Consumers use the internet to shop for real estate
Don't act so surprised. Nine out of 10 home buyers use a real estate agent in the search process, but use of the Internet to search for a home has risen dramatically over time, increasing from only 2 percent of buyers in 1995 to 77…
Buyer Presentation Letters
"Who are they?" That is the question that almost every single one of my Seller clients asks ... immediately following "What is the price?" "When do they want to close?" I was looking at some of the keyword phrases that brought visitors to this site,…
Neat Trick if you’re changing utilities
Whenever one of my clients moves, I give them the local utility phone numbers to change all of their services. I did the same as always yesterday for a client moving into a house in Crozet. I was surprised when I received the following email…
What is a Buyer’s Broker?
Update: Questions? Comments? Please ask. I read this at UrbanDigs, thanks to Curbed, and thought it worth republishing (with permission, and a few edits to make it applicable to the Central Va market) - "My Definition of a Buyer Broker: A broker who represents the…
In search of the GenX Buyer
This article speaks to how I try to do business, and about one of the "target markets" with whom I like to think I work very well. Members of this age group care very much about HOW the entire sales process goes. Intangibles, like whether…
Mold can be bad
This is a good article from Bankrate about mold titled "12 tips for a mold-free home". The fact is that every home has mold spores of some kind. The issues arise when the mold is the "bad" mold. From all the home inspectors I have…
Due Diligence
Do your due diligence prior to closing on any property. Ensure that the data you are provided is accurate. MLS listings say at the bottom of every page, "Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed." This is an important statement that is often overlooked in the…
Fuel prices’ impact on “where to buy” decisions
if you live an additional 10 miles away from work, that means that (most likely), two cars are driving an additional 20 miles a day - an extra 40 miles per day. Stay with me here. For every $100 in mortgage payment, one can afford…
“Exclusively marketed by”
These words, "Exclusively marketed by," are infuriating, as they are, in my opinion, misleading and confusing to the average real estate consumer. You see this all over the area (and other regions as well) ... the impression that this phrase often makes is that in…
Free Credit report
From my newsletter - THE FAIR and Accurate Credit Transactions Act is finally in effect for those in Virginia. Starting on 1 September, you can now check your credit for free. This is one of the best things you can do to ensure that 1)…