northern virginia real estate: Lipstick On A Pig-Checking Out Whether Those Beautiful Updates Were Done Correctly
- 11/18/10 01:03 PM
You've walked in the front door and you are blown away. On the surface everything about the home you are exploring looks perfect. Granite counters, stainless steel appliances, updated bathrooms and hardwood floors. What's not to love? Before you run back to the office to write an offer you may want to do a little double checking. In the case of this wonderful little house in Fairfax County VA the first place we went was to the county website to check to see if any building permits were pulled. What we found were a slew of permits with work marked incomplete … (72 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: Northern Virginia Homeonwers-An Important Thing To Consider
- 11/16/10 11:20 AM
Though many communities paint house numbers on the curb it only takes one car parked in front of then number to block it from view. Having your house number visible on a curbside mail box (if your community has them) or at minium on your front door is critical.It could be the difference not only for a buyer looking to find your house to view but life saving services if needed.
One of my pet peeves is driving through neighborhoods, trying to locate the house I am to inspect, and see no visible address numbers from the street. That, … (3 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: Speechless Sunday-Good Morning Belmont Bay It's Time To Wake Up And Enjoy The Day
- 10/24/10 01:39 AM
When I'm watching the sunrise in Belmont Bay the Otis Redding Tune Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay starts playing in my head. This song reached Number 1 on the billboard charts in 1968 and was first posthumous number-one single in U.S. chart history. Otis Redding had been killed in a plane crash in Lake Monona, Wisconsin in December 1967. My aunt lived on Wallace Avenue only a few blocks from Lake Monona and I remember her talking about the plane crash and the "famous singer who died" but not making the connection until years later between this song and … (17 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: You've Got Mold...
- 10/17/10 03:17 AM
Mold as soon as I open a door to a home my nose can sniff it. Most of the time I am able to tell my clients to back out the door and they listen. A few times they haven't and we have felt the effects. Mold is not something to be taken lightly. Fortunately I've never entered a home that looks like the one in these photos.As Michael points out mold needs to be remediated by professionals.
You've Got Mold...Anybody who has ever dealt with bank owned properties knows that they will be in varying states of disrepair. … (5 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: Mr. and Mrs. Seller You Need to Understand-A Marketing Report Is NOT The Value of Your Home
- 09/28/10 12:01 PM
Did you just read a marketing report about your neighborhood and think YEA the value of my home is UP UP UP? I don't want to put a damper on your enthusiasm but before you decide to list your home for the great price you see listed let's talk.A market report may be about your neighborhood but it isn't about your home. Most market reports are "average" numbers gathered from the local multiple listing service. In some cases the report doesn't contain information on all of the sales in the neighborhood. It doesn't contain information on the number of homes that … (20 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: End Of The Summer-Time To Clean Out the Car For The Fall
- 09/03/10 11:53 PM
It's been a busy summer and no sooner had a sign been pulled out of the yard of one listing another one went up. When the tailgate on my car opened it was a contest to see if I could catch whatever might decide to fall out before it hit the ground. Since Labor Day is the unofficial end of summer it seemed like a good time to take inventory and put the signs back in the house.Now I just need to get the car washed and vaccumed and I"ll be ready for the fall real estate market. Enjoy your … (42 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: Has The Northern Virginia Real Estate Market Gone Down the Toilet?
- 09/03/10 12:33 AM
This week the headlines have screamed some version of doom and gloom regarding the real estate market. Yet at the same time those headlines were scrolling on news reels and on hundreds of real estate agents blog posts I personally settled 4 transactions in 4 days. All of the properties went under contract AFTER the First Time Homebuyer Tax Credit expired on April 30th, 2010. I have another 7 properties under contract scheduled to close within the next 30 days.Once again all real estate is local. It should be the mantra of every agent who is selling real estate. LOCAL, LOCAL, … (25 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: Forget Snowcopalypse-The End Of The Summer Brings Trafficpocalypse to Northern Virginia
- 08/27/10 09:34 AM
As weary Northern Virginian's make one last run to the mountains this weekend they are going to find traveling a bit more difficult than usual. In fact if you are heading out Route 66 West and haven't already left town you may want to rethink your plans.
Let's face it Friday nights on Route 66 West are already tough enough but add shutting down 2 or 3 lanes could drive you to drink....but please not while you are driving. Instead of leaving town you can head to a number of local attractions including a variety of Northern Virginia waterparks.
If you … (6 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: Fairfax County Tops 1 Billion Dollar in Real Estate Sales in June 2010
- 07/31/10 12:50 PM
1 Billion in total sales in Fairfax County last month. No wonder inventory in the region is still low.
According to the Sun Gazette Northern Virginia's residential real estate market in June had a billion-dollar sales month.
A total of $1.07 billion worth of real estate transactions closed in June, according to Metropolitan Regional Information Systems Inc. That was a 9.3% increase over the $978.99 million logged last year, and is the highest one-month total in three years.
You can read the rest of the article on the Sun Gazette site.
Much of the closed sales volume in June … (3 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: Choose the Northern Virginia Neighborhood Before You Choose the Home
- 06/28/10 03:48 PM
If you are house hunting in Northern Virginia knowing where you want to live will often dictate the type of home you will buy.Want to live close to DC. Then you may be looking at a condo in Arlington or a small older detached home. Okay with commuting up to an hour? Then you could be looking at larger home with land to roam in Loudoun or Stafford County.
If houses are like spouses, a neighborhood is like the extended family. But while you can have a good marriage and still dread holidays with the in-laws, you'll … (2 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: Northern Virginia-Who Are the Movers and Shakers in The Real Estate Market?
- 06/24/10 01:38 PM
No this isn't about who is the #1 Realtor® in the area or about the latest celebrity home sale, it's about what areas in Northern Virginia have seen the biggest movement in sales price in our current market.Check out City of Manassas Park for starters. The median sold price for homes in the City of Manassas Park has risen a whopping 42.9% between May 2009 and May 2010. Interestingly enough this comes on a significant decrease in the number of overall sales.
The next mover and shaker in Northern Virginia is Manassas City with a sales price increase of 17% … (11 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: My BUYER is GREAT but their Northern Virginia Condo FAILED !!!!
- 05/10/10 12:03 AM
As an agent who sells a number of condos in Northern Virginia I have seen more than once what happens when the builiding "fails" for FHA or VA funding.Asking the right questions up front from not only the owner but the professional management company responsible for the condo building can save a lot of time and effort. Two of the biggest reasons in Northern Virginia that cause trouble are the owner to investor ratio and low capital reserves.
Save a buyer a huge disappointment by checking the numbers first.
In a perfect world, every seller and … (4 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: Don't look back! The IRS could be on your heels.
- 05/09/10 11:01 AM
Northern Virginia homeowners take heed. You may be in for a surprise if you used the equity in your home for something more than a new kitchen.
So you gave up to Foreclosure? The IRS may be on your heels!If you are one of the thousands of homeowners that felt relief by allowing their homes tobecome foreclosed on your relief may be short lived. Many of us became wrapped up in theability to use our homesteads as ATM machines and the banks were fine with it. Now, after the money is spent and debt is rising you find that … (0 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: Northern Virginia Market Watch-March Madness Wasn't Just for Basketball
- 04/28/10 11:48 AM
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northern virginia real estate: Practical Home Improvements-Measure Twice is always a good Idea
- 03/07/10 01:59 AM
I'm not a huge fan of all of the photos of toliets you see in the MLS in Northern Virginia. A more interesting picture would be of bathroom that doesn't have a toliet. I toured a house like that once in Arlington but that's another story.However this is one time when a photo says a lot. We are seeing a significant number of "flips" in Northern Virginia right now and some of them like this photo show a lack of planning.If you are getting ready to remodel your home. Think through the entire process and measure twice! If you are … (12 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: Northern Virginia Market Watch- Keeping an Eye on What the Market is Up To
- 03/02/10 10:20 PM
Across the Northern Virginia area buyers and sellers are keeping a close watch on the real estate market. Our current low inventory and tax incentives have made a dent in stabilizing our real estate market. We aren't out of the woods and certainly are watching with anticipation the end of the tax credit and potential rise in interest rates.This video by Market Watch in conjunction with MRIS gives a quick look at recent trends.
If you are considering buying a home in the Northern Virginia area in 2010 give me a call at 703-346-2213. Let's talk about whether now is the … (11 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: The Sign Sellers and Realtors Love to See
- 03/01/10 07:59 AM
This terrific home in the Kings Park neighborhood in Springfield VA went on the market Friday afternoon. The phone started ringing to schedule showings almost immediately and a steady stream of buyers and their agents came through Saturday and Sunday. By Sunday evening we had two solid offers to review.
The sellers were anxious this morning after signing off on an offer to have me put the "To Late" sign on the post. Now they just have to pack their household goods for a LONG move across the world.
If you have a home to sell in Kings Park … (22 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: Enjoy All That Lorton Virginia Has to Offer
- 01/09/10 08:19 AM
Located just a few miles from the main gate of Fort Belvoir the neighborhoods that make up the Lorton area have a long tradition with the military and military families in Northern Virginia. Lorton history goes back to our first Commander in Chief, George Washington. There are older neighborhoods such as Harborview which are just as popular today as they were when they were built in the 50's, 60's and 70's. Over the last 10 years a "new" Lorton has emerged which has brought a renewal to southern Fairfax County.Most of the "new" Lorton growth came about when a prison complex … (4 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: Northern Virginia Buyers-Updated Addendum Spells Out Your Rights
- 01/05/10 12:01 AM
Everytime a Northern Virginia buyer sees these remarks in the MLS:
“Must use seller selected settlement company” “Seller to determine settlement company” “Short sale being professionally negotiated by XYX settlement company and buyer must use for settlement” They ask why can't I use my own settlement company?The answer is you can!
Now an update to our Virginia Jurisdictional Addendum spells out a Virginia buyer’s right to choose even more clearly than before:
“The Provisions of the Consumer Real Estate Settlement Protection Act (CRESPA) may not be varied by agreement and rights conferred by this chapter may not be waived. The seller … (17 comments)
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northern virginia real estate: Northern Virginia Buyers Want to Know: When Do I Get the Keys to My New Home?
- 12/12/09 07:09 AM
This is timely information for Northern Virginia buyers. If you are working with an agent who primarily works in either MD or DC they may have a different idea of when you can move in to your new home.If the owner "offers" you a pre-occupancy settlement make sure you fill out the appropriate forms to eliminate any questions that might arise.
Northern Virginia Buyers Want to Know: When Do I Get the Keys to My New Home?
The Northern Virginia Regional Sales Contract contains one specific paragraph that is essential to answering this question.
Paragraph 20: POSSESSION DATE
Unless … (0 comments)
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You've walked in the front door and you are blown away. On the surface everything about the home you are exploring looks perfect. Granite counters, stainless steel appliances, updated bathrooms and hardwood floors. What's not to love? Before you run back to the office to write an offer you may want to do a little double checking. In the case of this wonderful little house in Fairfax County VA the first place we went was to the county website to check to see if any building permits were pulled. What we found were a slew of permits with work marked incomplete … (72 comments)
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