FREE Hampton Roads MLS Search, Foreclosures, Area Information - NO REGISTRATION REQUIRED! - 01/27/09 12:17 PM
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Adorable and Affordable Home in Carrollton Virginia $134,800 - 01/27/09 09:26 AM
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Courthouse Woods - Home in Virginia Beach $269,800 - 01/27/09 09:12 AM
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Classic Victorian Home in Norfolk Virginia - 01/27/09 08:58 AM
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Townhome off Shore Drive in Virginia Beach - 01/27/09 08:31 AM
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Affordable Renovated Colonial in Chesapeake Virginia - 01/27/09 08:16 AM
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Assessing the SEO Practices of the Top 50 Real Estate Companies - 01/24/09 09:18 AM
Randi Thornton of PCMS Consulting recently came out with this study analyzing the SEO practices of the top 50 real estate companies.  The study is very thorough and very insightful.
The study evaluated traffic ranking, search terms, Google page rank, number of pages indexed by Google, meta descriptions, page titles, and Web site validation errors.
Unfortunately, only 6 of the top 50 achieved a top SEO ranking on Google.  Who had the best SEO practices?  GMAC Real Estate landed on top.
The rest of the top 6 are:  Prudential Douglas Elliman Real Estate, Crye-Leike Realtors, John L. Scott Real Estate, Hanna … (10 comments)

A Snow Day...Without Snow! - 01/22/09 08:06 PM
Tuesday, January 20th 2009 will go down in history in our area.  Not because of the inauguration though....
Monday, January 19th was all abuzz in Hampton Roads, Virginia.  When I went to volunteer at the preschool across the street, I asked these sweet children if they knew of the "big event" taking place the following day.  All their hands went up but they couldn't hold in their excitement as they simultaeously yelled out, "It's going to snow tomorrow!".
Yes, in Virginia Beach, it seems that getting snow is a more exciting event than getting a new President.
On the Monday evening … (6 comments)

Do You Know Anyone Who is "Talkin' Walkin'"? - 01/12/09 08:29 PM
Aaron Auxier wrote a thought provoking post today entitled:  "The FICO Forgivess Act of 2012.  Principle reduction Bailouts for Homeowners. Someone better start paying attention".
Aaron's post discussed the "Talkin' Walkin'" going on in Las Vegas.  Homeowners who can afford their mortgage payments, but are choosing to walk away from their homes because of the significant drop in value.
I myself have heard of couples transferring debt and assets in order to prepare to "walk-away".
Never did I think I could understand the reasoning behind this...but I do.
A home is a financial investment.  What do you do if you open … (14 comments)

Ready to Buy a Home? Know Your Buyer Broker's Duties - 01/11/09 03:48 PM
This is an excellent post written by Brian Block on how to find and work with a Buyer's Broker.
Tina in Virginia
Via Brian Block -- Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate (RE/MAX Allegiance):
Are you ready to start along the path to purchase a home? 
 
If so, it's likely that you'll hire a real estate broker to help you find the property, place an offer, negotiate the deal, and ultimately purchase your next home.

 
Before you sign the last page and place your initials on all the pages of the Buyer Broker Agreement (officially called "Exclusive Right to Represent … (1 comments)

The Seller's Just Not That Into You...... - 01/11/09 02:06 PM
Dear Mr. Buyer,
Thank you for taking the time to write an offer on this property.  In our market, the seller is grateful to have received an offer on their home; even at well below the asking price.  I'm sorry to tell you that the seller is not accepting your offer.  He's just not that into you.
Why, you ask?
First of all, you aren't a strong buyer.  You aren't making a down payment and you are requesting the seller to pay all of your closing costs.  While you provided a pre-approval letter, low/no-downpayment financing is difficult to get right now … (7 comments)