Jim's Note | November 2026 |Do I really need a Realtor to see a house?

These are the archives for my subscription Monthly Notes. You can subscribe here. One note a month. If you like it, please share with a friend or neighbor. I’m working on the framework for my December note, and think I’m going to focus mostly on what I see happening in 2026 — this will be a forward-look rather than a look at 2025. Future > nostalgia.

November. When we start mornings below 30º and end the days closer to 70º.

This month: Do I need a Realtor? Settling down. Disconnecting hoses.

Next month: 2026 Charlottesville real estate market predictions.

Tips for Homeowners:

Disconnect hoses

In the words of a client, once you start wearing sweaters, it’s time to disconnect your hoses.

One time, a client built a house in Charlottesville. They’d moved to the area from the west coast and had never lived in a climate like ours. The first winter in their home, he got up in the middle of the night and felt the squish squish of the carpet when it shouldn’t have been squishing.

The hose bib had frozen, as had the hose connected to it.

The builder took pity on them and fixed things, and that’s a lesson I pass on to you.

*Going to try to start a new series/section: things you should be doing as a homeowner right now such as don’t bag leaves.

Do I need a Realtor to see a house?

As an unrepresented buyer who wants to see a house? Nope. Absolutely not.

As a buyer with buyer representation? Yep. And it’s been that way for years and years.

My role as a listing agent is to sell the house. When an unrepresented buyer wants to see one of my listings, I ask if they have representation. If they say yes, I ask if their agent can show it. If they say no, I tell them that I’m happy to show it.

Do these unrepresented buyers need to sign a buyer representation form? Absolutely not. That’s not what the law articulates and not how I operate. I represent my buyer or I represent my seller and not at the same time. (Single agent dual agency is, in a word, bad.)

Have things changed in real estate representation and compensation since 2024? Yes.

Is the requirement to sign a buyer representation agreement new? Also nope. The need to have a signed buyer broker agreement has been Virginia law for years. Hell, I have been writing about buyer brokerage since at least 2006.

What’s the point?

In the past few weeks and months I have had several conversations with people/potential clients about their bad experiences during their previous real estate experiences. One bad experience can shape the entire perspective, especially when people buy and sell homes every 8-12 years. That bad taste? Will linger for decades.

I’ll say this. There are a lot of great realtors. There are more bad ones. Do your due diligence when hiring your representation, and ask why. I told my girls when they were in school to question everything and to challenge their teachers. Same advice to you. And then, when you find the representation you trust, trust them. And still question everything. (Also, ChatGPT isn’t always right)

One bad experience can change everything.

One of my favorite things about going to coffee with my wife is talking. 🙂

Settling down | Neighbors Matter

“I want people to know my name,” a client said to me recently. He wants to live somewhere long enough to have relationships build and develop –— at the coffee shop, barber shop, local stores and with neighbors. I love that goal, and am grateful for the opportunity to assist.

–

“I got in trouble with my neighbors for leaving my neighborhood in the snow and not coming back for a few days.”

Someone told me this story recently. She moved into her new home. It immediately snowed, they lost power, and she walked away to be with friends. She did not yet know her new neighbors.

When she returned a few days later they set upon her, telling her how worried they were, and she should have told them!

She’s been there for a few years now and loves her neighbors and neighborhood. Good neighbors are valuable.

I sent this to my younger daughter and she commended me on my postcard.

What’s the 2026 Market Going to be like?

If only I could predict the future, too. Next month, predictions.

My clients went to an open house, and the listing agent texted me:

“Hi Jim, I just wanted to let you know we will most likely be taking (this house) off the market in a few weeks as my seller knows in the spring at this price her house will go quickly.” (bolding is mine)

And this from the agent is from 10 days later:

“Now would be a great time for them to buy. If they wait until Spring they will end up having to compete and pay more for the house.”

The house is now withdrawn, joining a fair number of properties de-listed this year.

Do you know what I know about the spring real estate market in Charlottesville?

That I will be representing people buying and selling homes. That’s it.

I have lots of questions, and I always do.

What will interest rates do?
New construction: What will their pricing do? What will that do to resale homes?
Economy, re: major employers like UVA and NGIC/DIA: What are those going to do?
Economy: how will We deal with minimal/untrusted federal economic data?
What do my buyer clients need/want and when? How many will I advise to rent? Interested in talking? Start here.
What will my sellers need/want, and how can we balance that timing with their goals? Interested in talking about selling? Start here. Sooner rather than later; spring is close!

I wrote once:

What I can do, when representing buyers or sellers, is to do what I always try to do — help my clients make good decisions by providing the best, most relevant data and to put that data into the context and conversation my clients need.

Would I make a prediction that I know the market will be better? Nope.

Will I tell you in mid-2027 what happened in 2026? Yep.

Below is one reason we are going to continue to have constrained inventory. Keep in mind that 40% of American homeowners have no mortgage.