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Vote for Virginia REALTOR® Alex Belcher
Monday, March 25, 2013

Alexander Belcher of MacDoc Realty in Fredericksburg was named one of the finalists for Realtor magazine’s annual "30 Under 30" — a group of "rising young stars in the real estate industry."

The magazine is looking for not just successful people, but those who have "demonstrated skill, success, creativity, and leadership in their careers."

Belcher is among the 50 finalists, of which 20 will be culled by the June issue of the magazine.

Homes near public transit weather the economic storm better
Monday, March 25, 2013

A new study says that homes near public transportation seem to be more ‘recession resistant’ than homes further away.

This comes from the American Public Transportation Association, so my first reaction was to take it with a grain of salt. (Shocker: "Public transportation association says public transportation is good.") But then I saw it was done with the good folks at NAR as well, so I’m inclined to give it the benefit of the doubt.

Property manager among the happiest jobs
Monday, March 25, 2013

According to CareerBliss ("We give you the information you need to ‘Choose Happy’"), property manager is the third "happiest" job in America, right behind Software Quality Assurance Engineer and Executive Chef. (For some reason, I received a news brief saying that real estate agent was number one. I’m not sure why.)

And looking for a bit of schadenfreude? Happy to oblige. The unhappiest jobs in America: security officer, registered nurse, teacher.

That is all.

License-status info from DPOR
Wednesday, March 20, 2013

The good folks at DPOR are working hard to get your license paperwork processed — applications, transfers, and the like.

We’ve already given you some tips on how to speed that process; we’ve got some more info to pass on.

Don’t call DPOR and ask for the status of your license. No one there can give it to you.

Get that? The same people who process applications are answering the phones, so every minute spent explaining “I’m sorry, I can’t provide that information” means one minute fewer actually processing it.

Update on license transfers: helpful tips to ensure a speedy process
Tuesday, March 19, 2013

A concern among Realtors® who change firms is the amount of time it takes for their licenses to become active with their new brokerages. Last week, we told you about why some license transfers were taking a little longer than others.

Code of Ethics Centennial Quiz
Tuesday, March 19, 2013

How well do you know your REALTOR® Code of Ethics history? Here’s a pop quiz:

  • How much was the term “Realtor” purchased for from its creator, Charles Chadbourn?
  • When was the Code modified to include gender-neutral phrasing?
  • How many languages is the Code available in?

Top military contractors not hurt by sequestration
Tuesday, March 19, 2013

There’s been plenty of concern about the effects of sequestration on the defense industry — which is, obviously, of huge concern in Virginia, particularly in the Hampton Roads area.

Big cuts in pay for civilian employees has already translated into at least anecdotal evidence of a real estate market slowdown.

But here’s a bit of good news: Military contractors seem to be doing pretty well since the sequester took effect on March 1. Here’s how nine of the top 10 contractors’ stock prices have fared. (The 10th, BAE Systems, is based outside the US.)

Follow up: The cost of printing
Monday, March 18, 2013

In the December/January issue of Commonwealth we looked at the major types of printers and the pros and cons of each. (You did read it, right?)

One of the things we pointed out was the high cost of making prints with an inkjet.

If you use an ink jet [.] It’s not only easy to spend more for a set of refill cartridges than for the printer, it’s common. It’s the old “give away the razor and sell the blades” plan. You don’t
have much (if any) choice about refills; an HP printer means HP color cartridges.

Virginia Beach named in top 25 for energy efficiency
Monday, March 18, 2013

Virginia Beach is one of the top 25 cities in the nation when it comes to energy-efficient buildings, according to the latest list from the federal government.

The Environmental Protection Agency ranks cities by the number of buildings receiving Energy Star certification, and for the first time a Virginia city made it to the top 25.

There were 67 buildings in the Hampton Roads region receiving Energy Star certification, for a total of 6.4 million square feet. Combined, they saved $4.1 million in energy costs.

Washington D.C. also made the list (as it usually does), ranking number 2 for the fourth straight year behind Los Angeles.

More clarification on IDX and fair housing from NAR
Wednesday, March 13, 2013

We told you about Clearwater, Fla., Realtor Jeff Launiere’s legal scare when someone tried to hold him liable for listing that came through his IDX feed. All worked out well in the end — no, you’re not responsible for what’s on the IDX feed that appears on your website — but the incident has Realtors talking.