realtor: Out Come the Haters! - 01/15/13 03:56 AM
This weekend I received some hate mail.  I occasionally write for a local paper about real estate issues (who doesn't love free publicity?). Last week, I had an article published about how Realtors®, in addition to helping people buy and sell homes, work to protect property rights through our association memberships in local, state and the  National Association of Realtors®.   I received a hate-filled diatribe, via email, explaining to me why Realtors® are such awful people.  The author had taken time to think out his/her (non-sensical) arguments and present them to me in what, I suppose, was a case designed to get me … (80 comments)

realtor: Thinking of Vacation Property? - 11/25/12 05:29 AM
Owning a vactaion home can be a great way to invest in real estate and, at the same time, have a great place to get away.
If you have considered buying a vacation property, your timing can make a difference in your purchase price.
A beach house can sell for slightly less in the off season (when it is not generating income) than it will in the summer when it is probably paying for itself. The same goes for a ski chalet; if you buy during ski season, you will probably pay a premium.
Being willing to carry the costs of … (2 comments)

realtor: Dog-Friendly Realtor...How Can You Tell? - 05/11/12 04:12 AM
I am a Realtor, a wife, a mother and the owner of 2 four-legged babies, Emmy and Gigi.  There are times when these two dogs drive me crazy, but I love them both and they keep me grounded. This morning, as I prepared for a private showing of one of my upcoming listings, it occured to me that I probably wear my love for pets on my sleeve--or pants, as the case may be. So how can you tell I am a dog-owning Realtor? Here are some of the ways: All my slacks and skirts have tell-tale slime at dog height. I try to … (4 comments)

realtor: How Hard Can it Be? Selling Your House FSBO - 05/09/12 10:56 AM
I am well aware that the general public believes that Realtors are overpaid (I could spend a whole blog post letting you know how the commission we receive is divided and spent until we get a fraction of it to deposit, but I will save that for another day). Friends of mine are always saying, 'we might try to sell it ourselves.' My response is always, 'you should.' And then I go on to tell them how they should handle the security issues and how they want to be sure to get legal advice as they go through the contract negotiations. … (32 comments)

realtor: Bogged Down By Inefficiencies? Make a Change! - 03/07/12 03:59 AM
If you have read any of my previous posts, you know that I came to real estate after a career in software. This expereince has served me well, in some cases, and caused me to make bad decisions in others. When it comes to setting things up for myself, I have a real 'can do' attitude. And while I usually CAN do it, it doesn't always make sense for me to do it. Shortly after the new year, I made a big mistake. I was cancelling several products to which I subscribed and I accidentally cancelled my website.  After a couple of minutes … (7 comments)

realtor: I Really Don't Want To Waste Your Time... - 02/23/12 07:44 AM
It is time to start looking for that new house. You have a Realtor picked out, but they are really good at what they do and you don't want to waste their time while you try to figure out what you want. You think you will use someone less experienced to help you look around. Chris Ann Cleland wrote a blog about this last week, You Aren't Saving Your Buyer's Agent Anything By Calling the Listing Agent Directly . I re-blogged it because I think there is a big misconception about how our industry works, but a conversation I had with another Realtor … (9 comments)

realtor: You Aren't Saving Your Buyer's Agent Anything By Calling the Listing Agent Directly - 02/19/12 07:33 AM
Buyers...read this and understand that we want you to bug us!  Don't feel like you need to wait until a Sunday open to see a house that you really think you might want.  The more time we spend with you, the more we understand EXACTLY what you are trying to find in a home. Let us do our jobs...we want to do them.
Thanks, Chris Ann for getting this exactly right!
Via Chris Ann Cleland, Associate Broker, Northern VA (Long & Foster REALTORS®, Gainesville, VA):
You Aren't Saving Your Buyer's Agent Anything By Calling the Listing Agent Directly
I've worked with many … (6 comments)

realtor: The right to turn down a listing...or discrimination? - 11/06/11 05:24 PM
Prejuidice? Discrimination?  I am sure there are unsavory agents who have turned down listings for the wrong reason, but what about turning down a listing because you don't want the media coverage?   I ran across this article, Octomom Real Estate Agency REFUSED to Sell My Home.  Nadya Suleman is contending that the brokerage's refusal to list her home is discrimination against her, as someone who gave birth to 8 babies. Wow.    People should not throw around the word discrimination so lightly.     We have all turned down listings--or at least found ways not to list properties we believed would be difficult to … (30 comments)

realtor: Hooray for the Nosy Neighbors! - 07/10/11 04:52 PM
I was out front with the dogs when my good friend, and neighbor, came by to report on the Open House down the street. I had been in earlier in the week to preview the property, so she stopped by to give me her perspective. It got me thinking about a comment I heard recently from a prospective seller.  She said if she listed with me, she did not want me showing the house to the neighbors--ever-- and certainly did not want me doing an Open House. In her words, 'they just want to see how you have decorated and report … (30 comments)

realtor: I Don't Need No Stinkin' Report to Tell Me About the Market! - 04/26/11 09:35 AM
The Spring Market is alive and well in Northern Virginia! How do I know this? It certainly isn't from the reports I hear daily on my local news, I know it because my favorite pants are getting snug and my blog has been neglected! In theory, those things that are important to our well being (such as exercise and marketing) should NEVER be neglected. People will tell you that you can always find the time for things that are a priority. Well, when the Spring Real Estate market kicks in, I beg to differ. I am a life-long exerciser. I was … (0 comments)

realtor: Looking for a New Home in Northern Virginia? Let me help. - 12/21/10 07:39 AM
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)

realtor: Holly Weatherwax, Your Realtor® in Northern Virginia: A Video Introduction - 12/10/10 06:58 AM
My name is Holly Weatherwax, Your Realtor® in Northern Virginia. If you are looking for a new home, I hope that you will watch my video introduction and call me to begin the process of finding your new house in Northern Virginia.>
… (2 comments)

realtor: A Great Business Lesson From The Kids - 10/29/10 08:13 AM
Cranky clients, incompetent representation, unplanned errors. These are all things that we run across in the real estate biz and can learn from.  A bad experience, or an unfortunate mistake, can be turned into a life-lesson which will help to make us stronger practitioners.Lessons learned outside of the business are also a great source of inspiration and improvement.I have three children. The two oldest, daughters, are a Junior and Freshman in college (different schools, different kids). My youngest, a son, is a freshman in high school.This week I have had conversations with each of them where the final conclusion was that they had accomplished … (5 comments)

realtor: I've figured out what kind of house I want...what is next? - 10/24/10 06:11 PM

In  yesterday's post, I need a new house...now what?, I covered information about the initial steps a buyer will take after deciding to buy a new house.
Now that those steps have been completed, the purchase process will move into 'Phase 2.'  In this phase, you will get up from behind your desk and begin going out to see homes. What are the search steps in this process?

Search Step #1: You will likely receive some on-line listings to review. Most will have pictures and video for you to consider.  You will continue to refine your criteria as you get … (2 comments)

realtor: I need a new house...now what? - 10/23/10 09:04 AM
There is usually one event or problem that will launch you into home buying mode.For some it is a life-event. Maybe you have a new family member or the kids have all moved out. You may need to accommodate an older family member or be tired of walking your dog up and down a narrow sidewalk. For many people, it is simply a growing frustration with limitations of their current home (size, layout, location, etc.).One day, whatever the catalyst, you simply know that you must buy a new home.What should you do? How should you begin?  If you have a Realtor® … (1 comments)

realtor: Your Best Resource for Finding an Out-of-Town Realtor® - 10/13/10 08:52 AM
Chances are good that you trust your personal Realtor®. Just as likely, you are concerned about  trusting other Realtors®--especially if you are entering a new real estate market. How can you go about finding an out-of-town Realtor® that you can trust? How about connecting with the one Realtor® that you already know has your back?Most Realtors® belong to one or more networks that provide them with access to Realtor®s with different specialties all over the country.  It might be a corporate affiliation or a professional accreditation that provides them with access to these resources. But whatever the source, most Realtors® can … (4 comments)

realtor: What Did You Expect From the Tax Credit? - 05/25/10 08:30 AM
I was reading an article about a recent jump in home sales attributed to the Home Buyers Tax Credit. I saw that there were 4 comments, and always curious what people think when it comes to real estate, I scrolled down. The following comment had been submitted (location specifics have been removed): Since January I’ve had my immaculate condo for sale located in a safe, affluent suburb in XXXX just a short distance from XXXX. Despite being on the MLS I’ve had a grand total of 4 people through and no offers. Since the tax credit did my situation no good … (3 comments)

realtor: Playing Favorites is a Tricky Business Decision! - 01/14/10 09:37 AM
My husband and I once went in to a car dealership to buy a new SUV. The new car was intended for me. The entire time we were there, the salesperson spoke only to my husband--despite the fact that we made it very clear that this was to be my car. We walked out of that dealership and bought a different car from a different salesperson. Last week when we drove by the dealer my husband turned to me and said, 'we'll never buy a car there.' What makes that significant is that it has been 15 years since this happened. … (7 comments)

realtor: Do I Need a Realtor® or a Real Estate Agent--Are they Different? - 12/07/09 08:40 AM
There is a difference between a Realtor® and a Real Estate Agent. While these terms are used interchangebly, a Realtor® is also a Real Estate Agent, but  Real Estate Agent is not necessarily a Realtor®. In my opionion, there is an advantage to a consumer to hire a Realtor®. Here is why I think that. In my state, Virginia, all licensees are required to belong to a local association and, in turn, the Virginia Associtation of Realtors® and National Association of Realtors®.  As members of the National Association of Realtors®, we are required to abide by the Realtor® Code of Ethics. … (2 comments)

realtor: Real Estate Reality: Not as Glamorous as TV - 12/05/09 10:38 AM
 
I just read an interesting, but hardly surprising, article from the Chicago Times Tribune called,  In reality, those real estate shows are really fake.  It talks about recording and rerecording those 'spontaneous' scenes when the purchasers decide which house to buy. It turns out that this is all scripted--well, duh! This article is important, however, for the many naive  want-to-be homeowners who believe that what they see on television is the reality of buying, remodeling or building a home.  Those shows, while extremely interesting, are mostly just entertainment. My husband is a builder and is constantly confronted with the misinformation … (3 comments)

 
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Holly Weatherwax--Your Realtor® in Northern VA

Reston, VA

More about me…

Momentum Realty,LLC, Potomac Falls,VA

Address: Reston,Herndon,Great Falls, Vienna, Oakton, Oak Hill, Falls Church, Sterling, Potomac Falls, McLean,Chantilly, Leesburg, Ashburn, Reston, VA

Office Phone: (571) 643-4902

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