Difference Between Clients and Customers
Question: What's the difference between a real estate client and a real estate customer? Answer: Quite a bit. I was with a a customer a few weeks ago and and we had an interesting conversation about the differences between a customer and a client. Some…
Uncertainty Sucks.
Dear Congress: You kinda suck. And you're negatively affecting the economy, just by being there. From a client: All of this debt ceiling nonsense has me a little freaked out that no matter what those fools in Washington wind up doing, the interest rates on…
Did You Notice? Search the Charlottesville MLS on your Phone
The MLS search provider for RealCentralVA.com (and thousands of others around the country) recently released a mobile search option for those of you driving around searching for homes in Charlottesville. It's simple: go to my search for homes page and you should be given the…
Read those HOA Docs – They Might Give Others Right to Trespass
Finding conversion between two distant stories with one major point: Lesson #1: Read the HOA Docs and any neighborhood Covenants and Restrictions before you buy a home. Lesson #2: an awful lot could be solved and avoided if people would just talk to each other.…
This Is Why you Visit Neighborhoods at All Hours of the Day (Before you Buy!)
Over multiple days, over weekends if possible, investigate, observe, educate yourself about your potential new home. One of the favorite and most-referenced-in-conversation posts I have written since 2005 is "You're Buying your Monday Mornings." You're not buying your home just on the Tuesday afternoon between…
Choosing a Home Inspector (in Charlottesville)
The values of having a home inspection are innumerable. A home inspection could be the best $300 - $600 you're ever going to spend. (more…)
5 Questions to Help Determine if it’s Better to Buy or Rent in Charlottesville?
Is it better to buy or rent in Charlottesville? It depends on what your goals are. Answer these questions first: - How long are you planning to be in the Charlottesville area? - Are you qualified? - What are your life plans? (do you have…
Even More on Buyer Agency – and Why it Matters
Related: - Being Selective (with Buyers) - Why Use a Buyer Broker Agreement - How Much is the Buyer Broker Fee? (more…)
Pre-Offer Home Inspections – A GREAT Idea
Every real estate market is different; this one has brought more pre-offer inspections than I have ever seen (in part because I'm more comfortable suggesting them to my buyer clients). 1 - Allows for an As-Is Sale 2 - Removes one phase of negotiations from…