No.

Legitimate collections law firm. Just paid 2 overdue parking tickets to them for my irresponsible teenager. If there is a legitimate bill which you don't pay, they are going to go through collections, which can screw up your credit. I'd find put at least what they're calling about. Otherwise you could end up with the credit hit and/or your car booted.

That story about spring in basement of Byrd Theater is 100% accurate. Seen it with my own eyes 👀

For some reason, people seem to love being crass and rude and just plain mean on this sub.

Wish maybe folks would consider the season and try to do better.

Stir Crazy. Hands down. In fact my favorite coffee shop in RVA.

This. Did it for my daughter and it was a huge hit.

Same! I love the VCU Kroger.

No worries at all, I'm sorry for my tone. It's always much harder to have a dialogue virtually vs. in person, when there are no context clues on tone. I'm glad to hear you are passionate about housing. It really is a fascinating subject, in so many different ways.

I just wish that anyone that wanted to buy a house could. And that anyone that could afford to buy a house did.

Look, I am not trying to be condescending, although on reflection I can see that it certainly came off that way. But continuing to put out inaccurate information helps no one.

Lead paint was a big deal in the 1970s. That's why the federal government outlawed lead in paint as of 1975ish, and there is still a federal lead disclosure required for any home built in full or in part before 1978. But most people who suffered lead poisoning did so when lead paint was easily accessible and peeling off surfaces, and children were eating the lead paint. That rarely happens now. If you buy a house built before 1978 I can almost guarantee there is lead paint in the house. However, it is "encapsulated," meaning it has been painted over so many times the lead paint is not accessible. Now, if you are sanding down wood trim or other surfaces in a pre-1978 home, yes, you need to take precautions because you don't want anyone to breathe or eat lead paint dust. But just the fact that there is lead paint in a home does not automatically make that home dangerous.

Asbestos is similar. Asbestos is dangerous when the fibers are "friable," floating around in the air. If you do not make the fibers friable, there is limited to no risk of asbestos injury. Most asbestos in old houses was insulation around pipes, sometimes mastic in tile adhesive, sometimes asbestos tile. If you leave it alone, the fibers don't become friable. If you want it abated, you can pay to have that happen.

I just don't think implying old houses are inherently dangerous is helpful to anyone.

Awww...thanks so much! I really appreciate that. I personally find real estate fascinating, hopefully the local insights help some people.

Considering I'm probably double your age, grew up in and own old houses, have done full tax credit renovations both personally and with clients, and have over 15 years of full time experience in the real estate business, I agree. We will have to agree to disagree.

Insulation is a non-issue and easily solved.

Cracks in foundations is not a certainty just because a house is old.

Rewiring a house is less of an issue and expense than you think, and most older homes have updated wiring to some extent.

Lead and asbestos are not the big deal issues that people make them.

Fixing any/all of these issues doesn't come anywhere near "building a new house." That's just not accurate. If you prefer new houses for whatever reason, great. But old houses are not these scary, dangerous, poisonous things that cost a fortune to fix.

Actually I'd argue masonry homes built up to about 1970 are far better houses in terms of quality of construction than anything built after 1970, unless it's an extremely expensive custom home. Most production new construction it designed to have a lifespan of about 20-25 years. Go check out pretty much anything built in the 1980s or 1990s in, for example, Woodlake.

Meanwhile you couldn't build a 1940s brick and slate cape now without it being exorbitantly expensive.

Pizza: Mary Angela's in Carytown. I don't care what anyone says.

Breakfast/Brunch: Joe's Inn has breakfast all day 7 days a week. And you can get the full menu all day every day too. Plus pitchers of mimosas. Sit at the bar on the Dark Side for the true RVA experience.

Burgers: Lots of people seem to like Boulevard Burgers and Fries. Not a big burger person so I can't help here.

Chicken Wings: Let me know if you find somewhere good. TBH I haven't found anything that beats either Lee's or Popeye's.

Ice cream: Gelati Celesti. Scoop on Strawberry Street.

If you want to hit some local restaurants and see some different neighborhoods, here are some of my favorites.

Bellevue (Northside): Dot's Back Inn.

Near West End: Stella's on Lafayette. My FAVORITE restaurant in RVA. However it's next to impossible to get a table before 9 p.m. However you can sometimes eat at the bar.

Fan: Bacchus. A very, very close 2nd to Stella's.

Church Hill: For a quick lunch, Union Market. For dinner, The Roosevelt, but see if you can get a reservation. It's not very big so not many tables.

Drive to Charlottesville. Bodo's is the answer.

I have to say I disagree this year, with the already signaled rate rises. I think upper level price range stuff - $700,000+ seems to be about the break point - will be better to wait until the Spring, but stuff that is in the first time buyer price range might be better off selling sooner rather than later.

It's certainly going to be interesting to see what happens. I am assuming the investors are waiting on the sidelines with baited breath.

Have you asked your landlord if they are willing to sell? I've known more than a few people who have ended up buying the rental property they were living in. Sometimes in uncertain times investors will want to do some profit taking. Of course this will NOT work if you are renting from an institutional landlord than owns 100s of units. But if you rent from an individual, it's certainly worth the ask.

You are exactly right, banks did close out HELOCs during the crash. Which was probably smart, if you are a lender you sure don't want people spending more money from their "equity" if their house is already under water.

I think there is a time and place for HELOCs, like for home renovations, but they are certainly VERY dangerous if they are not used responsibly.

Here's the pros/cons of selling now:

PROS: Less inventory available than there will be in Spring, especially in the entry level price ranges.

CONS: Not as many buyers due to the season, but also due to the interest rate rise. And that's compounded by the fact that first time buyers are the most sensitive to the impacts interest rate increases have on their buying power. It directly erodes their buying power.

That said, the Fed has already signaled they are going to increase interest rates again. So the problem is getting worse, not better. Yet another real estate saying: The best time to sell was yesterday, the next best time is today, and the worst time to sell is tomorrow.

My recommendation is do what you feel most comfortable with. Some of that may tie into how badly you want to get out of RVA. Know that rates are likely to increase again, and while we are predicting impacts, making our best informed guesses, they are just that. We unfortunately have no crystal ball.

Well good for you for stepping up and taking care of them. They are lucky to have you.

I'd say your best bet for finding an affordable duplex would be in Church Hill, parts of Northside, or perhaps Manchester/Blackwell/Oak Grove. You might also ask your lender if you found a duplex, and your Mom and brother were going to pay rent to you for their unit, whether that income could be counted towards cash flow for the multifamily building. Especially since disability payments are guaranteed. It's certainly a unique situation. But if you could count them paying rent to you, it might increase what you could afford to buy. Good luck!

Well if there are no credit issues your lender should be able to tell you how much you qualify for. It may be that the price point you qualify for is below what it is you want to buy, but under your scenario you should qualify for something, especially if you have cash on hand for a deposit.

Have you tried calling Housing Opportunities Made Equal ("HOME")? They have programs to help you get into a house, including free down-payment or closing cost assistance. At your income level you should qualify for some of the income-restricted purchase programs. Unfortunately there are not enough houses available in these programs to meet the need, but programs do exist.

I'd really suggest reaching out to HOME.

You're welcome!

I think the bigger deal is the inability to get financing. That means you have to do the entire thing with cash. However, if you buy a property with a home on it - like a cabin, or a small rancher - you can get financing.

Yeah, my "buy NOW!" guidance was directed at my first time buyer clients that wanted to buy, were qualified to buy, but were being very, very picky. I've got clients that could have bought a house with 80% of what they wanted, but passed multiple opportunities in order to find the PERFECT house. Which Does. Not. Exist. Now they will have to pay 3% points more on their loan, which adds about $1,000/month to the payment on a median priced home. Now they can't afford anything in their preferred area, unless it's a condo.

It's frustrating because I really do believe in the benefits of homeownership. Not only as a wealth building tool, but also emotionally, knowing that you own your own home. And it''s not because I'm a real estate agent. If you buy something you can afford - do NOT overspend for a house, ever! - then homeownership is the most consistent path to wealth creation.

What specifically are they saying? Is it because of credit - your credit score is too low? If your credit score is below a certain number you won't qualify for financing. Is it because you have too much debt relative to your income? There are limits on the debt-to-income ratio. Is it because you can't afford a house at a specific price point?

I need to know more about your specific situation. I will say a good mortgage lender should be telling you why you don't qualify, AND helping you come up with a plan to get qualified. Maybe you need to pay off some debt. Maybe you need to clean up your credit report. Maybe you need to have a larger down payment. A good lender will make sure you understand your issues and have a plan to fix them.