Date Archives March 2008

The Single-agent Dual Agency debate is revitalized at VARBuzz

I know some members of the Virginia Real Estate Board have opinions; why don’t they share them now?A sampling:As a listing agent, how can I promise to do the best job possible for the seller, who hired me to protect his interest and sell his home for the best price and terms, then turn around under dual agency where I cannot give him any advice that would harm the buyer?…  As the seller’s agent, if I think that the buyer is in love with the house and would come up $20,000 to avoid losing it, I am in a much stronger position to negotiate.  As a dual agent, my hands are tied and I become a mediocre agent for both parties and truly feel I have been stripped of all my skills and have to keep tape over my mouth.  I have to walk a fine line that serves no one except filling the agent and brokers pockets….Sellers see right through greed and self serving agents.

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If you’re thinking about blogging about real estate

Read Pat’s post first.Blogging is currently touted as real estate marketing’s magic bullet, but almost every new real estate blogger doesn’t realize that the impact of blogging lies in its ability to build a social and informative relationship with its readers….The brand new real estate blogger, knowing nothing about blogging culture, often uses the blog construct as a kind of daily loudspeaker trumpeting their business prowess.Blogging is work – writing, reading, participating, educating, being social without being necessarily intrusive …  it’s not another forum to post how good you are (or want to be).This is one of my definitions of success – I received an email question the other day from a reader….  I’d like to think that I’m doing something right to receive this postscript -P.S.- “Why me?”…  Because, I am an avid reader of your blog (realcentralva) and I come away with the impression that you are:1- smart2- well-informed3- a person who believes in ethics (this seems like a question about ethics…)I don’t see a static website or a purely self-promotional blog accomplishing spurring that email.

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Grasping at any good news I can find

More houses sold in February 2008 than in January 2008!And in our market area* -From 1 February 2007 to 1 March 2007:190 properties sold andFrom 1 February 2008 to 1 March 2008:138 properties soldMore telling:271 properties went under contract in this timeframe in 2007 while 198 went under contract in 2008.More reading at Calculated Risk.*Charlottesville, Albemarle, Greene, Fluvanna, Nelson**Full first-quarter 2008 market update (to include Waynesboro and Augusta) coming in the first week of April, to coincide with my appearance on WINA’s Charlottesville-Right Now!  with Coy Barefoot on 7 April at 5pm.Subscribe to just the Market Statistics category feed.

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