Congrats to Jonathan Washburn - AR Fearless Leader - 05/31/08 02:19 PM
Congrats to AR and Brio Realty fearless leader, Jonathan Washburn, for making the REALTOR Magazine "30 Under 30" List. I guess some  of the youngins' have a little bit of vision, drive and energy that's channeled into something other that an XBox or Wii (not that there's anything wrong with that!).  It's good to know the new gernetaion is on the move.  Here's the link -- Click Here
Person Jonathan Washburn Right click for SmartMenu shortcuts … (0 comments)

Dr. Seller and Mr. Buyer - 05/31/08 02:07 PM
This post falls into the category of "I wonder how people do that?"
It's pretty much a natural law -- sort of like gravity -- that Sellers want the very most they can get for their home with the least amount of expense to sell it. Also true is that Buyers want to pay the very least amount of money for a home and want the Seller to spend as much as possible preparing the home for them to live in.
Here's the tricky part: Sometimes the Seller and the Buyer are the same person. The want to or need to … (6 comments)

Did the Value Really Go Down That Much? - 05/28/08 03:29 PM
I've been around a few years - longer than some, not as long as a lot of others - and I usually do good CMAs with a fairly good take on the value of the home I want to list. I research the neighborhoods and compare amenities and square footage.  Sometimes, I'll even offer to have a real live appraiser come out on my dime it the Seller insists that their price is the correct price.
Yet, sometimes, I guess I'm a little off.  I've been working with a great client.  You know the type.  Friendly, Personable.  House that looks like … (7 comments)

Sometimes Real Estate Transactions Do Go Smoothly - 05/24/08 10:43 PM
Well.  I finally went to settlement on a transaction that was both quick and smooth.  I was the rep for some motivated Sellers looking to sell the home of the wife's deceiased parents.  They had tried to sell it through an auction but that didn't work and I was lucky enough to be referred by one of the kids in the Houston area who is a Realtor down there.
The Sellers wanted to sell the house.  They weren't living in it.  It needed work. And even though the mortgage had been paid off since 1972 they were paying for utilities and … (5 comments)

Blogging for Boomers - 05/21/08 07:12 AM
Is it me or is there a whole boatload of Rainers that belong to the Boomer gerneration?
I just happen to be floating around AR and just happend to notice that quite a lot of the folks with the gazillion points, # 1 in the geographic area and lots of "Featured" posts have photos that indicate, er, experience.
Doesn't this fly in the face of conventional wisdom?  I thought the whole blogging, social networking, Web 2.0 (and beyond) thing was supposed to be the exclusive turf of GenX and GenY as a way to keep the geezers at bay.  Geezer being … (7 comments)

Rain, Rain Go Away - 05/20/08 07:05 AM
In this May 9th posting on Active Rain by Realtor Par Excellence, Pat Kennedy, she bemoans the real lack of motivation about "Showing in the Rain" (with apologies to Gene Kelly and Debbie Reynolds).
Well, here I sit on a gorgeous Tueday morning looking, once more, out into a steady down pour.
I guess I shouldn't complain.  Last year it was the drought.  All the gras was brown, trees were dying, my car was dusty.  Now my grass is getting tall (becuase it's too wet to mow), I've had a pear tree keel over because the roots couldn't keep hold in … (5 comments)

Has The Media Finally Lost Its Punch? - 05/19/08 07:11 PM
If you've been listening to the radio, watching television or reading the newspaper you may have heard there is a little downturn in the housing market. In fact, you may have heard it again and again and again.
There's a little bit of an unexpected consequence to all this bad news. It seems that when someone wants to sell their home, the buyers who can actually qualify for a mortgage want to offer prices much lower than the "going rate". Here's a couple of scenarios:
Mr. Seller wants to sell his home and understands that the market is in the tank … (1 comments)

A "leisurely" Sale - 05/17/08 09:48 PM
If it's one thing I miss about the old Seller's market is the readiness of the Sellers to sell and move! It seems like the last couple of listings I've picked up the Sellers are good with wanting to sell, sort of, but not really quite ready to actually move! 
One Seller is on board with the fact that it might take awhile to sell his house and that it needs to be priced well.  The paradox is that if the house is priced weill it's likely to sell which means someone else will want to move in!
I got a … (4 comments)

Fannie Mae Eliminating "Declining Markets" - 05/16/08 01:49 PM
A few months ago the large Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) -- quasi governmental entities that make up the "secondary" mortgage market - imposed declining market guidelines that forced lenders to require larger down payments in areas that were considered "declining markets". These were entire zip codes and entire counties, in some cases, that were deemed by the powers-that-be to have home prices falling so rapidly that a larger down payment was necessary to cover the risk of borrowers going into default.
While it makes sense for potential home owners to have 10% and 20% down payments (plus closing costs) in order … (2 comments)

Homes on the Market in College Park and Greenbelt - 05/13/08 06:33 PM
Here's a quick snapshot of the homes on the market in College Park and Berwyn Heights --
Currently Active (I.e., available for sale) -- 160 homes (condos, townhomes and single family homes)Low Price -- $117,900High Price --  $699,900Number of homes SOLD within the last 90 days -- 27
This means that there is an 18 and a half month supply of homes on the market. So if you want your home to sell there are two things to keep at the top of your mind:
Price Condition The price needs to be competitive to homes similar to yours on the market.  … (3 comments)

Is Filling in the Blanks Really That Hard? - 05/10/08 01:25 PM
I recently listed a nice townhome in a decent neighborhood for a great price.  Sure enough. It got lots of showings and, lo and behold, an offer!!  Or was it?
A lot of paper came through my eFax number and into my e-mail box but when I printed it out there were a whole lot of blank spaces in the Contract of Sale itself and a lot of the Addenda. Yes, the names of the Buyers were there, the offered price was there, a settlement date was there and the signatures on the signature page were there.  Most of everything else … (9 comments)

Op-Ed in the Wall Street Journal -- The Housing Crisis is Over - 05/06/08 01:56 PM
In this article in today's Wall Street Journal, Cyril Moulle-Berteaux makes a strong case that we may be seeing the bottoming out of the housing crisis.  He makes the argument that prices may well have fallen enough and new home inventories are starting to fall indicating that the worst is over.
It is encouraging to see conservative business media like the Wall Street Journal start to provide analysis that is somewhat positive.
I would hasten to add that the op-ed piece is a) opinion (albeit opinion from a respected financial guru) and b) all real estate is local and Mr. Mouille-Berteaux's … (8 comments)

Getting Real About Price - 05/06/08 06:10 AM
There seems to be a disconnect between what might be considered a reasonable list price and the price the "new" buyers are offering in the marketplace. Probably, more to the point, there seems to be a disconnect between Realtors doing a little research on homes that match what they're clients might possibly qualify for and what they show and eventually tender an offer for.
Here's a case in point:
I have Seller of a mid-range townhouse in a good location (nice magnet school, close to good public transportation, shopping and commuter routes), in a nice community with some decent amenities.  The … (8 comments)

Contingent on the Sale of the Buyer's Home - 05/04/08 09:04 PM
During the frenzy of the early "00s when anyone and everyone seemed to be able to get a mortgage and buy a house the Buyer's home sale contingency went out the window.  Even though Seller's probably understood that a house would sell quickly, why take the risk or even consider it when there were a dozen other offers with no contingency?
Now, the pendulum has swung the other way and houses are taking forever to sell and Sellers don't want to accept a home sale contingency because they know it'll be a long wait.
What can be done about this? I have a … (5 comments)

Open House Blues - 05/04/08 05:18 PM
It was a beautiful Sunday afternoon -- sunny, high 70s, slight breeze. If I was a golfer it would have been perfect for a day on the links.  Instead I was inside a nearly vacant home holding an Open House for a Seller who kept asking, "When are you going to have an Open House?"
I prepared.  Postcards to the entire subdivision for a couple of hundred bucks, ad in the Sunday Washington Post for another $168, Open House notices in the MLS and every website I could think of,  put the Open House directional signs out all over the place, bought … (9 comments)