RealCentralVA.com

Searching for or Selling Homes – the Internet Matters

in General Real Estate on December 15, 2009 December 17, 2009

From the National Association of Realtors’ 2009 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers: Q: Why use print ? A: Because . (there’s really no better answer other than “to show sellers that we’re doing something to market their homes, even if the data say that it’s neither effective nor a good use of money) Q : But … is print advertising useful to buyers?

…A: They drive by. ( signs matter ) ( here are some steps to search for a home in Charlottesville )

… Q : Does a (Charlottesville area) Realtor’s knowledge of the local area matter to buyers?

Zillow Steps Beyond Free – Rental and Search

in sideblog on December 15, 2009 December 15, 2009

2 – When searching for homes for sale, you will be able to search by monthly payment – homes for sale and for rent. 3 – The spammy craigslist will see some real competition 4 – Eventually (I’d wager) Zillow is going to charge for everything they can. … Real estate blog roundup: Zillow starts charging for listings – 1000WattJoel Zillow adds Rental Listings – Charges for them – Tribus Zillow Adds Lease Search, Fills in a Critical Gap in the Their Offering – AG Zillow to Go Head to Head With Realtor.com, RPR & Your Wallet? – AgentGenius Announcing: Rental Listings and Search – ZillowBlog Zillow Adds Rentals – RCG My notes from the phone call yesterday are below. … In the Charlottesville Current market – a lot of homes are for sale or rent.

Prepping to Buy a House in Charlottesville

Now is the time when people really start to talk about these things in earnest, so here is the thing: if you’re thinking about buying a house, it’s a great time to buy! … But if you’re thinking about buying in the Spring: – now is the time to start researching. – Drive through neighborhoods, see how they’re decorated if that interests you or if it disinterests you. It’s good to know what you might be getting yourself into. – Start scouting things out, ask questions, search for homes and find a realtor (I am one) and start looking for vacant houses so you have a feel for what you’re going to see come Spring when houses come on the market. – Prices now are starting to moderate even more. … Start interviewing buyers agents , ask questions, because when you’re talking about interviewing buyers agents , you’re really talking about spending a lot of time with somebody who is hopefully going to be someone you like, trust, and is a professional who is experienced.

Changes coming to FHA loans

in Albemarle Charlottesville General Real Estate Politics on December 14, 2009 December 13, 2009

“We want to ensure that we are able to continue to support the housing market in the short term and provide access to homeownership over the long-term, while minimizing the risk to the American taxpayer,” Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan told a congressional committee in written testimony.

…The FHA charges an upfront insurance premium of 1.75% of the total cost of the mortgage which most borrowers can roll into their loan, and then they pay additional annual premiums of either 0.5% or 0.55%, depending on their down payment. … The FHA says that it will limit the amount of money that sellers can provide for closing costs on home sales to 3% of the home price, from the current level of 6%.

…One close observer of the mortgage channel, who we hope to interview soon in The IRA, says that given the recent deterioration of mortgage credit, it is impossible that BAC has not gotten its pari passu portion of the losses which are hitting the FHA.

Twitter Week in Review

in sideblog on December 13, 2009 December 13, 2009

0930 appointment to show houses in Charlottesville means this doesn't quite feel like Sunday morning # RT @Scobleizer: Tremendous rant by Fake Steve Jobs on the ATT's whining and what's wrong with the USA http://bit.ly/8UGBlX [MUST Read #fb] # Showing houses in Albemarle. The lack of quality in the $600k price range is remarkable. # Working at the Nest this morning, prepping for day's appointments…

Please Buy my Client’s Car – They Don’t Need it Anymore

in Charlottesville Green Politics Transportation on December 11, 2009 December 11, 2009

Which is awesome, and very green. 🙂 is living and working downtown, so no need for a second car – someone buy it! http://bit.ly/8DhpH6 That they’re living in the City and are able (and willing – that’s part of it, too!) … Incidentally, the current issue of National Association of Realtors’ On Common Ground (not yet online) is all about walkability, transit, smart ( read: intelligent, not the bastardized/politicized “smart” ) growth featuring Walkscore and a few quotes from yours truly.

…Search for homes in Crozet with high Walkscores . (coincidentally, I house I’m marketing comes up first … and the Walkscore is in reality much higher due to some missing restaurants and coffee shops in Crozet)

Christmas Lights in Charlottesville

in Off-topic on December 11, 2009 December 16, 2011

If you’re looking for Christmas lights in the Charlottesville area, start here … I’m hoping the ones in Crozet/White Hall are back this year after they took last year off due to illness. If you have a google login, you can edit the map, add new light installations … View Charlottesville Christmas Lights in a larger map Thanks to @DailyProgress