Real estate blog entries tagged with for sale by Gene Allen, Realty Consultant for Cary Real Estate (Fathom Realty)

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for sale: FHA 203K Streamline Help - 04/17/08 09:12 AM

Has anybody actually done one of thiese 203K Streamline loans and would you, could you share some insight in how they actually work. I have done some research on them but have not found anyone who has actually had a buyer purchase a home and had the work done. The loan officers have them but actually have not done one yet. Thanks in advance.
http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to … (3 comments)

for sale: Recently Remodeled?? - 04/16/08 07:35 AM

I was out previewing houses and came across one I thought would be a good match for my buyer. The house was remodeled in 2007. I took some pictures of what I thought added the most value to the house. Keep in mind this is a $174k duplex type house. Am I being to picky for a house in this price range? or should I expect a little more reguardless of the price.
This is the Great Room This is the Master Bedroom
This is the only bath upstairs Is some kind ofspecial paint or mold I can't tell

http://www.geneallen.com/ Come … (4 comments)

for sale: KEEPM - 04/16/08 01:26 AM

KEEPM or fold. That is the question. I would rather KEEPM and here is a web site "KEEPM" to help you keep them also, your contacts that is. It is a free contact manager that is web based called KEEPM. I always hear people asking about contact management and this one sounds like something to check out. The company also offers other software so go check them out.
http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other … (6 comments)

for sale: Community Project Funds - 04/14/08 03:26 AM

What does a JumboTron screen on the Norfolk city owned science center Nauticus have to do with the Virginia Port Authority? Well it seems that the port authority is providing money, services or other help within reason for local projects. Which brings us to Nauticus. The authority gave the city $2million dollars to help with the fix-up at the Town Point Park in downtown Norfolk. Part of that money will be used to purchase the screen. The screen will of course advertise upcoming events. If you know of a worthy cause, give the port authority a call.
http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL … (0 comments)

for sale: Gift Card Tracker - 04/14/08 03:05 AM

As you know gift cards are wonderful gifts. What you may not know is that they can be worthless if not used. Some business's have expiration dates and or maintenance fees on the cards. Did you know that there was 97 billion dollars in gift card value in 2007? I didn't. Well here is a site you can go to check out your gift cards. You do know where the gift cards are don't you? Go to www.giftcardtracker.com and check them out. The site lets you check expiration policies as well as find out if there are any maintenance fees on … (8 comments)

for sale: Lillian Vernon Sold Again - 04/11/08 12:58 AM

A mainstay of Virginia Beach, the Lillian Vernon company is being sold for the third time in five years. The company has not made a profit in 10 years. There must be something about the brand that keeps investors hanging on. The first time we bought anything from them in years was this last Christmas and the products we bought were very well done. I haven't liked buying from them because you used to get put on the mailing list and call list but not this time. The company is being sold for around $15.8 million depending on the inventory at … (6 comments)

for sale: Open Houses In This Market? - 04/10/08 11:32 AM

Open Houses in a Buyer's Market
Is it time to reinvent the Open House in a buyer's market? I know, Open Houses' don't sell homes-but I read that 48 percent of all Virginia Beach homebuyers go to Open Houses'. The house can actually become a successful tool for building trust and connecting you and your buyers with their dream home. Once that happens, you can help them connect with the right home financing to ensure that the transaction will close smoothly and on time.
Prospective buyers attend Open Houses' to get a feel for what they do and do not like-not necessarily because they want to buy … (2 comments)

for sale: Sell Your Headset and Buy This One - 04/08/08 09:36 AM

Buy the Aliph's Jawbone and not worry about noise again. I bought one last week and they are great. In Virginia Beach we often have jets flying over from Oceana Jet base and the person on the other end of the line can not hear them. It does everything it is supposed to do. You can listen to the radio, the tv, type or whatever and no sound gets thru except for your voice. It also plugs into your computer to charge. How neat is that. I bought mine at www.buy.com for $80 bucks and no shipping. I have had severa headsets … (14 comments)

for sale: No Billing Problems in Suffolk - 04/07/08 02:57 AM

Suffolk residents do have a problem with utility billing even though they weren't supposed to. HRSD says if there are problems then there are very few but if there is even one that is too much. The big problem is that HRSD switched billing and over 5,200 accounts were not billed. Ouch. The money still has to be paid but now you are four months behind.
http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other … (0 comments)

for sale: Golf Course Or Ecological Disaster - 04/07/08 02:45 AM

The Battlefield Golf Club at Centerville in Chesapeake is built on fly ash. 1.5 million tons of it to be exact. If you don't know what fly ashis it is the by product of burning coal. The problem with the material is that it contains heavy metals such as arsenic and other metals. These metals can leach into the ground and that creates a ground water problem. The developers at the golf course mixed in an ingredient to keep the fly ashfrom leeching into the groundwater. That may have been ok except there are homeowners in the area that have wells … (4 comments)

for sale: Nice Place or Not So Nice Part II - 04/05/08 12:06 PM

I started this a few weeks ago and found another set of pictures I thought was good. These are the pictures of entrances to condos in Virginia Beach that look good but then several feet away comes the ugly.

http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.
Google gene allen

… (1 comments)

for sale: Assessments Higher - 04/04/08 01:16 AM

It looks like Chesapeake will have a higher tax assessment this year as will all the cities in the surrounding area. Chesapeake overall tax increase will be 0.7%. This is the smallest increase in years and the city is scrambling to deal with the fallout from a smaller tax increase.
http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.
Google gene allen

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for sale: Assessments Higher - 04/04/08 01:13 AM

Overall the the increase in assessments this year for Virginia Beach are 2.6%. That includes residential, commercial and industrial land. Residential assessments are up 1.3% total. The assessment is the smallest increase in a decade. That increase will mean an average tax increase of $37. Some 17% of the city will see a slight decrease and 40% will see an increase.
Broken down by districts:
Lynnhaven will increase by .2%
Princess Anne will rise .6%
Centerville, Kempsville and Rose Hall will see an increase of 4%
The Beach district will rise the highest at 5.6%
The city will cope with the decrease in tax revenues by increasing fees … (3 comments)

for sale: Low Light Photos - 04/01/08 10:08 AM

I was almost enjoying breakfast when I realized I didn't have any birds chirping outside. Usually they join me for breakfast. It was dark and I really couldn't see so I got out my trusty Panasonic FZ 18 to see what the problem was. It identified the tabby cat who has been prowling around for the last 8 years. The first picture was taken at ISO 800 in very low light and with 1/8 of a shutter speed. The second picture was taken at ISO 1600 and 1/4 shutter speed. Both are hand held. All I did was crop the picture in … (9 comments)

for sale: Real Estate Agent Safety Equipment - 04/01/08 06:18 AM

I ran across this gizmo looking at Field and Stream but thought it may have some application for us. In my area, Virginia Beach, I am always going to one of the five cities around here and never tell anyone. We are always going places and not telling anyone (although we should). It is called SPOT and is a homing device.
There are several modes. You can just update your position to your family. You can send a help signal but not emergency or you can use the 911 button. When you use the 911 button, something like this happens:
You activate SPOT 911 and it will … (1 comments)

for sale: Sold in 21 Days, Virginia Beach, VA - 04/01/08 12:21 AM

Sold this Condo in 21 days in Tarleton Oaks. It was priced with the lowest price home the neighborhood but within 5k of the other homes. The seller came off the price 2.5k and gave 5k in closing costs. The agent said the buyer bought this one instead of the other 8 on the market was because it was in the best condition. The home inspection report had two discrepancies, a toilet that ran longer then it should and a prong stuck in an outside outlet.

http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as … (3 comments)

for sale: Smart Phones - 03/30/08 09:42 AM

Is anyone using the Verizon XV6800 or the Samsung i760 . I am looking at purchasing one of these two phones and would like feedback please. I am using just a cell phone at the moment so this would be a big step up. They seem to be about equal with maybe the Samsung having a better voice quality. Thank you all very much.
http://www.genesellsvirginiabeach.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital … (4 comments)

for sale: Do You Manage Rental Property? - 03/30/08 03:48 AM

Do I want to manage rental property or not? That is a question I ask myself a lot. At this point I have always managed to let someone else manage property. I have a wonderful person I use who is a professional property manager. Her full time job is to manage rentals. She does not sell and she does not have another job. She does work for another company but so far that has not been a problem. All of the owners I give her have been satistified with the way she handles the properities and I never hear from her … (3 comments)

for sale: Nofolk Says Yes To Smoking - 03/29/08 02:42 AM

Norfolk killed its ban on smoking in resturarnts. Citing concerns about lawsuits and loss of business the council decided not to ban smoking. I guess money wins over peoples health.
http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.
Google gene allen
… (3 comments)

for sale: Moved Companies - 03/29/08 02:35 AM

Well I did it. I moved companies. I was at my last company for over nine years. It was a tough decision as it was like one big family but one I had to make. The new company, Resh Realty Group, is aggressive and spends money looking for leads. The broker has a system that churns out leads so I will have to see how it all works out. It will be quite different as my new broker is very proactive and is involved in everything. My last broker wasn't involved in how we do our day to day business. So for … (11 comments)

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