Selling a house sucks. It's a necessarily invasive process. This is a bit of what to expect from start to finish. Decide to sell This is so much more than a bullet point. Is this a discretionary move? Is it going to be worth the trauma? Where are you going? How long might your house take to sell? Can you afford to sell? And a whole lot more. Interview agents (or, just call me) Evaluate market analyses - and ask questions. I tell my clients that my valuations need to be defensible to me, to the … [Read more...]
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 with a good local lender Look at homes Refine your criteria Look at some more houses Make the offer. Negotiate Contract Inspection Negotiate Settle inspection Lender stuff has been ongoing; ramps up now Loan commitment Quiet period … [Read more...]
Testimonials Matter
I despise self-promotion. But, the Nest team make it easier to do so, so I did a four-part series on Instagram with some of my clients' testimonials. This is the part where I say ... if you have a question about the Charlottesville real estate market, call or email me anytime. 434-242-7140 I'm embedding below only one of the four because I don't trust that Instagram will be here as long as my blog will be. … [Read more...]
Monday Morning Reads | Smart Homes, Crash Coming? NIMBYs
A few stories to get your (and my) week started. Crash Coming? The Charlottesville Pride Festival this past weekend was a lot of fun. 10 years after Lehman, is another crisis brewing? Household Estimates Conundrum Alive and Well The Financial Crisis at 10: Will We Ever Recover? Our estimates suggest that the economy is unlikely to regain this large output loss and GDP is unlikely to revert to its previous trend level. Financial market disruptions can have large costs in terms of societal welfare by causing … [Read more...]
RealPodVA – Simpsons, Voting, Getting Fired
If you've not been listening to RealPodVA, I get it. But I'd also ask you to take a few minutes to lend us an ear. Subscribe here. Transcription Jim Duncan: I'm Jim Duncan, Nest Realty, RealCentralVA, RealCrozetVA. Sitting here with Bart and we're missing Dave. Bart: Yeah. Bart: I'm Bart from Scrimmage Play. We don't have Dave Stipe from Rockfish today, he's very busy. But we're going to get into some serious issues because Dave's not here. That opens up that possibility. So, when you're thinking through ethics, when it comes to real … [Read more...]
Radon Testing and Storms
Be mindful when doing radon tests. I got the following email from Robert Foster of Trebor Home Inspections, and am posting with his permission. The Virginia Radon Coordinator sent out the following As hurricane Florence bears down on the mid-Atlantic region, this message serves as a reminder that you should NOT conduct short term radon testing during major storm events. Several hours of abnormally low atmospheric pressure, high sustained winds and heavy precipitation can all cause abnormally high indoor radon levels. For that reason it is … [Read more...]
September 2018 Note: Garages, The Market, Coloring
First draft of September's note is complete. It's rough, but it's going to come together. About 60% of readers open the note every month ... me, my mom, a client or two ... if you're interested, please subscribe here. Another month, another note. This month An integral part of clients' lives. Part 2. (part 1 was last month) Maybe a market update. Ok, probably. I'm curious about the data. Shapes. And maps. Garages and street activation Recap from RealCentralVA & RealCrozetVA A few stories I'm reading … [Read more...]