http://blog.bricksmith.com Blather about Virginia, Richmond, and the Southern Way of Life! Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:21:18 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en     Sorry for my lack of posts lately. Been busy. Yeah, Brick, been busy playing golf, right? No, actually I went 32 striaght days with no golf and I am lucky to squeeze in one round a week now. Been working with lots of buyers. You have to show them more, ... http://blog.bricksmith.com/greater-richmond-real-estate-market-snapshot-july-08/     So what's hot and what's not in the Richmond Real Estate Market? Actually, the pain is distributed fairly evenly. Most areas are experiencing sales decline in aggregate 34 % range for the composite area. The East End (Zones 42 and 40), old Mechanicsville (Zone 44), and the Southeast City (Zone 50) ... http://blog.bricksmith.com/richmond-real-estate-sales-mtm-and-ytd-comparisons-%e2%80%9807-%e2%80%9808/    '08 sales in the Greater Richmond area continue to trail '07 sales by approximately 34 %. As I have mentioned previously, I continue to believe this significant decline will not continue through the year and will moderate to a decline of about 25 % as we progress through the second half of ... http://blog.bricksmith.com/metro-richmond-area-home-sales-ytd-thru-june-2008/      OMG, did Richmonders awake in June and discover they weren't all losing their jobs? Did the warmer weather and longer daylight hours distract Richmonders from watching/reading the "doom and gloom" on the housing market from the national media? I'll have more to say in subsequent posts, but June showed some strong ... http://blog.bricksmith.com/greater-richmond-real-estate-market-snapshot-june-08/     An old adage in the legal profession is "He who represents himself has a fool for a client." A couple of weeks ago I got a copy of anonymous letter addressed to one of the senior appraisers in Henrico County. The gist of this poorly written letter was certain features (i.e., ... http://blog.bricksmith.com/with-zillow-who-needs-a-real-estate-professional/      Your faithful Richmond VA real estate reporter and bon vivant of all things Southern is now affiliated with Coldwell Banker - Vaughan & Company. Can you believe it? After 24 + years in this business, this is my first affiliation with a national franchise. More to come as I adapt to my new environment, but ... http://blog.bricksmith.com/its-a-brand-new-day-for-brick/      All golfers have benchmarks in their playing careers. For a junior golfer, it's the day they get their bag tag. Just like becoming old enough to vote, legally have your first alcohol drink, or drive an automobile, a bag tag at a club signifies you are allowed to be on the ... http://blog.bricksmith.com/benchmarks-in-a-golfers-life-lucy-gordons-1/      My daughter is the ultimate prepster. She even has a battered copy of The Official Preppy Handbook. Therefore, it should be no surprise that the J. Crew catalogue comes to my house. Since I am an old prepster myself, I like to thumb through the catalogue whenever it arrives ... http://blog.bricksmith.com/j-crew-get-an-iron/      Located on a quiet cul de sac and backing to a resource protected area, 1101 Mapleton Court has an incredible private setting. Nestled on an over 1/2 acre lot, this 3 bedroom 2.5 bath Colonial is situated in close proximity to Regency Square, Gayton Crossing Center, and the Tuckahoe ... http://blog.bricksmith.com/ideal-for-a-chef-just-perfect-for-a-gardener/      Remember "it's the economy, stupid"? This Clinton catchphrase from the '92 election may well reverberate in this year's election, too. Well, I have a new catchphrase to describe the Richmond real estate market and it is "It's the selectivity, stupid."      In past posts, you may recall that I mentioned my encouragement ... http://blog.bricksmith.com/its-the-selectivity-stupidrichmonds-real-estate-market/