charlottesville’s most successful real estate firms and expands the 1-year-old Nest Realty team to 14 full-time real estate professionals. It also paves the way for Nest to expand its services from a primary focus on residential real estate into commercial real estate and leasing. … … All agents must have a minimum of three years experience, practice real estate full-time and earn their Broker’s license shortly after joining the firm. With almost $4.7 million in sales per agent and 13.75 transactions per agent, Nest Realty agents more than doubled the production for the average Charlottesville Realtor in 2009.

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Talkin’ about Raising the Bar

If you’re curious or interested in the ongoing conversation about raising the standards of professionalism within the real estate industry, tune in to Blog Talk Radio tomorrow to hear the first in what promises to be a brilliant series of conversations (myself excluded). Raise the Bar on Blog Talk Radio . … From ethics to contract-writing to putting photos in the MLS, there are no real (enforced or enforceable) standards of professionalism in the real estate profession. (One of the many ways that Nest Real Estate Group is different ) 201002081023.jpg

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