One of my clients who recently bought in the City of Charlottesville sends this note – We are officially a 1-car family now, I sold my car and bought a bike over the weekend. Look…
Date Archives August 2008
The Bubble Blog Interviewed Me
For those who may question my not-hating-the-bubble-bloggers’ mentality, it’s because they actually value good Realtors, and offer constructive (and blunt/brash) criticism – something that is often missing. … A good realtor, in our humble opinion, is someone who takes into consideration not just the profit aspects of helping people to buy or sell what is typically the largest purchase of their lives, but also someone who knows that owning a house conveys with it other elements: a sense of community, a sense of responsibility, a sense of security, and that in the current market, and for several years to come, these intangibles may be more important than large profits.
Tuesday Links – 08-18-2008
An outstanding post by Jay that clearly explains the six options a homeowner has – from walk away to renegotiate the loan. … Stonebriar HOA rules allow several luxury trucks on driveways, including the Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Avalanche, Honda Ridgeline and Lincoln Mark LT.
Charlottesville’s Bubble Bloggers – Part 2
But things have taken such a turn since then—Banks failing, the Fannie/ Freddie Bailout (which we think is a sure thing), Citi writing down and selling off CDOs, Wachovia ceasing wholesale mortgage lending, the car companies with their giant losses, unemployment rising, etc. … We think there will, unfortunately, be more sellers who realize that they’re going to have to take a loss, perhaps a significant one, to get the property off their hands—so they don’t incur an even larger loss by holding on even longer.
Agent Update for 2008
(See Transparency in real estate fees and More on transparency in Realtor fees ) Contrast those numbers with those of 2007 – – 103 had more than 10 sides (31% fewer than last year) – 287 had more than 5 sides (28% fewer than last year) – 448 had between one and four transactions ( I ran it twice ) – ~460 had none. And 2006 – – 152 Realtors had more than 10 sides – 333 have had more than 5 sides – 450 Realtors have had between one and four transactions this year. – ~ 415 had none.
Judging Realtors Based on their Blogs
This article was in the Washington Post the other day discussing how consumers are using social media to find Realtors , and was picked up by the Consumerist this morning who ask the question – “Would You Judge A Real Estate Broker By His Blog?” . Much of the content in these articles is old-hat to many readers of this blog, but two things jumped out at me – 1 – This comment at the Consumerist – While I can’t say a blog would lead me to use someone as my broker, I have definitely already excluded two based on their (awful) writings!
It All Depends on What you Consider Green
Simply put, it does not yet seem to be economically viable – from a production-to-scale point of view – to build a house with all green aspects , and frankly, I don’t think that the builders are “there” yet (perhaps they should read Builder’s Greywater Guide: Installation of Greywater Systems in New Construction & Remodeling; A Supplement to the Book “Create an Oasis With Greywater” ).
…I see what the production builders in Charlottesville are trying to do with “green” as a balancing act of capitalizing on the green trend by integrating simple changes (low-VOC paint, recycled carpet, rain barrels, tighter building envelopes, sealed crawl spaces, higher-efficiency HVAC systems) with making a profit, producing a quality product and doing something good in/for the community.