Date Archives February 2007

Home inspections, eminent domain and education

HB2011: Residential Property Disclosure Act; amends required residential property disclosure statementThis is one of the bills that may have the most impact on buyers and sellers of real estate in Virginia….  One of the more interesting changes is the advocacy of the home inspection:(ii) The owner makes no representations or warranties as to the condition of the real property or any improvements thereon, and purchasers are advised to exercise whatever due diligence a particular purchaser deems necessary including obtaining a certified home inspection, as defined in § 54.1-500, in accordance with terms and conditions as may be contained in the real estate purchase contract, but in any event, prior to settlement on a parcel of residential real property.HB2064: Salespersons & brokers; Real Estate Board to adopt regulations establishing educational requirement.More education is typically a good thing.  SB1296: Eminent domain; not to be used for purpose of economic development or to increase tax revenue.The public position of VAR, and an opposing view….  If a broadband company is expanding into a rural area, and one landowner is stopping that progress, part of me supports the landowner’s right to keep his land and, in turn, harm all of those around him.

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New additions to the blogroll

I found these two blogs today via Teresa Boardman’s site – Living Green and and New River Valley Living.  I don’t always note when I add a new site to my blogroll, but these two blogs are mighty interesting and very much in line with some much of the “green” topics I try to cover here.  Check them out if you have a moment or two.

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How to market a very personal property

First, it is a unique house in several ways: first and foremost, it is a contemporary home that has been renovated with extraordinary detail – the list of which is extensive….  They have re-landscaped with dry-set stones, poured aggregate spillways flank the house, there is tiered landscaping, erosion control, new trees, shrubs, ground cover, they resealed the foundation installed new copper gutters & downspouts – a virtual check-list of what to do to defend a home against water….  The renovations were made with that mindset, which is quite different than so many other “renovations” – made solely to recapture that cost when the property is ultimately sold.While preparing to market this property, I started to study real estate photography a bit (and discovered this great site in the process).  It is shocking that I have been in the business for six years and am just now educating myself on real estate photography (other than the wide-angle lens I purchased several years ago).

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