Alexandria Dirt
Helping Dreams Come True
November 30th, 2009 Categories: Alexandria Dirt, Arlington Dirt, Falls Church Dirt, Home Buying, McLean Dirt, Reston Dirt
Making home ownership dreams a reality, one home at a time…
Right now you might only be dreaming of home ownership, but it might be more attainable than you think. Prices are reasonable, rates are unbelievably good, the tax credit has been extended… why not at least investigate? Call me to go over the first steps to see if now might be a good time for you. Whether it’s a condo in Reston? a Townhome in Vienna or a single family in Arlington? (or anywhere else in the region for that matter) I am well qualified to help.
Happy (rainy) Monday
Jennifer
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Home Decor Stores – A Secret Addiction
October 7th, 2009 Categories: Alexandria Dirt, Arlington Dirt, Falls Church Dirt, McLean Dirt, Reston Dirt
Got ya huh? I first sat down today to write a post about decorating for the season; whether it’s fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring, 4th of July or whatever else you might think to decorate for, this time of year I always enjoy the warm musky scents of cinnamon and cloves; I enjoy my grapevine pumpkins and the pumpkins and mums that align everyone’s front walks. While generally I’m a bright color kinda gal, this time of year I love to see the cranberry colored candles and the burnt orange and deep browns that make up the colors of the season.
So as I’m formulating my post about decorating with gourds
and candles
and jack-o-lanterns…
I’m really finding myself thinking, “oh, where can I run out and get some cute stuff for the season?”
Well, the first place that comes to my mind is Home Goods. In fact, when I surfed on over to the site to pick up the link for you, I found that I could become a Fan of Home Goods on Facebook… of course I couldn’t resist. But THEN, the best part of all, the first post I saw was that their “Dynamite Deals” begin October 8 – already thinking about what my schedule’s like tomorrow – ok, but I digress.
Another great spot to pick up seasonal items is Target. Of course – we’re all at Target ALL THE TIME anyway right? It’s the place you can’t get out of for under $100 unless you are seriously time constrained. Anyway, they have some super cute seasonal merchandise and you can also find the other accouterments to go with whatever theme you’ve started because they have everything from table linens to candles, vases, etc….. am getting antsy just thinking about my next trip!
There’s also Tuesday Morning, if you’re lucky enough to have one in your area. It’s hit or miss, but if you go enough, <wink wink>, you’re sure to find good stuff.
Of course there are all sorts of other places to find seasonal items ranging from the grocery stores, pharmacies, farmer’s markets, Hallmark or other card stores, etc… You can range from the plastic gaudy to selecting materials all from nature like berries, leaves, shells, etc… You can simply decorate a dining table, or a mantle or go to extremes of multiple rooms, inside and out. I’m no decorating expert, but if you set out to enhance your home with a seasonal theme, it’s fun and adds a special feel to your world. Of course you can save your decorating items from year to year, but then you’ve shortchanged yourself out of the fun of the hunt.
See you at Target!
Jennifer
OK I know many of you are wondering what this has to do with real estate sales and it doesn’t but it has a lot to do with your home, which is the heart of the matter now isn’t it? These are also great staging ideas if you’re considering selling!
Serving all of your real estate needs in Arlington, McLean and the entire Northern Virginia Region!
Contact me today for a free home valuation or buyer counseling session! And remember, there’s no time like the present! The $8,000 tax credit expires on 11/30/09 – There’s still time!
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The Clock is Ticking and the Market is Booming
October 6th, 2009 Categories: Alexandria Dirt, Arlington Dirt, Falls Church Dirt, Home Buying, Home Selling, Market Stats, McLean Dirt, Reston Dirt
Houses (and condos) are selling. That is good news.
Interest rates are still low. That is good news.
Inventory is shrinking. That is both good and bad news.
The 1st Time Buyer Tax credit will soon end… Good or bad news?
As we wind down to the end of the year – the main topic of discussion (and motivation) seems to be the demise of the $8,000 first time buyer tax credit. Some say it’s definitely going to be extended – others will tell you no way it will be extended – blah blah blah is what I say. Whatever happens, it is what it is. Has it stimulated purchases this year? I believe it has. Is it still stimulating purchasing? YOU BETCHA!
As you know, I track ratified contracts in Arlington County Virginia – that’s for ALL property types; condos, townhomes, single family detached – in all zip codes, in all price ranges. The goal of looking at this slice of the statistical pie is to see the REAL sign of market activity – you can look at sold data – but it’s likely to be months old by the time it’s “sold.”
I recently reported on the market this summer. What I thought would be very interesting would be to watch the activity for September and October. I can report to you today that we ratified more contracts last week since the 2nd week of June at a whopping 69 ratified contracts. There wasn’t a SINGLE WEEK in all of 2008 when we ratified this many contracts. Yes, you heard me – the highest we hit in 2008 was 65. Now I don’t have numbers going back as far as 2003, 2004 or 2005 – but I’m telling you this, so listen up:
What we have now is the perfect storm. If you’re still on the fence, GET OFF. We have incredible interest rates, shrinking inventory, and sellers who (for the most part) want to sell. Whether you’re eligible for the tax credit or not, I cannot think of better circumstances under which to consider a home purchase.
So, pick up the phone and phone or text or email me to start discussions today. If you’re a seller – don’t delay. Whether or not you feel you’re in the “zone” for the 1st timers, houses are selling. PERIOD.
It’s Tuesday folks – have a good one!
Jennifer
Serving all of your real estate needs in Arlington, McLean and the entire Northern Virginia Region!
Contact me today for a free home valuation or buyer counseling session! And remember, there’s no time like the present! The $8,000 tax credit expires on 11/30/09 – There’s still time!
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It’s a HOME INSP-ECTION, not PERF-ECTION, for crying out loud…
August 12th, 2009 Categories: Alexandria Dirt, Arlington Dirt, Falls Church Dirt, First Time Buyers Club, Home Buying, Home Selling, McLean Dirt, Real Estate 101, Reston Dirt
Let me apologize ahead of time for what’s about to come spilling out of my 
brain and onto this page – it’s a rant – it doesn’t happen very often, as I’ve used my blog mainly for the purposes of educating my readers on the real estate market climate, procedures, the process, etc… but today’s topic is a rant – no disguising it! (Perhaps by the time I get to the end something good will come of it!)
So when a you (assuming you’re a buyer) are out looking at homes, the purpose is to find a home in which you’d like to live – correct? Not a home you’d live in ONLY IF IT WERE PERFECT, right? But a home you can see yourself settling into over the coming months and years – building a life, perhaps getting married, perhaps having children, perhaps having parties, perhaps downsizing; maybe it’s your first home and it’s exciting to have a place to call your very own – you can paint the walls Burgundy and the ceiling gold if you want (Hail to the Redskins!). But it’s a place you can envision calling home – including all of the trips to Home Depot or Lowes or your local hardware store that accompany home ownership.
Hopefully if you see a home you like, you will spend some time in it prior to writing an offer – looking around, looking at the kitchen (appliances, cabinets, etc…) looking at the windows, the utilities, bathrooms, exterior, etc… Sometimes you walk into a house and get a gut feel that it’s really not in good condition and it makes you wonder what’s lurking beneath the surface – and sometimes you walk into a home and feel (I said FEEL – nothing scientific about it) that it’s “move-in ready.” So what if the windows are old – you can see that; and the dishwasher is older and might have to be replaced; you might see some dings on the walls or a scratch on the floor. BUT YOU CAN SEE IT…
Then comes your home inspection – the purpose of a home inspection is to uncover property condition issues that you can’t see and to determine if there are any major deficiencies – so is it a big surprise that if you see old windows that the home inspector will too? Sure – is it appropriate to ask for a credit to fix or replace those old windows? NO – hopefully you wrote the contract knowing that you’d have to replace the windows!!!!! Now, if the inspector uncovers a leak or some wiring issues; an appliance that doesn’t work properly, a cracked foundation, etc… these are issues that need to be dealt with. Now I’m not saying you should unconditionally accept whatever flaws are uncovered in your soon-to-be new-to-you home but there are aspects of home maintenance that are just to be expected.
I received a home inspection report today on a listing of mine where the buyer has basically asked for everything but the kitchen sink (oh wait, the kitchen sink is included too). Perhaps the buyer feels this puts them in the best negotiating position – to ask for everything and then accept whatever the seller is willing to do? Or perhaps they are looking for a perfect (80 year old) home. (NO SUCH THING) Or maybe someone told them to be tough – who knows – all it did was irritate my seller. So what now? Where is the balance between having some things repaired and seeking perfection? Honestly buyers, it leaves a seller feeling that they will never be able to make you happy in this process. So…
The lessons in my opinion to be learned here are:
1) when you buy a house, you are assuming a responsibility to maintain it. No house is ever perfect – even a brand new house. Some things are frankly a matter of personal preference (do you want a door stop or not – yes, a door stop was one of the items on the report I received today)
2) as a buyer, when you receive an inspection report littered with little items, focus on the larger items. Focus on the things you were unaware of or if left un-tended to could pose a longer term problem.
3) is the item you’re asking for an “upgrade” or a repair? Let’s be clear, at least in Virginia, many items simply need be in normal working order – not upgraded or improved (hmmm, does labeling your electrical box impede the normal working order of the breakers? didn’t think so…)
4) consider asking for a credit. This way you can fix things the way YOU want them fixed – to your standards and on YOUR schedule. If you can agree on a number, often this can be the best route to make everyone happy.
Just remember, it’s an inspection of something imperfect. If you treat it as such and have realistic expectations, then it can be a smooth and perfectly reasonable part of the transaction…
Rant over – thanks for listening!
Happy Tuesday
Jennifer
Serving all of your real estate needs in Arlington, McLean and the entire Northern Virginia Region!
Contact me today for a free home valuation or buyer counseling session! And remember, there’s no time like the present!
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