I have been waiting for this article to be posted at The HooK since I read it on Thursday…. Lessons learned:1) Always have a home inspection, regardless of the “advise” you receive.2) Always have your own representation. Dual representation presents too many potential for a) conflict of interest b) questions regarding “your” Realtor’s loyalty.3) All press is certainly not good press.Personally and professionally, I feel bad for all involved. This is a great opening paragraph.Talk about a rude surprise: When sewage backed up in the crawl space of their house last April, Caley Clark and Steve Oberhauser called a local company to pump the septic tank.
Date Archives September 2005
This is what I’ve been saying!
According to the one million-plus-member National Association of Realtors, 86% of new real estate licensees exit the business within a year. And only 7% go on to their first license renewal.Obviously, the high turnover rate has negative consequences for consumers as well as for practitioners…. This in turn has lead to negative stereotypes, and a general sense, as evidenced by the growth of discount brokerages, that we get paid more than we are worth. Link.Without higher standards for entry, my chosen profession will continue to be an avenue for experimentation by amateurs with little desire to be true professionals.
Morning reading
So you want to live near a school?Green RenovationsRebuild New Orleans differentlyIf subscriptions are needed for the above, bugmenot.Get ready for an extraordinarily expensive winter.I have said it before and I’ll say it again, make sure you have enough homeowner’s insurance!Universal Design for homes – making your home retirement ready.Beginning next year, building owners will be eligible for a credit of 30% of the purchase cost of solar power systems — up from the current 10% credit — good article. It is a shame that these incentives are going to expire in 2008. In light of our energy situation, this should be an ongoing effort rather than a brief window.
Charlottesville Tomorrow
If pictures say one thousand words, this organization has and will have a lot to say.The press conference held today at the Paramount announcing their launch was attended by several members of their Board of Directors, politicians and, of course, the media…. They are a refreshingly non-biased organization whose goal is to educate the public on issues in a clear, concise manner that will foster discussion, public knowledge, involvement and action.Realizing that young people are not involving themselves due to choice or apathy, yet expect to have conversations about growth, environmental issues, transportation, issues, etc., the site has a blog. Blogs have proven to be an excellent and efficient format to engage young people and the public in general.Seeing Mitch van Yahres pitch his idea for a Ruckersville Parkway, Meredith Richards pitch cvillerail.org and Connie Brennan of the Nelson County Board of Supervisors ask for a regional partnership showed the level of interest and head start this group has already.In the words of Chairman Michael Bills, Charlottesville Tomorrow aims to be “profoundly non-partisan,” provide information that is “lucid, graphic and compelling” and an “advocate that people act.” Brian Wheeler mentioned the barriers to the public getting involved and their goal to help remove those barriers and that they want to “enable the public to learn more about the issues.”This group has high aspirations, more than adequate funding and superior leadership.
Affordable housing
I will have to find time to listen to this today. Affordable housing does pose a great challenge to our region. More than likely, more government involvement is not the answer.
Morning reading
So you want to be a landlord?One aspect of being a landlord that is often forgotten (especially in this exuberant market) – Expect routine cash outlays. Rental properties aren’t all about money coming in. You’ll probably need to paint apartments (or offices) between tenants and every few years for remaining tenants…. If you want to attract and keep tenants, your property should look clean and decent.
Realtors – V- DOJA Justice Department antitrust suit against the National Association of Realtors raises a tricky legal question: Who controls information about homes listed by brokers as available for sale?EditorialAnd yet we have to admit the Realtors have a legitimate claim that they created and own the local MLS database of homes for sale…. The Justice Department’s lawsuit would require that all homes be listed on the MLS even if home sellers don’t want them to be.There are alternative business models and multiple websites for searching for homes, that are privately held as well.
Old Trail Approved
It will be interesting to see in Daily ProgressWINAMy favorite quote -“As far as Crozet is concerned [building Old Trail] is like dancing with an elephant,†resident Sandy Wilcox said. “It gets you a lot of attention, but if it steps on you, you’re dead.â€Old Trail could be a really, really good thing. However, without planning for the proper infrastructure needs – roads, rail, trails to the schools, etc. life in Crozet may get very difficult. Educate yourself about how to voice your opinion at Charlottesville Tomorrow’s site.