buyer: When the Buyer Wants Out - 05/07/19 09:49 AM
Sometimes it is tough to be the seller. Even when the market conditions seem to skew your way, getting your house under contract can be tough. I get it. I work with both buyers and sellers. I empathize with my seller when more than one buyer complains about the backyard...and there is really nothing we can do about that. I feel their pain when an interested party shows up and then disappears.   When I work with my buyers, however, it is a different type of empathy. They are selecting a home that will house their lives moving forward. Whether this is … (3 comments)

buyer: Realistic Buyer Expectations of a Home Inspection - 05/24/17 03:54 PM
 
You finally found the perfect home! You are a little bit nervous, after all, someone else has been doing the maintenance (or not doing it, as the case may be). The Home Inspection is scheduled. What can you expect?  First of all, unless you are buying a brand new home, there will be items identified as needing repair by the home inspector (and even in a brand new home, you should expect some things). There is no such thing as a 'perfect' house. As a buyer, you should be interested in knowing the how much 'life' is left in the … (2 comments)

buyer: 5 Ways to WIN in a Crazy Market! - 03/21/17 11:05 AM

Limited listings. Multiple Offers. Escalation Clauses. These are all things that indicate we have moved into a seller's market. But, unfortunately, you are a buyer! What are some things you can do to be ready to compete and help you end up with your dream home?  Get lender pre-approval. Dive deep with your lender. Make your approval contingent only upon identification of property and most recent pay-stubs   They will continue to watch your accounts until close, but don't put off getting them the paperwork they need to make the decision prior to beginning your search. This means everything--tax records, pay stubs, account information--all of … (0 comments)

buyer: It takes a TEAM to buy a house! - 02/21/17 08:04 AM
 
If you are thinking of buying your first home, you may not know where, or how,  to get started. Should you start looking at houses on line? Should you get someone to review your finances? Should you call a Realtor®? There are a lot of moving parts to get from renting to homeownership and putting together a solid team is the first step.  Unless you work in the real estate industry, chances are good that you cannot easily put together this team on your own. A good Realtor® will help you assemble a team that will get you to the settlement table. The … (2 comments)

buyer: The new program that will wreck havoc on home sales! - 01/12/15 06:56 AM
 
On January 26, Fannie Mae will roll out a new program designed to facilitate appraisals. The problem is that it will do anything but make this process easier or more effective!   The theory is that rather than having the appraisers 'waste' their time finding the comparable sales, there will be an automated process that will provide them with comps.  That sounds okay unless you have ever had to price a property! Ken Harney, Washington Post, outlined this program in his article,Fannie Mae’s bid to boost appraisals’ accuracy draws fire.
Unless you are talking about a subdivision where no one … (5 comments)

buyer: Buyers: Should I Put a Deadline In My Northern Virginia Offer? - 02/27/14 10:47 PM
I get this question from buyers almost every time we write a contract to purchase a home in Northern Virginia. We have a lot of business professionals in this area and people are used to the way things work in the traditional business environment. Our Northern Virginia Association of Realtors®  contract does not include a deadline.
So should you put a deadline in your offer? It is really up to you as the buyer. If you feel strongly about it, put it in. That said, there are some reasons that I usually advise buyers NOT to put in the deadline, if they … (2 comments)

buyer: Buying a Nothern Virginia Home: Multiple Contracts - 02/24/14 09:01 PM
If you are planning to buy a Northern Virginia  home this Spring, be prepared to be decisive, flexible and quick. Why? The era of writing multiple contracts before securing a home is back.
Working with buyers in the popular $300,000-$400,000 price range, I have seen a lack of listings and a competitive buying environment.
Recently,  I wrote the 3rd contract for some buyers in this competitive range. The sellers, operating from a position of strength (there are more buyers than listings) have options; if they reject or counter a contract, they know that more buyers will come along. We received a counter offer … (1 comments)

buyer: What is your home buying strategy? - 02/06/14 08:09 PM
You have had it with your home! It is too (fill in the blank: big/small/ugly/old/close to work/far from work/other).
What is your strategy for finding your new home? Do you troll the Sunday Open Houses and hope that you find the house of your dreams? That can be a great way to help you refine your list of wants and needs. Do you hit the pavement with your Realtor and just keep going until you find the right home?  Do you spend hour upon hour online looking at listings that may, or may not, be active?
Here is my advice…if you … (2 comments)

buyer: When you are both a Seller and a Buyer - 08/27/13 06:52 AM
 A lot of my clients are moving out of the area, or moving in, and may only need my help for one side of the transaction.

There are plenty, however, that I work with to both buy and sell their home.  This can be a particularly stressful combination. Not only are you buying a new home, but you are living in one that needs to be 'showing ready,' at all times.     But how can you structure both deals to minimize moving-week stress?   So often, settlements are delayed by financing not being ready or a transaction earlier in … (3 comments)

buyer: First Time Buyer Advice: Financing Your Home Purchase - 07/12/13 11:30 PM
If you are considering your first home purchase, you need to spend some time considering how you will finance the property.   First time buyers often have different considerations than other purchasers. Their income is often good, but they have not yet had enough time to build up their savings. This can mean that while they can make a monthly mortgage payment, they don't have a big chunk of money to use as a down-payment.   The government recognized this conundrum and created the FHA loan. The FHA loan allows for a lower down-payment, in exchange for an insurance policy payment, made each … (1 comments)

buyer: Why who you choose as your Buyer's Agent DOES matter! - 05/18/13 05:21 AM
The agency laws in Virginia, continue to evolve to the point that virtually every buyer has their own Buyer's Agent.  When you sign an agreement with a 'Buyer's Agent,' you are not necessarily signing on with anyone who has any experience or training to be a Buyer's Agent...any Realtor® can represent either a buyer or a seller. 
There are plenty of great Realtor®s out there who do not hold any special designations. If you are going to trust them to help you find a new home, be sure that you do a good job of screening them. Find out how they plan to … (1 comments)

buyer: Ready to Buy Your First Northern Virginia Home? - 01/27/13 10:41 PM
You have been renting your place for a while. Your income has gone up and your rent has remained stable. As a result, you have put away some money and are considering buying your first Northern Virginia home. What is next?   Evaluate your Cash-on-hand.  You many have been saving, but you don't want to spend your entire savings when you buy your first house. Determine how much cash you have, and how much you want to keep in reserve for emergencies. What is left over is the amount you can contribute toward your purchase. This will need to cover your … (4 comments)

buyer: Death of a Short Sale - 05/09/12 09:31 PM
RIP, Short Sale from Hell. It was inevitable that this Short Sale would die a long and painful death. The indicators have been there all along; multiple banks, a second that has been sold multiple times, deadlines that came and went, a real estate market that has continued to improve since last fall. And finally, today, the public announcement of the Trustee Sale on the steps of the courthouse. Could we have done anything differently? The very, very frustrating thing is that, no, we could not have done anything differently. We provided a solid contract with few contingencies. My client was … (4 comments)

buyer: Perception is Reality in Real Estate - 03/20/12 09:25 PM
Buying or Selling a home can be very stressful. Hiring a Realtor can help, but cannot entirely prevent, missteps along the way.
As a party to the transaction, you will be called upon to respond at different points in the transaction. How you react--and even when--can affect how the other side views your offer.  Does this matter? It can.  I recently worked with a move-up buyer. They found the house of their dreams and submitted an offer. The sellers countered. The buyers, understandably nervous, took some time to think about the counter and how they wanted to respond. The sellers interpreted … (5 comments)

buyer: When It Comes To Buying a House, Unique is Not Always Better - 02/06/12 12:43 AM
As I show buyers homes, I am constantly pointing out features that will, and will not, make it easier to sell in the future. I think it is critically important to consider resale, even as you are selecting the home you want to buy.   If you are considering a condominium, for example, it is best to buy the model that has the features most in common with the other units in the development. You might be attracted to a 3 bedroom, 1 bath model, but remember, when you go to sell, that might not be the most popular model available if most … (6 comments)

buyer: Be the Best Seller You Can Be! - 06/07/11 07:54 AM
It isn't easy having your house on the market. It feels like a constant series of intrusions into your private life. You can't live they way you normally do, your schedule is constantly being adjusted and the kids and/or pets are out of sorts. Keep your eye on the prize. It isn't easy being a buyer either! As Realtors, we are often the mediators between buyers and sellers. They both, ultimately, have the same objective; for the Seller to sell the house to the buyer. We end up facilitating exactly how that takes place.  Emotions are raw and, sometimes, feelings are … (4 comments)

buyer: Buyers are Babies! - 02/22/11 10:56 PM
Okay, I admit to using a catchy title to get you to read this because I have noticed a shift in buyer thinking that concerns me. If you are a buyer, a seller, or someone that works with either, please read on... Yes, I am an Accredited Buyers Representative, and I work really hard for my buyers, but honestly Buyers of The World, it is time to realize that you are buying a house, not a custom made, one-of a kind piece of art.  Sure, you might have high expectations, and I believe we all should. But at what point do … (91 comments)

buyer: Interested in Northern Virginia Market Statistics? - 01/13/11 11:15 PM
Interested in Northern Virginia Market Statistics? I can provide you with a quick Market Snapshot of what is currently for sale in, and around, your home or the area where you are considering a purchase.
Understanding comparable home pricing is more important than ever, and the information provided in this Market Snapshot will provide invaluable data as you begin to determine either the sale price for your home or the purchase price of your next home. Simply enter your information in the box below and within a couple of minutes, you will receive a fantastic interactive Market Snapshot. It will show … (3 comments)

buyer: Looking for a New Home in Northern Virginia? Let me help. - 12/20/10 11:39 PM
If one of your New Years Resolutions is to buy a new home in Northern Virginia, let me help you get started. There is no shortage of information available on line, but if you have done any amount of searching, what you will find is that it is hard to know what information is current and what is not. I believe that most agents make an effort to keep their information current, however, we cannot always control what happens to it on-line. Let me explain why. When I post a listing to the MLS, I am making it available as public … (0 comments)

buyer: Buyers, Trust me--One day you will just know! - 11/14/10 10:56 PM
We all have something for which we are on a perpetual, personal quest  For me it is the perfect pair of  shoes. My closet is filled with plenty of 'almosts' and 'pretty close' pairs. I could try to explain to you what makes a shoe 'perfect,' but my words won't be able to duplicate that moment when I slip my foot in and I know that I must buy THAT pair. The same goes for my son's baseball cap requirements...believe me, he has tried to explain and while I mostly 'get it,' I can't select one for him--he must do it himself.The … (7 comments)

 


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