Tips for homeowners:
Disconnect the hoses
In the words of one customer, once you start wearing sweaters, it’s time to disconnect your hoses.
One time a client was building a house in Charlottesville. They had moved to the area from the West Coast and had never lived in a climate like ours. During the first winter in their home, he got up in the middle of the night and felt the carpet squeaking when it shouldn’t have.
The hose bib was frozen, as was the hose connected to it.
The builder took pity on them and fixed things, and that’s a lesson I’ll pass on to you.
*I’m going to try to start a new series/section: things you should be doing right now as a homeowner, such as do not bag leaves.
Do I need a real estate agent to view a house?
Want to view a house as an unrepresented buyer? No. Absolutely not.
As a buyer of buyer’s representation? Yes. And it has been that way for years and years.
My role as a real estate agent is to sell the house. When an unrepresented buyer wants to see one of my listings, I ask if he or she has representation. If they say yes, I ask if their agent can show it. If they say no, I tell them I’d like to show them.
Do these unrepresented buyers need to sign a buyer representation form? Absolutely not. That is not what the law states and not how I work. I represent my buyer or I represent my seller and not at the same time. (Single agent dual agency is, in a word, bad.)
Have things changed in real estate representation and compensation since 2024? Yes.
Is the requirement to sign a buyer representation agreement new? Also no. The need to have a signed Buyer Broker Agreement is established by Virginia law year. Hell, me have been writing about buyer mediation since 2006.
What’s the point?
In recent weeks and months I have had several conversations with people/potential clients about their bad experiences during their previous real estate experiences. One bad experience can change the entire perspective, especially when people buy and sell homes every eight to 12 years. That bad taste? Will linger for decades.
I will say this. There are many great real estate agents. There are more bad ones. Do your due diligence when hiring your representation and ask why. I told my girls when they were in school to question everything and challenge their teachers. Same advice for you. And then when you find the representation you trust, trust them. And still doubt everything. (ChatGPT is also not always right)
One bad experience can change everything.
Settling in | Neighbors are important
“I want people to know my name,” a client said to me recently. He wants to live long enough somewhere where relationships can be built and developed –— at the coffee shop, barbershop, local shops and at the neighbors. I love that cause and am grateful for the opportunity to help.
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“I got in trouble with my neighbors because they left my neighborhood in the snow and didn’t come back for a few days.”
Someone recently told me this story. She moved to her new house. It snowed immediately, they lost power, and she ran away to be with friends. She didn’t know her new neighbors yet.
When she came back a few days later, they attacked her and told her how worried they were, and she should have told them that!
She has lived there for a few years now and loves her neighbors and neighborhood. Good neighbors are valuable.
What will the market of 2026 look like?
If only I could predict the future. Next month predictions.
My clients went to an open house and the agent texted me:
“Hi Jim, just wanted to let you know that we will probably be taking (this house) off the market in a few weeks as my seller know Her house will quickly be empty at this price in the spring.’ (bold is mine)
And this from the agent is from 10 days later:
“This would be a good time for them to buy. If they wait until spring, they will eventually have to compete and pay more for the house.”
The house has now been withdrawn, joining a fair number of properties that have been delisted this year.
You know what I know about the spring real estate market in Charlottesville?
That I will represent people who buy and sell houses. That’s it.
I have a lot of questions, and I always do.
I once wrote:
What I can do when I represent buyers or sellers is do what I always try to do: help my clients make good decisions by providing the best, most relevant data and putting that data into the context and conversation my clients need.
Would I make a prediction where I know the market will be better? No.
Shall I tell you in mid-2027 what happened in 2026? Yes.
Below is one reason why we will continue to have limited inventory. Please keep that in mind 40% of American homeowners do not have a mortgage.
10 things I read
- Pay yourself first – great advice.
- Forget EVs. Cycling is revolutionizing transportation
- Why electric bicycles actually provide more exercise than pedal bicycles
- From boomers to zoomers: the major housing transfer that will drive housing dynamics for decades
- The US population could shrink for the first time ever by 2025
- I asked ChatGPT to cancel Netflix and my other subscriptions. This is what happened
- The Trump administration is expected to drastically cut housing subsidies. Hey, they’re also working on abolishing redlining. Our country should be better than this.
- The NAR 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers – one of the best things to come out of the NAR. No link; it’s a huge PDF. But it’s so good. (email me if you’re curious). I think about demographics a lot.
- ‘Smart’ things are not. I see a trend here; I think I’ll write a blog post.
- Samsung puts ads on American refrigerators
- There is no specific ‘thing’ – 50 year mortgages and transferable mortgages – they are distractions from the Epstein files, no real, viable ideas.
What I listen to
My wife allows my indulgences when we travel. Always infrastructure and how property listings are displayed. This time Lisbon, Portugal
#Comment #Jim #November #real #estate #agent #view #house