Category: Real estate
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Are You Swoopers or Sleuths?
Buyers want to know how many homes they can see in one outing. Well, that depends. It depends on how much time we have. 2-3 hours is typical. It depends on how far apart the homes are. The more time spent driving between houses, the less time we have to spend inside them. And it…
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The Popular Price Point
In the Raleigh Triangle Area, the MLS uses a service to schedule showings. I well remember the days when an agent had to call each separate real estate company with fingers crossed, hoping someone was on phone duty to give out lock box combos. Now every member of the MLS pays a monthly fee to…
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Project Angel Tree 2011
Every year the Raleigh Regional Association of Realtors collects Christmas gifts for less fortunate children in our area. Called Project Angel Tree, the members of RRAR are encouraged to take an Angel (or more than one!). Each paper angel cut-out has written on it a child’s first name, gender, and what he or she wants…
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Home Appreciation, Past 10 Years
As this graph shows, Over the past 10 years, ups and downs in Wake County real estate prices have been relatively modest. No big bubble — no big bust. Most people who bought residential real estate before 2006 are selling at or above what they paid, those who bought after 2006 are going to get…
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What’s the walk score?
Choosing a home entails careful consideration of many criteria, but here’s a new one: What’s the walk score? Plug in an address at Walkscore. com, and you’ll get a number from zero to a hundred. The higher the number, the more walkable the area. How cool is that? Also on the website, a…
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Triangle Market Update — Surprise! Good news!
At this point, it feels like news from the housing industry has been mired in gloom and doom for a very long time — but take heart! Here in the Raleigh/Wake County area, at least some indicators are moving in the other direction. Would you believe — Foreclosures are down! Distressed properties accounted for 20%…
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The Curious Psychology of Multiple Offers
Lay people think multiple offers on a property are great for sellers because they drive the price up. And they’re right, sometimes. But not always. Some buyers respond aggressively to a multiple offer situation — they strategize their offer to win. They will go over asking price if they think they have to. They’re the…
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A Sad Story
I first met Tony (as I will call him) about a year ago. He asked me to come talk to him about listing his house. I calculated that the house would sell for around $170,000. Tony said that wasn’t enough. “I need more than that,” he said, and he listed his house with another agent…
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ISO Homebuyers
Although the economy in general feels stronger, housing continues to struggle. The first quarter results here in the Triangle show sales down 8% from a year ago. That’s not terrible. But showings are down 20% from a year ago, and that is terrible. We have 20% fewer buyers out there looking. Pending sales in the…
ADVENTURES IN REAL ESTATE 