Is Homeownership For Everyone?
Several decades ago (and earlier) home buyers would wait to purchase a home until they had at least 20% of the purchase price saved up in their bank account, and they…
Understanding Home Values -- When Analysis Fails Us
It's easy to understand and agree upon the value of some homes, but quite difficult for some others. What is the difference? It all comes down to how easy it is to find…
How much should I be able to negotiate on price?
It is certainly a buyers market these days --- there are far more sellers in the market than buyers, so oftentimes buyers can negotiate quite effectively. Let's take a…
Housing Market Report: Sales Increase, Prices Increase, Contracts Increase in Harrisonburg, Rockingham County
Below you will find several highlights from my December 2010 Harrisonburg and Rockingham County Real Estate Market Report, available as a PDF by clicking here. Our local…
City Homes Outperform County Homes
As I reported earlier this week, the single family home market in the City of Harrisonburg is improving, both in the number of homes sold, and the median price of those…
City of Harrisonburg Reassessment Shows Slight Decline in Home Values
The City of Harrisonburg just released updated assessment data for all City properties, which showed a 1% increase in overall property values. When diving down into…
Assessments of $300k+ Rockingham County Homes
Property assessments are used to determine the amount of taxes that each property owner will pay. Can these assessed values also be used to estimate the value of a home?…
How to sell and buy at the same time when you only want to sell if you find something you want to buy.
It is hard to do, but is still a reasonable approach. I am working with three couples right now who each want to move to a new home. One family wants more space in the…
People have been selling their homes for less than they are worth. Wait, really?
I heard someone make the comment below yesterday....and it struck me that it might be a bit of a contradiction.... "Appraisals are difficult these days because people…
What has kept home values (relatively) stable In Harrisonburg???
As I mentioned in my market report earlier this week, fewer and fewer buyers have been present in the market over the past six years (demand fell) but prices have not…
Despite Slow Sales, Home Values Remain Relatively Stable in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County
Read on for several highlights of the November 2010 Harrisonburg and Rockingham County Real Estate Market Report. Or click here to view the PDF. Despite early gains in…
If you are trying to sell your home, you might want to check out your competition.
I continue to find it quite amazing that one-third of the homes that sell these days do so within 90 days of when they come on the market. However, even with that…