Would you advise your Aussie friends as to whether they're getting a good deal on the house they're buying in Sydney?  Would you want to make sure they were gobsmacked about the price you were paying for a house here in Harrisonburg?

What about New York City?  If your friend was buying a condo in Queens, would you weigh in on what she should pay?  And would you wait anxiously to hear back from her about how how you should price your duplex in Dayton?

How about Richmond?  If your mom lives in Glen Allen, will she get the final call on the price you pay for your new single family home in Harrisonburg? 

I'm sure you have intelligent Australian friends, well-read pals in Queens, and astute parents in other areas of Virginia -- but I challenge you to:

• Remember that this local real estate market (Harrisonburg and Rockingham County) is quite different than all of the aforementioned housing markets.  The glut of foreclosures in Richmond that is driving down prices doesn't drive them down in Harrisonburg.  The deals that home builders are giving away in Northern Virginia doesn't mean that a builder in Harrisonburg will be giving away those same deals.
     
  
• Become familiar enough with the local market to be comfortable making decisions in consultation with your Realtor.  I have seen far too many buyers lead astray by well intentioned parents who live out of town and think they are doing well by their kids to advise them about what they should do and how they should proceed in a real estate deal.

Again, I am sure you have very well intentioned, well informed friends and relatives all around Virginia, the United States, and perhaps the world.  But at some point, we'll need to focus in on the nuances of the Harrisonburg and Rockingham County housing market and make the best decision in a local context.

I am ready to spend as much time as needed with you to help you understand our local housing market and how such an understanding could and should guide your real estate decisions.  Are you ready?