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New River Valley Renters - This Post Could Save You Thousands of Dollars!

Scams abound, and one I just read about really hit home to me - wanted to share it here.

We have a lot of renters here in the New River Valley, particularly centered around Blacksburg (Virginia Tech) and Radford (Radford University), but in many other areas of the Valley as well.  The summer is a hot season for renters, as people move in and out around the various school systems and universities.  That hot rental market is also a great place for scam artists to move and "work", as evidenced by this story by Maggie Dokic in Miami FL.

I plan on sending this post to some local law enforcement to see if they have any updates they can provide on how renters can protect themselves, but Maggie makes a couple of good points.

• Check property records online to verify the person signing the lease is truly the owner, or is authorized to sign leases on behalf of the owner.  Each County has its own record system, here are a few:
  
  - Montgomery County (including Blacksburg & Christiansburg records)
  - City of Radford
  - Giles County
  
  
• Be sure to know exactly where the checks will be mailed, so there's a physical address to track.
• If they don't verify your credit, be very WARY!  If they want first and last months rent in cash, RUN!

I'd add that working with a property manager is a must for making sure a property is above board, and I'm happy to hook you up with some of the best - just email me for a list.  Most landlords in the New River Valley are above board and honest, but that's not to say there aren't unscrupulous folks out there as well.  Hopefully some of these tips will help renters in the New River Valley protect themselves a little more, and not experience what this poor family in Miami is up against.

Updated July 1 11:00am - received an email from State Farm agent Eric Johnsen this morning as a follow-up to this post, wanted to share it in its entirety.  He wrote:  "with two large universities we do have a number of student renters.  That's one of the nice things about being a landlord here, we have a large pool to advertise rental properties to.  However, many students are either forced or conned into buying renters insurance.  I am an insurance agent, obviously, and I have something to say about this.  Some property managers require renters insurance, and if that's the case it's hard for the renter to overcome.  Some insurance agents sell it, and this is where we can run into a problem with unscrupulous business practices.

If the student lives with their parents when they are NOT attending school, and the parents are homeowners, it is very unlikely that the stdent needs additional coverage.  Their personal property is covered under their parents' policy, subject to the policy deductible.  The liability coverage would extend from the parents' policy as well.  If the student had to evacuate and live elsewhere (such as when Katrina hit New Orleans and students were scattered), the policy wouldn't extend for THAT additional living expense. 

Insurance agents who are selling this policy to those students who already have coverage is a bit questionable.  If that person is no longer a student, out of their own living the big life now, THEN it's time ofr renters insurance.  Otherwise, as long as they fit under mom and dad's umbrella as a permanent resident of the household than they should be covered under their parents' homeowners policy."

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Put On Your Walking Shoes

Inman News today highlighted the Walk Score site, which is a really cool tool with a simple yet increasingly important purpose ...

How walkable is your community?  Any ideas?

The idea of Walk Score is to determine the distance between an address and other walkable locations - like coffee shops, restaurants and grocery stores - and calculates a score for each location.  A score of < 25 and you'll probably have to drive, but as gas prices continue to climb I think this is a pretty cool tool for all of us.  I know I was surprised at some of the results:

• I looked up my old house, (15 rating)
• and then I looked up my new house, (42 rating)
• and then I looked up a downtown Blacksburg building. (80 rating)

Pretty neat, and awfully useful.  Think home buyers wouldn't use this to compare neighborhoods?  While it seems simple and trite, I think it has potential to be another supporting factor to urban core renewal.

Thanks to Waqas Ahmed.

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The Language of Building, Part Deux

Last month I mentioned that I had received an email entitled "The Language of Building" from Progress Street Builders.  Today, I got Part Two.  Here it is:

• Punch list: There are literally thousands of details that go into the construction and finishing of every new home. Although we monitor every phase of the building process to ensure each new home reflects our promise of excellence, there are always a few final details that need extra attention before our buyers take ownership of their new home.
  
  To take care of these final details before close of escrow and move-in, we schedule a final home inspection with our clients, from which a "punch list" of incomplete or unsatisfactory items may develop. Our goal is to address every item on the punch list as soon as possible.
  
  Many people are familiar with punch lists that are developed just before or after they move into a new house. However, punch lists are often used throughout the building process to track items that need additional attention. In this way, an absolute minimum of finish items remain when a house is completed and ready for final inspection with the owner.
• Certificate of Occupancy (or CO): Before any homeowner can move in to a new home, we must obtain a Certificate of Occupancy, or CO. This is a required approval by the local building authority certifying that the house meets all code requirements and is ready to occupy. We provide the CO to each homeowner during the process of closing escrow. It's a good idea to keep the Certificate of Occupancy in a safe and secure place, such as a safe deposit box.
• Implied warranty: Under state law, an implied warranty makes the builder responsible for the condition and building code compliance of each new house the builder completes. Put another way, an implied warranty provides assurance that the home has been built to basic safety and health standards.
• Expressed (or explicit) warranty: In addition to the implied warranty, high-quality builders across the country also offer an expressed (or explicit) warranty. This warranty, which differs builder to builder, outlines the terms, procedures, and responsibilities for maintaining the home after the sale. The warranty also offers a procedure to be followed if the homeowner experiences problems with the structure, finishes, or mechanical systems of the house within a specified time frame, which may be anywhere from one to perhaps 20 years.
• "Closing" is the slang term for 'close of escrow': the process for transferring the deed and title to the house and property from us to our homebuyers. Before closing, we make sure we have completed the house to everyone's satisfaction. The closing marks the end of the home building and buying process.

These terms only scratch the surface of the builder's vocabulary. You can add to your housing language skills at 'Contractor's License' website, for a free online glossary...

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An Insider's Look At Blacksburg's Mount Tabor Meadows

On Tuesday, I was fortunate enough to have the chance to see up close and personal a new home community being built in Blacksburg.  The community is called "Mount Tabor Meadows", and it's a project being built out by Green Valley Builders.  I've mentioned it briefly before.

So what?  There's a lot of construction going on around Montgomery County, what's so special about this one?

Mount Tabor Meadows is building these homes to be Earthcraft-certified, and they're working hard to assure that each home exceeds the Earthcraft standards.  It's one of the first times in recent memory that we've seen a builder locally truly practice the green model with new construction on a large-scale basis, and I'm glad to see it come.

A link to the project's "Green Checklist".

How is an EarthCraft house certified?  It starts with the builder joining the EarthCraft House program, attending training, and registering as an ENERGY STAR partner.  But it doesn't stop there ... when a home is being built to EarthCraft standards, the builder must participate in a design review with EarthCraft House staff and do a walkthrough with that same staff, as well as pass a final inspection by an EarthCraft House inspector.  Other requirements include:

It's no joke, and these guys seem to be taking it very seriously.  I'm glad to see their project beginning to take shape - if you'd like more information on the project, or a personal tour of the site and available homes, contact me and we'll set it up!

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15 Questions To Ask A Buyer's Agent

Although a lot of real estate brokerages discount the services of Northwest-based Redfin, they put out a list of "15 Questions To Ask When Hiring A Real Estate Agent" a couple of weeks ago that I thought were pretty good.  It's not a perfect list, but it's  agood start. 

As agents we're often interviewed when competing for listings, but rarely have I been interviewed by buyers (although the first time it happened, I was impressed).  Why shouldn't we be interviewed?  Have you interviewed agents before?

I really like some of the comments, that's where some of the best pars of a blog post are, in my opinion.  Be sure to check out Ardell's thoughts about what the #1 reason to hire a particular agent is.

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Apparently, He Doesn't Read This Blog

Last month I posted an article from the Washington Post about how walking away from a home purchase will cost you.

Apparently, this guy doesn't read this blog.  He just lost a lawsuit for walking away, and it'll cost him at least $155000.

I wish we knew the back story on why he walked away.  It almost always negatively affects both sides to the transaction when you walk away, but in this case there's a quantitative value associated with it.

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Is Now A Good Time To Buy Or Sell?

This guy says buy. 

Here's the thing though.  There's no right time to buy, and no wrong time to buy, just as there's no right time to sell.  The right time is when you're ready.  There's no magic formula to getting the timing right, no right moment to push the button.  If you're looking to buy a home, let's talk with a local lender and discuss your financial picture.  If there are things we need to work on - credit improvement, down payment assistance, etc. - then we'll spend some time doing that to make sure you're in the absolute best scenario possible.

Likewise, if you're a seller, do NOT try and time the market.  There's no telling when the right buyer is out there, and the minute we try and time a listing is the minute we'll begin to get it wrong.  When you're ready to sell your home, let's talk about staging and getting it ready, and then let's go.

I like some of the comments in the article.  Some of them are very well thought out, and others are just sour grapes.  There are all sorts of "reasons" - it's the government's fault, people are stupid, offer 30% below list and that'll force sellers to be reasonable ... Everyone thinks they're an expert.  None of us really are. 

Buy when you're ready, sell when you're ready.  Your story might just end up like these folks:

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Are We? Aren't We? Will We? Won't We?

The questions keep coming ...

"Are we in a recession?"  "Aren't we expected to make a lowball offer?"  "Will we get our money back if we sell in two years?"  "Won't we make $100000 on this flip in just two months like they do on TV?"

Okay, so maybe I haven't gotten that last question - at least not phrased like that - but everything else is verbatim.  Plenty of mixed signals floating around about the real estate market, and it's understandable that people have questions. 

Making matters worse, Scott Rogers posted links to posts entitled "The Recession That Never Was Is Now Over", and "Is Housing Slump At A Bottom?".  I point these out not because I think Scott shouldn't have posted them, I just think that both posts make strong arguments to at least make you consider that perhaps times they are a changin'.  For instance, the post "Is Housing Slump At A Bottom" makes the argument that new housing starts slumped below the one million mark in March.  Historically, every time that's happened in the last 50 years, it's been at the bottom of a recession.  it's hard to argue with history - as a friend of mine says, "hindsight is 40/40".  Yea, she's like me, she was never good with numbers.

I do think there are concerns that need to be addressed. Dependence on foreign oil, uncertainty overseas, among other things, compounded by a constant barrage of negativity and fear in the mainstream consciousness, have people scared. These things need to be addressed in order to begin an upswing in confidence, IMO.

One thing I DON'T understand is how we hear about massive layoffs in industries like auto and manufacturing, yet GDP is up. Wouldn't conventional wisdom say that by laying off in massive quantities, and exporting goods and jobs out of the country, that GDP would go DOWN?  In the last three years, Volvo has announced layoffs of 1000, 650 and 1100 personnel in their Dublin factory.  I've got to imagine that production in the plant slowed down accordingly, not increased ... I didn't do well in Economics, for sure, but what am I missing here?

Do You Have Cooties?

Regardless of where you stand on the BURG vs. First & Main debate going on in Blacksburg, I thought a post on a local blog, "Think, Christiansburg!", did a good job of looking at a broader picture - what are we doing to our region when we consider "development". 

Do I agree with every point in the article?  No, but  the point made in the third paragraph hits the nail on the head - empty storefronts add no quality or value to an area.  Regardless, our elected leaders seem to be negligent at helping to find creative ways to combat this blight.  What will it take?  Maybe the name of the blog should be "Think, New River Valley!"

Here's the text in its entirety:

Dialog published in local newspapers in May 2007 about the proposed development on South Main should be reframed beyond SCATs or Cooties because it affects a larger area than just one community in Montgomery County.

This is more than shifting the local portion of state sales tax within this or that town, or business taxes collected in one town instead of another.  If something is diminished within the NRV, there’s no cause for celebration.

This is more than businesses changing addresses from existing buildings and moving into new buildings. Having empty buildings in our community doesn’t add quality or value.

Do you believe any major chain will maintain two stores a few miles apart, whether Wal-Mart or Books-A-Million?  Look where our area’s original “mart” was located, where Goody’s was located before its last move.  A grocer on South Main recently impacted adjacent tenants due to an anticipated expansion.  Those plans were on hold for months, so once could expect yet another address change was considered. 

How many partially occupied shopping centers do we need within Montgomery County?  How many acres of barren, paved parking lots do we want?   How many miles of sidewalks or bike trails do these unused acres of pavement represent? 

How badly do we want any traffic congestion to be a routine part of getting somewhere, or creating new bottlenecks within our community?   Do we really want town governments and county supervisors fighting over the few dollars available for upgrades to local roads and major traffic arteries?  Or would we rather they work together to get many long-talked about yet unfunded improvements completed?

Is this about Smart Growth, or repackaging sprawl while laying the ground-work for future blight?

No matter how many “anchor” (translation:  big box retailers) stores arrive in Blacksburg or depart from Christiansburg, employees working at these businesses will earn service-sector wages.  It may even cost some employees more to get to work, since the locality with public transportation has the highest housing costs.  This may translate into more cars and congestion in Blacksburg, but where’s the value in that?

The South Main concept was introduced as being “pedestrian friendly” yet that element is now absent, so living where you can walk to work or shop is no longer a factor in the discussion.  No higher paying or new jobs, just a shift on where you may earn or spend wages.

No matter which “anchor” stores arrive, individuals won’t automatically have more money to spend. The presence of nationally recognized chain stores doesn’t equate to a rise in personal income, a decrease in real estate taxes or enhanced government services -- they change  shopping destinations or whether a shopping trip is 5 or 15 minutes away (when people can’t or don’t use public transportation).    Folks, we are not talking about South Dakota here with a 50-mile one-way commute for a loaf of bread.

Why not discuss how proposed developments affect county and both towns’ revenues? Where is economic development in this dialog on creating new businesses, or expanding and sustaining existing ones?  Why recruit fickle chain-stores that leave communities littered with vacant buildings?  These points should be worthy of action and passion, too.

Where is the dialog about identifying how sales, meals or other use-taxes allowed by Dillon rule could be increased, rather than shifted from one locality to another?   Why should a public entity’s business operations receive an advantage over private business owners?  As one example, why must private restaurateurs collect taxes from customers when a public institution is selling “more than 5 million meals each year”?  What would the meals tax revenues be for Blacksburg if ALL diners were taxed?

A redevelopment of one town’s southern gateway creating new sales or tax collection points should stimulate residents to reflect on impacts “anchors” and “chains” represent.  The rising tide theory (if you build it here, they will come from there) isn’t an assurance of real, sustainable community growth (but it’s a pretty sure bet developers passing through and remote big-box corporations will profit).  Let’s bring these points into the dialog instead of creating disharmony about shared values and common wants.

If another acronym is needed as part of this dialog, how about “Corporate Opportunists Overwhelming Towns, Instead of Economic Sustainment”?   Community members should be looking at development from a panoramic perspective, not through a straw.

Could this specific project bring much needed revenue to Blacksburg?  Yes.  Would existing businesses vacate a current location for a new one? Possibly.  Are living wage jobs being added to the local economy? No.

Remember:  convenience isn’t priceless, many people try to get a tentacle attached to your taxes or wallet, and neighbors watch out for each other.

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The Language of Building

I received this in an email from Progress Street Builders this afternoon, and I thought it might be good material for the blog.  The text is entitled "The Language of Building", and focuses on definitions of things that you might hear in construction of your new home.  As someone who just finished building a home with Progress Street Builders, I can tell you that they do a good job of communicating throughout the process, and I thank them for putting this out.

• Cycle time is the number of days between the first day on the job site and a home's completion. We work with our materials suppliers and subcontractors to determine a reliable cycle time so that our clients can move into their new home on time, as promised. Controlling cycle time also enables us to provide accurate estimates and helps us stay within budget.

• Rough-in: The "rough" stage of construction is the behind-the-wall structural and mechanical work, the parts you don't see when the building is complete. That includes work such as framing the walls, pulling the wiring through the studs, and installing pipes and heating ducts. During this point of the construction process, we can "rough-in" a system or product that provides an upgraded or extra service, such as wiring for a high-speed Internet or digital cable network. Installing a system's "backbone" during the rough-in stage of construction costs significantly less than installing it once the house is finished.

• Staging: To help reduce costs, we stage or organize and schedule the delivery of materials as we need them, rather than receiving a huge load all at once. Staging may also refer to the way we place loads of materials on the job site to make them more accessible to various workers. Both practices help us reduce waste and theft, save time, and keep better track of costs -- all of which keeps budget and cycle time on track.

• Lien Waivers: these are issued to us by each of our materials suppliers and subcontractors for the work they perform on a house. Lien Waivers (also called lien releases) prove that we have paid the agreed or negotiated costs of labor and materials in full. Lien releases also protect our clients from any liability if suppliers or subcontractors claim that additional payment is due. This type of claim can prevent the closing of the homeowners' loan, so we have a formal process to collect and verify lien releases before the close of escrow on a property.

• Tape and Texture: To create a finished wall, our drywall contractor applies tape and texture to hide nail or screw heads and conceal the joints between panels of drywall or gypsum wallboard. The contractor uses a mud-like compound to fill and cover the nail heads and secure a fibrous tape that bridges the joints between adjacent drywall panels. The mud is allowed to dry and is then sanded smooth before applying paint, wallpaper, or other finishes. A quality tape and texture job ensures that cracks or nail heads won't show through finished surfaces.

They say they're putting more terms out in a later newsletter - I'll be sure to post them here next time.

In Health & In Wealth ... Unless We Can't Pay The Mortgage

Thanks to Darla for pointing me to this page.  Looks like another byproduct of the mortgage mess might be a rise in divorces ...

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Blacksburg Meals & Cops

That calzone you just ordered from The Cellar just got a little more expensive.  Blacksburg Town Council just unanimously approved a $72 million budget for 2008-2009.  The budget included a one percent increase in the meals tax, and  utility bills will increase by just under $5.   

I wrote about this last month, and surmised that a one percent increase in the meals tax would pay the salaries of as many as ten new police officers.  The new budget will increase the police force by four officers, one dispatcher, and a downtown cleaning crew.  Great!  But look at the disparity between similar VA communities - Charlottesville and Harrisonburg.

Community	Population	Officers	Jurisdiction	07-08 Budget	2007 Calls For Service
Blacksburg	39,284	62	19.5 Square Miles	$6.3 million	21,568
Charlottesville	40,315	117	10.4 Square Miles	$12.7 million	49,689
Harrisonburg	40,885	87	17 Square Miles	$7.6 million	34,009

At first glance, you see that Blacksburg has the smallest population, the smallest number of officers, the smallest budget and the smallest number of calls.  Great.  It's an average of 350 calls a year, per officer.  One of my concerns is the size of the Town, however - a larger Town footprint means it takes longer for an officer to get to a call.  More officers means you can have more cars on the road, and reduce the response time per call.  Chief Crannis says that Blacksburg has been efficient with what they've had, and I'd agree with that, but I'd argue that we could be even more efficient.  WIth almost identical populations and comparable jurisdictions, why does the budget lag so far behind?  With an increased budget, maybe our cops could actually have a laptop IN the car, so they can get real-time data from the car? 

Just a thought.  I'm pleased with our community here, and our high quality of life.  I want to see that continue, and I wonder what improvements we could make to ensure we continue to enjoy this special place for years to come.

* Sources - 2006 U.S. Census population estimates, Blacksburg Police Department, Charlottesville Police Department, Harrisonburg Police Department, The Roanoke Times

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Is Customer Service Being Redefined?

I'm a stickler for customer service, and probably a little tougher than most on what I expect from customer service.  So when I experience service that really goes above and beyond, I want to tell people about it.  In this case, I've had two situations that really impressed me.

• Earlier this month, I took a trip with some friends to go snowboarding in Colorado.  Getting out there involved a lot of traveling - a very early start, three flights, and a few hours of layovers.  When we got to the Denver airport though ... wow!  If you've never been there, it's one of the cleanest and prettiest airports I've ever seen.  Lots of lights, clean and bright, very easy to get from point A to point B ... so there's three guys, three boards, two board bags and we're all tired.  All the bags show up at baggage claim, but the boards do not.  Ugh ... kind of important when you're going snowboarding!  When we approached customer service at baggage claim about the bags, we weren't real optimistic we'd be getting them - past experience told us otherwise, and we'd forgotten to take the baggage claim ticket with us.  Two strikes.  But the woman at the desk happily listened to our problem - well, it LOOKED like she was happy - then plugged our names into her computer.  Within seconds (which really suited my instant gratification fix) she told us where our boards had been shipped, and told us that they'd be arriving on a different plane in 20 minutes.  Then, for our "trouble", she offered us a free meal anywhere in the city of Denver that night ... we were so dumbfounded by her response that none of us actually thought to say yes!  Sure enough, 20 minutes later our boards came through a baggage claim 50 yards away, and we were off on a great trip!  But think of it - thousands of bags are lost every day, no one's ever happy about it, and here this woman deflected our frustration with a pleasant attitude, an explanation and a resolution.  I wish I had gotten her name, but she worked for United - three cheers for United customer service at Denver International Airport.


• Experience #2 just happened recently.  My wife and I just moved into a new house, and we needed to set up high-speed internet at the house.  When I called Comcast - the only cable internet provider in our area - they said it'd take four weeks for a site engineer to determine whether we could have service at the house, since we're in a neighborhood where there's new construction going on.  Never mind the fact that neighbors all around us have high-speed internet ... venting my frustrations, I went to Twitter (more on what Twitter is here) and complained.  MUCH TO MY SURPRISE, within minutes I had a response from a user named @ComcastCares who explained that it was possible a site study wasn't needed, and if I'd email him my address he'd look into it.  Here's a major cable company, who's just been pounded for years over their awful customer service (just Google "Comcast Customer Service Reviews"), addressing MY concerns in a very nontraditional forum - I like it.  I emailed him my address, within 24 hours I had a response from an engineer stating that they could service my address, and then 24 hours LATER I had a phone call from their scheduling center.  It was installed today.  While I'm not a huge fan of Comcast the company, I'm pleased by their response and their initiative to see what people are saying about them and respond in a pleasant and helpful way.

Which gets me thinking ... how am I serving my clients?  Is my Team doing all it can to listen, to converse, to serve?  Am I - as the leader of that Team - doing all I can to serve my Team?  If I have to be honest I'd say no, but I've found inspiration from two very unlikely sources, and I'll be working on that in the future.  How about you?  Are you doing all you can to serve your clients, your friends, your family?  It doesn't matter what your business is, how can you be the best customer service agent there is?  I'd be interested in hearing some of your awesome customer service stories, and how they've influenced you.

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It'll Cost You To Walk Away

Thanks to Jane for this article from the Washington Post about buyers walking away from new homes

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My Public Admission - I'm An Addict

Have I told you about Twitter?  No?  Well, allow me to introduce myself ... my name is Jeremy, and I'm a Twitteraholic.

Several months ago there was a buzz through the online real estate community about this new online communication tool.  "Have you heard about Twitter?"  "Are you on Twitter?"  I had no idea what Twitter was, but people kept saying things like "it's microblogging", it's "text messaging over the web".  When I looked it up, I saw no immediate use for it - post what you're doing online for people to see, ask questions that people can answer ... how is this any different than anything else out there?  A friend of mine - and new Twitter user - accurately described it as a group chat, and he's partially right.  I quickly found out that Twitter was so much more.

When I created an account, I was quickly "followed" by a user here in Blacksburg with the username @TMarkiewicz (I'm sure there's a reason why we have to have the @ symbol in our names, but I don't know what it is).  @TMarkiewicz saw that I was in the same area as he was, and he followed me ... so whenever I posted something to Twitter, he saw it and could respond.  As my community of people I followed - and those that followed me - grew, the conversations expanded - if @Tmarkiewicz wasn't following the same people I was, he wouldn't see the whole conversation, just a portion.  But it also introduced him to people in my social circles, and vice versa.  You can run applications on your computer, or your phone, that tell you when people you follow post something to Twitter, and you can choose various notification options as well.  It's all very ADD-ish, and while I don't pay attention to everything everyone posts, it fits my need to multi-task.

I still wasn't seeing a business-value to Twitter though.  I was learning a lot about people around the country that I followed, though - in particular, I started to learn about them through the posts they made online.  I learned about their real estate markets, I learned about their marketing strategies, I learned about them as professionals ... and suddenly I found that it was becoming a community.  I was becoming part of a community.  And it was affecting my business in a way that I hadn't expected - I was CONSTANTLY learning something new, that I could apply to my business here, and it was making me a better professional.  All of that education, for free!  The best kind ...

Then one day, it happened.  I got a message from @TMarkiewicz that said he and his wife were going to be leaving the area, and they wanted to talk with me about possibly listing their home.  WOW ... here was this guy I'd never met who was inviting me into his home to discuss being his representative, and solely because of the relationship I'd formed with him on Twitter.  I was floored.  We talked, we negotiated, and a few weeks later we listed his home.  Suddenly, it happened again.  Another message, this time from @stuboo (don't you just love some of these names?).  This message was a little different, it said "@NRVLiving, have you ever gotten a client from Twitter?".  When I responded yes, he wrote back "would you like another one?"

Amazing.  Two clients, a buyer and a seller, both acquired through relationships formed on Twitter.  I haven't even had the chance to meet @stuboo yet, but I know a lot about him, and he about me, and we're working on crafting a search that'll help him land a home here to serve his needs for the next few years.  Awesome.

So now I'm a Twitterholic.  I don't expect that everyone will receive business-related contacts from the service, but they certainly might.  The greater value may just be in connecting us with other individuals who share similar interests, or similar geographic locations, or maybe we just like talking with each other.  We may never meet in person, but I notice when they're not online anymore.  And when I close these pieces of business, I might just send Twitter a thank you card.  Who should I address that to?

A post on customer service is forthcoming, but here's an example of  how companies are using Twitter to actually SERVE their customers better.  If you join Twitter, look me up ...

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I'm In A Historic District? Now What?

From the Town of Blacksburg:

"For many homeowners within the boundaries of a  historic district, it means wondering why they cannot make alterations to their own property without getting “permission” from an architectural review board or historic commission.   Where do these boards get their authority anyway?  What about those people considering buying a property in a historic district?  What are the obligations of the real estate agent to disclose the fact that the listing is in a historic district?  Are there opportunities, such as tax credits, available to property owners in historic districts, and if so, where does one go for assistance?

All of these questions and more will be answered during the workshop; What it Means to be in a Historic District:  A Primer for Property Owners, Real Estate Professionals and Architectural Review Board Members. APVA Preservation Virginia, the Virginia Department of Historic Resources and the Town of Blacksburg have partnered to offer the workshop from 2:30 to 6:00 p.m. on Friday, May 2, 2008 in Blacksburg.  The workshop will be held at the Blacksburg Municipal Building, 300 South Main Street.  The program is free and open to the public.  Due to limited seating, RSVP’s  are recommended.  For additional information or to register, e-mail Terry Nicholson, Town of Blacksburg Museum Administrator at museum@blacksburg.gov or call
540-558-0746.

Hope I'll see you there!  As a precursor to the meeting, there will be an open forum the day prior from 4pm - 7pm in the Kent Square Lobby to discuss ways to Identify, Educate, Preserve, and Develop the Sixteen Squares of Blacksburg.  Attendance is free to both events.

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The New Face of Real Estate

Yesterday, I had the privilege of spending the day with some of the coolest people you'd care to spend six hours on a Friday with.  Everyone had laptops, there were wires everywhere, Twitter was going strong, and we were learning new ways to distribute information via channels like blogs, wikis and more ... perfect for a techno-geek like me.

Know what we all had in common, besides our love of technology?

We were all REALTORs.  Welcome to the new face of real estate - these are the people that are changing the way business is done in our industry throughout the state, I'm honored to have had the chance to work with them.

Think the New River Valley Isn't A Good Value?

I was at a conference last week in Leesburg for a few hours, and one of the presenters brought up his blog to talk about a couple of issues.  I was shocked at the front page ...

"The Loudoun County Board of Supervisors approved a tax rate increase of 19% for real estate.  The new rate is $1.14 per $1000 in property value."

Holy cow!  $1.14 per $1000 in property value?  If a home is valued at $500000 (which is pretty close to the average), you're going to pay $5700 a year in taxes, $475 a month, or almost $16 A DAY!

A comparison?

Look at the New River Valley, where tax rates range from $.89 in Blacksburg,  $.77 in Christiansburg and $.73 in Radford.  Using the same $500000 home, that would be:

• Blacksburg - $4450.00
• Christiansburg - $3850.00
• Radford - $3650

If you're looking to move out of the Northern VA (and we're working with several now that are), the New River Valley can help you save some of those dollars.

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A New Way Of Getting The Word Out

That's the title of a new article by Sarah Cox about real estate bloggers in the New River Valley.  As I said last week, there are only three, so we got together with Sarah at a local restaurant recently to discuss blogging.  Here's the text of the article (if ANYONE at The Roanoke Times can get me a link to this, please email me).

It's a nice article, although it misses a few key things, namely:

• the addresses of the three blogs - Alison Whittaker, Coldwell Banker Townside and NRVLiving.  Kind of important.

Thanks to Sarah for taking the article on, I hope everyone will subscribe to these blogs, comment, and get involved.  Blogging is a conversation, and one of my own goals for the Coldwell Banker Townside - although I'm not administering it - is that it'll be less about "real estate knowledge" and more about conversation.  Nevertheless, it's a step in the right direction, and I'm glad to be a part of it!

 

REALTORS communicate all day long, often into the late evening hours.  Now, a growing group of them is finding out a new way of extending their message - through blogging.

Jeremy Hart of NRVLiving Real Estate Group, Coldwell Banker Townside, has been blogging for about 15 months, and he has talked a fellow REALTOR into doing the same.

Alison Whittaker went "live" on March 5, but not far behind her has been the entire Coldwell Banker Townside team, under the influence of Sales Manager Margaret Galecki.  Hart regards blogging as a new way of having a conversation with potential clients.

"She's pioneering the area's first company real estate blog," explained Hart.  "Coldwell Banker Townside will be starting a real estate blog in the next few weeks that will be among the first of its kind for the area - a company, rather than just individuals within a company, actually blogging about their particular industry."

Galecki said she's been talking about doing this for some time, trying to figure out the format of a company blog as opposed to an individual's, such as Whittaker's and Hart's.

"It will be company focused; each agent can write a tip on real estate knowledge," she said.

For instance, one of her agents may have considerable experience in the Claytor Lake area and can share his or her knowledge about that region, while another agent may write a paragraph on locksets, or the difference between appraisals and assessments.  And, added Galecki, because the 60 Coldwell Banker Townside agents have different areas of knowledge, the company's blog can tout the area of expertise.

What they cannot do on the company blog is promote their own product.

"This forum is to showcase their expertise, and it focuses on the company.  The blog serves the growing Internet buyer," said Galecki.

Coldwell Banker Townside has 40 New River agents and 20 in Roanoke; if half participate in this effort this year, and those particcipants write 12 per year, Galecki estimated she will have enough information for daily updates on the blog.  And once it takes off, agents can get ideas by reading the blog and responding to it with their own ideas, she said.

"It will hit a nerve," she predicted.  "Eventually, it will be searchable."

Galecki pointed out that because real estate is a relationship business, blogging ties in well.  However, the Internet depersonalizes the one-on-one contact that is so vital to the business; blogging brings the personalities together.

"I would like every agent to participate because I think they all have something to show.  Once they have the confidence, they will think of all sorts of things to talk about," she said.

Whittaker's hesitation about starting her own blog stemmed from not knowing what to write about - the same reluctance that Galecki said she thinks will easily be overcome once the company's blog begins.  But, said Whittaker, she and Hart are the "young blog, and we grew up in an age of technology, so these things are second nature to us.  This is a way to show my personality.  I enjoy humor in anything, and I am going to make my blog like I'm talking in Jeremy's living room."

Hart said he believes the company blog will give a personal face to the company.

"We don't want to just be a roster of agents", said Galecki.  She said she has read national real estate articles that indicate that companies that have blogs are the ones clients should seek out.

On a personal level, Whittaker has found that it was very simple to set up her blog and very easy to contribute to it.  Hart said that every time he posts something, search engines find it; the more frequent the postings, the higher the position on a search engine, because search engines look for the most recently updated sites.  Therefore, a blog will enhance a REALTOR's web site placement.

"This helps with people learning who Alison Whittaker is," said Hart.

Hart said he allows comments on his blog, but he moderates them.

"There are living room rules," he said.  "Even if they have a dissenting opinion, I'll still put it in there, as long as they abide by my living room rules."  The rules to which he refers are basic manners.

Blogs can be subscribed to, as well - Galecki has subscribed to Hart's, for instance.

"I think other agents in the New River Valley will log on to our company's blog," she predicted.  "We're interested in real estate, and it's a common interest," said Hart.

While Coldwell Banker Townside and other bloggers do take a risk posting competitive information on their sites, Galecki said she feels that this is a goodwill gesture.

"It helps buyers and sellers come together in the best possible way," she said.

Real Estate Blogging Explodes In The New River Valley

For the last 14 months, the NRVLiving Real Estate Blog been the only real estate-focused (and the term "focused" could be argued) blog in the New River Valley.  We've written about serious stuff, fun stuff, non-nonsensical stuff - all kinds of stuff.  And we've been the only one doing it.  There are bloggers in Roanoke, namely Marty Martin, but others have recently gotten into the mix, including Renee Wiggins (started in February 2008) and a multi-author blog with a local firm.  In the New River Valley though, the number is even smaller.

Until now.

I'm proud to announce that real estate blogging the New River Valley has TRIPLED overnight.  That's right, tripled, to a grand total of ...

THREE.  That's it. 

Alison Whittaker has joined the fray with her very own blog.  Alison is another great agent with me at Coldwell Banker Townside, and for as long as I've known her she's ALWAYS had something to say so I know she's going to be great at this as well.  She has a wealth of information to share, not only regarding real estate, but also purses and designer accessories.  Sorry Alison, I had to. :)

Seriously though, I'm really happy that she's decided to start writing - she's a great agent and I know has a lot to share, and I'm looking forward to reading her thoughts.

So two agents in the New River Valley are blogging, but Coldwell Banker Townside is getting in on the action as well.  Instead of just reading our blog, they've decided to start their own, using our agents as writers.  Check out the Keepin' It Real Estate blog and subscribe - between Alison, Coldwell Banker Townside and NRVLiving, you should be able to keep with all things real estate in the New River Valley.

Now, if we could just get them on Facebook and Twitter.