A BUYERS GALLERY of FINE HOMES®
VIRGINIA MARKETPLACE
V
irginia A Resilient Industry
By Elyses Umlauf-Garneau
B
Betsy Atkinson, owner and broker of ERA Atkinson Realty offers an interesting perspective on the state of the real estate market. Her view is one that has relevance not only in her home state of Virginia, but to those across the country who are jittery about the real estate industry. She displays a calm about and confidence that stems from running a family real estate business established by her late father-in-law, Frank Atkinson, in 1943. In Virginia Beach, the lot that once sold for $2,000 in Frank Atkinson’s early days now goes for $2 million, she says. Since Betsy Atkinson started practicing real estate in 1968, she recalls experiencing every kind of market condition. She
116 VIRGINIA MARKETPLACE
saw interest rates that soared to 21 percent and plummeted to today’s rates. She’s seen prices skyrocket and tumble. And she’s watched consumer confidence bounce from ebullience to despair and back. Throughout it all, the company has stood and survived. It’s a lesson about the resilience of the real estate industry and testament to the importance of rolling with the natural ebb and flow of business cycles. Those ready to roll with this current real estate cycle have enormous options in Virginia. Just some of them are described across the next few pages.
www.duPontREGISTRY.com