Just received an email about this new development – anybody interested in buying into the wacky Charlottesville market?… The project will consist of 41 upscale condominiums designed by Jim Grigg of Daggett & Grigg, the architect who designed Queen Charlotte and Carter Gilmer. Standard amenities will include a brick exterior, hardwood floors, granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, high end finishes, terraces and garage parking…. Units will range in size from 750 sf for a 1 bedroom to over 2,500 sf for the penthouse designs.
Browsing Category General Real Estate
Another example
Real estate remains a local phenomenon, but let us not forget that the aggregate of local markets equals a larger national and international market…. The next day, the Mortgage Bankers of America (MBA), an industry group, reported that mortgage applications had fallen the previous week, despite a slight dip in interest rates…. Between 1997 and 2004, house prices more than doubled in Australia, Britain and Spain, and nearly tripled in South Africa and Ireland (see table). And while America’s ratio of house prices to rents is 32% higher than its average value from 1975 to 2000, by that metric houses are even more overvalued elsewhere: by at least 60% in Britain, Australia and Spain, and by 46% in France.
Bubble Talk – from April 2004
As interest rates begin to rise, concern has increased about a potential housing bubble and its effects if it were to burst. As individual investors consider the likelihood and implications of a real estate bubble, three questions have to be addressed: First, does it matter if there is a bubble and it bursts? Second, what is the likelihood that there is indeed a real estate bubble forming?… Each of these questions is addressed in turn below.
Despite Weak Pockets, Spring Sales Start Strong
After a multiyear real-estate boom that has raised concerns about a housing bubble in a number of markets, economists and homeowners are closely watching this year’s spring selling season for any signs of a slowdown…. Spring tends to be the hottest selling season, with families looking to move well before the start of the next school year…. In a revised forecast, the National Association of Realtors now says it expects sales of existing single-family homes to fall 2.4% to 6.62 million for the full year, which still would be the second-highest level on record…. Weak economic news has helped push rates on 30-year fixed-rate mortgages below 6%, from a recent high of 6.17%, according to HSH Associates, providing a nudge to buyers fearful that rates will shoot up again.
Surprise, surprise
From Inman news Surprise, surprise NY Times headline: Real Estate …: 
Surprise, surprise
 NY Times headline: Real Estate Sales Drive Up Consumer Prices in Region. It is scary when the costs of two necessities of American life, housing and gas, are out of control. Are they out of control or are they rising at a precipitously faster rate than ever before?
Some days, it feels good to do my job
Building a home from a long distance can be a trying, stressful uneasy experience. I took some pictures yesterday of a house that some clients are having built in Fluvanna, posted them on a website and emailed my clients a link to this password-protected page. In response, they emailed – Thanks so much for sending the pictures of the site. It made our day.
Google’s reach becoming a bit terrifying.
Not real estate related, other than the fact that most buyers start looking for homes by searching the web – From lost to found: How many times have you used Google to find an obscure funny website or fun facts about “The Wizard of Oz,†but then got distracted by other web pages and tasks?… Wouldn’t it be great to find them again, and for that matter review all your Google searches over time?… An additional bit of fun: try the handy calendar to check the level of your Google activity on a given day, or see related searches you’ve done over time. Look for the link in the upper right corner of your Google web search home page and results pages.