Digging up the Dirt on Northern Virginia Real Esta

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Storm Recovery procedures - Arlington Virginia
2008-06-05 16:21:00
Yesterday we had horrible storms blow through here.  I was sitting in a training session at my McLean Virginia office when we lost power.  Fortunately, we were a big group of realtors who are glued to their cell phones, so we used our cell phone light to find our way out of the darkness – ...
More About: Recovery , Storm , Arlington

Bank Owned vs. Short Sale - What?s the Difference?
2008-06-02 15:16:00
I’ve been looking at a lot of bank owned property lately.  Why? you ask?  Well, for one thing, there are A LOT more of them these days.  We don’t really have a way in our MLS system to differentiate between Bank Owned , Short Sale or regular, old fashioned sellers - I hear that some of ...
More About: Difference

Happy Memorial Day
2008-05-27 01:12:00
As we wind down Memorial Day 2008 I hope we’ve all taken a moment, whether silent or otherwise, to thank and appreciate the servicemen and women who protect our freedom; and to remember those who have given their lives for our country. Arlington National Cemetery is a beautiful place I encourage everyone to visit at least ...
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The Dating Game? Finding, Meeting and Getting to know your REALTOR
2008-05-22 23:32:00
Finding and working with a REALTOR is often a lot like dating!  “HUH?” you say?  Well, think about the ways that we meet… Internet Dating Many times, I will receive an email from a blog reader or someone who has found me on my static web page.  They like what they see and send me an email.  Sometimes ...
More About: Game , Realtor , Meeting

Preparedness Tax Holiday THIS WEEKEND May 25-31
2008-05-21 23:04:00
Just wanted to get this community reminder out – this weekend begins the first ever tax holiday for certain emergency supplies and equipment to help all of us to be better prepared for weather emergencies.  This year a “well above average” cyclone season is projected for the Atlantic Basin and to help us all be ...
More About: Holiday , Weekend

Is it Time to Buy? How ?bout NOW? Is NOW Finally Here?
2008-05-16 16:36:00
For the past few years, this has probably been the most asked question of every real estate professional across the US.  With the media leading the charge, the news has been all gloom and doom with a few regional exceptions and, just like a run on the bank in days gone by, the public has ...
More About: Time , Finally

5 Important Characteristics of a Great Home Seller
2008-05-10 19:57:00
Yep, that’s what I said, characteristics of a seller.  There is definitely more to being a seller than someone who thinks they want to sell their home.  There are characteristics that as an agent, I look for on any listing appointment – and if I sense that one or more of these characteristics are missing, ...
More About: Home , Great , Seller

April 2008 Sales Figures are in for Arlington Virginia
2008-05-08 16:38:00
The time is flying by – the trees are a remarkable shade of deep green; the days of glorious flowering trees have passed; the weather is feeling warmer, the sun a little higher and brighter and I can feel summer ahead!  This is usually our busiest time of the year in real estate – although ...
More About: April , Sales , Virginia , Figures , Arlington

Condo Focus: Residences at Station Square in Clarendon Virginia
2008-05-04 17:43:00
I haven’t done a condo focus in a while, but I was showing a few units in Station Square yesterday and it’s such a great property in such a HOT area, that I thought I’d share. The complex is made up of 3 buildings that take up the 2 blocks between Garfield and Fillmore Streets and ...
More About: Condo , Virginia , Neighborhoods , Focus

I Think I’m Ready to Buy - What Now?
2008-04-30 23:29:00
Oh boy, I hear this all the time - and it’s music to my ears.  It means another new face will soon be added to the list of happy, satisfied customers of mine!  But I guess I’m getting a little ahead of myself. It can certainly appear to be a complicated process and one that doesn’t present itself as straight forward as it actually is.  I got an email the other day from a reader indicating that he’s ready to start the process and looking for direction on where to start - so here are a few easy steps to begin with. Lender This is the first and MOST important place to start – interview a few good, solid local lenders – individuals that will stand beside you during this process - answer questions, walk you through specific scenarios where rates and/or points are adjusted with various what-if situations.  These people will not let you down - their reputation hangs on how well they perform each and every time.  Also, you must kn...
More About: Ready

Confessions of a Busy Real Estate Agent
2008-04-29 00:06:00
Lately, every night when I put my head on my pillow I think of all of the things I didn’t do that day. Blogs not written Emails not sent (not many, but a few) Calls not made Homes not previewed Photos not taken Blogs not written You get the drift.  Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy being busy, but my goodness, it does catch up with me every now and then.  So I’ve decided to re-prioritize what’s going on.  I intend to attack May with great gusto!  I am interviewing assistants - sometimes I just have to admit that I can’t do it all!  Sad but true.  I’m looking forward to hiring someone that will allow me to provide the highest degree of service to my client base while also prospecting for new ones to join the ranks of happy past clients.  So stay tuned, loyal readers, for great content coming your way.  The market is busy – buyers are buying, listings are selling.  If you’re thi...
More About: Agent , Estate , Real Estate , Real Estate Agent , Confessions

March Sales Figures for Arlington Virginia
2008-04-15 22:59:00
In like a lion, out like a lamb?  I am thinking not so much!  I’m thinking in like a lion, out like a monsoon!!!  The market is definitely picking up!  I’ve been so busy this is the first real chance I’ve had to sit down and work with last month’s sales figures.  Here’s how it ...
More About: Sales , Virginia , March , Figures , Arlington

ABCs of Recycling in Arlington County
2008-04-06 02:36:00
Have you ever been confused about what you CAN and CANNOT recycle here in Arlington County ?  My husband has been asking me to write about this for months so HE can learn what he can and cannot recycle.  I keep telling him that the County has an awesome website with some wonderful information on it ...
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Let?s Talk Dirty?
2008-04-01 20:28:00
Dirty carpets, that is!  (GOTCHA) Last week as I was getting a listing prepared for marketing, I was thinking about how much can be done to really make a new listing sparkle – one of the MOST important things you can do is carpet cleaning.  Most people never consider having their carpets cleaned until it’s time ...
More About: Talk , Dirty

10 Things to Look for when Choosing YOUR Next Real Estate Professional
2008-03-25 20:24:00
Choosing who will represent you on the purchase or sale of your home (or investment property) is a big deal!  It’s probably one of the single largest purchases or sales you will make in your entire life and unless you’re a big investor, probably something you will only do a handful of times in your ...
More About: Estate , Real Estate , Real , Things , Professional

Sacrificial Peeps ? Happy Easter
2008-03-23 01:35:00
…or Happy March 23rd if you are not an Easter celebrator. Last week as I was reading the blog of one of my best cyber gal-pals, Teresa Boardman up in St. Paul Minnesota, I was inspired by her photo essay on peeps – her photos were hilarious and I threatened to have a little fun of my own.  ...

Shirlington? A Great HIP Spot!
2008-03-16 16:01:00
I had an opportunity to eat someplace new the other day - always great fun for me!  A colleague and fellow blogger asked if I would join her for lunch at one of her favorite spots, Busboys and Poets!  What a cool place - it’s part book store, part cafe, part restaurant, part bar…  very ...
More About: Great , Spot , Neighborhoods

McLean Sales Figures for February 2008
2008-03-14 16:24:00
February was not a stellar month for home sales in McLean neighborhoods.  While there are still quite a few buyers out there, we are hearing that many of them remain on the fence – trying to game the market as to whether we’ve seen the bottom or not.  It’s really anyone’s guess.  We’re hoping to ...
More About: Sales , Figures , February 2008 , February , 2008

February Sales Numbers are in for Arlington - Early Spring?
2008-03-08 14:58:00
Well, as expected we are seeing quite an improvement over January when everyone is hibernating!  Yes, things are still volatile in the world of real estate right now, but we are seeing signs pointing to a typical spring market around these parts!  Good activity, especially in the contract writing segment.  Take a look… “Sold” units have ...
More About: Sales , Spring , Numbers , Early , Arlington

A HUGE Win for Virginia Sellers
2008-03-04 23:15:00
As many of you know, whether you’re a seller or just “in the know” last year the Authority was granted to the Virginia Transportation Authority to impose an additional $4/$1000 to the Virginia Grantor’s Tax.  This was a 400% increase over our previous tax of $1/$1000 bringing the new total tax to $5/$1000…  HUGE difference ...
More About: Huge , Sellers

Mortgages 101 - A First Lesson
2008-02-29 18:55:00
Mortgages 101   One question I get asked a lot is “What are rates these days?”    And the answer is, drumroll please….. “well, that depends!”  You know, back in the old days, real estate finance was fairly simple.  You had to save up a nice down payment of 20% and there was 1 program (an 80% first ...
More About: Mortgages , Lesson

Mold?. ick!
2008-02-28 22:39:00
What type of an image do you see in your head when you think about mold?  Green?  Slimy?  Fuzzy?  Black?  Sticky?  White?  Health hazards?  ?sick houses??  Mold is so hostile! I recently had a new experience.  A buyer of mine wanted to do a mold inspection.  Honestly, they aren?t done too much around here.  Generally when ...

To Inspect or Not? That is the Question?
2008-02-19 17:23:00
One of the questions I get asked a lot is “do I need a home inspection?”  Well, MOST of the time the answer is a resounding YES!!!  Not only is it an opportunity to uncover possible deficiencies in your prospective new home, but it’s also your chance to learn about your home.  Perhaps you’ve never ...
More About: Question , Inspect

Buyers - Buyers ? Where For Art Thou?
2008-02-18 21:47:00
Some people see the glass half empty – others see it half full.  But those that see this market as an enormous buying opportunity will be those who prosper in the end!  You think that’s crazy?  Let’s look at the current market conditions. Inventory of Homes in Northern Virginia Let’s see…  There are over 6,600 homes for ...
More About: Buyers

McLean Market Stats - January 2008
2008-02-07 18:01:00
Where are things headed in the McLean housing market?  Well, January trended along with the region a little sluggish — I find contract writing along with solds to be a little off - but then again, it IS January and unless you’re really in need, the spring season doesn’t kick in until the February/March time frame. Here ...
More About: Market , Stats , January 2008 , 2008

Sluggish Start to the 2008 year - or was it a Sluggish End to 2007?
2008-02-07 17:52:00
Here we are again, looking at monthly sales figures for Arlington for January 2008 .  It was very interesting pulling this data together – it was a VERY slow month for sales – so I went back into the previous month’s records to make some sense out of it.  Here’s what the snapshot looks like for ...
More About: Start , Year

Earnest Money Depost - Why? Who? How Much?
2008-01-29 08:27:00
You’ve heard the term “good faith deposit” or “earnest money deposit” but what does it mean exactly?  Who keeps it?  What’s the purpose?  Why does it matter?  How much should it be?  Let’s see if I can address all of these issues, bringing clarity to the importance of understanding the earnest money deposit. What is it? Here in Northern Virginia, when a buyer writes an offer on a property, our contract calls for it to be accompanied by an earnest money deposit of some amount – typically in the form of a personal check.  This amount is usually a percent or two of the sales price…  as a general rule of thumb.  I’ve seen more - the higher the amount, the more seriously your offer is taken.  This money belongs to the buyer, but it gets deposited prior to settlement usually with the real estate brokerage that is representing the buyer.  However it is applied at settlement t...
More About: Money

Homeowners Insurance - the Ins and Outs
2008-01-28 20:19:00
One of the necessary things to plan for when making a real estate purchase is insurance.  But what do you need?  Well, I’m not an insurance agent (read: insurance expert), but I can tell you from a property ownership perspective the minimums that you should have… read on. Condominium Insurance Needs When purchasing a condominium, the association carries a master insurance policy on the entire building structure.  This is one of the costs that your condo fee covers.  However, you’re not off the hook.  You should have insurance to cover your personal belongings, as well as personal liability, so if anyone ever injures themselves on your property, you’re covered.  Single Family and Townhome Insurance Needs When purchasing any other type of property with fee simple ownership (when you own the ground and air above – exterior walls, fireplaces, roofs, etc…) then you need a full featured home-owners policy, sometimes called a hazard policy, covering the structure, conten...
More About: Homeowners

Keller Who?
2008-01-25 17:15:00
Keller Williams – the BEST real estate company in the world, just my humble opinion.  Many people in the DC area are not familiar with Keller Williams - so let me introduce you. Gary Keller and Joe Williams began Keller Williams in Austin Texas in 1983 – yes, 1983.  Today, Keller Williams is the 4th Largest ...
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Buyer Agency - The Good, The Bad and the UGLY
2008-01-24 20:08:00
Today’s topic is sometimes a sticky one – sometimes misunderstood – sometimes abused – but most of the time, it works out wonderfully for all parties involved. Today I came across some information that really surprised me.  I received a referral from another real estate agent this past winter and worked with this particular client for 2 ...
More About: Agency , Buyer , Good , Ugly , The Good