On July 1, 2012, a new law passed that requires for a Buyer Broker agreement in the state of Virginia.  Simply put, if you’d like to make an appointment to go see a house with any REALTOR® in Virginia, you are now required to first enter into a written brokerage relationship agreement.   This agreement lists the obligations of all parties, as well our duties, specific dates (which can be good for one day or multiple months), as well as pay structure for the agent.

It has come to be expected, and for quite some time, that when you put your house on the market, you sign a listing agreement with your agent and their Brokerage.  The same is now true for Buyers, with the intent to inform buyers of the types of representation available to them.

While this has been cause for some confusion, this is a great thing for you when you are ready to pursue a new home purchase.  What it means that that YOUR interests are the primary focus.  As a Buyer’s Agent, our sworn goal is to help you pay as little as possible for a home (just as a Seller’s Agent is trying to have the buyer pay as much for the home as possible).

When you engage Kim and I as your Agent, you have a professional advocate working hard on your behalf.  We are committed to offering solid business experience and timely market information. We will negotiate solely on your behalf and reduce your stress.
Call us today and we would be happy to explain the benefits of the new Buyer Broker law.  It has taken some adjustment, but we feel it has been a positive step in assuring our Buyer clients that they are receiving the best attention possible as they pursue this important Real Estate decision in the Richmond area.

Design Blogs are all the rage.  Truth be told, they can really suck your time dry and leave you just wishing your house was bigger, your husband was more handy, and your budget was bigger.  That being said, they are also a great resource – truly.  Richmond has its fair share of local bloggers that offer all sorts of inside scoops on sales, great tips on DIY projects, and plenty of eye candy.  Here are a few of my true-blue-stuck-like-glue go-to’s:

Young House Love.  Sherry, John, and their baby girl Clara are full time DIY bloggers.  They’ve become quite popular – nationally recognized, even! The “Youngsters” have recently written a book, and have traveled all around for book signings and speaking engagements.  Sherry and John have already finished one house top to bottom, and moved in to their second home about 2 years ago, which they are transforming step-by-step.

Urban Nest Blog.  Three contributors, Juliet Brown, Rachel Sofish and Stephanie Russell, share the blogging responsibilities on this collaborative design forum. They share all sorts of ideas, and keep it fresh and relaxed, while offering tips that may have you breaking out your hot glue gun.

Sunny Goode’s Blog. Sunny has a line of decals, stencils and glazes (that you can purchase online) that will equip you to bring new life to your floors, walls, ceilings, furniture, and even rugs!  If you’ve been to my house, you know that I’m a fan of painted floors, walls and furniture!  Sunny is also a very talented artist and her color palate is soothing and inspiring.  Her blog is updated from time to time with projects that she is working on in fellow Richmonder’s homes.

So, go ahead, spend a few hours gazing upon your little screen.  Pin some pictures to your pinterest account – that’s what I do when I like an idea, but know that I’ll probably never get around to actually doing it.  Somehow that act gives me the feeling that I’ve “done something.”  Ha!

Kim and I are often asked….

“Hey, we saw this house on Trulia last week, but it’s not in the Client Gateway that you set up for us.  Why not?”

“Why isn’t the “Zestimate” for my house the same as what we can sell it for?”

“I just closed on my house last week – why is it still FOR SALE on Zillow?”

Here are our collective (One South Realty Group) thoughts to help you understand dependency upon sites such as these.

Foreclosures are still a pretty hot topic – As the Real Estate market here in Richmond starts to stabilize (as I see it!), we are still a city flooded with Short Sales and Foreclosures.  This can be a great opportunity for our Buyer Clients, and Kim and I want to help understand how you can possibly advantage of these great deals that pop up from time to time.

Richmond Biz Sense publishes a list of Foreclosures to-come once a week.  Here are some frequently asked questions and answers that we see about these lists:

Q: Once a property hits the Biz Sense list, how long until it hits MLS?

A: If a property hits this list, it means that the Lender has taken the necessary steps to prep this listing for sale soon.  In order to have the best chance to know exactly when this will happen, have Kim and I set up a search for you.  We can set up a specific search for that street only – You will be notified immediately when it hits the market and we can take you to see it right away.

Q: What is the Price that they list?  Does that mean it will sell for that price?

A: Not necessarily.  The price they advertize is the amount of debt against the property when it is foreclosed on.  Often, this amount can be much more than what the house can/will actually sell for, but not in every case.

Q: Is the date that they advertize the date it will go on the market?

A: The date listed is the date that the house is scheduled to be foreclosed on.  The Lenders are required to advertize the property when it is destined for foreclosure in the public domain prior to the actual sale of the property.

*The list below is a query based on the word “foreclosure.”  Due to limitations of the system, the list generated shows houses whose remarks show the word “foreclosure.”  For a completely accurate and up-to-date list – Call us!

Last week, I began a series discussing the most common questions asked by clients relocating to Richmond.  Below are my thoughts on a hot topic – shopping.  One of my favorite things about the shopping scene in Richmond is that there are many neighborhoods in which walking to get your goods is possible, from groceries to clothing, and gifts to antiques.  And, when you can’t walk or bike, you’re never too far from what you’re looking for.  Here are some of the top spots with a partial list of homes for sale near by:

Grocery-getting:

In the past five or so years, the Richmond Grocery scene has been turned up a notch.  No matter where you decide to plant here, you won’t be far from a Martin’s or Kroger, the two leading chains.  Our city is also peppered with its fair share of specialty markets, including Fresh Market, Whole Foods, Ellwood Thompson’s, and Good Foods. It’s rare to wait for too long (unless you’re at Wal-Mart the day before school starts), with lines usually 3 to 4 deep at the worst.

Retail-therapy:

If you’re looking for a mall with all of its usual suspects, Stony Point and Short Pump offer two great (outdoor!) options.   With all of the popular department stores, these two malls are convenient, and filled with high end shores as well, including Sak’s, Tiffany’s, and Nordstrom’s.