Buying a Home Timeline
What's the process and timeline for buying a home in Charlottesville? This is a rough guide that incorporates some of the steps. * Meet the Realtor (really, start here. Also, I am one.) Define your criteria (my survey is a good place to start) Prequalify…
Process of Buying a Home is a Deliberate Process
Choosing the right home, neighborhood, part of Charlottesville or Albemarle area can be hard, time-consuming, and challenging. As I tell my clients, "you're making a decision that will affect the rest of your lives (and your kids' too, if you have them). My advice: take your time. So…
Reddit Questions about Moving to Charlottesville
Once again, Reddit provides a good writing prompt. I find that if I spend a great deal of time answer one person's questions, others may find the answers and conversation useful as well. I'm going to answer a few of your questions (I'm Jim; I'm…
Buying a House that’s “Good Enough”
There comes a time in every home search process (and often the home selling process) where one says "this is good enough." Arriving at the point of whatever you want to call it - concession, compromise, acquiescence, acceptance, or, to use a positively-connoted descriptor -…
Buyer Questions: New Developments in Charlottesville and Albemarle?
One day, sooner than one might think, Artificial Intelligence is likely to be able to do the following. For now the best thing for buyers new to the Charlottesville area is an agent who actively listens to clients' questions, reads body language, and has a…
How Many Homes will Come on the Market in Charlottesville that Fit You?
Q: When should a buyer start the "I'm serious about buying a home in Charlottesville next year" conversation? A: As early as possible. (same advice goes for Charlottesville area sellers) Walk through this homebuying scenario with me In 2016 442 homes sold in the City…
Homebuyer Seminars in Charlottesville
I don't often post email forwards, but knowledge is a good thing; I've had client take these classes who have found them useful and fruitful. Piedmont Housing Alliance will be hosting a VHDA Homebuyer Class in February at Carver Rec Center at the Jefferson School…
Preparing for the Spring Real Estate Market in Charlottesville
The 2017 market in the Charlottesville area is going to be an interesting one. They all are. The Charlottesville real estate market is going to be much less calm than the waters depicted above. Will this property hold value? I received that question by email (and…
8 Helpful Stories for First Time Homebuyers in Charlottesville
As happens often, I was writing an email. The question posed by the new-to-Charlottesville buyer was, "I'm getting ready to buy a home in Charlottesville; where do I start?" Start here Lender Advice for Buyers Targeting Home Buying in 2016 (still relevant for 2024) Some…
Making a Rash Homebuying Decision
Getting my buyer-client to the point where they can make a rash decision. That's my goal. The Charlottesville real estate market - in many ways, it sucks. Really. Sucks. *NB: This applies to a certain segment of the Charlottesville area real estate market - and cannot and…