It may be the renovation of our building here at Westfield Road or it may just be the sign of the times but many of us are working from home offices.  With high speed DSL available (even in Free Union where I live) or cable Internet or even satellite Internet access we have our own window on the world from our home office.  I found some tips from Microsoft (naturally) about how to be productive.  Read More- Tips to Stay Focused.   Truthfully I just don’t feel as business like in my bathrobe-so one hint might be to make your work schedule at home more formal and on a time table. We should be OK until “view phones” are standard home office equipment. One of the real benefits of working at home is dropping any pretense of focus and just going for a walk on a pretty day. In fact, I feel a walk coming on now. Enjoy.

Well, it just so happens you could be one and not know it.  Scuppies are Socially Conscious Upwardly Mobile Persons.  As mentioned in a USA Today article, you will likely find Scuppies congregated in the parking lot of Whole Foods and buying their coffee at Starbucks.  It seems we are all on the band wagon to think green, to think organic, to invest with a conscience.  One of the segments on the Today show gave advice on how to spend our, “organic dollars” at the produce counter.  They recommend always buying organic celery, apples and strawberries .  Another segment explained how Mutual Funds have established holdings that allow “green investing”  and investing in stocks of “companies with a conscience”.  What will the real estate market hold out for Scuppies?  We have seen builders using “green” design.  it will be interesting to see how our industry changes to meet and greet Scuppies.

I love parades in general and love the annual Dogwood Festival Parade in particular.  Every year I worry that the dogwoods won’t be in bloom in time for the parade and most years, like this one, I am rewarded with beautiful weather and trees in full bloom.  Growing up in Charlottesville means you have probably been in the parade; with the cub scouts, girl scouts, community groups of all sorts; or in a band.  My debut parade with the Albemarle High Band was unremarkable, I dropped my lyre holding the music in the first block and never played a note! Now you know why they have parents trailing behind the bands.  No doubt this year’s band members have memorized the music but I’ll bet they are just as excited as  I was.  If I had my pick of parade entries now, I would have to say I would want to be with the “Girl’s just Want to Have Fun” troupe.  They seem to be my contemporaries and seem to be kindred spirits.  Everyone has their favorite spot to see the parade but you will find me -every year- on the steps of the library with my sister, Joan  and anyone I can talk into joining me. See you at the Parade on Saturday April 26th- 11:00 kickoff.

According to a posting on the Inman News Blog-a Blog which calls itslef the “First word in Real Estate,” an April 10th Reuters Zogby poll  53.8% of those surveyed felt it is a good time to buy. What about the 41.6% who say now is not a good time and those who are “undecided”?  When will the time be right?  When do stock investors buy stock?  Do people prefer to buy when prices are over heated or when there is a Buyers’ Market? Is it possible to find the bottom of any market?  From where I sit, now is a great time to buy because of the number of properties available and because the loan rates are very attractive. 

Launching a new Blog is exhilarating and daunting.  We want to get it right.  We want to bring the best information to you, share ideas, and have a dialogue.  Our authors will comment on relocation, life in  Central Virginia, the local real estate market and much more. Are there topics which interest you?  Let us hear from you.

As Percy Montague IV stated in our previous post …Despite headlines touting collapsing prices, the facts paint a different picture. House prices in Virginia per the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight show a 2% average annual appreciation during the 1990’s, a 12% increase annually duing 2000-2006 and a 3% annual appreciation in 2007. I personally would describe the real estate bubble in Central Virginia as “partially deflated” rather than “burst”.

What about opportunities in today’s market? The inventory of new and resale homes available for sale is at the highest level in many years. Market conditions have encouraged serious sellers to price their properties very competitively. All of these factors combine to make this the most attractive market for home buyers in the last decade. It is a particularly attractive market for first time home buyers or patient investors. For those with a home to sell, they will be both buying and selling in a more moderate market than the fast moving, overheated market of a few years ago. Conventional wisdom may suggest to “buy low and sell high”, but in reality most people buy and sell in the same market cycle, unless they are relocating from a hot market into a depressed area. The only strategy that I would discourage is a seller who chooses to sell and then wait on the sidelines. My concern is that they may end up reinvesting in an inflating market. Now Is A Great Time to Buy.

Percy Montague IV, Chairman, CEO, Montague, Miller & Co.

In his article, A Tale of Two Markets, Percy Montague IV, Chairman and CEO of Montague, Miller & Company, Percy says:

     “These are the best of times, these are the worst of times..depends on whether you are buying or selling.  After rocketing along in a crazy “Sellers’ market” for the first half of the decade, balance returned in the market briefly in 2006, before tipping into a definite “Buyers’ Market” in 2007.

     “DID The Bubble Burst?  Like the weather, all real estate is local and national perspective is often misleading.  To say that the national weather forcast for tomorrow is a high of 57 degrees is largely meaningless depending on whether you live in Bangor or Boca Raton.”  Mr. Montague goes on to describe the market results in Central Virginia as more moderate in ‘05 and ‘08.

     “The number of properties sold through the Charlottesville MLS which includes Albemarle, Fluvanna, Nelson, Greene, Madison, Louisa and Orange counties plus a few properties in Augusta, Buckingham, and Culpeper counties, was down 19% from 2006 to 2007…how did consumers fare?  Despite headlines touting collapsing prices, the facts paint a different picture.  Over the same time period, the average price declined slightly, about 3%, while the statistically relevant median price actually increased 2.6%.“    Stay tuned for future market reports.

We are sometimes asked to comment on this.  My opinion is that each buyer and seller is better served by his or her own separate representation.  As I sometimes say when I teach an agents’ course in Agency ( how real estate agents work for their clients), this situation is positively Biblical in its proportions; you really can’t serve two masters.  The Code of Virginia allows a real estate agent to represent both sides of the same transaction when permission is given in writing by the Buyer and Seller-and that permission is given before the contract is written.  In reading a recent posting on Jim Duncan’s blog Real Central Virginia, I agreed with his stance on this very important issue. 

Clarifying my stance against Dual Agency

I have long argued against Dual Agency, and need to slightly redefine/clarify my opposition - My beef is with Single Agent Dual Agency where the same agent represents both sides of a transaction. In principle and practice, Dual Agency, also known as Designated Agency, when practiced by agents in the same firm should be legal and ethical.

From the Virginia code:

“Designated agent” or “designated representative” means a licensee who has been assigned by a principal or supervising broker to represent a client when a different client is also represented by such principal or broker in the same transaction.

“Dual agent” or “dual representative” means a licensee who has a brokerage relationship with both seller and buyer, or both landlord and tenant, in the same real estate transaction.

This past weekend I attended a meeting of the Albemarle-Charlottesville Historical Society at the Alberene Soapstone Company in Schuyler.  I found it to be a fascinating experience and enjoyed seeing this facility which has remained virtually unchanged for over 75 years.  Some of the vintage equipment that is still in use for moving and cutting the stone is truly remarkable.

 Central Virginia is home to the largest soapstone deposit in the world, which runs from Alberene, near North Garden, south to Amherst County.  Alberene Soapstone Co. has been mining the deposit since the 1880s.  They have 19 different quarries on 4 sites in Central VA.  In its heyday, the Company had over 90 sites, all of which were connected by a private railroad network for transporting the stone from quarry site to processing plant.  Distinctive characteristics of the stone such as spotting, veining, and hue vary depending on the location of the quarry and the depth that it is found underground.

In addition to commercial and industrial applications, soapstone is gaining popularity for residential use as countertops, backsplashes, sinks, floors, hearths, patios, etc…  It is non-porous and anti-bacterial, very durable, aesthetically pleasing and requires minimal long-term care.  

With the current focus on “Green” construction, what could be more environmentally sound than a natural, inert substance that is quarried and processed without explosives and chemicals,  right here in our own backyard?

Every April the National Association of REALTORS focuses its attention on Fair Housing; the idea that all Americans are entitled to live where they choose, within their ability to pay,without preference given for race, color, religion, sex,handicap, familial status or national origin. It is the law of the land (Title VIII of the Civil Rights Act of 1968) and it is the right thing to do.  The Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) does the same thing for people when they apply for a loan. Equal professional service for all is our goal.  REALTORS promise to support equal opportunity in housing.