Category Archives: General Real Estate
(National) Housing Policy Changes on the Horizon
… I don’t see “become a landlord” anywhere the the federal government’s enumerated powers.
Until the Federal Government stops trying to “fix” the housing market, recovery is going to be delayed. EVERYTHING they do injects uncertainty, fear, concern and uncertainty into the economy and housing market.
This stuff matters to the Charlottesville real estate economy, not so much because we have a vast backlog of foreclosures (I don’t think it’s vast) but because the housing economy, driven my national policies and lending and processes – real estate titling, real estate financing, robosigning, consumer sentiment is national. The national “# of home sales” are mostly irrelevant, but the systems are national.
But what do I know?
Naked Capitalism has an excellent analysis with this telling summation:
Despite its efforts to muster data, this Fed is badly blinkered by the fact that it operates inside a club. Anyone who has done research in areas where the data stinks (and it does in the housing arena) will tell you you have to do primary research, but economists are allergic to that (Nobel prize winner Wassily Leontief found that less than 0.5% of the articles published in top economics journals were based on data developed by the authors). The Fed is unduly influenced by the view of people who are part of the problem, and it shows in this paper.
Belmont is One of America’s Best “Secret Neighborhoods”
Now: Converted riverside mills, restored Victorian bungalows, and a central location primed this historic district to be the city’s hottest new hood. Más restaurant’s open-air deck and Spanish tapas like creamy croquetas de jamón first lured crowds from nearby downtown in 2001.
A point of clarification: Belmont’s not new. And I’m not sure who thinks Belmont is a “secret.”
I’ve written about Belmont a few times over the past few years, most recently when I noted the opening of The Farm; it’s a cool neighborhood close to many of things that draw people to … Continue reading…
7 Years of Blogging about the Charlottesville Real Estate Market
It’s been a long time since I started writing about the Charlottesville real estate market. This site has become my pensieve; it is easier to google my site for information than it is to remember what I’m trying to say (and this site has links, too). What started as a little blog on a freeware mac blogging platform has become something somewhat bigger – I’d wager that this site is the most widely-read real estate blog in Charlottesville.
To those of you who have read and continue to read, send me tips and thoughts and to the buyers and sellers whom I have met and worked with over the years, I offer a simple and humble thank you.
While the format of this site has changed many times, the intent has not – to provide clear and transparent analysis about the Charlottesville real estate market devoid of spin, reflecting my thoughts and opinions about the local real estate market, local politics affecting real estate and other such matters. Sometimes I write about my phones. Sometimes about technology that makes marketing real estate better for me and for my clients.
Make no mistake – the number one thing that writing RealCentralVA has done is forced me and allowed me the path to become a better real estate professional. I know more, I read more, I’m aware of more, I’m aware of more that I don’t know, I understand the context of real estate in the local, state and national economies … by reading, writing and practicing real estate every day, I’m better positioned and prepared to do what I love – represent my clients as I guide them through life-altering decisions.
After the jump are a few stories of note; frankly, with over 3700 stories written since 4 January 2005, I briefly looked at the RealCentralVA archives and picked a few that interested me.
If you’re so inclined, please subscribe to updates, either by email or RSS. I sincerely appreciate your time, comments and reading.
Real Estate Assessments in the Charlottesville area – Still Declining?
Real estate assessments matter to market value insofar as they impact the psychological perception of value.
Do Real Estate Assessments Matter?
What do real estate assessments mean?
From a visitor:
… tidbit of info. – Nelson Co. assesses real estate every 5 years. I just received the assessment of our second home in Wintergreen. In 2006 it assessed at $599K, now $385K — down 36%
2012 is going to prove very interesting in the Charlottesville region.
Choose Your (Social) Friends Wisely – They Could Affect Your Ability to Buy a House
Be warned. Could the time come when “what is your Facebook password” is one of the questions on your loan application?
Beta Beat has an extremely alarming story:
But there’s a nightmare scenario: if banks learn how to use social media, they could gather information they aren’t allowed to ask for on a credit application—including race, marital status and receipt of public assistance—or worse, to redline segments of the social graph.
In other words: choose your online friends wisely, for they may one day determine your APR.
And if you don’t have a Facebook account? Maybe you won’t even be considered for a loan. Continue reading
Top Charlottesville Real Estate Stories from 2011
Why Do you Choose to Live in Charlottesville or Albemarle?
Why do you choose to live in Charlottesville or Albemarle? Take this survey and let the localities know.
