Where are Interest Rates Going? (October 31 edition)
A client asked me the other day, "what do you think rates are going to do"? The underlying question is, "should we rush to list, sell and buy now, or can we be more deliberate (and sane), and wait until Spring? What will interest rates…
November 2014 Monthly Note – Kids, Zillow, the Market & MLS
Lots to cram in this month's monthly note; if you're interested in joining the fives and fives of people reading one email a month from me, subscribe here and I'll send it to you early next week once it's written, edited, agonized over, edited again…
Bicycle Garages in Charlottesville – A Great Evolution
In a first (that I'm aware of) in Charlottesville - bicycle garages! ** They just make sense, particularly as the neighborhood in which these townhomes are being built is right in Downtown Charlottesville, is a 6 minute bicycle ride to the Mudhouse on the Downtown Mall. Today's post…
Is the “Recovery” Leading to a Boom in Real Estate Agents (in Virginia)?
Is the "Recovery" Leading to a Boom in Real Estate Agents (in Virginia)? Not yet. There’s a sweet spot for productivity. Too few and you’re not (in my opinion) truly competent; in the words of an agent from whom I’ve learned a lot over the…
Charlottesville Sellers – Take Pictures Now
This is why I advise my clients to take pictures of their houses in the fall.A photo posted by Jim Duncan (@jimduncan) on Oct 10, 2014 at 1:28pm PDT I've said for years that if you're in the Charlottesville area and are thinking about selling your…
How do buyers find homes – interwebs or agents?
Me? I was somewhat surprised at how few found their new home via real estate agents ... but upon reflection, not really. For years I've written and said that a good real estate agent's skillset is far, far more than having a login to the…
The life of a community blog – RealCrozetVA
Community. A friend wrote some time ago that part of finding success is to give a sh*t. Giving a sh*t is hard. But it's rewarding and meaningful. This post? Not about real estate, other than that a tremendous component of "real estate" is community. Just…
2014’s 3rd Quarter Market Report – Answering “How’s the Market”?
Download the 2014 Q3 Charlottesville Market Nest Report. The #1 Question buyers and sellers ask - whether in the conference room, the coffee shop, beers or dinner, is "how's the market?" The underlying question tends to be a variation of, "can I sell?" or "should…
More Houses Coming Near Mill Creek
I'd call this, generally, good density - in the urban ring, less than 10 minutes (east/south east) to the Downtown Mall, good access to schools and 64, close to stuff (including the coming Wegmans), and (hopefully) meeting the needs of the marketplace. If the end…
What’s an Ello?
Ello. The newest, greatest social network that's hoping to supplant Facebook. I hope they succeed. But what is it? (what's this have to do with real estate? Not much, other than real estate is in part a social business, and ello is social.) I'm still…