Date Archives December 2009

Transcript of Radio show – 27 December 2009

Moore : And as our initial caller seemed to be asking is: there seems to be or you would expect a much greater – the term punishment comes to mind although that’s not really what I’m trying to say – but a strategic default makes it sound like it’s all about how much money you have left in your pocket at the time rather than – where’s the punishment that goes with it for not paying it off. … When you make your money when you sell is when you buy, so you need to make sure you buy smart from day one and I do that by giving them as much data and analysis as possible so that they can come to these conclusions on their own and the second part of that is that I’ve prepped them that if they buy a house for $100,000 today that I expect it’s going to be worth a little bit less next year. … I think that there’s going to be more distressed properties coming on the market now in the Charlottesville and Albemarle area and I’m seeing that as far as the daily updates that I get as far as the number of notice of trustee sales in our market and I’m seeing more of the MLS’s coming on as foreclosures and I’m seeing more anecdotally, again there are two properties, one in Louisa and one in Albemarle last week that each had $100,000 price reductions. … What I’m hoping to see in the next couple of years is in addition to having homes and coffee shops, etc. is homes and places to work so that people won’t have to get into their cars to drive to work and I think that’s the very good thing from the perceptive of going back to the sociological change being close to your neighbors and being close to business as keeping everything local is another trend that we’re seeing develop over the past couple of years to 2010 and beyond.

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Quick Charlottesville real estate market update – End of 2009

Just for residential real estate in the City of Charlottesville and the County of Albemarle – Housing inventory for Charlottesville-Albemarle Predictions and Prognostications: The “bottom” of the Charlottesville real estate housing market may come in the third or fourth quarter of 2010. … I have no idea, and if I told you, I’d be lying. 2010 is likely to bring more moderated prices, with increased transactional volume. 2010 will see higher interest rates, that will still be remarkably low. … Please let me know if you would like to see any specific information or data) More on Home Sales – Charlottesville/Albemarle Charlottesville Albemarle housing market inventory 2006 Charlottesville Albemarle housing inventory 2006 2007 Charlottesville Albemarle real estate inventory 2007 2008 Charlottesville Albemarle real estate market inventory -2008 2009 Charlottesville Albemarle housing market - 2009 More on Home Sales – nationally New-Home Sales Drop 11.3% As Impact of Stimulus Fades Home Sales up as Buyers Respond to Tax Credit – National Association of Realtors (read with the biased grain of salt) Why U.S.

…For the new-home sales, the decisions were made in November, when there was no such scramble to qualify for the tax credit.

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The Government Has Unlimited Funds

From the Wall Street Journal : The Obama administration’s decision to cover an unlimited amount of losses at the mortgage-finance giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac over the next three years stirred controversy over the holiday. … Unlimited access to bailout funds through 2012 was “necessary for preserving the continued strength and stability of the mortgage market,” the Treasury said. … And at UrbanDigs : By the way, did you notice the quiet move the US Treasury made to prop up the GSEs a few days ago – in essence, ” removing the caps that limited the amount of available capital to the companies to $200 billion each “. … Unlimited access to bailout funds through 2012 was “necessary for preserving the continued strength and stability of the mortgage market,” the Treasury said.

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A Homeowners’ Insurance Policy Addendum – What’s That?

The way it used to be : Buyer puts a contract on a house, goes through all the processes to get to closing, and a few days prior to closing would call his insurance company to get a homeowners’ insurance policy. The way I prefer : As part of the Offer to Purchase, we include this form which sets out the following three things: – Maximum annual premium for Homeowners’ Insurance policy – Maximum deductible (higher is better, in my opinion) – Timeline for the Buyer to confirm that he can get sufficient coverage that fits within these limits. … With the proliferation of CLUE Reports, which essentially serve as CarFax reports for houses, sometimes a house can have a “bad credit report” which can impact a buyer’s ability to purchase affordable homeowners’ insurance. If we can remove one variable from the equation, which this addendum does, we’ve achieved a simple win-win for both the buyer and seller.

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Charlottesville Real Estate Radio – WNRN 27 December

Firm Walks Away From 5 Properties Short Sales: 11 Short Sale Frequently Asked Questions Short Sale Help – HAFA Foreclosures in Charlottesville: Two properties with $100k price reductions A quick look at some of the foreclosures in the Charlottesville/Albemarle area shows that there are foreclosures ranging from $25,913 to $1,010,000 Biscuit Run may become a park: – Charlottesville Tomorrow – cvillenews – The HooK Tax Credit: Who qualifies for the homebuyer tax credit? … From NAR Tax Credit information on RealCentralVA HR 3458 – For our purposes, known as the “homebuyer tax credit act ” More on Home Sales – nationally Why U.S. Home Sales Are Both Up and Down New-Home Sales Drop 11.3% As Impact of Stimulus Fades Home Sales up as Buyers Respond to Tax Credit – National Association of Realtors (read with the biased grain of salt) More on Home Sales – Charlottesville/Albemarle Predictions and Prognostications: Prepped but Didn’t Get to: U.S. Lifts Limit On Aid To Fannie, Freddie Shadow Inventory The nationalization of America’s mortgage problem Resources for Accidental Landlords As Slump Hits Home, Cities Downsize Their Ambitions Fannie, Freddie and the Struggles of HAMP OFHEO – Rankings by *Metropolitan Statistical Areas and Divisions Percent Change in House Prices with MSA Rankings** Period Ended September 30, 2009 OFHEO says Charlottesville real estate has appreciated over 5 years OFHEO says Charlottesville real estate has appreciated over 5 years

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Recycle Those Christmas Trees in Charlottesville and Albemarle

View Christmas Tree Recycling in Charlottesville-Albemarle in a larger map From the County of Albemarle : Trees will be recycled into free mulch for the public It’s almost that time of year again! As in the past, the Albemarle County Parks & Recreation Dept will host its annual Christmas Tree Recycling Program beginning December 26, 2009 through January 16, 2010. … Shortly after the City’s curbside pick up, the County and City Parks & Recreation crews will team up to chip the estimated 2600 trees at Darden Towe Park. … The sites are as follows : – Chris Greene Lake in Earlysville – Crozet Park – Darden Towe Park – Greenwood Community Center * – Rivanna Solid Waste Authority Recycling Center on McIntire Road (*note: Sunday hours are 12noon – 5pm) – Scottsville Community Center – Walnut Creek Park The recycling location on McIntire Road may be congested; please consider Darden Towe Park as an alternate location that is less congested and is suited better for large loads and contract haulers.

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