First Impressions Can Be Huge When Selling Your House - 09/30/10 03:08 PM
So you have made the decision to sell your home and you have to quickly prepare it “For Sale”? Many believe “quick” preparation to sell a house is simply about hiring an agent, agreeing on a price and slapping a “For Sale” sign in the front yard and then they are ready to go and the sale will just happen. Often this kind of individual fails to think about, “What is the real price that I will have to pay to make this happen?” If you have adequately prepared your house to sell, then you must consider the cost of time, … (1 comments)

The First Item On Your Home Purchasing Agenda - 09/29/10 12:36 PM
Anyone who knows me will tell you that I am a simple person. Similarly, in Real Estate, I have simple rules that I follow as a Real Estate Agent when working with clients who want to purchase a home. Right at the top of my list is this: Everyone, without exception, MUST be pre-approved for a mortgage (unless they are cash buyers) before I will show them even one house in the Northern Virginia Real Estate market! Why? When you are pre-approved, you then know how much house you can afford and it also informs the seller that you are a … (5 comments)

Real Estate Blunders Must Be Avoided When Approaching Retirement - 09/28/10 02:29 PM
When we reach the age of 50s and early 60s, we cannot afford to make Real Estate blunders and for sure any kind of mistake that involves financial error. Why? Because we simply do not have the working years left to recover from our loss. If you are in the position of planning to work a few more years and then retire or at least slow down a bit, then this is an article you really cannot afford to pass by. I encourage you to take 4 minutes and read the 9 Dumbest Retirement Moves – It might just help you … (2 comments)

Is Your Credit A Road Block In Purchasing Your Next Home? - 09/27/10 02:12 PM
A while back, while managing a large, high volume Real Estate Office, I asked an important question during our regular Real Estate Agent Tuesday morning meeting. The question: “What is the greatest roadblock your clients face in purchasing a house?” Almost without exception, it involved clients having to overcome credit issues. In most cases, issues their clients didn’t even know existed. Now for the BIG question, directed to you my reader: What do you know about your credit and most of all, do you know how to improve it? Here are some thoughts that will definitely propel you forward in a … (1 comments)

How To Prevent Home Owner Insurance Headaches - 09/26/10 02:56 PM
This is certainly one of the most important topics for Home Owners to be familiar with. Your Mortgage requires you to have proper coverage and of course you want the best rate possible! For sure, one of the greatest frustrations many homeowners face is high insurance premiums. Coupled with that is when to file a claim while somehow avoiding having their policy being canceled for what we will call a variety of ridiculous reasons, at least in the eyes of the insured. I personally believe many of us who are homeowners need to more clearly understand how home insurance works and … (0 comments)

Saving Energy Right Where You Live - 09/25/10 03:42 PM
We all know that saving energy at home is very important. In fact, we understand by personal experience that energy is not costing us less, but in fact prices continue to rise. Is there anything we can do to save on home related energy and as a result, save money? Here is an article to that could be worth the time it takes to read. Hopefully you won’t just read it but you will act on the thoughts that are shared. By the way, we’ve changed several of our lights in our home to energy saving bulbs. Additionally, we’ve caulked around … (0 comments)

You Should Endeavor To Stay Away From These Mortgage Mess Ups - 09/24/10 02:38 PM
We have all been listening to and reading the news lately with serious interest in reference to houses selling and buyers being able to secure a mortgage. While there is no doubt some money has gone away from the mortgage market that use to be there, please know funds are STILL available. In fact, we could talk about FHA and positive changes that will have a good effect on our area market as well as the VA that is loaning money to qualified veterans. In fact, banks are still lending at historic low rates.So how do I secure a loan (mortgage) … (0 comments)

Insist On It: You Really Need An Inspection - 09/23/10 02:42 PM
The best possible way to experience peace of mind – translated “Honey, I can sleep tonight” - when purchasing a house is to employ the services of a qualified, well trained home inspector when purchasing a house. A competent inspector will make sure the house structure and systems which include, but are not limited to, the roof, heating, plumbing, electrical and air conditioning systems, are in good condition. An inspector will also offer to check for mold and radon. You should expect to pay an additional fee for these two services, especially a radon test. A typical home inspection should cost … (0 comments)

Condo Insurance Information You Need To Know - 09/22/10 02:15 PM
I am always on the lookout for useful information in Real Estate. This includes the topic of insuring your home. In fact, there are many questions to consider in reference to having the proper kind of insurance coverage. For example, how much should I expect to pay for my Townhouse Insurance? What is the difference between insuring a single family home and a condo? Does purchasing a multiple dwelling type condo perhaps with 24 units enclosed differ from buying a Condo with 12 units? The list can go on and on of very reasonable questions to ponder.I was reading inside Money … (0 comments)

Doing This Simple Math Problem Might Just Help You To Purchase Your Next House - 09/21/10 01:20 PM
It has been said that "Honesty is the best policy" and so I will be brutally honest for a moment. I have always felt that Math can be very boring. It just hasn't been a subject that I get excited about. I know others do get a little crazy with number crunching, but again, it is not my forte!I recently came across something that has changed my mind, at least a bit about numbers and number crunching. In fact, you need to do this simple test, just as I did a few minutes ago. Take it to find out your FICO … (0 comments)

Trying To Sell Your House? Here Is An Easy To Do Home Selling Tip - 09/20/10 01:05 PM
I decided to take a brief, momentary break a few days ago. It was in the middle of the day. I observed a furniture store I hadn’t been in before and I love furniture! This particular store was in a prime location within an attractive shopping center. The store was housed in a beautiful building and possessed an easy to maneuver parking lot. The entrance was very appealing! I guess we could say, “This store had great curb appeal!” I pulled in, got out of the car and went inside. I no sooner walked in the door and a salesman came … (4 comments)

Use Good Judgment When Upgrading Your House To Sell - 09/19/10 02:30 PM
In our present Real Estate market, many sellers want to be at the front of the competition when listing their house for sale. In other words, if there are four other houses on the same street for sale, it is not uncommon to want to have the best planned, arranged and priced house. Why not and in fact, it makes a lot of sense to have a well prepared home when selling it. You want to price your home attractively and the appearance should be second to none. Having stated the above, please be careful that you don’t over do any … (2 comments)

Are YOU Hindering The Sale Of Your House? - 09/18/10 03:54 PM
I’ve had many property owners call or come up to me and express frustration that nothing is happening in the effort of selling their house. Sometimes they have been frustrated with their agent, buyer agents and then of course the fact that properties are moving so slow. I’ve sometimes concluded (after listening) that the problem may not be the fault of their agent, but perhaps something the seller has failed to do, often ignoring the nudging of their Realtor®. Before blaming your Realtor®, consider some other things that might be having a negative effect on the sale of your house. Here … (2 comments)

Real Estate 101 - Simple Steps To Follow When Purchasing Your First Property - 09/17/10 11:56 AM
One of the most repeated questions that I hear from First Time Home Buyers is, "What is involved in purchasing a house?" What do we do first, second and so on? Here in a simple format are several steps to follow to make your purchase happen. Send me an email or even phone me if you want to talk more about these steps. By the way, while this isn't Rocket Science, knowing and following these steps can make a huge difference in having a smooth and uneventful purchase. Trust me, "Uneventful" in Real Estate can be a very good thing. Here … (0 comments)

Making Home Improvements: Blessing or Curse? - 09/16/10 01:50 PM
A while back, a family employed a contractor to finish/remodel their basement. The contractor worked for several weeks, always making a minimum amount of noise, picking up after him, and seemingly using the best in materials. When he was finished, the job looked perfect. The air conditioning functioned well; the drywall and paint that had been applied looked well done; there were plenty of electrical sockets to plug in to. The carpeting, tile, bedroom and bathroom seemed flawless. In fact, the couple lived there another year, found another home, purchased it and moved in. Then they put their re-modeled basement home … (1 comments)

Timing Can Be Everything With Your Next Real Estate Purchase - 09/15/10 10:42 AM
I recently represented someone who had found the house of their dreams. This house really had everything they had always hoped for. It had the layout, land, location, everything they had placed on their wants and needs list was a part of this property. The second walk thru was on a Thursday evening and they asked if they could have until Monday to decide what they should offer. I urged them to remember "The house could be sold by then" but, I added, "The purchase is all about you and not me". I think they thought I was being a little … (3 comments)

You Can Help Expedite The Sale Of Your Home - 09/14/10 07:55 AM
I believe there are two very important areas that should be addressed by those who are serious about selling their house. In fact, doing these two things along with setting the right price, securing a Realtor who will perform exceptional marketing for your property and making your home very assessable for showings, will do wonders in helping to produce a buyer for your property.First, if you have been one of my many regular readers of my blogs, then you know that I am a true believer in Home Inspections before listing your house for sale. In our current market, having an … (3 comments)

The Inside Track On Securing A Veteran's Loan - 09/12/10 03:15 PM
I'll never forget the first time I decided to use my Veteran status to help me secure a Veteran’s Loan. This was 37 years ago, before my Real Estate days and I have to admit, I was really quite ignorant. I couldn’t at that time find information to guide me through the process and as a result, it felt clumsy.
I recently found this excellent article, something to guide all Veteran’s thru the home buying procedure, specifically securing a VA Loan: VA Loan Information -- Ignored in recent years, Veterans Administration mortgage loans are becoming increasingly more popular.
Please feel free … (2 comments)

Balancing Off The Internet And Your Need For A Real Estate Professional - 09/10/10 12:12 PM
Despite advertising claims to the contrary, the internet is not a substitute for an experienced Real Estate Professional. It cannot consult, counsel, advise, have knowledge of local laws and market conditions, make judgments, or most importantly, understand your individual goals, needs and care about you as a Client. You need an accurate interpretation of any information you are receiving online. This is where a Professional Real Estate Consultant, a Realtor® can make a positive difference in your Real Estate transaction.First and foremost, understand that I am very grateful for the internet. Just check out my Burrows Properties website and you will … (1 comments)

 
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David Burrows

Fairfax, VA

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Classic Realty

Office Phone: (703) 859-5188

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This blog is written for Buyers and Sellers about the subject of Real Estate. The information is presented in a simple and informative format so that whenever readers have a Real Estate transaction, they will feel more adequately prepared.


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