Date Archives February 2011

Blogging about Listings, Electronic Signatures and More Changes to the VAR Form

in General Real Estate on

If authorized below, Broker’s website may also allow third-parties to (i) write comments or reviews about the Property or display a hyperlink to comments or reviews in immediate conjunction with particular listings, or (ii) display an automated estimate of the market value of the Property (or hyperlink to such estimate) or other listings in immediate conjunction with the Property.

… Owner understands and acknowledges that if Option A has been selected, consumers who conduct searches for listings on the Internet will not see information about the Property in response to their search.

… Owner ( initial one ) authorizes _____ does not authorize _____ third-parties to write comments or reviews about the Property or provide hyperlinks to comments or reviews to any property in immediate conjunction with the Property.

… Owner ( initial one ) authorizes _____ does not authorize _____ an automated estimate of the market value of the Property (or any hyperlink to such estimate) or any property in immediate conjunction with the listing

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Is Now The Time to Buy a Home (in Charlottesville)?

in General Real Estate on

Sent in by a reader, in which the Wall Street Journal ask, Housing: Is It Time to Buy? :

…Rates for a 30-year fixed-rate conforming mortgage spiked to 5.13% on Feb. 14 from 5.04% a week earlier, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

…In San Francisco, for example, “Rates were going up [in 2010], but it was good because it pushed people to buy,” says Alan Mark, founder of The Mark Co., a residential real-estate consultant there. Confusing though the various statistics may be, they do point to one overarching conclusion: Now is a good time for upper-income buyers in most markets to start looking.

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Coaching Soccer This Spring. Again.

in General Real Estate Green on

Easy: When we bought our home several years ago, one of my requirements wishes was that we live close to a soccer field. … At the time, I was coaching my older daughter as she began her U-8 soccer career, and I was (and am still) playing in an adult soccer league. … Coaching soccer is one of the ways I choose to participate in my community, and more importantly, my kids’ lives. Seeing the kids in the hallways of the schools, in coffee shops, in grocery stores, and knowing that for that little time of their lives, I had a impact, is something I encourage every parent to do.

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WalkScore is Getting (even) Better

in General Real Estate on

I love what WalkScore is doing – making it easier for consumers to see how walkable (I'm still waiting for bikeable) properties and areas are.

… Once the changes are live on your site (you'll notice the new iPhone style lists), you can visit our Amenity Map Wizard to see how larger sizes would look on your site.

…Our new commute reports show commute time and distance for driving, public transit, walking, and biking from a home or apartment listing to a work address.

…var ws_address = ‘616 mcintire road, charlottesville, va’;var ws_width = ‘600’;var ws_height = ‘286’;var ws_layout = ‘horizontal’; #ws-walkscore-tile{position:relative;text-align:left}#ws-walkscore-tile *{float:none;}#ws-footer a,#ws-footer a:link{font:11px/14px Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;margin-right:6px;white-space:nowrap;padding:0;color:#000;font-weight:bold;text-decoration:none}#ws-footer a:hover{color:#777;text-decoration:none}#ws-footer a:active{color:#b14900} What's Your Walk Score?

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Slightly Less Development at Cherry/Ridge Intersection

in Charlottesville Growth on

From the Daily Progress : Charlottesville’s City Council rejected a proposal Tuesday that would have modified the development plan for the William Taylor Plaza mixed-used project at the corner of Cherry Avenue and Ridge Street. The council voted 3-2 to reject changes proposed by the developer that would have expanded the project’s overall size and modified an affordable housing agreement included in the original plan. … The rezoning application filed by Southern Development would have increased the number of residences from 50 to 80 units and expanded the project’s size by 10,000 square feet, bringing its total to 110,000 square feet.

…While I appreciate the sentiment, this statement shows a disconnect from reality: “I think affordable housing should come from the heart, and not for the need for low-income tax credits,” saidCouncilor Holly Edwards.

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Real Estate Data and Analysis is Local. And always will be

in General Real Estate Market statistics on

If you haven’t been paying attention to the national real estate data world for the past week, you might have missed the National Association of Realtors responding to claims that it has been inflating housing sales .

…While some I have spoken with today call the claim by CoreLogic (a housing data provider) that the Realtors overestimated home sales in 2010 by almost 1.5 million, “overblown,” the Realtors themselves admit there is a problem.

… This is a big and important conversation because the NAR’s data, along with Case Schiller, are important, widely read, and depended on by many to ascertain the psychology of buyers, sellers – real estate consumers.

…I’ve said it before, when you’re evaluating the Charlottesville real estate market, ignore the national data ; it will only cloud your opinion .

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