Date Archives July 2006

Outstanding clause for Buyer’s agents.

One of the most crucial aspects of a Buyer-Broker/Client relationship is just that – the relationship.  The trust that each must have for each other.  BloodhoundBlog has an excellent post detailing one of the potentially thornier aspects of this relationship and a way by which to establish a level of trust from the start – provide an out….  here is language we routinely use on our Buyer Broker Agreements:This agreement will be terminated without recourse upon written notice by either party.“Either party” means I get to fire them if I want to, too …Not bad.  Not bad at all.  *BloodhoundBlog is fast becoming must-read for me – learning from others is one of the best ways to better oneself.

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A few things this week

Thursday: Fundraiser for Dick Mountjoy of WINA.  If you can, come.  Monday: A hearing regarding the future direction of CTS bus service.  I vote for them not stopping at two locations on Emmet Street South during rush hour.Tuesday and Thursday: Mountaintop Protection, Phasing and Clustering hearings at the Albemarle County Office Building.  More here, and here.  It’s important to evaluate all sides’ opinions and determine from there which you feel is right.If you cannot attend these meetings, listen to the Podcasts provided by Albemarle County!  Then email or call your (or all of them) Supervisor.  If you choose not to voice your opinion, don’t complain.

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Local real estate blogging

The CharlAlbemarle real estate environment (I hate the term “blogsophere!)…  A couple of blogs have come and languished and a couple have come and prospered.  Now, it appears that the first company real estate blog may be primed for launch….  As interesting as a company blog may seem, I am most intrigued by what their company policy will be on blogging.  This is a new realm; most real estate blogs are individual bloggers.  The corporate blog is a different animal, both from a opinion-expression point of view as well as the liability point of view.  An interesting experiment awaits.I debate internally whether to write about other local real estate bloggers, but feel that the community aspect of both the real estate community and the blogging community overreaches my personal desire to succeed.  We are all better with a more open, frank and honest dialogue and cooperation.

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Cable upgrades coming?

Will be finally get our HDTV?  Or extended cable internet access?  With the pending sale of bankrupt Adelphia, will the Central Virginia region finally see much-needed cable expansion beyond the City limits and the immediate urban ring?  If we do, at least maybe Doc will be happy about something.My clients now list high-speed internet access among their needs: water, electricity, a roof and internet access.  Adelphia’s languishing behind the advancement of competitors (not locally, they’re a monopoly) has harmed the expansion of internet access.  I would argue also that , the housing market to a certain degree has been impacted as has peoples’ ability to telecommute, thus having an impact on sprawl.  The other side of this, of course, is that currently people are forced to live close-in because of this limitation, thus artificially contracting sprawl (to a very minor degree).Who will we get?…  -OR-What if our region developed a wireless cloud?A 2002 quote:”We feel like this cloud will be just one more service we can offer to high tech industries that may want to relocate to Athens,” said Turner.If this is successful, couldn’t we do the same?Just a thought.

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Thursday Links 07-20-2006

Platitude-free punditry about railChanges in the Housing Market are reshaping cities.  Where are the bike routes in the Charlottesville?D.C.’s affordability rule gets shot down.The rule would require developers to make up to 10 percent of their units affordable to households with incomes of no more than 80 percent of the region’s $90,300 median for a family of four.  The rule would apply to projects with 10 or more living units.

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What I want in a real estate website

This discussion, and the comment by Mike in particular, got me thinking.  Finding a real estate website developer that meets all of my specific needs has been a near-impossible task.  So, I will ask everybody out there – do you know anybody/company that can help?Starting with Mike’s criteria:- Listing/IDX integration, mapping, RSS of listings, email notifications.- High quality content and integration of this blog (I have sort of implemented this already)- CRM tools that will integrate with MS Entourage.- ROI tracking system for leads- Good traffic analysis- Pages/content/design specifically targeting buyers.  – Pages/content/design specifically targeting sellers.- Take the best ideas here and integrate.- Will work on Macs, PCs, Linux boxes and all (or most) browsers- Will be easy to updateI cannot stress enough the need for comprehensive, sticky, intuitive mapping tools.  My read is that that is what the consumer wants.  I want a site that will accomplish several things:- High traffic- Will appeal to high- and low- tech consumers- Will become the only site that consumers visit – they will want to come back every day.- Will be easy to useMany feel that using solely their blogs works for them.  That is great, but I think that the separation of the two – the site and the blog – works for me and helps achieve my goals….  Scott has the mapping down.What are the best real estate websites that you have seen?

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