Date Archives January 2012

How to Sell a House in 21 Days

Sold by Jim Duncan

I started to write this post in early November, soon after my clients and I ratified the contract on their house and right about when the story was published on the Newsplex. I almost didn’t do the Newsplex story.* (see the end of this post for the rationale)

A few of my rules for real estate:

“Under Contract” ≠ “Sold”:

– “Under Contract” means: “we need to get through the loan application, loan commitment (including appraisal), home inspection and any other contingencies.

Most importantly – What did we do to get a contract on this house in three weeks? Put simply:

1: My clients worked hard. For a long time; we met last year and discussed strategies for getting their home ready to put on the market, the value of pricing the home right, what they needed to do and what I needed to do to prepare for the marketing of their home.

2: We priced it right; tracking the real estate market, the sold competition and most importantly, the active and under contract competition.

3: We worked the first offer we got. One of the real estate truisms is that the first offer is usually the best offer; you might not get another offer.

4: We got lucky with the buyer’s agent; she’s one of the best in the area and that was one of the factors we evaluated when evaluating the offer. I’m probably going to touch on this aspect in a later, separate post, but the quality and competence of the opposing real estate agent matters. If I can advise my clients that there is a reasonable expectation that the transaction will go relatively smoothly in part because the other agent agent is competent, that’s a serious component we evaluate. (as a contrast, if I don’t know or trust the other agent, that’s a factor as well)

5: My clients worked really, really hard and were realistic about the market and their expectations. I can’t emphasize this one enough. Selling a house is hard work – for the sellers and their representation. Being willing and able to work, be realistic and reasonable is invaluable.

6: Lastly – price absolutely matters, but it’s not always the most important factor. (as an aside, my feelings from the linked post regarding other agents’ competencies have shifted quite dramatically as I have gained much more experience; when I wrote that I had been in the business just over three years; now I’m entering my 11th year)

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7 Years of Blogging about the Charlottesville Real Estate Market

It’s been a long time since I started writing about the Charlottesville real estate market. This site has become my pensieve; it is easier to google my site for information than it is to remember what I’m trying to say (and this site has links, too). What started as a little blog on a freeware mac blogging platform has become something somewhat bigger – I’d wager that this site is the most widely-read real estate blog in Charlottesville.

To those of you who have read and continue to read, send me tips and thoughts and to the buyers and sellers whom I have met and worked with over the years, I offer a simple and humble thank you.

While the format of this site has changed many times, the intent has not – to provide clear and transparent analysis about the Charlottesville real estate market devoid of spin, reflecting my thoughts and opinions about the local real estate market, local politics affecting real estate and other such matters. Sometimes I write about my phones. Sometimes about technology that makes marketing real estate better for me and for my clients.

Make no mistake – the number one thing that writing RealCentralVA has done is forced me and allowed me the path to become a better real estate professional. I know more, I read more, I’m aware of more, I’m aware of more that I don’t know, I understand the context of real estate in the local, state and national economies … by reading, writing and practicing real estate every day, I’m better positioned and prepared to do what I love – represent my clients as I guide them through life-altering decisions.

After the jump are a few stories of note; frankly, with over 3700 stories written since 4 January 2005, I briefly looked at the RealCentralVA archives and picked a few that interested me.

If you’re so inclined, please subscribe to updates, either by email or RSS. I sincerely appreciate your time, comments and reading.

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Real Estate Assessments in the Charlottesville area – Still Declining?

Real estate assessments matter to market value insofar as they impact the psychological perception of value.

Do Real Estate Assessments Matter?

What do real estate assessments mean?

From a visitor:

… tidbit of info. – Nelson Co. assesses real estate every 5 years. I just received the assessment of our second home in Wintergreen. In 2006 it assessed at $599K, now $385K — down 36%

2012 is going to prove very interesting in the Charlottesville region.

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Virginia’s General Assembly Reconvening Soon – Pay Attention! (2012 edition)

The Virginia General Assembly reconvenes in 8 days. 8 Days until our part-time legislators make decisions that affect our lives. Start paying attention now at Richmond Sunlight.

Between the House and the Senate, 169 bills have been filed so far. Everything from eminent domain to bicycles not needing to wait two minutes at an intersection, to forcing concealed weapon holders to carry proof of licensure to the “are you freaking kidding me?! – “Causing telephone to ring with intent to annoy. Raises offense from a Class 3 to a Class 2 misdemeanor for causing a telephone or digital pagerto (sic) ring with intent to annoy.”

While you’re getting up to speed, figure out who your legislators are – and then start tracking their bills and votes and contact them. Also, go to VPAP and figure out who’s giving money to whom – for example, the Virginia Association of Realtors’ PAC spent over $30k on entertainment. Politics are expensive. And time-consuming.

Pay attention folks – from the deadly serious to the blindingly stupid, these are our legislators, and we are responsible for them.

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Choose Your (Social) Friends Wisely – They Could Affect Your Ability to Buy a House

Be warned. Could the time come when “what is your Facebook password” is one of the questions on your loan application?

Beta Beat has an extremely alarming story:

But there’s a nightmare scenario: if banks learn how to use social media, they could gather information they aren’t allowed to ask for on a credit application—including race, marital status and receipt of public assistance—or worse, to redline segments of the social graph.

In other words: choose your online friends wisely, for they may one day determine your APR.

And if you don’t have a Facebook account? Maybe you won’t even be considered for a loan.

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