Roanoke Virginia Real Estate » Random Real Estate http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com News, facts and real estate listings affecting the Roanoke Valley and beyond. Fri, 05 Nov 2010 16:49:30 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.3 iRealEstate Kiosk at Valley View Mall http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2007/08/14/irealestate-kiosk-at-valley-view-mall/ http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2007/08/14/irealestate-kiosk-at-valley-view-mall/#comments Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:53:19 +0000 Marty Martin http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2007/08/14/irealestate-kiosk-at-valley-view-mall/ The real estate kiosk at Valley View Mall, brought to you by iRealEstate, LLC is finally here.  It took the better part of two days to get this interactive real estate center up and running.  If you’re an agent and are interested in advertising, call (540) 397-0014.  If you’re a homeowner and want your house advertised at the mall, visit the kiosk and talk to the agent on duty!

Here are some photos from the install!

svgallery=kiosk-install

More kiosks coming soon to-

Tanglewood Mall
Smith Mountain Lake
New River Valley Mall
River Ridge Mall

]]> http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2007/08/14/irealestate-kiosk-at-valley-view-mall/feed/ 2 Easy ways to save money on your air conditioning http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2007/07/15/easy-ways-to-save-money-on-your-air-conditioning/ http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2007/07/15/easy-ways-to-save-money-on-your-air-conditioning/#comments Mon, 16 Jul 2007 00:48:55 +0000 Marty Martin http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2007/07/15/easy-ways-to-save-money-on-your-air-conditioning/ One of my favorite blogs, lifehacker.com, recently published a great post on “No cost ways to get those cooling bills lower“.

The article links to tips put out by the State of California’s Efficiency Partnership. Here are the tips:

  • Check the settings on the room air conditioner. Make sure the “fresh air” vent on the air conditioner is closed so you are not cooling outside.
  • Close drapes, blinds and shades to keep sun’s rays out of the home during the warmer months.
  • Close drapes, blinds and shades to help retain heat at night or during unoccupied periods.
  • In the winter, reverse your ceiling fan motor so that the blades push air up toward the ceiling, where hot air normally rises. The fan will drive the warm air back down around the edges of the room, which can result in more even heating. Better heat circulation will help combat the problem of sweating windows that some homes experience in the wintertime because of condensation on the glass.
  • Set the temperature lower in the winter when your home is unoccupied. Use a programmable thermostat to automatically lower and raise the temperature according to your settings.
  • Set the thermostat as low as comfortably possible in the winter. The less difference between the indoor and outdoor temperatures, the lower your overall heating bill will be.
]]> http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2007/07/15/easy-ways-to-save-money-on-your-air-conditioning/feed/ 0 Looking for GIS Information? http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/08/01/looking-for-gis-information/ http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/08/01/looking-for-gis-information/#comments Tue, 01 Aug 2006 13:46:58 +0000 Marty Martin http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/08/01/looking-for-gis-information/ I have found in my web stats a lot of people visiting my site looking for local GIS information. I have all the links to the local GIS websites on the right-hand side of this site, but I’m adding this post for people who may not notice them.

Roanoke Valley GIS websites

GIS websites are great tools for researching real estate tax information, real estate acreage and other information about real estate in the Roanoke Valley. Roanoke realtors often use real estate GIS information to help them market your property.

They are not good tools for trying to price a home yourself. The tax-assessed value of a property is generally lower than the fair market value of your home. Let a qualified Roanoke real estate agent assist you in pricing your home for sale. FSBO’s often lose their shirt (and money) in a real estate transaction when they misprice their home. My first home (before I obtained my license) I bought $6,000 under the appraised value because the home was underpriced by the owner.

]]> http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/08/01/looking-for-gis-information/feed/ 0 Cue the deer! http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/07/28/cue-the-deer/ http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/07/28/cue-the-deer/#comments Sat, 29 Jul 2006 03:28:27 +0000 Marty Martin http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/07/28/cue-the-deer/ Floyd County deerYou would’ve thought Andy Farmer was stalking my buyers around the Roanoke Valley as I toured several homes for sale recently. Yesterday as I was showing some land for sale in Floyd County, I was driving down the gravel road toward the home and spied a doe and two fawns standing in the road! How awesome! They skipped up a hill into the woods and then turned around and watched us in the car. The picture shows them peeking back at the Roanoke real estate agent with the camera!

Today, as I was taking a different set of buyers around some homes in the Glenvar area of Roanoke County, as we step out on the back porch of a beautiful home off of Wildwood Road, what is standing at the back edge of the woods but another doe and her fawn! Unfortunately this time my camera was in the car and I didn’t get a picture of them.

Cue the deer!

]]> http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/07/28/cue-the-deer/feed/ 0 Real Estate Survival Guide from the folks at CNN http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/05/04/real-estate-survival-guide-from-the-folks-at-cnn/ http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/05/04/real-estate-survival-guide-from-the-folks-at-cnn/#comments Fri, 05 May 2006 04:14:48 +0000 Marty Martin http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/05/04/real-estate-survival-guide-from-the-folks-at-cnn/ This is an interesting read, predicting the slowdown of the housing ‘bubble’.  I may write more on it later, but you might enjoy reading it now!

]]> http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/05/04/real-estate-survival-guide-from-the-folks-at-cnn/feed/ 0 Don’t fear the…boot http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/04/12/dont-fear-theboot/ http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/04/12/dont-fear-theboot/#comments Wed, 12 Apr 2006 17:40:39 +0000 Marty Martin http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/04/12/dont-fear-theboot/ The Roanoke Times wrote an interesting story about the new tire locks the City of Roanoke police department is using to thwart those downtown citizens who leave their vehicles in the prized parking real estate downtown.

]]> http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/04/12/dont-fear-theboot/feed/ 0 Using the Internet doesn’t replace a REALTOR® http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/04/11/using-the-internet-doesnt-replace-a-realtor/ http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/04/11/using-the-internet-doesnt-replace-a-realtor/#comments Tue, 11 Apr 2006 17:35:31 +0000 Marty Martin http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/04/11/using-the-internet-doesnt-replace-a-realtor/ Many home buyers and sellers are turning to the Internet in an attempt to sell, price, market and/or buy their home.

The Internet is a fantastic resource for beginning to research the market and look for homes for sale, however, oftentimes you must search multiple websites for different types of homes for sale- for sale by owner (the worst way to buy/sell a home), real estate agents, REALTORS®, land offers, and/or auctions. It is a herculean task to try to locate that perfect home or real estate you are dreaming of.

REALTORS® are trained and experienced real estate professionals. They know where, when and at what time to search for property that’s right for you. Did you know that the buyer doesn’t pay any fees to their REALTOR®? All agent fees are paid by the seller.

My name is Marty Martin and I specialize in Roanoke, Botetourt and Franklin County real estate and especially looking for great deals. I have a contract for one of my buyers right now on a beautiful home in the Grandin Road/Raleigh Court neighborhood. By knowing how to locate distressed sellers, I was able to negotiate a price well below the appraised value of the home. I can’t tell you the exact price, but it is well under $100,000. If you know that neighborhood, you will understand what a great deal it really is!

Give me a call today at 397-0014 and let me help you in your search for your next home.

]]> http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/04/11/using-the-internet-doesnt-replace-a-realtor/feed/ 0 Salem Avalanche field gets new name http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/04/05/salem-avalanche-field-gets-new-name/ http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/04/05/salem-avalanche-field-gets-new-name/#comments Thu, 06 Apr 2006 01:13:29 +0000 Marty Martin http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/04/05/salem-avalanche-field-gets-new-name/ Lewis-Gale Medical Center has bought the rights to the name of the playing field at Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium. Drum roll please, it will now be called–

Lewis-Gale Medical Center Field at Salem Memorial Baseball Stadium

Does anyone else besides me think that is crazy long? I know this is a marketing stunt and all that, but who thought that name was a good idea? Read more about this boneheaded idea here or here…

]]> http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/04/05/salem-avalanche-field-gets-new-name/feed/ 0 Fastest growing counties http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/03/17/fastest-growing-counties/ http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/03/17/fastest-growing-counties/#comments Fri, 17 Mar 2006 17:21:14 +0000 Marty Martin http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/03/17/fastest-growing-counties/ Interestingly, 3 out of the 10 fastest growing counties in the US are in Virginia.  Two, as one would expect are in Northern Virginia (Loudon County and King George County).  The other, Caroline County, is near Richmond.

Here is the full list according to Reuters–

1. Flagler County, Fla., north of Daytona Beach
2. Lyon County, Nev., near Carson City
3. Kendall County, Ill., outside of Chicago
4. Rockwell County, Texas, near Dallas
5. Washington County, Utah, 120 miles north of Las Vegas
6. Nye County, Nev. 100 miles north of Las Vegas
7. Pinal County, Ariz., near Phoenix
8. Loudon County, Va., suburban Washington, D.C.
9. King George County, Va., suburban Washington, D.C.
10. Caroline County, Va., near Richmond

]]> http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/03/17/fastest-growing-counties/feed/ 0 Spring Peepers http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/03/12/spring-peepers/ http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/03/12/spring-peepers/#comments Mon, 13 Mar 2006 02:24:24 +0000 Marty Martin http://blog.roanokehousehunter.com/2006/03/12/spring-peepers/ My wife and I were driving through Botetourt County this evening (with the windows down, what a great day we had!) and in surround sound we often heard the spring peepers singing their chorus! What a great thing!

If you’re in the market for some real estate in Botetourt County and like spring peepers, I have several locations in mind for you. I’m sure Franklin, Roanoke and Bedford counties have them too and I’d be glad to find some real estate for you there as well, spring peepers included.

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