BizBrief: Nest Realty Group
In the present economy, is now the best time to start up a new business, let alone a "boutique brokerage firm" in the local real estate market? Jonathan Kauffmann (pictured above) seems to think so, as he has just founded Nest Realty Group. With listings in high-end neighborhoods like Old Trail Village and Glenmore, Kauffmann heralds on his website that he is intent on "changing the way real estate is transacted in Central Virginia" by using a more "technologically savvy" and "client-centric" approach. Nest has also enlisted the services of local real estate blogger Jim Duncan as an agent.
–publicity photo
6 comments
DC probably isn't the best example for comparison since prices in that area have declined over 30%. This area could use some new juice and these are just the guys for it.
For every delusional seller, there is a seriously irate potential buyer (or snarky sideline commenter?). This venom has been found in other "Bubble" RE blogs, not to mention the DC craigslist housing forum, for years, but it's new to Charlottesville and its own Bubble blog.
It's not like this is a new thing, either; house prices have been artificially high for years. Now with a down economy, all this outrage has emerged. I personally don't get it. On his blog a couple weeks ago, Jim Duncan posted that he'd seen activity picking up and they jumped on him like he's just denied the Holocaust.
This isn't news, it's free publicity. Great way to piss off your real estate advertisers!
The only way that there will be a change in the "way real estate is transacted in Central Virginia" is if sellers drop their delusionally high prices and the market gets moving again. Mr. Kaufman recently described his pricing strategy for a $1.7 million dollar house as "intelllectual property" on Duncan's blog. A similar nearby house had recently been foreclosed at $900,000. It doesn't take a real estate agent to tell the $1.7 million dollar seller that they're asking too much, does it? Plenty of commenters were available to offer this "service.
Best wishes to Nest and to all their peers in this economy."
I've dealt with Mr. Kauffmann before and he proved to be the hardest working, most honest residential real estate agent with whom I've ever dealt. Jonathan is now on my speed dial and I don't do anything real estate wise without talking to him. I look forward to working with his new company!
Survival of the fittest ---guess he's not from the slacker generation
Kick'em all out! It's our country, not theirs!