What an amazing undertaking – matching up old photographs with today’s landscapes. – Wanna see what Nest Realty looked like in the 1920’s ? And today . – The Downtown Mall in the 1930’s . (it hasn’t always been a downtown mall) And now in 2011 . – Rugby Road, 1918 . Rugby Road, 2011 . * Thanks to cvillenews for finding this .
Date Archives March 2011
This is What May Spell the Demise of the MLS
Buyers want to see what is behind the walls of the house . The perennial question is: For Whom is the MLS? … If an MLS were built today, would cooperative compensation be included? Compare the MLS listing with limited text fields and limited information:
Monday Links – QR Codes, Fluvanna’s Tax Hike, MERS & a Bottom?
County Administrator Jay Scudder plans to recommend on March 16 that the Board of Supervisors advertise a rate of 75 cents for fiscal 2012 — a 39 percent increase over the current levy of 54 cents per $100 of assessed value.
…Judges, lawmakers, lawyers and housing experts are raising piercing questions about MERS, which stands for Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, whose private mortgage registry has all but replaced the nation’s public land ownership records. Most questions boil down to this: How can MERS claim title to those mortgages, and foreclose on homeowners, when it has not invested a dollar in a single loan? And, more fundamentally: Given the evidence that many banks have cut corners and made colossal foreclosure mistakes, does anyone know who owns what or owes what to whom anymore? – We had an interesting conversation on Facebook this weekend about the merits and benefits of QR codes … a summation and recap is forthcoming.
Are Some Homebuyers Too Picky?
Some buyers are absolutely too picky , some are not and some haven’t seen enough houses yet to ascertain whether they’re too picky. As with most things in real estate, the answer depends on the client.
“The fact is, you just can’t have it all,” Westfall said. “You can’t have the big yard, the top-line updates and all that in a starter home.
Good Fences And Non-Conforming Use in Albemarle
First, the Blue Ridge Swim Club pool, located in Ivy in a (by others’ standards) rural part of Charlottesville/Albemarle has the opportunity for another phase of its long life.
Albemarle County planning commissioners voted Tuesday in favor of allowing a summer camp to take up residence at the Ivy-based Blue Ridge Swim Club— one of the country’s oldest continually operating commercial swimming pools supplied by natural waters.
…If approved by the supervisors, the changes would require the police to determine if the music is audible 100 feet from a vineyard’s property line or within a neighbor’s building. … I live in a cookie-cutter development next to a soccer field, baseball diamonds, playgrounds and a pool; if Crozet Park were up for some kind of redevelopment, I’m sure I’d be upset.
If a Bank Denies an Electronic Signature, are They Breaking the Law?
Banks/lenders and misunderstanding underwriters and the accompanying systems are the single greatest holdup in the evolution of the real estate from always requiring “wet” signatures” to understanding the electronic signatures are efficient and legal and, as opposed to sixth-generation contracts, legible .
…Legal recognition of electronic records, electronic signatures, and electronic contracts. (a) A record or signature may not be denied legal effect or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form.
(b) A contract may not be denied legal effect or enforceability solely because an electronic record was used in its formation. (c) If a law requires a record to be in writing, an electronic record satisfies the law. (d) If a law requires a signature, or provides for certain consequences in the absence of a signature, an electronic signature satisfies the law. … I tell my clients why I recommend some and don’t recommend others; they are free to disregard my advice; it’s their decision.