Date Archives July 2008

2nd Quarter Market Update for Charlottesville Region

I’m not saying that we haven’t hit the bottom, but that calling it as such with so many unknowns and new variables in the equation would be the wrong thing to do right now, despite Lawrence Yun’s statement – ” Without Forecasts, we don’t look credible .” The Realtor update (1): 1st half 2005 : 115 had more than ten sides, 296 had more than five sides, 679 had at least one, with about five hundred or so not having a single transaction 1st half 2006 : 107 had more than ten sides, 285 had more than five sides, 740 had at least one, about four hundred fifty not having one. 1st half 2007 : 73 had more than ten sides, 232 had more than five, 687 had at least one, about four hundred with zero 1st half 2008 : 44 had more than ten sides, 169 had more than five, 619 had had least one, leaving about seven hundred with zero transactions so far this year. (out of 1201 sold residential properties) From the DP on Saturday : Many real estate agents may not manage to weather the moribund market before it solidly rebounds, Savage said.

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Proof that Gas Prices are affecting buyers in Charlottesville area

Getting feedback from Buyer’s Agents is one of the most persistent challenges a listing agent faces, yet good feedback is absolutely crucial to understanding buyers’ mindsets to help best advise sellers.

…The trouble is, when showing forty plus houses a week, it’s that more challenging to elicit feedback from Buyers Agents …

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A Must-Read Story about Smoke Detectors

Yet despite these assertions, neither Kidde nor First Alert print warnings on the packaging of ionization detectors to alert consumers that the detector won’t detect smoldering fires until they’ve erupted into flames– and that they’re more susceptible to nuisance alarms. Kidde even goes a step further in defending ionization detectors, claiming in an article on the front page of its website that “Studies show both types will effectively detect either type of fire.”

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Charlottesville (Region) gets High Rankings (Again)

Despite our growing pains which seem to have reached a crescendo in 2004 when we were ranked the #1 Best Place to Live (thanks, Bert Sperling) , this area really is a pretty great place to live, particularly if you like outdoor activities. … (Thanks, C-Ville ) It’s almost comical looking back a decade when Outside Magazine ranked Charlottesville the Best Place to Get Found : THE PRICE OF PARADISE: Sweltering summers and increasing sprawl and traffic, especially on Highway 29, just widened (though not enough) to six lanes through town.

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