Jan Brito's Blog

The first step to getting buyers to make an offer on your home is to impress them with its appearance so they begin to envision themselves living there. Here are seven tips for making your home look bigger, brighter, and more desirable. 1. Start with a clean slate Before you can worry about where...

Is an ARM right for you? The ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) has gotten a lot of bad press lately. But with the built-in safety features, it can be a fantastic product for the right buyer. With the current rate at 3.875%, a 1% annual cap, and a 5% lifetime cap, this could be the opportunity you've...

The following groups are available to help at-risk homeowners: · HUD at (800) 569-4287, (877) 483-1515, or www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/hcc/hccprof14.cfm · HOPE NOW, a cooperative effort of HUD mortgage counselors and lenders to assist homeowners: (888) 995-HOPE or www.hopenow.com · NeighborWorks ...

from The Washington Post, Elizabeth Razzi, April 16 2009 Long & Foster Adds Job-Loss Protection People worried about losing their jobs don't buy houses. That's why rising unemployment always puts an extreme drag on home sales; both the jobless and the employed-but-worried stay away from the marke...

Low interest rates and very flexible prices make this a good time to be a buyer. by Brett Arends, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ.com) April 9, 2009 - Talk about capitulation! Judging from my mailbag following last week's coverage of the Case-Shiller housing numbers, almost nobody has a good word to...

The great news here is seeing California recovering as they were the first to decline.   EXISTING-HOME SALES RISE IN FEBRUARY WASHINGTON (March 23, 2009) - Existing-home sales increased in February, reversing losses in January.  Even so, sales activity remains relatively soft, reflecting addition...

The Greater Washington Economic Conference took place January 13th. Stephen S. Fuller, Ph.D., a Dwight Schar Faculty Chair, University Professor and Director of the Center for Regional Analysis, School of Public Policy at George Mason University, presented his prognosis on the state of the Greate...

Estimates suggest that the Washington, D.C. area will be flooded with more than four million visitors for the January 20th inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama. And yet the number of hotel rooms sits at just 80,000, with many already sold out. That's why Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc. ha...

Some home sellers in the boom years were tempted to market their homes "For Sale By Owner" (FSBO) to avoid paying a real estate broker's commission - especially in seller's markets where homes attracted multiple buyers.  While the impulse to save money is certainly understandable, selling without...

With everything that is going on in our economy, there are a lot of people who are in financial trouble and who may be having trouble with their mortgage payments.  In addition to residential real estate sales, I also started to offer help to homeowners who may be facing foreclosure or are upside...