I know! You think I drank the kool-aid, finally! Or, you're worried that my brain has finally shorted out! (Or, maybe THEY got to me!)

I assure you none of the above is true!

Ignore all the hype from the real estate industry about now being a great time to buy. That's not what this is about. It may or may not be a great time for any specific individual or family to buy any specific house!

But, historically, a buyer has never had more power than they do today! And, I believe that's news. That's a good news story that we should all be able to get behind.

With the internet-based tools available to buyers today, they've never had the opportunity to be more well-informed. They have access to tax records and GIS from localities. They have access to maps from Google that make map fanatics like me drool! There are places like Zillow where you can get a "Zestimate" which, although flawed, is still a pretty amazing development. There are new sites such as FranklyMLS.com that are marrying Wiki functionality with MLS capabilities.

There's even more information available to help you choose an agent, whether that's reading their blog or checking out their ratings on sites such as QSC.

In fact, the buyer has so many tools these days that I suspect a lot of them are suffering from data overload. Data without thoughtful analysis can be more of a burden than a help!

Still, the tools are amazing! Regardless what prices do in the local market, a real estate buyer anywhere in Virginia has never before had the opportunity to negotiate from a stronger position!

This one is fun!

While I was looking at the Culpeper townhouse market yesterday I stumbled across this map, helpfully pinpointing the location of the townhouse...

I have a feeling this is not really ocean front property!

It does make an important point. Sellers should take a look at their listing and make sure there aren't any obvious problems. It matters that the information is complete and correct.

Buyers have a multitude of homes to look at. They use all kinds of things to narrow their search. You don't want them to eliminate you because of incorrect information.

And, the commute from this townhouse in the middle of the Atlantic is likely to be way too long!