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Paid Advertisement Dear Rappahannock,
Over the past six months Frank Hardy, Inc. and Justin H. Wiley have engaged in an aggressive advertising campaign designed to increase market share with claims of collective experience, market dominance and land preservation. By making these claims through advertising, Frank Hardy, Inc. and Justin H. Wiley hope to ingrain the image that Frank Hardy, Inc. is the “Firm” for high end real estate and conservation in Rappahannock County. We will no longer allow Frank Hardy, Inc.’s advertising claims to be accepted as fact.
The Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation for Real Estate, list the Initial Certification dates for eight Salesmen affiliated with the Rappahannock Office of Frank Hardy, Inc. to date, collectively at 38 years 0 months, not 100 years as advertised. Five of the eight Salesmen have less than six months experience, and one has less than three years. None of the eight have a Broker’s License.
Rappahannock County Property Transfer Data indicates that of all the Real Estate Transfers, with consideration since 2002, Frank Hardy, Inc and Justin H. Wiley have participated in the sale of 3% (three percent) not the 25% advertised. As to their claim of participating in 56% of all properties over $700,000, the same Rappahannock County data indicates a 28% share. We do not know the data Frank Hardy, Inc. and Justin H. Wiley used to calculate market share, but it is flawed and the figures are wrong.
We do not dispute the fact that Frank Hardy, Inc. and Justin H. Wiley advertise “In the past six years, we have helped our clients preserve Rappahannock County by placing over 1,700 acres in conservation easement”. However, we would like to point out that Frank Hardy, Inc. and Justin H. Wiley handled the sale that resulted in the subdivision of one of the largest farms in Rappahannock County in the past thirty years. After one day in the Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc. (MRIS) data base this property was under contract and then purchased by the Virginia Property Group. Subsequently, Frank Hardy, Inc. is offering the 1456 acre farm for sale in 23 lots.
This information is based on a complete set of data from Rappahannock County Real Estate Transfers with consideration from January 1, 2002, to present; public information from the Real Estate Board of Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation; and the Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc.
Sincerely,
95.7%