Debra LaFavre draws even more publicity.
All 15 year old boys want to see that!
You don't see ugly people starring with Matt Damon, either.
It is natural and normal.

Didn't you indicate elsewhere that you are a realtor?

I can readily imagine how showing an empty home to the wrong person could be disastrous. Are there published policies in your profession regarding such concerns?

Back to Meredith Emerson, though, while cases such as this one always highlight for us the grim possibilities and make us think more carefully about safety, it is also good to remind ourselves that such things remain exceedingly rare--rare enough to make national and international news. This case should no more keep us off of the hiking trails (in the company of a friend, pehaps) than news that a plane has gone down somewhere should keep us from flying.

Yes, I work in the real estate industry and try to work only by referral now and close to home. Last year in particular, I worked primarily in Atlanta, and did very well, however, I interacted with some shady characters, and yes, having to meet many strangers in vacant homes. One home in particular, on Cascade road in S. Fulton that I was managing for a client in Calif., drew a multitude of unsavory folks and I remember bringing my dog to a showing there once, just because the individual seemed suspicious.

However in this business, even though I know my clients, some who are investors, we'll go to parts of Atlanta that are very crime ridden and dangerous. We were stopped once by a homeless man, before we entered a foreclosed property, who told us not to enter the home because the owner had died in the property and she was infected with TB. Sure enough, there was a warning sign posted on the door by the Health Dept., to stay out. My client, however, would have wanted to go in, if that man had not warned us. That was just back in October and this episode, plus Meredith's murder, has caused me to rethink my career!

I love what I do, however, I have been feeling very uneasy lately, about meeting strangers and getting in cars with them to show property. Plus, I receive many inquiries from strangers, on my website as well. These situations make me want to go back into the corporate world and have a desk job again!

I'll be working by referral and in Fayette County, until I reevaluate things. I do not like working in a profession, if I constantly have an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach, which I have now. In the meantime, let me know if you need any assistance with your home!

Careful.

Dollar will think you are trying to do business here.

Is there much hope for a turnaround in the market in the next year or so? Are houses of significantly (say, 10% or more) reduced prices moving? As I indicated in that other post that you saw, once I am ready to sell here and buy in Newnan, I'm open to the reasoning that it all levels out if I can make a good deal on the purchase. I'll be looking specifically at some of the Victorians in Newnan's downtown district, and I know of several that already have been on the market for a long time. (My favorite seems no longer to be listed: right on the corner of College and Wesley.)

My wife and I--when we were younger and more energetic--bought a Victorian fixer-upper in Northfield, MN and spent five years renovating it.

The day I took possession, the first thing I did was rip up the wall-to-wall carpet in anticipation of hardwoods beneath. I was stunned to discover maples, birdseye maples, walnuts and oaks arranged in a "picture frame" pattern! Once I sanded and refinished those floors, they were stunning. We spent years with every little scraping tool we could find, removing decades of paint from the oak trim. We scraped off multiple layers of wallpaper on every wall and all of the ceilings, and then restored the horse hair plaster walls. Generally, we just knocked ourselves out on the place.

When we were finally ready to sell to move here, the realtor walked in for the first time and said, "This house shines!."

We had an open house during which we played Benny Goodman 78 rpms on my antique Victrola. Visitors flipped out over the place. We sold it in under three weeks.

I want another Victorian. But now I'm tired and want to buy one that has already been renovated!

I don’t believe that the market will turnaround until 2009, however, there are buyers out there who need to buy a home, even in a down market. If a home is priced well, in good condition, and offers something special to a buyer (i.e. land, pool), then it will sell. It astounds me, however, that some in this industry continue to price properties above what the market, and buyers, will pay and homes are just sitting on the market for months.

A recent client, with the FAA and relocating to Honolulu, has a great home in PTC with a pool and together, we priced the home perfectly, and it sold within 30 days (we close Jan 22), to a gentleman who was recently divorced and NEEDED to buy asap. Again, although the market is down, there are still buyers out there who NEED to purchase, and that will never change, no matter how bad the market.

Your home in MN sounded like a true gem and I’m sure it was sad to leave such a memorable house. I always wondered how people, in their right mind, could cover up wood floors, especially like the ones you describe – that was art under that carpet!

To answer your question, yes, homes that are priced for the current market, are selling. However, keep in mind that pricing it even more aggressively than 10% below market, will help move it quicker obviously. Also, many buyers are coming from outside Fayette county, so any marketing plan must include getting the home in both MLS systems! This is key!