Folks,   I thought about something today, while I was driving down Patterson looking at the fall foliage, smiling at the other Richmond commuters hurrying to their destinations; I love Richmond! I love it's history, architecture, restaurants, universities, nightlife, museums, communities and most notably the river. There has been a recent flood of attention to Richmond. One of my favorites is this youtube video created by a couple of local guys trying to put Richmond on the video map:  The hilarity of the clip is matched only by the truth of the story told.   Another great example is this article written by Justin Bergman from the New York Times:  The artist depicted in the first photograph is Amanda Robinson, the Executive Director of Gallery5. I really enjoyed this article and the spo... 11/10/2009

    Why you should get an Inspection Whether you are buying or selling a home, you should have a professional home inspection performed. A home inspection will look at the systems that make up the building such as:   Structural elements, foundation, framing etc Plumbing systems Roofing Electrical systems Cosmetic condition, paint, siding etc   If you are buying a home, you need to know exactly what you are getting. A home inspection, performed by a professional home inspector, will reveal any hidden problems with the home so that they may be addressed BEFORE the deal is closed. You should require an inspection at the time you make a formal offer. Make sure the contract has an inspection contingency. Then, hire your own inspector and pay close attention to the inspection report. If you ... 11/10/2009

Scoring your Credit - How's your FICO? In today's increasingly automated society, it should come as no surprise that when you apply for a mortgage, your ability to pay can be reduced to a single number. All the years you've been paying your mortgage, car payments, and credit card bills can be analyzed, sliced, diced, spindled and mutilated into a single indicator of whether you're likely to meet your future obligations. All three of the major credit reporting agencies (Equifax, Experian and TransUnion) use a slightly different system to arrive at a score. The best known is called the FICO score, based on a model developed by Fair Isaac and Company (hence the name) and used by Experian. Equifax's model is called BEACON, while TransUnion uses EMPIRICA. While each of the models considers ... 11/09/2009

Eastern Henrico County sales have been strong this year due largely in part to neighborhoods like East Highland Park. The subdivision is located in Eastern Henrico West of the intersection of Laburnum Ave and Mechanicsville Turnpike. Total # of Homes For Sale 15 Average List Price $126,364 Average Days on Market 91   Total Pending Home Sales 7 Average List Price $105,374 Average Days on Market 109   Total Sold Homes 6 Average List Price $91,075 Average Days on Market 80 Sold Price vs Asking Price 92.52%    For a complete list of homes for sale in the East Highland Parl subdivision of Eastern Henrico County, VA please call or Click here, to request an update.If you are interested in selling your home for top dollar in the quickest amount of time, please contact me anytime at 804-503-0811... 10/12/2009

Eastern Henrico County sales have been strong this year due largely in part to neighborhoods like Central Gardens. The subdivision is located in Eastern Henrico just off Mechanicsville Turnpike. Total # of Homes For Sale 13 Average List Price $93,221 Average Days on Market 59   Total Pending Home Sales 4 Average List Price $98,499 Average Days on Market 58   Total Sold Homes 4 Average List Price $95,125 Average Days on Market 58 Sold Price vs Asking Price 96.76%    For a complete list of homes for sale in the Central Gardens subdivision of Eastern Henrico County, VA please call or Click here, to request an update.If you are interested in selling your home for top dollar in the quickest amount of time, please contact me anytime at 804-503-0811 or Click here to send me an e-mail requestin... 10/12/2009

  Mr. George Hostetler, owner and operator, was inspired to make a difference in his community when one of his neighbors experienced a dryer fire   Richmond, VA – Mr. George Hostetler, franchisee, of Dryer Vent Wizard, a dryer vent cleaning, repair and installation company, finds his business a rewarding.  “I purchased the dryer vent cleaning franchise this summer, after my neighbor had a dryer fire,” said George.  “Over 15,000 dryer fires are reported every year; I’m committed to making a difference and educating my community to reduce dryer fires and help save energy.”   The company Dryer Vent Wizard, Dry Clothes Safe Homes is a member of the National Fire Protection Association and the largest chain of dryer vent cleaning, repair, replacement and alternation specialists in the U.S. w... 10/11/2009

Price: $720,000 FIZBER.com ID 11648463 Single Family with 4 bed, 3.0 bath, in 3141 Grove Avenue Richmond, VA, 23221 http://www.fizber.com/11648463/ 3141 Grove Avenue - For Sale By Owner Property Details: Type: Single Family Address: 3141 Grove Avenue, Richmond, VA, 23221 Sq footage: 3600.0 Floors: n/a Bathrooms: 3.0 Bedrooms: 4 Year built: 1918 View full property details and seller's contacts. View more Virginia homes for sale. Homes for Sale by Owner. Description: As you enter the home, you will immediately notice the Martha Jefferson doorknobs/plates and front entry mirror that were rescued from the Jefferson Hotel renovation and put to good use here on Grove. The mirror and window seat is a beautiful addition to the home that will convey. As you walk through the hallway you will see... 09/25/2009

This is a beautiful spacious 5 bedroom 2 and half bath home in Stratford Hills! This home is ready for you to make it yours today! It is approximately 2300 square feet and is situated in a nice neighborhood in South Richmond. This home also sits on a half acre lot! There are too many features to this house to list but some of them include: H huge front and rear yard, new appliances, nice hardwood floors, new carpet, net paint and a nice master bath! To directly access this property, use this shortcut: http://www.fizber.com/virginia-buy-single-family-home-11648337.html 09/16/2009

This is a beautiful spacious 5 bedroom 2 and half bath home in Stratford Hills! This home is ready for you to make it yours today! It is approximately 2300 square feet and is situated in a nice neighborhood in South Richmond. This home also sits on a half acre lot! There are too many features to this house to list but some of them include: H huge front and rear yard, new appliances, nice hardwood floors, new carpet, net paint and a nice master bath! To directly access this property, use this shortcut: http://www.fizber.com/virginia-buy-single-family-home-11648337.html 09/16/2009

Here is a really interesting article from MSN Real Estate, reporting on a study that finds a higher "walkability" index translates into higher home values in 13 out of 15 metropolitan areas.  The data supports what we real estate agent who represent certain City of Richmond neighborhoods have known, without being able to quantify - walkable urban neighborhoods are more and more desirable, and therefore more and more valuable. The two exceptions to the rule:  Bakersfield, California, which showed no correlation between walkability and higher property values, and Las Vegas, Nevada, which showed a NEGATIVE correlation between walkability and property values. Really?  Being within walking distance of all those casinos, strip clubs, and T-shirt stores doesn't increase property values?  I'm s... 09/14/2009

The Historic Church Hill community of Chimborazo got a great new addition today. The Friends of Chimborazo with help from Kaboom! and Home Depot, built a new racing themed playground, sixteen community garden plots, three compost bins, an arbor, a community bulletin board, blackboards and a kid's teepee.   Earlier this year the Friends of Chimborazo applied for and was awarded a grant to build the new playground from Kaboom!. Kaboom! is a nonprofit organization that partners with communities and funding partners to build playgrounds across the country. Home Depot was the funding partner for the Chimborazo playground.   Many thanks to the Home Depot employees, Nascar driver Joey Logano, and countless Church Hill residents and business for volunteering their time today.     09/10/2009

RE/MAX BRAVO | REMAX BRAVO | 540-891-8888 3300 Wicklow Ln, Richmond, VA 6BR/5.5BA Single Family House offered at $549,900 Year Built 1991 Sq Footage 7,433 Bedrooms 6 Bathrooms 5 full, 1 partial Floors 3 Parking 3 Car garage Lot Size Unspecified HOA/Maint $15 per month see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES - Central A/C - Fireplace - Walk-in closet - Hardwood floor - Family room - Living room - Bonus/Rec room - Office/Den - Dining room - Breakfast nook - Granite countertop - Balcony, Deck, or Patio - Yard ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Photo 1Photo 2Photo 3Photo 4Photo 5Photo 6 Contact info: RE/MAX BRAVO REMAX BRAVO 540-891-8888 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: Sep 8, 2009, 5:50am PDT RE/MAX BRAVO 10401 Courthouse Rd Spotsylvania, VA 22553 540-891-8884 (Phone) 540-8... 09/08/2009

The Richmond Metro area saw a slight 3% decrease in month to month sales in August. This was expected as historically sales drop in August. We continued the positive year over year sales trend with a 21% increase in sales from last year at this time. As expected, Days on Market increased to 82 days in August. Overall- the market in Richmond continues to look healthy. Even as we move into the historically slower time of year, we continue to see positive signs from the Richmond Metro market. New Listings 2,236 in August, down  from 2,470 in July. This is a normal trend as we historically see a slight August decrease. New Under Contract 1,056 in July, down 3% from 1,094 in July. The real positive is the 22% increase in year over year sales from the same time last year. Closed Listings 816... 09/02/2009

So you want to be a landlord? Protect your investment and hire a property manager.   See the other posts in this series: 1. So You Want to be a Landlord? Pick a Niche... 2. So You Want to be a Landlord? Analyzing Potential Properties... 3. So You Want to be a Landlord? Finance It... 4. So You Want to be a Landlord? Make it Stand Out...   So now you have your rental property...you've made it stand out...and now you're ready to rent it out. I typically recommend to investors with only one or two properties to manage their own properties for a while. I do think hiring a property manager makes sense but I think property owners need to understand what they are paying for. So you want to be a landlord? 10 Reasons to Hire a Property Manager... 1. Rent Collection: Experienced landlords will tel... 08/24/2009

Everyone loves a farmers market. If it's fresh from the farm produce you want(and who doesn't), then farmer's markets are your thing. Studies have shown that produce bought at supermarkets travel on average 1500 miles. Surprisingly, organic food bought at supermarkets tend to travel even further.   Buying your produce at farmer's markets has several advantages - Farmers get to keep more of the money they make by selling directly to consumers and bypassing large industrial food companies -You know where the food comes from you buy -It's more GREEN. Food bought in supermarkets has to be shipped all around the country using tons of fuel and resources in the process. -Buying locally supports LOCAL businesses -Farmer's markets are a wonderful place to take the family with all the sites, smel... 08/21/2009

OK- this post got deleted somehow so I'm re-blogging it.   I've always thought Richmond was overlooked with the annual listings of party towns come out. I mean- we're a fun town with a vibrant nightlife and tons of restuarants. So it made my day when I picked up the latest Style Weekly and found this article by Jack Lauterback.  08/21/2009

So you want to be a landlord? Ok now it's time to make it stand out.   See the other posts in this series: 1. So You Want to be a Landlord? Pick a Niche... 2. So You Want to be a Landlord? Analyzing Potential Properties... 3. So You Want to be a Landlord? Finance It...   Congratulations! You're an investor!! You found a home... did your homework to make sure it cashflows... then you bought it! Now comes the fun part...getting it ready to rent...quickly...and to the best possible tenants.  It doesnt matter how much or how little work needs to be done to the home....there are lots of ways to make your rental property look like the home of some lucky tenant's dreams.   As a fulltime real estate professional...I have the luxury of seeing hundreds of homes a month all over the price spectrum... 08/21/2009

When you see this home for this price, you will want it! What a Great Opportunity for someone or a family to live in a Like-New House on a Cul-de-sac in a Great Neighborhood for under $250,000!!! This is a wonderful 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home, in move-in-condition built in 2004 by Ryan Homes! It has maintenance free Vinyl siding, a large garage, and sits on a huge 1/2 acre lot in one of the East End’s best Neighborhoods. This home is also on a cul-de-sac so you don't have to worry about the kids. To directly access this property, use this shortcut: http://www.fizber.com/virginia-buy-single-family-home-11648120.html 08/20/2009

So you want to be a landlord? Finance it... See the other posts in this series:                 So You Want to be a Landlord? Pick a Niche...                 So You Want to be a Landlord? Analyzing Potential Properties...   OK...so now you've picked your property niche and analyzed potential properties. Your analysis has told you which property to buy...now comes the hard part... financing it.   It didn't use to be the hard part...but after a couple years of out of control foreclosures and government ownership of banks... financing for investors is hard to come by.  But there are still options.. Private Financing One industry that has done well as banks have stopped lending- is the private equity industry. Many companies have realized there is an unfilled need in the marketplace and hav... 08/18/2009

Man, it sure is hard coming back from vacation!  I spent last week in picturesque Bath County at Nimrod Hall, one of my favorite places in the world.  I was pretty much unplugged - limited phone, limited e-mail, limited computer access.  I have to say, it was heaven.  BUT....I have to get back to real life, and jump back into work.  At least until my rich uncle gets out of the poorhouse.  Or I win the $139M lottery.  Or I marry an heir to some little-known European principality.  Sigh.  A girl can dream, right? While I was gone my business partner did some major heavy lifting and negotiated and ratified four - yes, FOUR - contracts for the Windsor Court Condominiums.  Right before I left - oops! - we reduced the prices to the $195,000-$240,000 price range, for brand new units in the hea... 08/14/2009