fredericksburg va: Homes For Sale in Fredericksburg VA - The "Spin" on Real Estate
- 05/15/08 01:44 AM
Earlier in the week I was asked to attend a meeting at the Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors® conference room. Was told that a group was meeting to discuss a blogsite for the Association. Apparently, there were some that thought that my presence on Active Rain indicated a propensity for blogging. Naturally, the blog would focus on homes for sale in the Fredericksburg VA area. If the truth were known they would realize that my blogging is inversely proportional to the amount of real estate business I have. Oddly enough, I am quite busy now but do not want to let … (9 comments)
fredericksburg va: Sometimes You Need To Step Back For Awhile
- 05/01/08 09:13 AM
Last Sunday evening I departed Fredericksburg VA for a meeting of the CyberProfessionals which was to be held in Pittsburgh PA. For the first time in a long time I was not driving. I had a wonderful chauffeur; fellow Active Rainer Jim Crawford. Energized. That's how I feel. Energized! The last time I was in Pittsburgh was when, as college students, my wife Carol and I went with two other students down to Zelienople, PA to spend a weekend at the home of one of our parents. On Saturday night we all went to visit the city of Pittsburgh. Needless to say I … (2 comments)
fredericksburg va: "But I thought I got the kitchen sink!"
- 12/07/07 11:28 PM
Lately, I have been looking at tons of videos added to real estate listings around the country. Some are really impressive and look like they were done by professional videographers (and some were) while others look like the ones I have done (and that ain't good). Folks, that is not the purpose of this blog. To start out with, I know that kitchen sinks are not appliances. My reference to the kitchen sink was just to get your attention (hope it did). I want to talk (OK write) about appliances. Here in Fredericksburg VA appliances normally convey with the sale of a home. In some … (21 comments)
fredericksburg va: Fredericksburg VA - Real Estate Attorney Bill Scaife
- 11/16/07 05:01 AM
Truthfully, there are not too many people involved in the real estate industry here in Fredericksburg VA that have been around much longer than I. However, one of them is William M. Scaife, Jr. I say involved but that is not quite true. Bill Scaife retired from the law this year. In so doing he sold the building in which he had practiced (for more than 50 years) to my new landlord. Yes, I had rented office space (for Ed DeChristopher, Inc.) from Bill Scaife for many years. This morning he came up to my office and asked me to walk over … (5 comments)
fredericksburg va: Fredericksburg VA Real Estate - The Spin Masters
- 11/09/07 11:05 PM
Several years ago, while listening to a radio program, the term spin master was used. Cannot believe, today, that I did not know the meaning. When I first heard it I asked a friend, who was in local radio, if she knew the meaning; her reply was that she had not. In my opinion spin masters make chicken salad out of chicken droppings. You hear them at work every time you listen to the news or read the newspaper. Yesterday I reviewed our local MLS (Multiple Listing Service), the Metropolitan Regional Information Systems (MRIS) statistics for the month of October. I was only … (8 comments)
fredericksburg va: Wayne Newton - Selling his home in Spotsylvania County
- 11/06/07 05:07 AM
Last night I met with Wayne Newton; he had called me to talk to me about selling his home in Spotsylvania County Virginia. Wayne owns a very modest home just south of Fredericksburg VA in Spotsylvania County. He purchased the home 27 years ago; long before I began my real estate career here. I will begin my Competitive Market Analysis (CMA) shortly and expect to get back with him and his wife some time this week. Wayne and his wife have built a new home in Stafford County and are living there now. I was very surprised when I met Wayne. He did not look … (7 comments)
fredericksburg va: Where Do You Live? Why Do You Live Where You Live?
- 09/25/07 09:40 PM
One of the things that interests me is why people move. I am not "talking" about why they move from one home to another or from one neighborhood to another. No, here's what I am talking about. I was born in Peekskill NY; my dad was born there but my mother was born in Grand Falls NB, Canada. Dad grew up in Peekskill, worked all of his life in Peekskill, and died in Peekskill. Mother, on the other hand, was born in Grand Falls and was educated in St John NB; she moved to Peekskill for work (a nurse), married, and lived there … (25 comments)
fredericksburg va: Teams - What Are They?
- 07/09/07 11:11 PM
My friend a CybeProfessional colleague Linda Davis posted a very interesting article here on Active Rain about real estate teams. It prompted me to think more about a discussion that we spent a few (too few for my money) minutes talking about at the CyberProfessional meeting held recently in Albuquerque NM. One of my observations was that teams today are what real estate brokerages were a few years ago. Yes, my friends and fellow Active Rain contributors, there were days when real estate offices here in Fredericksburg VA were much smaller than some "teams" today. Have read where some "teams" have between 10 and … (6 comments)
fredericksburg va: Fourth of July
- 07/03/07 10:52 PM
Several weeks ago I posted a comment about how much I enjoyed parades. It was on Memorial Day that I blogged about childhood memories of parades. This morning, as I began reading my email, I was inundated with fake email (read spam if you will) from people I have never met. However, several of my friends and clients (some are both) sent me nice notes about our enjoying the 4th of July holiday.
Here in Fredericksburg VA there will be no 4th of July parade. There will be no fireworks. There used to be! Spotsylvania County, which surrounds Fredericksburg (except for that portion … (7 comments)
fredericksburg va: Fredericksburg
- 06/28/07 11:43 PM
Just a few moments ago I was examining the tags on my Active Rain blogsite and noticed that I had mentioned Fredericksburg many, many times. Just for kicks I Google searched Fredericksburg and found some very interesting things. Let me preface this by relating that someone told me some time ago that preference was given to municipalities/jurisdictions when searches are done on that municipality/jurisdiction. For example: if you search Fredericksburg VA you will get the city of Fredericksburg VA's website first and then others like the newspapers in Fredericksburg Virginia (newspapers appear to get priority too), and then all of the rest … (5 comments)
fredericksburg va: Agent Bonus - Homes For Sale in Fredericksburg Virginia
- 06/01/07 10:24 PM
Just finished reading a blog by my friend Sharon Simms down in sunny Florida. She discussed broker open houses and how one person offered a $1000 bonus to the selling agent if that agent included a coupon with the contract written on that home. Over the years I have seen plenty of agent/broker open houses and have seen at least as many offers of a bonus to an agent/brokerage selling a home here in Fredericksburg Va. Agent bonus; an interesting concept. Here in Virginia all money paid to an agent is paid through the brokerage; assume each of the states has a similar law. … (9 comments)
fredericksburg va: Your Favorite Style Home in Your Area
- 05/31/07 06:40 AM
The other day I was speaking with my friend (and ActiveRain contributor) Jim Crawford; the Brooklyn born displaced resident of Atlanta. He told me that he was "Doing an Ed DeChristopher." "What in the world is that?" was my response. "Driving around and taking pictures of different things and different homes in our area." he answered.
Another inspiration for a blog. Why not solicit photos from ActiveRain bloggers? Ask them to submit a photograph from their area of operation. That photo can be your favorite style home in your area; a landmark in your area; a nice looking building in your area; … (4 comments)
fredericksburg va: What's Going on in Fredericksburg Va?
- 05/30/07 03:10 AM
In case you could not deduce from this cartoon, I have been busy the last few days trying to restore information to the hard drive of my laptop computer. As a result, blogs from Fredericksburg VA have been delayed a bit. My trusty laptop that I have been carrying back and forth from home to work every day for the past two years. About four months ago, after talking with my friend Angus Woodbury, I heard about a program that would save me work if my hard drive crashed. I subscribed to the service he recommended and it made the whole process … (3 comments)
Parades. When I was a boy growing up in Peekskill NY there were parades all of the time. At least it seemed like there were to me. I loved them. I loved the music. I loved the horses. I loved the fire trucks. I loved to see the Peekskill Military Academy cadets in their blue uniforms and white hats. I loved just about everything that the parades brought us. I loved parades. We had parades on Memorial Day (the day when we remembered those that had died at war while protecting our country). We had parades on Independence Day (we … (6 comments)
fredericksburg va: Should I Upgrade The Countertops In My Home?
- 05/22/07 02:03 AM
Yesterday a client here in Fredericksburg VA asked me that question. They are not, at this point, selling their home but they may at some point. Resale homes for sale in our area do not normally have upgraded countertops unless they are fairly new or if the owners have had new countertops recently installed. Naturally, they would like to know if it would increase the value of their home. Specifically, will it increase the resale value? Their countertops are "builder grade" laminate (trade name of Formica is often used to describe them). They are toying with either granite, Corian, Silestone, or some other synthetic other than laminate. Their home … (47 comments)
fredericksburg va: Staging - Newest of Fads in Real Estate Sales?
- 05/17/07 11:31 PM
Have read several of the postings here on Active Rain regarding staging a home for sale. Also heard discussions about the subject while at a meeting of the CyberProfessionals® in Albuquerque earlier this month. Came back home to Fredericksburg VA ready to implement some of the ideas I had learned amongst some from some of the industry's best and brighest. Suggested to my associate (and daughter) that she look into attending a class on "staging" homes. She asked "What more is there to it than telling someone to get rid of some of their "junk", cleaning out their closets, and rearranging their furniture to … (13 comments)
fredericksburg va: Stone River Community in Stafford County VA
- 05/17/07 11:11 PM
Stone River is a Planned Unit Development (PUD) in Stafford County VA. Stone River is conveniently located along US Route 1 between Garrisonville and Stafford Courthouse. And most importantly, it is located just a few miles south of the US Marine Corps Base at Quantico. Many Marines stationed at Quantico live here and some that commute to Washington DC live here as well. Stone River is located about 12 miles north of Fredericksburg VA. As such, homes for sale in Stone River and the rest of Stafford County are among the least expensive in Northern Virginia. We have been fortunate over the years to … (2 comments)
fredericksburg va: We Are Up To Our Ears With Real Estate Agents?
- 05/15/07 05:10 AM
Just finished writing a blog on another real estate blogsite and I think you may find it ineresting. It takes a few minutes to get that blog published so I hope it is done by the time you want to read it. Our geographic area of Fredericksburg VA (which includes the City of Fredericksburg VA, Spotsylvania County, Stafford County, King George County, and Caroline County, is growing at an alarming rate. As you might expect, the number of real estate agents and brokers is growing disproportionately fast as well. Our little historic region has about 1800 members in the Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors®. … (10 comments)
fredericksburg va: Mothers Day
- 05/13/07 10:55 PM
May 13, 2007; Mothers Day! Unlike for most of you, I am sure, Mothers Day became a decision making day for us here in Fredericksburg VA. Decided not to spend the day at work but rather, to spend it doing something my bride of 49 years would enjoy. She has always liked photography but just recently became interested in digital photography. With it being such a beautiful day, we decided to make a visit to a local attraction that I had never seen. Belmont was the home to one of the early 20th Century's prominent artists, Gari Melchers (1860-1932). Melchers was born in Detroit MI … (8 comments)
fredericksburg va: Gas Prices
- 05/13/07 12:11 AM
Just finished reading and commenting on my friend Kristal Kraft's blog about gas prices on Active Rain. Have been thinking a long time how we are being set up by the financially well off petroleum industry. I have read their rationale about their losses caused by hurricanes, rising costs of importing crude, etc. Nonetheless, the shareholders continue to see increased dividends in their distributions. CEO's continue to make millions of dollars (inspite of claims that profits are falling), and blind trusts grow at alarming rates. Given all that, we still buy gas much cheaper than do our colleagues in Europe and other parts … (16 comments)
Musings about historic Fredericksburg Virginia in general with specific focus on homes for sale in Fredericksburg Virginia and the local real estate market.
Earlier in the week I was asked to attend a meeting at the Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors® conference room. Was told that a group was meeting to discuss a blogsite for the Association. Apparently, there were some that thought that my presence on Active Rain indicated a propensity for blogging. Naturally, the blog would focus on homes for sale in the Fredericksburg VA area.
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