From the Chicago Tribune website : Because of underwriting changes by giant investors Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac , plus new restrictions by private-mortgage insurers, getting a loan on a condo or refinancing one you own could prove tougher than you imagined. … Even in the healthiest real estate markets, United Guaranty will require buyers to put at least a 10 percent down and will reject applications in buildings where more than 30 percent of the owners are investors.
Posts tagged Charlottesville
Charlottesville Earthcraft Homes tour – and a brief riff on “is blogging advertising?”
EarthCraft standards and options are factored into every aspect of home building – site planning, building orientation, low-impact construction techniques and materials, energy efficiency – for a constant effort to lower the environmental impact of building an EarthCraft home and lower the energy costs and water usage for its future occupants. … … After a long conversation yesterday with an attorney, about real estate blogs and the perception by the Vir ginia Real Estate Board that any writing that could “induce business” is considered “advertising” … here is my disclosure .
Question from a reader regarding Charlottesville area foreclosures
Our agent didn’t show much interest in this kind of properties and I didn’t ask him if it is because there are not many on the market currently or he is just not strong in that area.” … And, foreclosures are quite the hot topic. 
If you’re looking for the most accurate, up-to-date information on foreclosures in the Charlottesville area, I personally use the HooK’s site ; I’ll bet they would get good traffic if they devoted a page to foreclosures and the link stayed the same every week – thehook.com/foreclosures … just an (selfish) idea.
“Official” Real estate Market report for Charlottesville area
This is my market report for the City of Waynesboro and Augusta County and this is the market report I wrote last Monday focused on the Central Virginia real estate market ; my market report is more focused on the Charlottesville market area – Charlottesville/Albemarle, Fluvanna, Greene and Nelson Counties – while the CAAR report encompasses the entire super-region. … For a graphical representation, check this out – for the first quarter 2008, sales of condos are down – way down – relative to the past few years. 
I’ll update this post on Monday when the Daily Progress releases their interpretation/report.
Great story on Belvedere in Charlottesville
This is a significant story in this week’s C-Ville not only because it features my clients , ( their blog about Belvedere is here ) but it highlights one of the (potentially) best developments (that happens to be green) in the Charlottesville area. Five years ago—heck, two years ago—if you were searching for an architect to design your sustainable house, a builder to put it together, or a store to supply its fixtures and finishes, you would have had far fewer choices than in 2008.
Charlottesville area real estate market update – 1st Quarter 2008
Summary – We are going to continue to see a market adjustment (read: many Sellers still have yet to recognize that in many cases, we are back to 2006 price levels), but those who want to sell must realize the new market realities.
Now really and truly is a great time to buy a house – if you are buying for the right reasons (ask me for specific insight for your situation) and you intend to actually live there for a couple of years. I have heard anecdotal evidence that long-term investors are starting to snap up inventory. Multiple offers, while certainly not common, are in fact happening all over Charlottesville and Albemarle.
Coming up Monday
I’ll be posting my analysis of the first quarter real estate market in the Charlottesville, Virginia region. … I haven’t decided yet on a theme, other than spelling and grammar count (we’re supposed to be pretending to be professionals here, right?)