selling your home: For Sale By Owner Mistakes - Your Home Won’t Sell If It Can’t Be Shown - 04/07/19 09:02 AM
For Sale By Owner Mistakes - Your Home Won’t Sell If It Can’t Be Shown
Yesterday clients of mine who are targeting a specific neighborhood with very low turnover and no inventory contacted me and asked if I’d be willing to reach out to a home that’s a for sale by owner. We’ve driven past the home before, checked it out online but, they have passed on it for weeks because it’s overpriced and a FSBO. Average days on the market in this neighborhood are 3 and it’s been on for 90+ days.


I never mind reaching out to a FSBO. They’re not … (24 comments)

selling your home: 5 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring A Real Estate Agent To Sell Your Home - 03/23/19 10:15 AM
5 Questions You Should Ask Before Hiring A Real Estate Agent To Sell Your Home
Selling your home might look and sound easy on the surface but, behind the scenes, it’s complicated with a lot of details and hurdles to work out. Far too often I hear of someone who hired an agent only to be completely unsatisfied, let down, or downright angry with how the sale turned out for varying reasons.

Selecting the right agent to sell your home is a very important decision. Many people work with the first agent they come across and that’s recipe for disaster. When you’re talking … (23 comments)

selling your home: How To Make Your Home More Appealing To Buyers - 02/12/19 07:12 PM
How To Make Your Home More Appealing To Buyers
It’s the time of year that I’m frequently meeting with homeowners who are considering selling this spring. Each meeting varies with questions that come up with the exception of one and that’s always what can I do to make my home more appealing to buyers? Every seller understandably wants to know how to make their home standout and make buyers want to make an offer.
 
 
There’s nothing I love more than when a seller takes the time to follow my advice doing the items that really make their home shine. Inventory is low in … (58 comments)

selling your home: 5 Signs It May Be Time To Move From Your Current Home - 01/04/19 01:59 PM

 
5 Signs It May Be Time To Move From Your Current Home
Recent studies show that homeowners average about 9 years in their homes. There are varying reasons a homeowner decides it’s time to sell. Do you know the signs it may be time to move from your current home? It’s a very personal decision to sell your home and one that requires a lot of thought and consideration before making your final decision.
 
Keep reading for tips on whether it’s the right time for you to make a move.
 
1. Your Home No Longer Fits Your Lifestyle
Over time life has a … (27 comments)

selling your home: Home Seller Tip: Don't Decline Showings - 04/06/18 05:40 AM
Home Seller Tip: Don't Decline Showings
When your house goes on the market it’s a time to tap into every ounce of flexibility you have. As a seller declining showings is a sure way to extend the time your home is on the market, impact your bottom line, and cause yourself more work in the long run. A house that can’t be shown isn’t likely to be sold. It’s currently a seller’s market in the Alexandria area but, that doesn’t mean the necessity to allow showings on your home is erased.
 
 
The thought process that a buyer will just reschedule for another time … (24 comments)

selling your home: Take It or Toss It? A Guide To Planning For A Move - 02/16/18 01:24 PM
Take It or Toss It? A Guide To Planning For A Move
We recently wrote a post about working on getting your home ready for sale on the interior while it’s still cold out. Tackling overflowing closets by getting rid of items you no longer use was one of our main points. It got me thinking that while de-cluttering sounds easy to many of us (and for some it is) for others it poses the question of what to take and what to toss?
 
 
Clothing – start by asking yourself when the last time was that you wore it. If the answer is more than … (24 comments)

selling your home: How To Start Preparing Your Home For Sale During The Winter - 01/25/18 05:13 AM
How To Start Preparing Your Home For Sale During The Winter
Preparing your home for sale takes time and a well thought out plan. It’s not an overnight process and while winter continues to grace us with its presence now is the perfect time to start working on items that need attention inside your home. Even if you aren’t planning on selling this spring, think of taking care of items inside as New Year’s Resolution for your home.
 
 
Where to start?
Closets are a great starting point. Almost all of us have at least one closet that could use organizing. Take everything … (22 comments)

selling your home: 7 Reasons To Hire A Real Estate Agent To Sell Your Home - 09/06/17 11:25 AM
7 Reasons To Hire A Real Estate Agent To Sell Your Home
The expense of hiring an agent to list your home for sale is always a hot topic. For sale by owner home sales remain an extremely low percentage of the total home sales – only 8% in 2016 but, what makes hiring a real estate agent a better idea than listing your home yourself? We’re giving you 7 reasons just to give you a sample of why you shouldn’t go the FSBO route.
 
 
 
Pricing – it is important your home be priced correctly from the start to bring in the right … (39 comments)

selling your home: How To Avoid Killing Your Home Sale - 06/13/17 01:31 PM
How To Avoid Killing Your Home Sale
Congratulations! Your home is under contract! While it may seem like you’ve already run a marathon to get to get to where you are there are still pitfalls to avoid. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel and you don’t want to do anything to make it go dark. Sure, we might be being a little dramatic but, we’ve seen our fair share of home sales blow up over the years. Be cautious of some of the things that can cause your sale to fall apart.
 
Mistake #1: Don’t Make The Effort To Fix … (29 comments)

selling your home: How To Prepare Your Home For Showings - 04/12/17 05:55 AM
How To Prepare Your Home For Showings
Getting a home ready to go on the market is a detailed and tedious process. It takes a lot of time, work, and planning. The preparation doesn't stop after photos have been taken and your home is on the market. When it’s time for showings to start don’t forget there are still a few more details to take care of in order for your home to welcome potential buyers.
 
 
 
Temperature Setting – check your thermostat and make adjustments if needed. We all have preferences on what we consider comfortable. Try to go with middle ground – … (23 comments)

selling your home: For Sale By Owner - Hang On It’s Going To Be A Bumpy Ride - 03/07/17 12:12 PM
For Sale By Owner - Hang On It’s Going To Be A Bumpy Ride
Selling your home without hiring a Realtor® is not something I’d ever recommend – even before I became an agent I would never attempt to buy or sell a home on my own. There are far too many details that go into selling a home and while you might be able to get to closing I can guarantee you an agent who is a local expert with a successful track record will do a better job and get a higher sale price, better terms, or a combination of … (44 comments)

selling your home: Signs That Your Home Is Priced Too High - 02/27/17 01:28 PM
Signs That Your Home Is Priced Too High
If you’re selling your home it’s imperative to understand that pricing it correctly from the beginning is a critical step to get it sold – not only for the highest price possible but, also in the shortest time possible. The most common reason a home doesn’t sell is because it’s overpriced.
 
 
 
Overpricing a home is ultimately going to result in less money in your pocket. An overpriced home will sit on the market and become stale inventory that buyers will simply just pass over. If you make the mistake of overpricing your home it’s important … (26 comments)

selling your home: Is Winter A Good Time To Sell My Home? - 12/18/16 08:21 AM
Is Winter A Good Time To Sell My Home?
We have been receiving this question from past clients and potential sellers frequently. We receive it every year around this time but, it seems to be more pronounced this year. With the election finally over and a shift in interest rates those considering selling have an uncertainty on the current conditions of the Northern Virginia real estate market.
 
We can tell you that we are moving homes very quickly right now. We are also working with a lot of buyers actively seeking their next home. They have a sense of urgency because they want … (15 comments)

selling your home: What A Seller Paid For A Home Is Not A Negotiation Tool - 05/25/16 11:19 PM
What A Seller Paid For A Home Is Not A Negotiation Tool
During recent negotiations I was really taken back that an agent was using what her sellers paid for the home as a negotiation strategy. It’s not uncommon for a seller to want to base their sale price around what they paid for the home or for a buyer to want to make a low offer because they see that the sellers bought years and years ago and likely have substantial equity but, as a real estate professional we know (or should know) neither scenario is a tool for negotiation.
 
Real … (41 comments)

selling your home: Be the Best on the Block with Your Curb Appeal - 05/25/16 01:20 AM
Denver Real Estate Broker Joan Cox shares a wonderful post on curb appeal and making your home standout to potential buyers. You only get one chance to make a first impression and for your home that means making the exterior shine. As Joan points out, it doesn't have to be a costly project, it's the small details that make a big impact. 
 
Please be sure to visit her post and leave her a comment. Thank you for such a great blog Joan! 
Be the Best on the Block with Your Curb Appeal
 
Buyers are looking on-line for homes for sale, and the curb appeal … (6 comments)

selling your home: Selling Your Home Takes Teamwork - 02/17/16 11:37 PM
Selling Your Home Takes Teamwork
I recently had a call from a potential seller that found me online. He wasn’t sure where but, said he had googled something and my name popped up. We had a nice conversation and setup the listing appointment. 
As I was preparing for the appointment and researching comp data when I noticed his home had been on and off the market with 4 different agents over the course of 2 years. Not a good sign but, I had committed to the appointment and wouldn’t cancel because of that.
I arrived for the appointment and he showed me around his … (33 comments)

selling your home: 6 Reasons to List Your House During the Holidays - 12/16/15 10:35 PM
Beth Atalay the go to Realtor® in Clermont FL shares excellent reasons why selling your home during the holidays is not a bad idea. It’s a misconception that Real Estate stops during the winter months and that’s just not the case. There are many benefits to selling during the holidays. Check out her post below!
Please leave comments on Beth's post.
6 Reasons to List Your House During the HolidaysSome say listing a house for sale is not a good idea because most home buyers are busy with holiday activities and not looking at homes..Really? Who made that up?Keep in mind that … (16 comments)

selling your home: What Is A Realistic Response Time For A Showing? - 02/23/15 10:01 PM
What Is A Realistic Response Time For A Showing?
I am the showing contact on one of my listings because my sellers have jobs where they can’t take their phones inside their offices. They work on secure sites and simply aren’t allowed. I’m the contact and if it’s during work hours I let anyone know that calls to go ahead and show but, if it’s for an evening showing I need to email them and call the agent back.
Cue the agent that demands an immediate response –
She called at 4:30pm and wanted a 5:30pm showing I explained that I … (32 comments)

selling your home: Leaving The Heat On In Vacant Listings - 11/18/14 11:10 PM
Leaving The Heat On In Vacant Listings
Yesterday our high was 28 and with the wind chill it was 18. I was out touring with one of my investors and 3 of the 4 houses we went to see were vacant. Of those 3 only one had the heat on. It wasn’t set high, only at 65 but, it made a big difference. In one home the electric was off all together but, in the other it was still on. The heat just wasn’t turned on and it made me wonder if the seller had forgotten to stop by and cut … (26 comments)

selling your home: Taking An Overpriced Listing – I’ll Pass - 11/05/14 11:49 PM
Taking An Overpriced Listing – I’ll Pass
I met with a potential seller in February and after touring through his home we sat down to discuss comps, my marketing plan, commission etc. All was going well until we came to the comps. As with all my listings I had a folder to leave with him that contained the same comps we were reviewing together. After looking at his copy he started justifying why a $30,000 higher list price than any recent sold comp was reasonable.
I listened to his reasoning for a higher price and explained why it’s all about what the market is … (18 comments)

 
Amanda S. Davidson, Alexandria Virginia Homes For Sale (Amanda Davidson Real Estate Group Brokered By Real)

Amanda S. Davidson

Alexandria Virginia Homes For Sale

Alexandria, VA

More about me…

Amanda Davidson Real Estate Group Brokered By Real

Address: 20130 Lakeview Center Plaza #400, Ashburn, Virginia, 20147

Mobile: (703) 431-3755



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