To much publicized hype, the Wolfram Alpha search engine, the next “Google Killer” launched on May 18th.   I spent some time today playing around with it and was left completely underwhelmed.  It reminds me of the Segway launch in it’s failure to live up to the hype.

I tried some searches and found that anything that was not completely general was met with a “Wolfram|Alpha isn’t sure what to do with your input”. Sure, you search “Microsoft” and get a nice array of options but search something a bit more obscure like “Gateway computers” and I get the “Wolfram|Alpha isn’t sure what to do with your input.” Google gave me loads of links to the company website and information about the company.  It goes downhill from there.

I followed a sample search on the Wolfram Alpha search engine.  It was a search for “housing prices New York” which Wolfram interprets as “New York | median owner-occupied home value”.. .. the answer $148,700 in the year 2000.  Access to old, irrelevant data isn’t going to get me excited.  The same search on Google gave me links to relevant, current articles on the housing market in NY.

Modify the search a little to “housing prices New York City” and goes back “Wolfram|Alpha isn’t sure what to do with your input”. This search engine has to get A LOT better to be useful to the general population.

I’m sticking with Google for now.

Troy Deierling, RDCPro, ABRM, Realtor
EXIT Realty Deierling & Assoc.
Williamsburg, VA
|email| troy@ExitRealtyDA.com
|mobile| (757) 715-4793
|web| www.RealEstateWilliamsburg.com
|web| www.WilliamsburgBroker.com

“Bringing you Home to Williamsburg”
Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia
©2009 Troy Deierling

Insuring Your Home

Many home buyers are concerned about whether they have an insurable interest in the property before the actual closing. The answer is an unqualified “yes”. Although the buyer is not yet the recorded owner of the property, he or she has an insurable interest in the property as soon as the agreement of sale is executed by both the buyer and seller.

Should you get hazard insurance before the closing? It depends. Buyers do not usually insure a property until the title passes to them from the seller. However, it’s wise to know what the agreement between you and the seller stipulates with regard to insurance.

Most agreements state that the property will be insured for a specific amount. This is very important to both parties. From the buyer’s point of view, it is also critical that an adequate sum or full replacement value be stipulated. Watch out for agreements which read “as now insured”. This is an all-too-common practice which usually indicates that the seller does not to want to increase inadequate insurance coverage.

Troy Deierling, RDCPro, ABRM, Realtor
EXIT Realty Deierling & Assoc.
Williamsburg, VA
|email| troy@ExitRealtyDA.com
|mobile| (757) 715-4793
|web| www.RealEstateWilliamsburg.com
|web| www.WilliamsburgBroker.com

“Bringing you Home to Williamsburg”
Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia
©2009 Troy Deierling

Plugins for Wordpress are what allow you to make your blog or website your own.

For these plugins to work you have to host your own Wordpress installation.   Plugins do not work with the free www.WordPress.com accounts.

My favorite WordPress plugins, so far:

1. Great Real Estate plugin.  Set up your own featured homes page
2. NextGen Gallery: Display your listings photos as a widget in the sidebar of your blog.
3. AddThis:  Social networking buttons automatically added to each post.
4. FeedWrangler:  This one is a bit quirky on install but broadcasts your posts via an RSS feed.
5. ShareThis:  Like #3.  It’s a social networking linking option.
6. Pagemash:  Allows you to reorder your pages (not posts) in the order you want.
7. Stats:  Hooks into your old WP.com account to provide you with visitor stats and hit counts.
8. Wordpress CSS Dropdown Menu- Very cool drop down CSS menu.  Easiest one to configure I found.  Need a bit of knowledge of CSS to implement, IMHO.
9. WP Download manager – allows you make files available for download off your WP site.

These can all be found on the Wordpress website.  Wordpress offers many, many plugins and not all of my WP websites use the same plugins.  This should get you started though for a real estate website.

Troy Deierling, RDCPro, ABRM, Realtor
EXIT Realty Deierling & Assoc.
Williamsburg, VA
|email| troy@ExitRealtyDA.com
|mobile| (757) 715-4793
|web| www.RealEstateWilliamsburg.com
|web| www.WilliamsburgBroker.com

“Bringing you Home to Williamsburg”
Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia
©2009 Troy Deierling

Financial Help

Home prices often cause many first-time buyers to seek help from their families for the down payment on a new home. If your parents are providing financial assistance for the purchase of a home, it is important that you have very clear agreements with them about the conditions under which their help will be provided.

Sit down with your parents to discuss the details of the arrangement. Is the money they are providing a gift or a loan? If it is a gift, be sure to check with your tax expert to minimize the tax implications. If your parents are loaning the money for the down payment, how will it be paid back? Will there be joint ownership with an equity-sharing agreement? Will your parents be named on the ownership papers with you? Are special documents needed?

Check with your mortgage lender to find out any stipulations that they may require.

Whatever form it takes, parents who help their children buy a home give them an incredible gift!

Troy Deierling, RDCPro, ABRM, Realtor
EXIT Realty Deierling & Assoc.
Williamsburg, VA
|email| troy@ExitRealtyDA.com
|mobile| (757) 715-4793
|web| www.RealEstateWilliamsburg.com
|web| www.WilliamsburgBroker.com

“Bringing you Home to Williamsburg”
Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia
©2009 Troy Deierling

Insuring Your Williamsburg Home

Many Williamsburg Virginia home buyers are concerned about whether they have an insurable interest in the property before the actual closing. The answer is an unqualified “yes”. Although the buyer is not yet the recorded owner of the Williamsburg property, he or she has an insurable interest in the property as soon as the agreement of sale is executed by both the buyer and seller.

Should you get hazard insurance before the closing? It depends. Buyers do not usually insure a Williamsburg property until the title passes to them from the seller. However, it’s wise to know what the agreement between you and the seller stipulates with regard to insurance.

Most Virginia agreements state that the Williamsburg property will be insured for a specific amount. This is very important to both parties. From the buyer’s point of view, it is also critical that an adequate sum or full replacement value be stipulated. Watch out for agreements which read “as now insured”. This is an all-too-common practice which usually indicates that the seller does not to want to increase inadequate insurance coverage.

Troy Deierling, RDCPro, ABRM
EXIT Realty Deierling & Assoc.
Williamsburg, VA
|email| troy@ExitRealtyDA.com
|mobile| (757) 715-4793
|web| www.RealEstateWilliamsburg.com
|web| www.WilliamsburgBroker.com

“Bringing you Home to Williamsburg”
Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia
©2009 Troy Deierling

Time To Buy?

Buying a home for the first time is a major decision that requires planning and preparation. Becoming a homeowner is an exciting process with many complexities that real estate agents are trained to manage.

We are experienced in working with first-time buyers and are well-versed in the creative financing that can make dreams become realities.   For those who are low on cash, there may be a mortgage assistance program to help you purchase a home with limited funds.   Your real estate agent is familiar with these programs, which have variable guidelines.   There are many financing options available in today’s marketplace.   A little creativity can help you enjoy the freedom and security of owning your own home and building up equity as your property increases in value.

Troy Deierling, Realtor
EXIT Realty Deierling & Assoc.
Williamsburg, VA
|email| troy@ExitRealtyDA.com
|mobile| (757) 715-4793
|web| www.RealEstateWilliamsburg.com
|web| www.WilliamsburgBroker.com

“Bringing you Home to Williamsburg”
Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia
©2009 Troy Deierling

Heres a compilation of the local area tax information and budgets.  Property tax rates in the Williamsburg VA area appear to be holding for 2010.  Property is taxed at 100% of assessed (not appraised) value.  We do not have a separate school tax in the Williamsburg area.  The city of Williamsburg is it’s on entity.  If you live in the city, you will not be paying a city & county tax.

Williamsburg Area Taxes

The real estate tax assessments are typically posted in July or August.  Right now it looks like 2009 rates are going to hold through 2010.

City Tax Record Links

The following links will take you to  the cities on-line tax departments. We have also provided an e-mail address below each site.

Chesapeake:

Click here to visit the website
e-mail: assessor@mail.city.chesapeake.va.us

Gloucester:

Click here to visit the website
e-mail: jwest@gloucesterva.info

Hampton:

Click here to visit the website
e-mail: assessors@hampton.gov

Isle of Wight County:

Click here to visit the website

James City County:

Click here to visit the website
e-mail: propertyinfo@james-city.va.us

Newport News:

Click here to visit the website
e-mail: restate@nngov.com

Norfolk:

Click here to visit the website
e-mail: realest@city.norfolk.va.us

Portsmouth:

Click here to visit the website
e-mail: Assessor@portsmouthva.gov

Southampton:

Click here to visit the website
e-mail: splyler@co.southampton.state.va.us

Suffolk:

Click here to visit the website
e-mail: CityAssessor@city.suffolk.va.us

Virginia Beach:

Click here to visit the website
e-mail: assessor@vbgov.com

Williamsburg:

Click here to visit the website
e-mail: jdavidso@williamsburgva.gov

York County:

Click here to visit the website
e-mail: gis@yorkcounty.gov

Troy Deierling, Realtor
EXIT Realty Deierling & Assoc.
Williamsburg, VA
|email| troy@ExitRealtyDA.com
|mobile| (757) 715-4793
|web| www.RealEstateWilliamsburg.com
|web| www.WilliamsburgBroker.com
|snapshot| MLS Market Snapshot * Automated Neighborhood Updates See what’s happening in your neighborhood.

“Bringing you Home to Williamsburg”
Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia
©2009 Troy Deierling

Credit Card Mania & Home Buying

Credit availability has tightened up. Federal guidelines are pushing for higher credit scores.

Most people know that a checkered credit history can disqualify you for a home loan, and maxed-out credit cards can do the same thing. But what most home buyers don’t know is that merely having a large number of credit cards, even with low balances and a history of timely payments, can disqualify you for a home mortgage loan just as quickly.

According to home mortgage experts, having a number of credit cards can be just as detrimental to the granting of further credit as a history of late payments. Mortgage lenders look at it this way: If you have ten credit cards, each with a limit of $5,000, that means you have the potential to run up $50,000 in debt virtually any time you choose. That possibility makes you a greater risk from their point of view.

The moral of the story? If you are planning to apply for a home or real estate loan in the future, keep only those credit cards you actually need to use and cancel the others.

Troy Deierling, Realtor
EXIT Realty Deierling & Assoc.
Williamsburg, VA
|email| troy@ExitRealtyDA.com
|mobile| (757) 715-4793
|web| www.RealEstateWilliamsburg.com
|web| www.WilliamsburgBroker.com
|snapshot| MLS Market Snapshot * Automated Neighborhood Updates See what’s happening in your neighborhood.

“Bringing you Home to Williamsburg”
Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia
©2009 Troy Deierling

A Realistic Evaluation

Your real estate agent’s job is to find you the perfect home, in the right location, with all the amenities you want–and at the right price. It is the home inspector’s job to find any skeletons in the closet — or in the plumbing, wiring, roof, basement and beams.

The inspector won’t pass or fail a home based on what he or she finds, but will go over the house thoroughly to help you understand the condition of the property you are buying. If there are any serious problems, your inspector can give you a realistic idea of how much the repairs will cost. If there are material defects that were not reflected in the asking price, you will have the opportunity to re-open negotiations with your sellers before you commit to the purchase. A good inspector will also explain the operation of the basic emergency systems such as the main water cut off valve and the circuit breaker box, and will go over items that will need routine maintenance.

If you are buying a house, we recommend that you make a professional home inspector part of your home purchase team. If you need a recommendation, please contact us for a list of certified and recommended home inspectors.

Troy Deierling, Realtor
EXIT Realty Deierling & Assoc.
Williamsburg, VA
(757) 715-4793 Mobile
MLS Market Snapshot * Automated Neighborhood Updates
Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia

troy@ExitRealtyDA.com

www.RealEstateWilliamsburg.com
www.WilliamsburgBroker.com
MLS Market Snapshot See what’s happening in your neighborhood.

“Bringing you Home to Williamsburg”


©2009 Troy Deierling

Ok, on to Part II.

This will be shorter.

1. Log in to your Wordpress account.
2. Pick the ‘Real Estate’ link
3. Go to Settings.  Make sure your listing page is set to ‘Featured Homes’.  Your listings will be subpages of this page.
4. Now choose ‘Listings’
5. Make sure you have your listing data.  Have the photos in a folder for easy access for uploading.
6. Click on add a listing.
7. fill it in.  Insert a picture of the home.  You insert via the button just to the right of where it says update/insert. Save your work.
8. Add the NextGen gallery if you are going to use it.
9. scroll down and fill in the homes data, beds, sqft, acreage …etc.
10. I tried putting in the geo coordinates or lat/long for the property but google maps messed up the display.  Use the default template to avoid a Gmap problem.
11. Update the page and publish it and voila, your listing is displayed under featured homes.

Excellent article on making your wordpress blog SEO friendly. Best 5 Wordpress SEO tweaks.
http://www.dailyseoblog.com/2007/07/best-5-wordpress-seo-tweaks-gain-the-edge-over-others/

Troy Deierling, Realtor
EXIT Realty Deierling & Assoc.
Williamsburg, VA
(757) 715-4793 Mobile
MLS Market Snapshot * Automated Neighborhood Updates
Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia

troy@ExitRealtyDA.com

www.RealEstateWilliamsburg.com
www.WilliamsburgBroker.com
MLS Market Snapshot See what’s happening in your neighborhood.

“Bringing you Home to Williamsburg”


©2009 Troy Deierling