Sewer Scopes are Good (in Charlottesville)
A sewer scope runs about $350, and it’s cheap insurance compared to what I’ve seen go wrong. At least once or twice a year, I run into a client whose sewer line has roots choking it, or a pipe that’s broken or crushed — the kind of damage that costs thousands to fix. I just had two properties scoped: one came back clean, the other had root intrusion that needed addressing before closing. I’d rather my clients pay for the scope now than call me after closing because sewage is backing up into their house. Client tears are bad tears.
When Should Buyers Pull their Credit (when buying a home)?
I asked Matt Hodges with Gray Fox Mortgage a couple simple questions a lot of my buyer clients have, and thought you'd find the answers useful. When should buyers let their lender pull their credit? Regardless of when a buyer wants to purchase, if they…
3 First Steps in My Ideal Day to start the Buyer Journey in Charlottesville
The first time meeting in Charlottesville with new to me buyer clients, I like to try to accomplish a lot. The pandemic changed things. How I work with buyer clients is one of the bigger things that has changed. What used to be anywhere from…
Artificial Housing Inventory in Charlottesville
I'm guilty of this, too. For houses that come on the market in Charlottesville and the Charlottesville area, what I'm seeing is this Home is listed as a Coming Soon on Monday/Tuesday so that we Realtors can tee up our buyers. House is activated on…
Chimney Inspections: A Good Idea
I'm recommending chimney inspections to my buyer clients now. Just like I started advising septic inspections around 2010, I think chimney inspections should be default inspections -- or at least suggesting them should be my default now. More often than not, if I ask an agent if…
What Are Buyers Looking For? In Charlottesville
Other than ‘cost’ and ‘school district’ what else are people looking for? Large kitchens? Ground floor living? This answer is through my lens as a reasonably productive* real estate agent representing buyers and sellers in Charlottesville - Albemarle region. I'm answering this initially by reacting…
Showing Houses & Closings During COVID-19 Time
Finding references to “the way it used to be” as irrelevant; this is normal now. A few notes taken when showing houses during COVID-19 time As the buyer agent, I need to be explicit to the client about not touching things without gloves. I need…
Home Inspections: Preparing for them, as a Buyer or Seller
RealPodVa continues We've been less consistent than we'd like with the podcast this summer, but that's reasonable. Listen to the podcast here. This was part one of two of a fantastic discussion with my colleague, Deborah Rutter, about home inspections - how to prepare (as…
A Pile of Money, And the Rest of your Life: Buying a Home
"A huge amount of money, and the rest of your (and your kids') lives." I say this to most of my buyer clients at some point of our working relationship, sometimes at the beginning, and sometimes just before we make an offer to purchase on…
Client Code of Conduct *or* My Commitment to My Client
Helping my clients make good decisions. That's my simple goal every day. That goal requires the right partnership. One of the most important things I do is to manage my clients' expectations, whether that's what to expect when they make a low offer on a…