The New River Valley real estate market is shifting – no doubt about that – and buyers and sellers will need to adjust. We still have some challenges, but things are improving. Sarah Cox of The Roanoke Times wrote about it in this past Sunday’s real estate section.
Okay, Zillow doesn’t suck, per se, but it was a catchier title than “Why Automated Valuation Sites Are Bad For Real Estate”.
You’re getting a mortgage … what kind of paperwork do you need?
Last week, I had asked on Twitter and Facebook “what’s the one thing you expect most from your real estate agent?” The responses varied in general, but one specific thing that came up was that people wanted their real estate agent to listen. A novel concept, really … we all want to be heard. Out of that question, someone on Twitter followed up by suggesting that when you have a contract with a listing agent, you can’t fire them, even when that agent isn’t listening.
I don’t hate Zillow, I swear. In fact, I advertise with them. And as Alma suggested, maybe the title was a little harsh. You know, I use Zillow from time to time to estimate rents, since I don’t track the rental market and sometimes I need a little help there. But if you’re going to rely on Zillow – or any online pricing site – for accurate numbers, reconsider. They’re just not accurate, yet. So in reality they don’t suck, they just provide a product that’s become seen as truth when it’s really just the result of a proprietary formula.
This video was done a couple of years ago, but I stumbled across it recently doing a search and it still applies. Appraisals can be a tricky beast, and it’s important to know what factors play into them. Leslie explains …
Bear with me – I just had an idea and I have no idea whether it’s a good one, whether it’s logistically possible, and as my friend Jay Thompson says, I’m “just pondering”. Truthfully, I don’t even think it’s a “we should do this!” idea, but more just a “what if?”. Okay, enough with the quotation marks, Jeremy.
I don’t write about clients much ever, but sometimes things just strike you. I have a client who’s writing an offer on a home in Christiansburg this weekend. It’s a nice townhouse, and perfect for their situation.
Budgets. Aren’t they great?
All the talk, particularly this week, seems to be centered on whether or not the government is actually going to shutdown today as predicted. Well, that’s not entirely true – if you look at the timeline on my Facebook and Twitter feeds, who got voted off of American Idol might be public topic #1, but the government shutdown is a close second.