Real Estate and Reston, VA: December 2007

There was an interesting article in the Washington Post this morning, 12/17/07.  Written by Shankar Vedantam, the article titled 'Bad Ideas Can Be Contagious,'discusses the phenomenon of 'group think' and how it affects the decisions we make.  What I found most compelling about the article was the assertion that this phenomenon largely contributed to the Real Estate bubble.  Also discussed is the idea that those of us in the Washington D.C. metro area felt largely distanced from real estate market corrections, but now that the correction has been accepted as fact, it is believed by all.

Read the article, link below, and let me know your thoughts.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/16/AR2007121601472.html

Lovely 3 Bedroom, 2 1/2 bath townhouse is well-maintained enclave of homes. Walk to Historic Lake Anne Plaza, stroll around Lake Anne, Dine at Reston Towncenter and be at Tysons Corner in 10 minutes.

Remodeled Kitchen features Ceramic Tile floors, Cream colored cabinets, Silestone counters and great light!  All the bathrooms have been updated. Hardwood floors on main and upper level.  Fenced backyard has a deck and comes with a gas grill!  2 reserved parking places.

Wonderful opportunity to own a home for the price of many condiminums!  Call me today to find out how you can be in for the holidays!$399,000. FX6587790.571-643-4902. Holly Weatherwax, Momentum Realty

I received this information as part of a 'forwarded' email, but  I followed the links and it appears to be legitimate (I hate that we all have to be so suspicious, but we do).  Take a moment to follow the link below and send a card to a soldier that can't be with his or her family at this very family-oriented time of year. Thanks to Xerox for making this happen!

If you go to this web site, http://www.letssaythanks.com/ , you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!!

This is a great site.

It is FREE and it only takes a second

I am the parent of 2 teenagers and a pre-teen. We spend hours in our house discussing Facebook, checking Facebook and looking at pictures on Facebook. While I have my own profile, mostly to (irritate) check-up on my kids, I really don't use it much.  For those of you not familiar with Facebook, it is similar to MySpace. Both are on-line social networking sites.

Have any of you had any success marketing yourself, or your listings, on these sites?  I have read that the potential is there, but I am still not sure what would drive a consumer to look for a new home or a Realtor on a social networking site when there are so many other options (like ActiveRain).  I am a huge proponent of having an internet presence, but I am also very aware that hours can be wasted on-line. 

Any thoughts?