How to differentiate your home from the competition
There is more on the market now that (perhaps) ever before. So the question sellers are asking is, "how do we make our home stand out from the competition?" Between 1 June and 1 August 2004, 117 homes (no condos) were listed in the City…
Transparency in government and real estate
Transparency is a good thing. I've noted before how my company's commissions are broken down. As a buyer and a seller, the expectation is that all money being moved around between the buyer and seller be shown on the HUD-1 form (PDF). Granted, the HUD…
Go to hell, relo company
Seen in a new listing's agent remarks: The (Relocation Company's) Addendum to contract of sale and Inspection Acknowledgement are an integral part of said contract. Primacy prefers the same closing agent represent both the Seller and Buyer (Title company's name removed)and ask that thew [sic]…
There are no little deals
There are no little deals. Every transaction is a huge transaction for the buyer, and usually the seller, too. Dismissing the "little" deals as such is detrimental to everybody involved. We were all, at some point, a "little deal" ourselves.
Something all Realtors and sellers should read
Part of an email from a buyer client who is searching for homes in Charlottesville: We overlooked this home because it only had a photo of the outside, but the home next door to it was for sale and I found a virtual tour through…
Some of the factors impacting the Charlottesville real estate market
When I tell my clients that there are many factors affecting the Charlottesville market, these are but a few of the factors that need to be taken into consideration by buyers and sellers. All real estate is local, but macro trends and influencers definitely impact…
Setting clients’ expectations is crucial
Preparing for the worst - knowing what the "worst" looks like and doing whatever is possible to avoid it - that is one of the key components of a successful Realtor. I've said many times before that mere MLS access is no longer a guarantee…
Steering buyers’ agents
Rarely does a story infuriate me, insult a profession and reinforce what I have already concluded. This story (not yet online) in the Daily Progress does all three. In a presumably-paid-for-piece in the "Business Journal" section of the DP a local Realtor says: "The commissions…
New Disclaimer/Disclosure forms in Virginia
The main change is this text on the Residential Property Disclaimer Statement (PDF) (and the Disclosure as well, but those are rarely used in the Commonwealth of Virginia). The undersigned owner(s) represent that there are no pending enforcement actions pursuant to the Uniform Statewide Building…
For all Charlottesville agents, buyers and sellers
Read this post from a real estate consumer's perspective. When I market a home, I assume that the first visitor to my website, the MLS, etc. will be my seller client. When I look at MLS photos I want to see the front of the…