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 in Downtown Charlottesville. Class details are below and the link to register is as well. If anyone you know needs the VHDA Certificate of Completion for their loan product or would benefit from education on the homebuying process please forward this along to them. It is FREE but they … [Read more...]
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 get it many days of the week) the other day, and it was about a specific property in the City of Charlottesville. As I noted in my response, I cannot/will not give specific real estate advice unless we have an executed buyer brokerage agreement; but I'll certainly provide … [Read more...]
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 2017) Some Good Questions Buyers Should be Asking Has the Charlottesville Real Estate Market Ever Been Bad? Top 3 Mistakes Home Buyers Make What Are Some Questions Buyers Should be Asking? But it’s Family! (or Why to Think Twice About Hiring your Family Realtor) 30+ … [Read more...]
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 should not be applied broadly across all market segments. Here's how. House comes on the market on Monday at 9. Show house at 10:30. Need to make an offer by 2. Crazy Talk. What? How can we possibly decide such a critical life decision so quickly? My role as a … [Read more...]
What’s On Your Book Shelves?
Years ago, clients and I walked out of a house (that they didn't buy) and shared our collective "weird" feeling as we'd gone through the house. It took us a few minutes, but we soon concluded that the weird feeling was created because the house felt empty and soulless - there were no books. Anywhere. "I could live here! This could be my bookshelf!" My clients didn't buy that house. But they seriously considered it more than they would have otherwise, in large part due to the books on the shelves. Buyers are seeking way to evaluate whether … [Read more...]
Scratching An Itch (as a Searching Home Buyer)
Scratching that itch An idiom defined as: seeing a house that I’ve wanted to see for a long time (and probably won’t like but need to see it anyway so that I can cease thinking about it because if I don’t see it, I’ll always wonder about it and I won’t be able to move on the houses that better fit my wants/needs list until I see this house that probably isn’t going to work but I want to see it anyway. Why see a house that we all know you’re not going to buy? Simple: if a particular house or location is clouding your (the buyer’s) ability to … [Read more...]
“Safety” Is Relative When Evaluating Where to Live
It’s all relative. One of the top criteria my clients (and most buyers/people) is safety/crime/neighborhood quality. And I never assume. I had a client years ago who had a (mostly hyperbolic) opinion on the safety of where they wanted to live, “so long as we’re not stepping over needles, we’re good." “Neighborhood quality” is relative. You can evaluate neighborhood quality/safety online, but the best way - truly the best way to evaluate - is to ask the neighbors. The City of Charlottesville has a darn good resource for looking … [Read more...]
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