David Bruce

Archive for November, 2010

November 18th, 2010

Ideas For Winter Curb Appeal in Richmond

The weather is getting colder here in Richmond.  Days are shorter, leaves are falling and browns are starting to get that dormant brown color of winter.  So if you are trying to sell your home in the colder months of the year, how do you keep the curb appeal up to attract potential buyers?  Came across this great article on the member site for REALTORS (REALTOR.org).  Good advice as we head into the 3 coldest months of the year!

CRAFTY IDEAS FOR WINTER CURB APPEAL

Yes, it’s still possible to create great curb appeal when it’s cold and gray outside.

During summer months when gardens are in bloom and the sun is shining bright, curb appeal comes naturally to many homes. But when the autumn chill turns to winter cold and the sun sets earlier in the day, it becomes more difficult to create that inviting exterior look that grabs buyers from the curb.

Fortunately, it is possible to create striking winter curb appeal without expensive or complicated exterior changes, says Charlene Storozuk, a home stager and designer with Dezigner Digz in Burlington, Ontario—a city that averages 51 inches of snow per year. It just requires a little creativity.

She and other home-design experts offer these eight tips: Read the rest of this entry »

November 8th, 2010

Basic Tips for the First Time Homebuyer

Purchasing your first Richmond area home is a rite of passage that most non-homeowners dream of. Besides intangible benefits, homeownership lets you build wealth and provides the largest tax break available to most consumers.   Here are a couple basic tips to buying your first Richmond area home!

Pay Off Your Debt It’s a common mistake for first time homebuyers!  They focus on saving as much money as possible for a down payment instead of paying off other debts. A better approach is to use extra cash to eliminate credit-card and other high-interest consumer debt — even if that means you can put down less on your future home. Read the rest of this entry »

November 5th, 2010

Richmond Area Home Prices Up Quarter over Quarter!

The Central Virginia Regional Multiple Listing Service has released third quarter statistics for the Richmond Area/Central Virginia Housing Market. Results are mixed with a bright spot being a rise for the first time in nearly 2 years in average and median home prices. Signs are pointing to an improving Richmond area real estate market. Below is the Central VA MLS 3rd quarter report… Read the rest of this entry »

November 3rd, 2010

What will the election results mean for Real Estate?

The votes have been counted.  The Republicans have taken the House and made gains in the Senate.  There is somewhat a balance of power in Washington now.  What will all this mean for real estate?  Historically it’s tough to correlate election results and the real estate market.  One thing we believe is this election should give consumer and business confidence a boost so as we head into 2011.  There are still plenty of foreclosure and other housing issues nationwide so there won’t be clear sailing yet, but there is hope for optimism.  The Richmond area real estate market has continued to outperform the nation so we are feeling positive about the next 6 to 12 months with the possible boost this confidence could provide.

Below are a few other outstanding real estate issues effected by the election highlighted by the Wall Street Journal today… Read the rest of this entry »