About Henrico County, VA

Eastern Henrico County sales have been strong this year due largely in part to neighborhoods like Central Gardens. The subdivision is located in Eastern Henrico just off Mechanicsville Turnpike.

For a complete list of homes for sale in the Central Gardens subdivision of Eastern Henrico County, VA please call or Click here, to request an update.

If you are interested in selling your home for top dollar in the quickest amount of time, please contact me anytime at 804-503-0811 or Click here to send me an e-mail requesting further information.

After last weeks blog about Lunchtime Open Houses (11-1 during the work week) I wanted to follow up with what I have learned.It has only been two weeks and eight hours of my time, but I am going to continue to hold Lunchtime Open Houses. And since I have sold all of my listings this year I am using fellow Realtor's homes open to find buyers !

• First - more people are discovering them as I have had a 60% increase of web traffic looking for the open house information

• Second- location makes a difference. If it is a desirable location the more people will come.
  

• Third - I have gotten great leads, new buyers, and information on the neighborhoods where the houses are located by neighbors and other Realtors who have stopped by.

Plus, with wireless Internet I can work at a home just as well as sitting in an office! And still have time for afternoon appointments! All in all a win win situation as far as I am concerned!

AND sellers love the fact that I have started something new to try and find buyers in a market that they perceive is down.

I started something new today and I am excited about the future!

Thinking that more businesses are open seven days a week, making weekends difficult for some to come to open houses, I started my Lunchtime Open Houses. Starting at 11 and ending at 1 these are in different locations throughout the week, allowing people to come on their lunch hour! And today, first day out,someone loved the house and is bringing the spouse back to see it!

The reasons for coming to an open house during the week include:

• Parents are often running around after work and on weekends with their children activities
• College sports take up Saturdays, and National sports take up Sunday
• Children are in school so parents can come without children if they desire
• Something different to do!
• Because you can!

Hope to see you at my Lunchtime Open house tomorrow! Go to my website www.BettySellsHouses.com to see what is open this coming week!

One of my first time homeowners asked a really great question - How does a Realtor get paid? And another client, who had not purchased a home in quite a while, asked a similar question "Is a Realtor still paid by the seller? "

The majority of Realtor's work on commission. The rate of commission is determined, and agreed to in advance of a sale, or transaction, by the Realtor and their client. This should be a signed agreement so there is no confusion in the future!

Most Realtors are paid their commission by the seller's closing costs after the closing of a home. BUT, if a buyer of a home, and their buyer's agent, have agreed to pay their agent a certain commission, and the seller does not agree to meet that commission price, the buyer's closing costs may reflect the difference. The seller does not have the right to change the commission offered in the Multipe Listing Service (MLS), after an offer is made by a potential buyer.

Buyer's agents may work with For Sale by Owners (FSBO) in finding the right house for their client. In doing so many FSBO's may not pay a commission to an agent. This is when a buyer's agreement would kick in and the Realtor would be paid by the buyer's closing costs.

Realtors' are not allowed to be paid directly. Closing attorney's send all checks commission checks to the brokers, who in turn pays the agent.

People don't use libraries as a resaon to move into one county of another, but when you look at the Richmond Virginia area it may be something to consider!

Henrico County Libraries are amazing. The local government spent millions of dollars on new libraries that offer everything you would find at an upscale national book chain store.

Tuckahoe library offers a small cafe/coffee shop when you enter. Even though you can't take the food into the library with you, it is great to be able to bring a book out to the cafe and read!

New release books are not allowed to be "reserved" and instead are on a first come, first served basis. To give everyone an opportunity to read them soon, the normal 4 week borrowing time is cut in half for the new "book list" books.

From the drive up window, to the quiet only study room these libraries are truly state of the art! Offering 110 computers (two hour limits), wi fi and plenty of outlets, the number of people it can accomodate is impressive. You can reserve rooms for meetings, or attend book clubs. Young henricoans are not forgotten with their storytime schedule and the great librarians who are there to help find just the right books to read!

If you want to see what a library should be, come and visit a Henrico County Library today!