Charlottesville People – Do you Care What the National Association of Realtors Say?
I know I'm a broken record. I get a tremendous amount of value from the National Association of Realtors - from their publications (On Common Ground is tremendous), to the lobbying they do to the information they share … but as far as home sales…
One Way that Real Estate Agents are Like Lawyers
The New York Times notes this regarding law schools: "The fundamental issue is that law schools are producing people who are not capable of being counselors," says Jeffrey W. Carr, the general counsel of FMC Technologies, a Houston company that makes oil drilling equipment. They…
Fun with the Code of Ethics – Is it unethical to Overprice a listing?
Is it unethical to overprice a listing, or as some would say, "buy a listing"? Here's what I mean: Seller needs to make $400k. House is worth $335k. Realtor tells them it's worth $425k in order to secure the listing, with the intent of asking…
Part-Time Realtors, Disclose Thyselves!
From VARbuzz, initially quoting the Swanepoel Report - When real estate agents take on second and third jobs and decide not to disclose that fact to their client, it raises questions concerning their level of commitment and service. Hard to argue, isn't it? I mean,…
The Onion Speaks – About Real Estate Signs
I Wasn't Going To Buy This House Until I Saw The Realtor's Headshot On The Sign Have you seen our signs? (more…)
This Should be Fun – Raising the Bar
Or ... #RTB as the conversation has become known on Twitter and on the Google Wave conversation. Now the conversation moves to blogtalkradio. Talking about raising the bar within the real estate world is one thing. Mobilizing to actually effect change is another. (more…)
Realtor Alphabet Soup – Valuable?
GRI, ABR, CRS, EPRO, SRES, ALC, GAA, SIOR, RSPS ... The above are some of the many designations Realtors can earn (with the accompanying annual fees) ... the education provided by the courses can be valuable, but cluttering up a business card? Why? Consumers…
Light Blogging Next Week – I’ll be in New York
(click through for a brief video) I'm going to NYC next week for the Inman Connect conference. I'll be doing a session at the REBarcamp on Tuesday and sitting on a panel on Thursday. Importantly, we'll be discussing the RPR - the Realtors Property Resource,…
Radio this Weekend – WNRN Sunday Morning Wakeup
We'll be discussing year-end statistics about the Charlottesville region's real estate market, prognostications for 2010, real estate and technology trends that consumers need to pay attention to and probably quite a bit more. Here is my working list ... The first-time homebuyer and "move-up" buyer…
Prepping to Buy a House in Charlottesville
Transcription: Hey, Jim Duncan with RealCentralVA.com and Nest Realty Group here in Charlottesville, Virgina. It is the first week of December, 2009 and that means one thing to me at least. It means that people are starting to think about buying and/or selling homes in…