Archive for April, 2008
Loudoun and Fairfax Investors. Don’t Miss Your Chance!
April 7th, 2008 categories: Buyers
It is one thing for me as a Realtor to motivate you about the times that we are in when it comes to buying. It is another thing for an outside source with no vested interest to say the same thing. Time magazine published a great article called “Ignore The Headlines,” on the current real estate and financial market. Here is a clip…
Let’s say you are emotionally ready to be a homeowner. You have good credit, plan to stay put for five years and have been waiting for the perfect entry point. It’s time to get serious–before an inevitable rise in interest rates wipes out your advantage. “The thing that will make home prices stop falling is the very same thing that will push mortgage rates higher,” says Jim Svinth, chief economist at mortgage firm Lending Tree. So anything you gain by a further drop in prices might be offset by rising financing costs.
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Ashburn Village Community Yard Sale
April 5th, 2008 categories: Ashburn Village, Local Events
I am not sure who invented the yard sale but some how the idea of putting all of the junk you don’t want in your yard caught on.
On Saturday, April 12th Ashburn Village will continue the tradition from 8am - 1pm.
If you are an Ashburn Village resident and want to participate you can register at the office at 44025 Courtland Drive for your home address and items being sold to be placed in newspapers at no cost to you.
| Discussion: 1 Comment »
Worst MLS Photo- The Busy Photographer
April 4th, 2008 categories: Worst MLS Photos
I couldn’t resist. Here is another bad MLS Photo.
How much time would it have taken them to pick up the rest of the papers? I guess this guy was busy!
Is that a refrigerator in the living room?
| Discussion: 3 Comments »
Worst MLS Photo- We Have A Bathtub!
April 4th, 2008 categories: Worst MLS Photos
I have too much fun finding bad MLS photos on Fridays.
This week, I found a house with a bath tub!. The only part of the bathroom they show is the bath tub! In fact, for another bathroom in the house, they have another bath tub photo.
Either these guys are using this tub for a sink, or this bathroom just doesn’t have anything else.
You don’t want to miss out on buying this house!
By the way, where is this camera guy standing?
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Letting The Cat Out Of The Bag On Short Sales
April 3rd, 2008 categories: Local Issues, Short Sales & Foreclosures
There has been a conspiracy for years that Walmart will offer the lowest prices and when everyone else is out of business they will raise prices since we will have to use their services. I am not convinced of this argument, but their is a similar issue taking place in the housing industry.
How would you feel if you awoke tomorrow morning to find that the house that you are competing with in re-sale has dropped their price 70k below yours and is selling it as a short sale? Nothing new, so after a few curse words and frustration you decide to drop your price 40k lower and so do 3 other surrounding homes.
You wonder why people keep visiting your home but no one is putting in an offer. You begin to feel that the sky really is falling and that it is the Presidents fault.
QUESTION 1# How would you feel if you found out that the short sale that caused everyone else to lower their price had a low dummy price to get offers and that the bank wasn’t willing to accept it in the first place?
The seller no longer cares. The seller just wants out and isn’t making any money on the listing any way. They are just trying to save their credit a few points compared to a foreclosure.
QUESTION 2# How would you feel if you found out that the reason you aren’t getting any offers is because there are 6 contracts that are pending on the short sale and have been frozen while waiting 5 weeks for the bank to respond?
There really are people buying at this time. There is a good chance that you aren’t getting an offer because buyers already have contracts on other homes so they are FROZEN. They can’t put out multiple offers. They are also afraid to pull out from the short sale because their lucky side tells them that they could get a steel.
Believe it or not, we are paying a steep price for these types of transactions. Short sales are not bad on their own. Nor are all Short Sales listed at fake prices. But prices that a bank has not approved are detrimental to our market. It hurts neighborhood values which cause more foreclosures and short sales which ties up the only people that can help fix the issue: BUYERS (not government).
Our Century 21 Redwood Realty office is currently working with our local MLS board and NVAR to address these issues. Wouldn’t it be much better if the financial institution had already approved the listing price BEFORE it was advertised? The complaint will be that the bank doesn’t respond quickly enough to approve a price. Sorry…. It is not fair that buyers are being deceived and restricted because banks are slow and backed up.
Related Articles:
3 Reasons You Should NEVER CONSIDER A Short Sale
4 Terms You Must Know As A Buyer
Short Sales Are Fake Listings (By FranklyRealty)
| Discussion: 4 Comments »
Ashburn Is Selling!!!
April 2nd, 2008 categories: Ashburn, Buyers
I took some time this past Saturday morning to wash my car. As I did, I saw multiple Realtors out showing a home close to mine. Either this is was an amazing house or there are a lot of people buying.
The truth is that there are A LOT OF BUYERS looking to buy right now. Many of them/ you have been riding the fence on when to buy. Those that are not tied in to waiting on some third party to respond are taking advantage of some great deals on great homes!
In Ashburn right now there are 154 homes under contract. I heard yesterday that many of these went under contract just this past weekend!
If you are holding out because of the fear of market decline you could miss one of the greatest opportunities Ashburn has presented in over 5 years! If you are moving next year, you obviously have a risk. Otherwise, lock in a 30 year rate that you feel comfortable with and enjoy your new home. We are actually seeing MULTIPLE offers on homes that show well and are priced well.
If you would like help finding great deals on homes in the area and need assistance contact me. I know Ashburn.
All information is deemed reliable but should be verified for accuracy.
| Discussion: 2 Comments »
Community Of The Week: Ashburn’s Loudoun Valley Villages (Carriage Homes)
April 1st, 2008 categories: Community Of The Week, New Construction
If you have looked in more than a few neighborhood’s in Ashburn, there is a good chance that you have seen a home built by Toll Brothers. In Ashburn, Toll Brothers built Farmwell Hunt, Belmont Country Club, Belmont Ridges, Belmont Green, Belmont (you name it), Loudoun Valley Estates, and a few more.Loudoun Valley includes a few neighborhoods combined… The Estates, The Executives, The Glen, and The Carriages.
So that I don’t bite off more than I can chew, this week lets cover the ”The Carriages.”
You may have seen the carriage homes built in Belmont Country Club. I sold one there last year. If you don’t know what a carriage home is, think of it as a SINGLE FAMILY ATTACHED home, NOT a town home. Yes, they are town homes in the sense that you are attached to another dwelling. But they are anything but small. Hopefully, you can get an idea in my slideshow how large these homes are. In fact, if you are looking for an Ashburn town home yet you want more space, this is the perfect fit.
The Loudoun Valley community is a 10-12 year project that will have around 2,800 total homes including 346 Carriage Homes. When the project is complete there will be beautifully landscaped walking paths, pools, tennis courts, and 3 community centers.
What sets the Carriages Apart?!?
- SPACE (2,500-2,600 square feet /// homes also include 2 car garages, with the optional basement)
- MASTER BEDROOMS ON THE MAIN LEVEL OF TWO FLOORPLANS (The Andover and Grandview) …try finding this in a Loudoun Home that is not in an adult community.
- 4 DECORATED MODELS TO CHOOSE FROM (the Victorian model is not available to see).
- LOTS OF LIGHT!! (the drawback to many interior town homes is the lack of light compared to an end unit. You will be very pleased to see that these units have large windows which fill the room with plenty of sunshine so you will never feel closed in.
PRICES
- The issue of buying of home always comes down to price. You can move in to The Carriages for prices ranging around the mid $500’s.
- HOA fee’s for The Carriages are $97 monthly for traditional amenities and future pools, etc….
If you are looking for more information on Ashburn’s Loudoun Valley Villages or Estates you can check out Toll Brother’s Website or contact Gisella Parker (the sales manager) at 703-729-1906 (don’t forget to tell her that Jonathan Bunn from the Real Estate Bakery sent you!
I am very familiar with this development and would be happy to give you a tour of the community and represent you when working with Loudoun Valley Villages or Estates. You can contact me directly by clicking here.
All information is deemed reliable but should be verified for accuracy. I do not represent Toll Brothers but work strictly for buyers.
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