I was in Lowes in Gainesville, VA the other day and noticed that the Fall Mums have arrived.  I just love the fall colors that are brought out with Mums.  White, maroon, orange and yellow.  Any color or any combination of them makes your home all the more attractive as we head into Fall. It doesn't take much to give your home a facelift.  Why not start with Mums.  They are a hearty Fall flower and abundantly available. 08/31/2010

Last summer, I sold a really great home in Gainesville's community of Virginia Oaks to some first time buyers.  It was a colonial with a great floor plan and a fantastic back yard.  Even had an inground pool.  Problem was, the beauty of this home was not readily apparent.  There were mature trees and shrubs covering the home from view as we approached.  Driving by this Virginia Oaks home one year later you can actually SEE the house.  To begin, the shrubs on either side of the garage were taken out entirely.  Second, the lower limbs on the large tree on the right were removed.  Some smaller flowers were planted to accent the right side of the garage.  And I personally think having the American Flag hanging on the side of the garage gives just enough splash of color.  If you want the mos... 08/31/2010

I got home from a rough day of work to read Gary Woltal's blog post about Murphy's Law.  What an appropriate post for me to read today.  Everything that could go wrong was going wrong today. The one that took the cake was a Property Management power play.  My tenant-clients had just been accepted on their listing two days ago...after waiting ten days for a response.  And in my dealings with this company, they have shown me what customer service should NEVER be. The Property Manager called me in a fury during my all day Broker Law class yesterday demanding to know when they would have a signed lease.  Interesting attitude since they had just accepted the tenants the day before and took a week and a half to get to that point.  I encouraged them to coordinate with my tenants as I was unava... 08/20/2010

Gainesville Virginia - Homes For Sale - Foreclosures and Short Sales – August 2010 Currently there are 201 Single Family Homes listed for sale in the Gainesville VA MLS in August 2010. 5 Foreclosures (2.5% of current homes) 57 Short Sales aka Preforeclosure (28.4% of current homes) 67 Resales (33.3% of current homes) 72 New Homes To Be Built (35.8% of current homes) Based on current average homes sold in Gainesville VA per month we currently have 5.87 month home supply. This is a 0.51 month home supply increase from July 2010 With the right agent you can get a great deal on the current available Foreclosures and Short Sales. Linda Coffey, Realtor®Long & Foster Realtors 7526 Limestone DriveGainesville, VA 20155 Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia (703) 973-2676 LCoffey@LNF.com Has t... 08/19/2010

Gainesville, Virginia - Homes for Sale - Current Market Conditions - August 2010 Real Estate Price Trends The average sold price for a single family home as of August 2010 for Gainesville is $423,733 (Down $4,127 from July). Home Sales and Demand Trends The average time for a property in Gainesville to go under contract as of August 2010 has been on the market for about 34 days. The average time for a property in Gainesville sold in the last 30 days as of August 2010 has been on the market for about 42 days. Price Per Square Foot The median price per square foot for homes in Gainesville as of August 2010 is about $137 (Down $2 from July). Homes for Sale There are about 197 properties on the market in Gainesville as of August 2010. Linda Coffey, Realtor®Long & Foster Realtors 7526 Limest... 08/09/2010

The Prince William County Fair on Rt 234 in Manassas is the largest county fair in Virginia. There are exhibits, competitions, amusement rides for kids and adults, carnival games of chance, food, displays and entertainment to satisfy just about every interest. My husband and I have been attending the Prince William County Fair for years and plan to this year as well.Activities and events vary every day of the fair. It will help you considerably to review The Daily Prince William County Fair Schedule. I hope I have the opportunity to renew a friendship I made last year. There will be musical entertainment at various venues throughout the fairgrounds. As a farmer's daughter I really enjoyed listening to country music in front of the milking station in the dairy barn. I hope they are back... 08/07/2010

It's time to start a tradition.  The First Annual Band of Parents Golf Invitational will be held September 20th at the Kastle Greens Golf Club in Midland, VA.  Cost to participate is $150 and includes golf, cart and food.  Here's the important part, all proceeds will be donated to Band of Parents, a charity founded to help fund Pediatric Neuroblastoma Cancer Research. There are also sponsorship opportunities available ranging from $100 to $5,000 if your business would like to participate in a good day of fun and a great cause. To inquire about sponsorships, or to register to attend, please contact Amber Yost at 703-594-2031 or by email at amber@zachgyost.com.   08/06/2010

This has been my second time around as  Realtor.  The first time around was during the Carter administration.  Home loans were up to 18% and 19%.  To hear buyers in the market now complaining when an interest rate goes above 5% makes me want to grab the closest heavy object and knock them upside the head. There will likely never be a better time to buy than right now.  So what if home prices have increased a bit in Western Prince William County.  Interest rates are ridiculously low, making your buying power much larger. Get out there and take advantage of this market and it's interest rates while you can. 07/27/2010

Health Club/Gym In Gainesville, VA:  Snap Fitness of Gainesville, Virginia  Owned by Derreck Benoit,  it's doors opened in 2009.  Benoit, a transplant from New Orleans, came here with his wife in 2008 when she was transferred here for a job promotion.  Always the entrepreneur Derreck, who has been a fitness enthusiast for years, decided to purchase a Snap Fitness franchise Get the Most From Your MembershipNo comparable club in your neighborhood gives you more value. Here are a few of the ways we help you enjoy a better experience and get better results: No contracts, no hassles - pay as you goOpen 24/7 - work out when you want, nearbyAffordable rates - gym memberships starting at about $1 a dayThe best equipment - without the long waiting linesBonus online training, nutrition and wellne... 07/26/2010

When you're an animal lover like me, it's hard to see your home from a non-animal lover's perspective.  In our household, we have one large dog and three cats.  Trying to imgaine selling my home and appealing to all buyers makes my head hurt.  Where do you start to de-animal your house? For pet owners with cats, it begins with scooping litter boxes at least once a day.  If possible, whenever they use them.  For owners of any shedding animal, vacuum daily.  That includes furniture where the cats or dog may take naps. When Buyers are coming for a viewing, crating the cats is a great idea.  Cats have a tendency to wander into closets and may end up locked up.  Dogs, on the other hand, should be removed from the home.  Take them for a walk.  They can be very intimidating to Buyers.  Unlike ... 07/26/2010

How closely is Bank of America paying attention to their Short Sales?  For that matter, how closely are Northern Virginia Short Sale Listing Agents paying attention to their Short Sale Listings?   Not close enough.  That's the answer. Take a Short Sale scenario that I have been dealing with from the Buyer's perspective.  We submitted an offer on a $245K short sale of $234K asking for all closing costs paid.  Bank of America, the first trust holder, countered at $245K and said they would continue to pay closing costs.  My buyers held steady at $234K.  BOA came back one last time with $245K and HALF the closing costs.  My buyers pulled their offer because they had maxed out their price ranged at $234K. The release of contract, signed by my Buyers, was received by the Listing Agent's assis... 07/26/2010

Looks like we are fairly fortunate.  Western Prince William County had one heck of a thunderstorm earlier and things seemed to have cooled off.  i suspect there will be more high 90 degree days ahead.  Just remember to take it easy in the heat.  Here are some things that are not worth the effort, or risk of heat stroke, when it's hot. Mowing the lawn. Washing the car. Planting flowers. Weeding the garden. Painting your trim or front door. Washing your deck. Taking a walk. Going for a run. Stay inside.  Stay cool.  None of the items listed above are worth risking heat exhaustion or heat stroke. 07/25/2010

Earlier this week, I wrote a post about a Buyer who had contacted me through Active Rain.  She wanted to interview me as a potential Buyer's Agent.  That meeting finally happened at 10am Friday.  I had another Internet lead lined up at 2pm--renters.  Plenty of time in between this first meet and greets to grab lunch, check my email, call some Short Sale banks, etc.  Ten o'clock came and there was my set of Buyers.  We headed to a conference room and began to talk about what they were looking for, how they found me, what they wanted in a Realtor® and so on.  Little did I know how specific and detailed these buyers would be in their questions.  They started out general, like how long I'd been in real estate, in Prince William County, VA and so forth.  Then got specific.  How many homes di... 07/24/2010

The current Northern Virginia Real Estate Market takes some special navigation.  Filled with Short Sales and Foreclosures, Buyers are thirsting for knowledge on how this types of sales will work. If they are right for them.  What is amazing to me is that the majority of Buyers simply "fall into" their Buyer's Agents.  Of course, there are lucky Buyers that are referred to agents that have been successful in helping a friend or family member.  Some hire the first agent they run in to, or see advertised.  Not nearly enough Buyers go to the same trouble as Sellers do and interview their potential agent. Thursday, I will be meeting with some saavy Northern Virginia Buyers that did what I wish more Buyers would do.  They will be interviewing me, and some other Buyers Agents, to find the best... 07/20/2010

Last month, I wrote a post called The Unofficial Skate Park of Bristow-Gainesville.  Evidently, the still pictures of the place were not enough for my thrill seeking readers, like Karen Anne Stone of Fort Worth, TX.  Karen Anne requested that I share a video of myself skating.  At that time, I had no dedicated video device, and no idea if there was even video editing software on my computer.  So earlier this month, I bought a Sony bloggie.  It's a cute little video camera.  And with Karen Anne's simple request, I have learned the basics of video editing using Pinnacle Studio. Thanks for getting me out of my comfort zone Karen Anne. Now I can take my bloggie out into the world of real estate and do some neighborhood tours and such.  Until then, enjoy my very first attempt at video.    07/19/2010

Earlier this year, I tried a new vet for my dog and three cats.  I wanted a vet that didn't scare my dog (Buster, a Boxer).  That was priority number one because the vet we had been seeing in Gainesville seemed to have made a very bad impression on our big guy. I also wanted a vet that made house calls.  In a mutiple animal household, it can be a real pain in the butt to haul one animal after the other to the vet for their annual visits, or to take mutiple animals into a vet's office on the same day. A friend and fellow Boxer owner told me about Around Town Mobile Veterinary Clinic and Dr. Michele Price that runs it.  She had used Dr. Price's Around Town Mobile Veterniary Clinic before and loved the service and the vet.  I have to say, after having her come to visit my four animals, I a... 07/18/2010

Gainesville Virginia - Homes For Sale - Foreclosures and Short Sales – July 2010 The rise in foreclosures and short sales has even touched the homes for sale in the Gainesville VA market. Since September 2008, monthly foreclosure filings decreased by 10 percent across Virginia. Overall, in September 2009, Virginia ranked 17th in foreclosure rate amongst the 50 states, according to RealtyTrac. According to the Virginia Association of Realtors, in the 3rd Quarter of 2009 median sales prices were down by 1.3% over the same period in 2008 while they increased 2.2% over the previous quarter (2nd Quarter 2009). Currently there are 190 Single Family Homes listed for sale in the Gainesville VA MLS in July 2010. 4 Foreclosures (2.1% of current homes) 50 Short Sales aka Preforeclosure (26.3% of c... 07/16/2010

Gainesville, Virginia - Homes for Sale - Current Market Conditions - July 2010 Real Estate Price Trends The average sold price for a single family home as of July 2010 for Gainesville is $427,860 (Down $7,319 from June). Home Sales and Demand Trends The average time for a property in Gainesville to go under contract as of July 2010 has been on the market for about 34 days. The average time for a property in Gainesville sold in the last 30 days as of July 2010 has been on the market for about 33 days. Price Per Square Foot The median price per square foot for homes in Gainesville as of July 2010 is about $139 (Down $5 from June). Homes for Sale There are about 182 properties on the market in Gainesville as of July 2010. Linda Coffey, Realtor®Long & Foster Realtors 7526 Limestone DriveGai... 07/12/2010

Give me a Northern Virginia Short Sale Listing and I'll get it approved.  That's what I do as a Northern Virginia Short Sale Listing Agent.  Of course, I don't take Short Sale Listings that I think are a waste of my time.  A seller without a financial hardship, or one that commited fraud in their loan application process, are sellers that are likely to get denied in the Short Sale process.  Why waste my time or a Buyer's time on something that is not likely to happen? Meanwhile, every time I have represented a Buyer in attempting to purchase a Northern Virginia Short Sale, the deal has fallen apart.  Why?  Despite the myriad ads you see in local papers and mailers, there is a genuine lack of skill in the Listing Agents of Northern Virginia when it comes to Short Sales.  Some folks just ... 07/08/2010

06/23/2010