| |
northern virginia home search: How to Size up a Home in 8 Minutes or Less - 12/14/11 02:20 PM
You should take your time when searching for a home.
That's worth repeating: You should take your time when searching for a home.
If such an important project is rushed too quickly then you're susceptible to making mistakes not achieving good long-term results. A home search and home purchase ranks really high on life's priority list. If you're like most people, you (and your family) will be spending many waking hours and almost all of your sleeping hours in that home for the next 5-7 years. You don't want to screw this decision up -- the consequences are much farther reaching, … (69 comments)
|
northern virginia home search: Putting Together the Real Estate Pieces - 10/13/11 08:45 PM
There's a lot of moving parts when it comes to a real estate transaction in Northern Virginia. There are contracts, addendums, inspections, appraisals, title searches, surveys, and a whole bunch of players. At any stage, anything and everything can fall apart. That's why it's crucial to hire an experienced REALTOR who can guide you through the sale whether you are buying or selling a home. When you hire me, you're also getting a REALTOR who worked as a real estate attorney for several years and saw all the problems that could happen with a real estate deal in Northern Virginia. After … (1 comments)
|
northern virginia home search: How Many Homes Do We Have to See? - 07/28/11 04:19 PM
One of the questions that almost every homebuyer I've ever met with has asked me is "How Many Homes Do We Have to See?" This particular question has always struck me as a little bit odd and silly. There's no exact answer for everyone and the real answer, I guess, is that you have to see enough homes until you find the one you like! While buying a home is a very important decision, and you should never rush it, you never know when that right house is going to jump out in front of you screaming "BUY ME! THIS IS … (3 comments)
|
northern virginia home search: A Home is a #1 Priority When it Comes to Survival! - 06/10/11 04:51 PM
Last week I went to Survival School. For real. In the desert of Southern Utah.
Think "Man vs. Wild." Think "Dual Survival." Think hot desert. Cold nights. Snakes. Nasty water. No tents. Rubbing sticks together to make fire. You get the idea.
Along with 9 other intrepid souls and 3 instructors, I embarked on an exciting 7 day adventure with the Boulder Outdoor Survival School. Over the course of the time, we hiked over 70 miles through varied and very rugged terrain. From mountains to valleys to canyons to deep desert to meadows and bushwacking through forests, we did it … (4 comments)
|
northern virginia home search: How Many Homes Do You Have to See? - 09/16/10 09:26 PM
How many homes do you have to see? How many homes do you want to see?
When it comes to the home buying process, going out and looking at homes is probably the most fun and exciting part for most homebuyers. You get to explore the neighborhoods, check out the amenities, compare kitchens, bathrooms, and closet sizes. If you have children, they get to run around the main level and tell you which bedroom they want. You'll enjoy visually placing your furniture and your 52" television.
All of that is a lot more fun than going over the fine details … (44 comments)
|
northern virginia home search: Interest Rates Are Low. What Does That Mean? How About $500 a Month! - 09/08/10 01:28 PM
You keep hearing that interest rates are low. You've been told week after week that interest rates have hit historic lows. That's great. Ho Hum.
Here's a chart showing just how low interest rates on 30 year fixed rate mortgages have dropped this year:
That chart is awfully pretty and you can certainly see that the trend has been down down down over the last 5 months.
But... you ask yourself, "What does this really mean?"
Ah, my friends, that's where this next, very important chart comes in:
So, here's the great news: On a loan for $450,000 (about … (4 comments)
|
northern virginia home search: Does the Home Have Southern Exposure? - 04/14/10 10:31 PM
Unlike the 1990s television show "Northern Exposure," when searching for a home, most homebuyers want their home to have Southern Exposure.
Why?
In the Northern Hemisphere (where we all live & where I sell real estate), the sun comes from the South and thus a home that faces South is able to take more advantage of solar energy. Solar panels on roofs should be placed on the south side of the roof. Plants and flowers that require lots of sunlight grow best with southern exposure.
When I first bought an iPhone, I wondered why there was a compass function … (4 comments)
|
northern virginia home search: Expand Your Northern Virginia Home Search Horizons by up to 26% - 04/08/10 04:34 PM
If you're like most people searching for a home in Northern Virginia you like to use round numbers. You are searching for a home up to $500,000, up to $700,000, or no higher than $300,000. Continue to search this way and you're likely to miss out on a whole lot of really nice homes that you might be able to afford. For example, if you're looking for a home under $500,000, you're not going to see all those homes that have been priced at $502K, $505K, and $509,999.
For all intents and purposes, if a seller priced their home for sale … (20 comments)
|
northern virginia home search: What Should I Be Looking For in the House? - 04/05/10 08:15 PM
One of the most common questions homebuyers ask me as we're walking around the inside of homes they're considering is "What Should I Be Looking for in the House?" This question arises most commonly among first-time buyers who haven't spent much time previously exploring houses.
Since everyone has different interests, needs, and desires, answering this question can be somewhat difficult.
Nevertheless, here's a handy-dandy guide for prospective homebuyers of things you should be looking for and things not to worry about too much while trekking through OPH.
Oh, sorry, OPH stands for Other People's Homes.
All of the following presumes that … (43 comments)
|
northern virginia home search: Wear Socks While Househunting! - 03/28/10 09:24 PM
Fashion advice on a real estate blog? Sure... why not?
Some may see this as fashion, but I see it as practicality and comfort. To be honest, it doesn't matter to me whether you show up for the home search in a three-piece suit, a leather mini-skirt, plaids clashing with polka dots, or sweatpants. I just want you to be comfortable and happy for your househunting expedition.
When heading out to go see homes, you'll likely notice that many sellers prefer that you take off your shoes. This is especially true when the carpets have just been cleaned and/or new carpets … (124 comments)
|
northern virginia home search: Your Third House is Your Dream House - 05/19/09 06:15 AM
Here's some advice that I always give to my clients. It usually turns out to be true.
"Your Third House is Your Dream House"
Your 1st House is the one that helps you stop renting. Your 1st House transitions you into being a homeowner. Your 1st House helps you start building equity. Your 1st House gets you into the market.
Your 2nd House is for when you're ready to move up. You buy your 2nd House when your family is getting larger, you've got a job promotion, etc. You need more room and can afford more … (53 comments)
|
northern virginia home search: Ready to Shop for a Home in Northern Virginia? - 06/14/08 06:32 AM
You've been househunting online for a while. Hopefully you started by using the best tool for searching homes in the Northern Virginia and D.C. area.
Now you've contacted me and you're ready to shop for a home in Northern Virginia.
Here’s the fun part!
Time to go shopping – shopping for a house! – hop in my car, buckle up and prepare yourself to tour Northern Virginia neighborhoods and homes. You’ve decided upon your househunting criteria and provided it to me. I’ve selected a dozen homes in several neighborhoods that best match your criteria.
While some of my clients … (14 comments)
|
northern virginia home search: Spy on Your Neighbor: Find Out How Much Money They Made on Their Home Sale! - 06/11/08 03:30 PM
Are you a nosy neighbor? C'mon, admit it!
When it comes to real estate and property values, everyone wants to know how much their friends and neighbors made when they sold their home.
In the past, you may have felt like a Peeping Tom. You'd check over both shoulders, make sure nobody else was around before surreptitiously grabbing a property flyer from outside your neighbor's home and looking for the asking price. You might even call up the listing agent whose picture adorned the "For Sale" sign, posed as a buyer and asked the listing price. You'd sneak into … (15 comments)
|
northern virginia home search: Flashlight Required - 04/21/08 07:40 PM
Whether you are a homebuyer looking to buy a home or a REALTOR going to show homes to potential purchasers, you may just want to add a new tool alongside your cell phone, lockbox key, and digital camera on your ever-present Batman style utility belt.
That new tool is the flashlight! Once the exclusive province of the home inspector to light the way as he climbs into attics and trudges through crawlspace, the flashlight is quickly becoming an essential part of the homebuyer's and REALTOR's toolkit.
WHY?
One word: FORECLOSURES. Guess what -- the home's in … (72 comments)
|
northern virginia home search: Real Estate is a Process of Elimination - 04/01/08 08:01 AM
Do you select the home that you like or do you eliminate the ones that you don't?
People often ask me "How many homes will we have to look at to find the right one?" There's no standard answer to this question since it varies from client to client. I've had several clients look at just 2 or 3 homes and find the one that they ultimately purchased. One of my clients went to see a single home, placed an offer and moved in within a month. (Granted she had looked at dozens and dozens of homes online, but only physically … (44 comments)
|
northern virginia home search: You Might Actually Afford a Home in 2008 - 12/30/07 10:30 AM
You've been wary about jumping into the real estate market. Perhaps rightly so. You hear daily reports on television, on the radio, and read about it in the newspaper, magazines, and online. Real estate is going to hell in a handbasket. Mortgage lenders are going out of business and those that stay in business have tightened their purse-strings.
Maybe you are comfortable renting and waiting for the real estate market to settle down. Or you need more space than your current home provides but you are willing to tough it out and see what the prices do before making a move. You … (20 comments)
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brian Block -- Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate
McLean,
VA
More about me…
RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President
Address: 6226 Old Dominion Drive, McLean, VA, 22101
Office Phone: (703) 626-0715
Cell Phone: (703) 626-0715
Email Me
 Listings
Links
Archives
|
;)
;)
;)
