I’ve been using electronic signatures for a few weeks now, and they have been tremendously helpful – saving gas, time and energy. Instead of faxing, emailing, printing, scanning … my buyer and seller clients have clicked to sign . … Now it appears that Docusign , thanks to an investment by the NAR’s Second City Ventures , is going to ramp up their development and will be spreading their reach through the Realtor world. … I expect Second City Ventures to have a better definition of “investment” than the US Treasury .
Walkability on 29 North – A Work in Progress?
The Neighborhood Model may list “pedestrian orientation†at the very top of its 12 Principles for Development, but it’s in the county’s subdivision and zoning regulations where the rubber—so to speak—meets the road. … “Right now we can’t require sidewalks on all streets in the development areas,†says Elaine Echols, a principal planner with the county. … Until we get our zoning regulations changed to make it a requirement,†she says—a project she and her staff are working on right now—walker-friendly development is not as ironclad a guideline as the Neighborhood Model would suggest. I know this – more and more of my clients want to walk places – coffee shops, grocery stores, schools, friends’ houses – and the County and developers are negligent in not following through in their plans.
Charlottesville’s OpenSpace gets cVillain Love
From cVillain : Jeff Gunther has a slightly different idea for a slightly different workforce here in Charlottesville. For many local mobile warriors, turning wherever you find yourself into a workspace is the status-quo. However, without access to printers, actual desk space, big screen monitors, and conference rooms, Java Java can’t quite provide all we may require (love the mochas though). Jeff’s idea started with the build out of the new office space located near ACAC in the warehouse district, and extended to provide all that an employee without tethers could require.
Bing Maps Versus Google Maps in Charlottesville
I just got off the phone (although I have Skype , too) with a client overseas who had been questioning whether the railroad near the Belvedere development was abandoned. She answered her own question when she said, “I’m looking at it now, and it appears that it’s still in use – there aren’t any weeds growing over the tracks .” I know I’m a “tech savvy Realtor” and all, but that statement still blows me away, as does the fact that Bing is winning the mapping race in Charlottesville right now. This year I have worked with a fair number of international buyers, and my tools to work with them have become better and more efficient.
Affordable Housing in CharlAlbemarle – Treesdale Park
The development is moving forward off of Rio Road (it’s not done yet; it still needs site plan approval) … … AHIP plans to construct three multi-story buildings which will contain a mix of both two and three-bedroom apartments. Treesdale Park will also be sustainably constructed and certified through EnergyCraft and EnergyStar to further minimize maintenance burdens for its residents. As an aside, Bing’s Birds-Eye view is pretty fantastic, but their sharing tools are pathetic. 
Whereas Google allows easy embedding: View Larger Map
Charlottesville Bubble Blog Analyzes Whether to Buy or Not to Buy
And grab a cup of coffee; it’s a long post with lots of analysis, market data and a bit of opinion.
Twitter Week in Review
Thanks for the wi-fi, Google http://post.ly/CdjC # Heading to the airport. Grateful for my friends in this (real estate) world. #nar09 # Off to dinner with a friend. Then red-eye back to Charlottesville. #nar09 # In which @robhahn pronounces the death of #RPR http://bit.ly/1V2byw #nar09 # @CRTweet if a Realtor uses a free email account that scans to serve ads, conceptually, could one relinquishing expectation…