northern virginia real estate: I Look Up At The Tree
- 10/17/14 08:12 AM
And what do I see staring back at me?
I didn't know garden gnomes knew how to climb but apparently this one wanted to get a better look at what was going on.
Hope you had a great week and a rocking weekend and your garden gnomes are keeping their feet firmly planted on the ground.
… (8 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: Planning a Move to Northern Virginia?
- 09/26/14 08:18 AM
Planning for a move isn't rocket science. I've moved so many times, including a move this summer, that I've learned a thing or two.
The #1 tip is GET ORGANZIED.
The day you accept a contract on your house is the day you should start going room by room to make three lists, what goes with you, what's trash and what to donate. If you haven't used it in the last few years (unless its a family heirloom) then chances are likely it should go in the trash or donate pile.
Pick one area in your house, preferably … (4 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: I'm Not Hiding Northern Virginia Homes For Sale From You-I Promise
- 03/29/14 03:08 AM
The great thing about the internet is if you are house hunting you can find dozens hundreds of sites with listings. The problem is figuring out which of those sites has accurate information and whether those homes are still for sale.
When inventory is tight, as it has been in Northern Virginia for the last year, buyers start looking anywhere and everywhere for listings. They turn to some of the major third-party syndication sites like Zillow and Trulia hoping to find more houses for sale. The problem is the accuracy of the data. I’ve spent hours researching properties for buyers who … (21 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: Up The Down Staircase In Northern Virginia
- 01/07/14 08:46 AM
As a Northern Virginia Realtor® property photos take up a lot of room on my computer. Fortunately most of them are categorized by property address or neighborhood so finding them again is easy.
Occasionally something about them catches my eye. Today it was staircases.
These are all photos in properties we have listed or sold in the Northern Virginia area. It's fun to look back and remember the great clients we've had the pleasure of helping with their real estate needs.
If a new home is in your plans for 2014 search for your new home CallNovaHome. Our site is updated every … (3 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: Has Stacked Stone Replaced Brick As The Top Selling Fireplace?
- 01/02/14 08:50 AM
Are you looking at new construction and wonder about some of the popular options offered by builders. One trend in the Woodbridge area found in numerous model homes is stone fireplaces. Would you like yours in the family room or perhaps in the bedroom?
When you tour a new home what you may not realize is many of the features you see may be options and have an additional dollar amount attached to them. Stone fireplaces can run $7500 or more over the standard gas fireplace with wood surround. It … (11 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: Can The Seller Tell Me How To Use The Closing Cost Credit?
- 11/14/13 06:45 AM
Perhaps that's a trick question. Let's back up. Your home is listed for sale in the MLS. You have agreed to let your agent advertise you're willingness to offer either a dollar amount or a percentage of the sales price as closing cost credit. But and this is the big but, you specify the only thing the closing cost credit can be used for is to do a specific improvement to the property.
In Virginia our contract states seller subsidy can be used by the purchaser against loan charges and pre-paid items and other charges as agreed upon by the lender. The … (9 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: Dear Sellers Here's The Reason I Took Photos At Your Home Today
- 11/07/13 06:38 AM
It's really quite simple. Either you home didn't have any photos in the MLS or the photos were so dark and blurry so we couldn't tell what your home looked like.
It may seem like a little thing but photos help draw buyers in. Most buyers are spending hours on-line looking for properties long before they make an appointment to visit a house in person. One photo of the outside of your home isn't going to be enough to lure them inside.
They know the description of the home doesn't always match what the photos tell. In order to make the … (14 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: What You Get For The Money In Northern Virginia
- 11/04/13 07:54 AM
There are plenty of HGTV, BRAVO and A&E network TV shows that talk about “what you get for the money” in certain areas of the country. If you are a prospective buyer relocating to Northern Virginia or already living here and considering a home purchase the same question applies only on a much more micro level. In the case of Northern Virginia the question may be is the neighborhood you are considering inside the beltway or south of the Springfield Interchange?.
Just to give you a general idea of what I mean take a look at this chart. It shows the … (2 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: Beat The Competition To Your New Northern Virginia Home
- 11/03/13 06:02 AM
One of the big complaints buyers have when they are searching the internet for homes is finding out the property they are looking at is already gone. The larger national real estate sites could still show a home as active when it has been under contract for weeks and sometimes even worse sold months ago. Even many local franchise sites show under contract properties and most update only once a day or once an hour.
Hearing the complaint CJ Realty Group responded with www.CallNovaHome.com a site updated every 15 minutes with status and price changes. Once you create a search the link you … (2 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: Looking At Homes To Buy? Don't Get Hung Up On The Current Owners Furnishings
- 10/31/13 08:54 AM
To many times when we are touring a home buyers get hung up on looking at the furniture. Guess what? The same room can look completely different with your furniture than the current owners.
Here is an example of the same condo I've sold two times. The original owners had more modern and sleek furniture. The second owners had beautiful antiques. The only change to the home was to switch out the the dining room light fixture Yet it looks very different.
As a buyer you should be concentrating on the fundamentals. Does the floor plan work for you? What's … (51 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: I Don't Need To Know About Financing That's What Our In-House Lender Is For
- 10/17/13 09:28 AM
The offer arrived with a higher than "normal" request for seller closing cost assistance. In attempt to see if we could make the offer work I asked the agent if they had talked about other financing options with their client.
"No I don't need to know about financing that's what our in-house lender is for" was the response. Did you check with any other lenders to see if this was the best deal for your client? "No the in-house lender can talk to them about other options."
I'm not an expert on all of the lending rules or programs available but … (6 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: Montclair In Prince William County Features A Private Beach For Residents
- 10/09/13 09:59 AM
Are you headed to Quantico MCB with PCS orders? Are you coming to the FBI Academy located at Quantico? With the expansion of Quantico MCB there are a lot of new organizations now calling Quantico MCB home. If you are one of the active duty military or civilians headed to the area then you should check out the Montclair neighborhood as a place to call home.
Money Magazine recently named Montclair #35 on it's Top Ten List of Best Places to live in the US. There are plenty of reasons why Montclair would make the list. You can start with the … (4 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: Do You Make Up Your Own Interpretation Of A Real Estate Sales Contract?
- 09/23/13 10:39 AM
It doesn't matter how many contract classes I attend there is always something that comes up that leaves you scratching your head.
Our Virginia Real Estate contract states specifically that the "seller will have all utilites in service through settlement." However for some reasons many agents interpret this to say through the day of settlement stating the buyer doesn't need to have them turned on until the next day. Surprise your buyer could find themselves sitting in the dark the first night in their home.
Most utility companies do a switch over between 9-5 Monday through Friday. It is very easy for … (20 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: Crosspointe A Fairfax Station Neighborhood For All Seasons
- 09/20/13 10:49 AM
No matter what season you look at the Crosspointe neighborhood in Fairfax Station you can't help but notice the well kept landscaping, large lots and mature trees. An encouraging sign that the owners in Crosspointe care about their homes. The streets are wide and no two homes sitting side by side look alike. Driving through the neighborhood you will find Victorians with wide front porches, Tudors and stately Georgian Colonials.
Residents of Crosspointe enjoy the proximity to major parks and recreation activities including Burke Lake Park and the new Laurel Hill Golf Club. The neighborhood itself features two community pools, … (7 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: The Sky Is Falling- Really Chicken Little Says Who?
- 09/20/13 05:35 AM
It's amazing as soon as the days start to get a little shorter and the market begins to get a little quieter that someone decides to say "the sky is falling" on the Northern Virginia housing market.
The numbers tell the story. The number of active listings in September 2012 is almost identical to the same time last year.
Overall the average sales price is up 3.79% over this time last year and distressed property inventory is down almost 40%.
On Monday CJ Realty Group listed a home in the Barrington neighborhood at $675,000 and in less than 2 days we … (6 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: Staging Your Home To Sell? Don't Forget To Check The Comps As Well
- 09/04/13 12:13 PM
Yesterday with 30 minutes to unwind I happened to turn on HGTV just as the show "Get It Sold" came on the air. Having stayed out of the debate on whether home staging makes the difference between a sale or not, I decided to pay close attention to the episode to see if it would change my mind.
If you haven't caught the show before the premise is to take a home that has been on the market for awhile, have a stager come in to declutter and rearrange and have a Realtor® come in and provide pricing advice. Okay note the … (6 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: When You Clients Give You The Warm Fuzzies Without Even Asking
- 09/03/13 12:11 PM
Today an email popped into my in-box saying I had a new review on Zillow. I've tried to be better about asking for reviews but admit it doesn't happen as frequently as it should.
So this 5 Star review was a nice suprise.
"I chose Cindy to help me sell my Townhouse in Springfield. At one point in time, Cindy lived next to me, and I was aware that she would be a fantastic agent as I wanted to work with an agent that I knew.
Cindy was the perfect agent. She put together a great video of the house I was selling … (12 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: Summer Time And The Market for Northern Virginia Homes
- 08/18/13 10:48 PM
Is rising like the temperatures.
It's almost a given that when the weather starts to heat up so does the Northern Virginia real estate market.
According to the MLS sales are up 15% from a year ago in Northern Virginia and pending sales were up 12% from this time last year, the highest pending total since June 2005. Inventory at the end of June was still 10.7% lower than the same time last year and a whopping 72% lower than it's June 2006 peak.
The lower inventory in late spring pushed the median sold price to $433,000 in June … (3 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: When You Are Buying A Home In Northern Virginia
- 08/16/13 11:27 AM
Looking at homes on-line is the easy part.
Are you thinking about buying a home in Northern Virginia? Have you been spending days, weeks maybe even months looking at homes on-line? Are you wondering what you should do next?
I'm glad you gave me a call so we can talk in more detail about the home buying process. In Virginia you are now required to have a buyer agency agreement in place once you start having substantive discussions about buying a home. One of the first things we are going to do is go over the Virginia Agency agreement and discuss … (6 comments)
|
northern virginia real estate: Liberty Manor New Homes Immediate Delivery in Woodbridge VA
- 05/14/13 11:11 AM
Liberty Manor is a new development being built at the corner of Spriggs and Minneville Roads in Woodbridge VA. The community offers 59 home-sites and 5 detached homes models ranging in size from 2650 to 3008 SF (not including finished basements.)
The builder DR Horton is currently offering up to $10,000 in closing cost with the use of their lender or USAA Mortgage for purchasers of homes in Liberty Manor. In addition the home town heros program offers active or retired military, police, fire personnel, healthcare professionals and teachers and additional $1000.
Standard features for homes in Liberty Manor include nine foot … (2 comments)
|
And what do I see staring back at me?
;)
;)
;)
