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Roanoke, VA Real Estate News

By Walter Grewe III, Realtor, SFR, A-REO, Roanoke Homes and Real Estate
(Long and Foster Realtors)
  Want to know what zip codes in the Roanoke Va. area are experiencing an uptick in sales price? Check out the chart below for the biggest increases and decreases year over year in the Roanoke Valley Association of Realotrs MLS. This information does not represent all market activity.
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By Walter Grewe III, Realtor, SFR, A-REO, Roanoke Homes and Real Estate
(Long and Foster Realtors)
Roanoke Region Puts Brakes on Traffic! Sitting in traffic? Here's something to think about. While you're stuck behind the wheel, just imagine everything you could do with the time you save by living and working in the Roanoke, Virginia Region.  According to estimates from the 2006-08 American Community Survey, the average commute in the region is below the national mean with a one-way travel time of 21.5 minutes (though many of us enjoy drives far shorter than that). That compares to 24.4 minutes among U.S. metropolitan statistical areas.  Let's say you could save 10 minutes a day each way in the Roanoke Region for five days, 50 weeks a year. That's 83 hours - or two weeks of work-day hours spent commuting.   It's like having an extra vacation every year. Add to that a low cost of livin...
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By Walter Grewe III, Realtor, SFR, A-REO, Roanoke Homes and Real Estate
(Long and Foster Realtors)
Walter Grewe III EARNS A-REO DESIGNATION   Roanoke, Virginia - - Walter Grewe III, a sales associate with Long & Foster® Real Estate, Inc.'s Roanoke North office, has earned the prestigious AREO (Accredited REO Agent ) designation of advanced real estate education.   A four year real estate professional, Grewe is an active member of the Roanoke Valley Board of REALTORS®. In addition, he also holds the SFR (Short Sale & Foreclosure Resource) designation of advanced real estate education.   For more information regarding buying and selling services in the area contact Walter Grewe III at Long & Foster's Roanoke North office 540 966 5700, located at 1638 Roanoke Rd. Daleville, VA. 24083or visit www.longandfoster.com.    
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By Jeff Wu
(@Home Real Estate)
TYSONS CORNER The Dulles Metrorail and Interstate 495 HOT Lanes projects are moving full steam ahead, and the traveling public in Virginia will reap the rewards of these significant transportation additions by 2013. Hot Lanes are a system that will provide new travel choices for a faster and more reliable trip. Work on five new Metrorail stations is underway, with four in Tysons Corner and one in Reston.  Trains are expected to begin servicing these stations in late 2013. Both of these projects will increase transportation options in Northern Virginia. In the mean time, there are numerous delays. To ease these impacts, Virginia Megaprojects created a traffic management plan (TMP) to offer alternatives to lane closures and detours. This plan includes three new bus services: Tysons Connec...
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By Damon Gettier, Broker/Owner ABRM, GRI, CDPE
(Damon Gettier & Associates, REALTORS- Roanoke Va Short Sale Expert)
Raleigh Court Area of Roanoke VA Homes for Sale.It seems that the Raleigh Court Area of Roanoke Va had some great activity over the past week!  There were quite a few homes that went under contract this past weekend.  Hopefully this is showing a continued trend for Raleigh Court and Roanoke VA towards a more traditional market.  I am guessing that the the incredibly low interest rates have a lot to do with the activity.I will keep you posted over the next couple weeks!Happy House Hunting!
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By Damon Gettier, Broker/Owner ABRM, GRI, CDPE
(Damon Gettier & Associates, REALTORS- Roanoke Va Short Sale Expert)
Great Investment Advice Available in Grandin Court area of Raleigh Court, Roanoke VA.....Carl Cress with Edward Jones. My first disclosure is that Carl Cress with Edward Jones is a friend of mine.  Not only is Carl a friend, but he is a friend that I trust handling the investments of my friends, family and clients.  Carl's Edward Jones office is located conveniently located in the Grandin Court area of Raleigh Court in Roanoke VA.  The office is located directly over Surf and Turf on Grandin Road, across from the Grandin Theater.  Carl is a resident of Raleigh Court and has been a Financial Planner with Edward Jones for approximately eight years.  Carl and Edward Jones, specialize in 401K Roll Overs, IRA's (Including Roth IRA's) Estate Planning, Annuities, and more.  If you want a trust...
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By Bruce Hill, Real Estate Team Leader | Real Estate Coach
(The Bruce Hill Group | Bruce Hill Coaching)
  Have you ever wanted food from a specific restaurant and the knowledge that your town didn't have it made you crave it even more?  Last night I was in my home in Roanoke Virginia finishing up some work when my wife asked the dreaded question: "What do you want to eat?" "I thought you had that figured out", I stated.  I jokingly threw out the idea of Chili's, knowing that we didn't have a Chili's in Roanoke. I quickly realized that this was big mistake, because from that moment on all either of us could think of was eating at Chili's.  Why do I do this to myself? Now, Roanoke isn't a huge town, but its not small either.  I have been in and lived in many, much smaller towns that, have easily supported a Tex-Mex restaurant along with their others.  It only makes sense to me that we get ...
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By Cathy Dick, Final Touch Designs, Inc. in Roanoke VA
(Final Touch Designs, Inc.)
When potential buyers are shopping for a home, they are searching for something that "feels right" within each room they enter.  We know that every buyer is different in the type of house they are searching for, but one thing remains the same, everyone hopes to become engaged in a positive, enjoyable experience when they shop for a house.  They want to experience a "home" where they can live peacefully, comfortably, and enjoyably. When helping clients to prepare a house to sell, the focus is usually on eliminating clutter, neutralizing the wall colors, lightening up the rooms, and creating curb appeal.  Real estate agents hope that in doing at least that much, the house will show as well as the competition.  With some creative marketing strategies, it should sell quickly and for the rig...
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By Damon Gettier, Broker/Owner ABRM, GRI, CDPE
(Damon Gettier & Associates, REALTORS- Roanoke Va Short Sale Expert)
Unfortunately there is a lot of misinformation in Roanoke VA amongst Real Estate Agents about Short Sales and how a Short Sale is done.  There are a couple of key points to keep in mind.  Just because someone tells you that a short sale cannot be done.....ask them if they are educated on how the Short Sale Process works.  Ask them if they have taken the Short Sale Superstars course?  Ask them if they are a CDPE?  Ask them if they are a SFR?  If you don't get a yes to one, two or all three of those questions, ask them to refer you to an agent who is.  There are only a handful of agents in the Roanoke Valley who are trained in the Short Sale Process.  I have heard countless agents counsel Buyers AGAINST buying a short sale.  Usually this is from a standpoint of the agent not knowing how a...
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By Cathy Dick, Final Touch Designs, Inc. in Roanoke VA
(Final Touch Designs, Inc.)
Did you ever have that client who has saved almost every item they ever purchased?  We all have experienced this in some form or another.  I had a client whose parents passed away, so they became responsible for getting the house in shape to get on the market to sell quickly.  As you can probably guess, the parents lived in the same home for over 50 years!  Aside from going through each and every item in the home and having members of the family taking what they want, they came across a lot of chemical products in the garage and had no idea how to go about getting rid of them.  They did talk with a guy who said he'd come in for a price and "clean the whole thing out".  But when I approached my client with some questions about HOW this guy would clean things out, she didn't have any answ...
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By Walter Grewe III, Realtor, SFR, A-REO, Roanoke Homes and Real Estate
(Long and Foster Realtors)
Great news for Roanoke, Va. homebuyers, move up buyers or people wanting to refinance. Home-mortgage rates were little changed last week, holding steady for the most part at or near recent lows, including a record for the 15-year fixed-rate loan, Freddie Mac said. The 30-year fixed-rate mortgage average rose slightly to 4.79% for the week ended Thursday, according to Freddie's weekly survey. In the prior week, the average rate was 4.78%, the lowest since December. The year-ago average for the 30-year home loan stood at 5.29%. "The economy grew at a slower rate than originally reported in the first three months of the year ... which suggests inflation will remain tame in the near term," said Freddie Mac chief economist Frank Nothaft, referring to revised data on U.S. gross domestic produ...
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By Walter Grewe III, Realtor, SFR, A-REO, Roanoke Homes and Real Estate
(Long and Foster Realtors)
Caution for SW Virginia, New River Valley and the Roanoke Va. region. Reposted from the Roanoke Times       Lyme disease in Virginia is spreading west and south after having mostly been concentrated in the northern part of the state. "This is a very important and emerging infection in Virginia," said Dr. Keri Hall, director of epidemiology at the Virginia Department of Health, during a news conference Thursday.       Montgomery, Floyd, Pulaski and Franklin counties have all seen an increase in Lyme disease cases reported to the state. While physicians and laboratories are required to report confirmed cases of Lyme disease, Hall cautioned that it is highly likely that the state doesn't know about all instances of the tick-borne disease. In Montgomery County, the number of reported cases ...
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By Damon Gettier, Broker/Owner ABRM, GRI, CDPE
(Damon Gettier & Associates, REALTORS- Roanoke Va Short Sale Expert)
Another Roanoke Virginia Foreclosure Stopped! As an update to the earlier blog here about MRF foreclosing on a Roanoke Virginia Homeowner.  After the Roanoke resident met with my attorney and me, my attorney took the matter in hand and has STOPPED the Foreclosure process for this homeowner and his family!  Now we demand that MRF meet the obligations of the loan they purchased.  Roanoke Virginia Residents who are facing Foreclosure need to be proactive and call us.  We can and do help.  We are meeting with clients every week helping them avoid foreclosure.  Sometimes the answer is a Short Sale, sometimes it is a Deed In Lieu of Foreclosure, sometimes a loan modification and sometimes it is having my attorney talk to the lender and "set them straight"!  It costs you NOTHING to talk to us ...
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By Walter Grewe III, Realtor, SFR, A-REO, Roanoke Homes and Real Estate
(Long and Foster Realtors)
Roanoke, Virginia Area Cited As Perfect Place to Retire The Roanoke, Virginia area is featured in the March/April 2010 issue of Where to Retire.    The magazine cites the low-key lifestyle, energetic downtown, and outdoor recreation as reasons active retirees find the Roanoke area the right fit when looking for a retirement destination.   The article covers Smith Mountain Lake, Salem, and downtown Roanoke as appealing places to live.  Roanoke's strong cultural assets such as the Taubman Museum, Jefferson Center, Center in the Square, Art by Night, Opera Roanoke, and Roanoke Symphony Orchestra are all mentioned in the six-page article.  The magazine cites the Roanoke area's terrific outdoor recreational opportunities on water and dry land in places such as the lake, Blue Ridge Parkway, C...
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By Walter Grewe III, Realtor, SFR, A-REO, Roanoke Homes and Real Estate
(Long and Foster Realtors)
Good news about housing in the Roanoke, Virginia area! Foreclosure activity in the Roanoke, Virginia is down from a year ago and home sales and prices are up. Last month saw foreclosure filings (default notices, scheduled auctions and bank repossessions) on 166 properties in the Roanoke MSA, according to RealtyTrac. That's a 24.5 percent drop from April 2009. By contrast, foreclosure filings rose 12.9 percent statewide over the same period. April also saw a 14.3% rise in the number of homes sold from both March 2010 and April 2009 and a 3.1% jump in the average home price over the year. Last month's average price, $182,471, represents the second month in a row for a home price increase, according to the Roanoke Valley Association of REALTORS. The number of homes sold (328 in April) has ...
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By Damon Gettier, Broker/Owner ABRM, GRI, CDPE
(Damon Gettier & Associates, REALTORS- Roanoke Va Short Sale Expert)
Roanoke Virginia foreclosure continues with no chance for a short sale. I received a phone call from a Roanoke VA resident tonight who is facing imminent foreclosure.  Unfortunately this Roanoke Virginia homeowner who was facing foreclosure failed to open any of the mail from the bank.  Not only did they fail to open the mail from the bank, they failed to contact me or any other real estate agent, or even an attorney who could help them out in this situation.  The foreclosure is scheduled for June 10, 2010 in Roanoke and there really isn't much we can do now. We will be meeting with my attorney tomorrow to go over the bank and foreclosure attorney's mail hoping for a clerical error or something that will give us a chance to stall the foreclosure and get the home sold.  Please, if you or...
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By Walter Grewe III, Realtor, SFR, A-REO, Roanoke Homes and Real Estate
(Long and Foster Realtors)
Mark your calendar for Roanoke, Virginia's 2010 Festival in the Park - Memorial Day weekend! Come on out for the 41st Annual Festival in the Park, May 28th-31st.Our festival has won numerous Awards in the last several years, including 2009's Best in the City Award and Roanoker Magazine's Best Festival Award. How wonderful is it that one four-day event packs so much punch! Four nights of great entertainment from National acts, Fine Arts and Crafts, 5K/10K race, Antique Car Show, and let's not forget all the activities and attractions in the Kids Area, especially the fireman's foam. You may even want to check out the Product and Service Expos or stop by one of our great food vendors and grab an ice cold smoothie or an always delicious hot funnel cake. We're sure to have something for eve...
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By Walter Grewe III, Realtor, SFR, A-REO, Roanoke Homes and Real Estate
(Long and Foster Realtors)
10 Tips for lowering homeowner's insurance costs in Roanoke,Va. Interviewing and comparing agents and coverage's can save quite a bit if money for homeowners and prospective homeowners in Roanoke, Va. These tips can also assist you in savings.1. Review the Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE) report on the property you're interested in buying. CLUE reports detail the property's claims history for the most recent five years, which insurers may use to deny coverage. Make the sale contingent on a home inspection to ensure that problems identified in the CLUE report have been repaired.   2. Seek insurance coverage as soon as your offer is approved. You must obtain insurance to buy. And you don't want to be told at closing that the insurer has denied your coverage.   3. Maintain g...
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