I’m not saying that there are “lots of buyers who are buying,” but there do seem to be “lots of buyers” who are kicking the tires, and some of them are writing offers (and believe it or not, some of these offers are becoming Contracts). Take the following anecdotal evidence for what you will – 1 – I’m busy (and still taking on new clients), showing a lot of houses all over the City of Charlottesville and Albemarle County (for some reason, my clients seem to cluster, no one in Waynesboro or Fluvanna yet this year) 2 – A Real Estate III agent told me that she had fourteen groups of interested folks through one of her public open houses last weekend – all with no advertising.
Posts tagged 22901
Condos Are a Shifting Market – Even in Charlottesville and Albemarle
We don’t have co-ops in Charlottesville, so just substitute “condo” for “co-op” – Moreover, barring a swift economic renaissance, lawyers, managing agents and condo boards are bracing for things to worsen significantly this year as job losses mount, severances and savings evaporate, and the new reality sets in. … Now, say five condos go to foreclosure – after all, foreclosure may be the best business decision (excepting morals and ethics) available – The foreclosure process takes six months or so … that’s $600 loss to the condo association – per unit – so that’s a six thousand dollar loss to the condo association.
Moving to Charlottesville?
Clubs/Networks (just a sampling) Charlottesville Young Professionals Charlottesville Sports and Social Club The next three came from my curiosity – I started typing in “Charlottesville [blank] club” into Google and quickly figured that there’s likely a club for anything and everything (seriously be creative when you try it!) – Charlottesville Track Club Charlottesville Hiking Club Charlottesville Drinking Club Rentals – For most people relocating blind to the area (having only been here once or twice) I would much rather we take a “rent now, buy later approach” (although this is certainly not “one size fits all” – each person and situation is different).
If you don’t think gas prices are affecting buyers
You’re just not paying attention .
Condo conversions in the Charlottesville area
However, to a lesser degree, we may have some “growing pains.”From Saturday’s Wall Street Journal (temp free link):For the nation’s real-estate lenders, the other shoe may be about to drop: condominiums.Already plagued by rising home-loan defaults and foreclosures among overstretched consumers, major markets across the country — including parts of Florida, California and Washington, D.C. — are seeing rising foreclosures and bankruptcies of entire condo projects….The condo market, while tied to the housing market overall, behaves differently under stress…. So while the speculative overhang of newly constructed single-family homes may have peaked in many markets across the country, the full force of the condo glut is starting to hit now.With single-family homes, “you put up a couple of model homes and build the rest as you get sales contracts.”… (when was it registered with the Commonwealth?)- How many of the sold units have been sold to owner-occupants?To give a very high-level (and admittedly somewhat inaccurate due to GIGO) overview of the Charlottesville condo market, here are the results of a quick MLS search with no status attached:Condos in Charlottesville/Albemarle marked as new construction: 313Not marked as new construction: 3,333Conclusion – there have been far fewer new condo developments built than have been converted to condos…. we have the mostly unrelated condo conversion issue, which was nothing more than an arb of the overheated housing market vs. relatively low rents.But too many of these “conversions” were nothing more $1000 of new paint and countertops slapped into formerly rental units and that was supposed to support valuations 20, 30 even 50% over the income property valuation (even at today’s crazy cap rates).
Who Pays the Earnest Money Deposit in Charlottesville Real Estate Transactions?
Great post at Rain City Guide by Ardell on earnest money The buyer usually writes a check for the Earnest Money deposit at the same time that they sign the offer and they hand it to their Buyer Agent. …If you know you really want the house when you make the offer, and you have no problems at all throughout the transaction, the Earnest Money just slides like butter from your hand and back into your hand. Whether it actually goes into your hand at the end or is paid against your costs varies from transaction to transaction. But it still simply comes back to you like a boomerang.The only time you should be worried about handing over an Earnest Money check, is if you are not sure you want the house at the time you make the offer.In our market, the check is made payable to the Buyer’s Agent’s company, where it is held in escrow until Closing.