Charlottesville’s Real Estate Blog since 2005.

Clear, Honest Market Analysis. For People, Not Realtors.

Buyers

Some of the factors impacting the Charlottesville real estate market

When I tell my clients that there are many factors affecting the Charlottesville market, these are but a few of the factors that need to be taken into consideration by buyers and sellers. All real estate is local, but macro trends and influencers definitely impact our regions’ real estate market.

– How Credit Got So Easy And Why It’s Tightening (and some excellent commentary on this subject) – in short, getting loans is getting harder (archived: 2011). But (no longer available) … the free market is resilient and adaptable.

– Mortgage Fears Drive Up Rates on Jumbo Loans – even for those with excellent credit and good downpayments.

– New construction has not slowed down sufficiently – and this may lead to at least one local builder’s folding while the big builders continue to suffer (no longer available). The excess inventory – locally and nationally – will have to be “burned off” before the market can “stabilize”. Hence, the “Bonfire of the Builders.”

– More on rates’ volatility (archived: 2008) and the transition of the lending market as a whole (archived: 2008) – (there is a real opportunity for a Charlottesville lender to establish themselves in the Charlottesville blogosphere; I’m willing to help. Just let me know.)

More on the self-inflicted damage to its credibility that the National Association of Realtors has once again done to itself. Their constant spin continually hinders their ability to present facts in an intelligent, believable manner.

My job is to know more than the average Realtor and consumer; part of knowing more involves reading and analyzing more.

If buying for the right reasons, now really and truly is a great time to buy a house in Charlottesville, so long as all applicable factors are considered and negotiated appropriately.

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I have been been representing buyers and sellers in Charlottesville, Albemarle, and Central Virginia since 2001. Get local insight born of experience.

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Sewer Scopes are Good (in Charlottesville)

Sewer Scopes are Good (in Charlottesville)

Orangeburg, Terra Cotta, PVC .. what kind of sewer line does your house have? What kind of sewer line does the house you're considering have? I wrote last month about sewer scopes I advise my buyers to have the sewer lines scoped. It’s usually about…

When Should Buyers Pull their Credit (when buying a home)?

When Should Buyers Pull their Credit (when buying a home)?

I asked Matt Hodges with Gray Fox Mortgage  a couple simple questions a lot of my buyer clients have, and thought you'd find the answers useful. When should buyers let their lender pull their credit? Regardless of when a buyer wants to purchase, if they…

Artificial Housing Inventory in Charlottesville

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I'm guilty of this, too. For houses that come on the market in Charlottesville and the Charlottesville area, what I'm seeing is this Home is listed as a Coming Soon on Monday/Tuesday so that we Realtors can tee up our buyers. House is activated on…

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My goal is simple: help my clients – buyers or sellers – make good decisions.