Interest rates are still at an all-time low, but they won’t stay that way. Whether you’re buying or selling, you need to act now to take advantage of them. Buying a Northern Virginia home? Get a Full Home Search   Selling your Northern Virginia home? Free Home Price Evaluation Over the last several years, interest rates have remained at an all-time low. If I had a billion dollars to bet, though, I would put that money on interest rates rising sometime in the future. The reason I say that is the fact that they’ve been artificially kept at the level they’re at and have stayed that way for so long. When will this rise happen, exactly? Nobody really knows. There are other global economic factors at play here as well. You know about Brexit, but there is also the matter of the IMF replacing the U.S. dollar with the Chinese Yuan as the world’s reserve currency. Whether you’re buying or selling, now’s the time to act. What does this all mean? If you’re in the market to buy a home, now is a great time to do so. For the moment, you can still lock in these all-time low interest rates. If you’re in the market to sell, you’re in the same situation. This is because higher interest rates lower home values, and their inevitable increase will shake up the market. If you have any questions about what’s going on in the real estate market, feel free to give me a call or shoot me an email. I’d be happy to talk with you!

Our new agent Anthony Howard is eager to help anyone who’s thinking about buying or selling real estate.  Buying a Northern Virginia home? Get a Full Home Search   Selling your Northern Virginia home? Free Home Price Evaluation It’s our pleasure to introduce you to the newest member of the Greetings Virginia Team, Anthony Howard. Anthony joined the Greetings Virginia Team because he cares about the people who are close to him and wants to be able to help them out with anything they might need help with. In addition to being an agent, Anthony can be your resource for any topic related to real estate. If you’re looking to buy or sell, don’t hesitate to give Anthony a call. If you have any real estate ventures in mind—whether it’s buying a home, selling a home, or doing some investing—feel free to give him a call at (703)-708-4019. Thanks for taking the time with us, today. We look forward to helping you!

How do you get the most value out of your home sale? It's never too early to start this conversation, whether you're selling in three months or three years. Buying a Northern Virginia home? Get a Full Home Search   Selling your Northern Virginia home? Free Home Price Evaluation There are certain things you can do when selling a home to ensure the highest value in return. When you're thinking about improving the value you get from your home, it's also never too early to start thinking about it. About three months ago, in fact, I actually met with a homeowner that intends to sell their home three years from now. This house backs right up to a parkway with no buffer zone, so I recommended that they plant a buffer zone with some evergreen trees so that when they sell in three years, the home is more appealing. You may not be three years ahead like these sellers, however, so what can you do right now? You'll get the best return on investment from paint and carpeting. The biggest bang for your buck you'll get from improvements is with paint and carpet. Almost 100% of the improvements we do to maximize profit for sellers involves painting the home or cleaning or replacing the carpet. Other areas where you can make upgrades include the kitchen, bathrooms, and curb appeal of the house. Every single home is different. Again, it's never too early to start thinking about this conversation. I would be happy to put you in touch with painters, contractors, or any type of service workers you need from my preferred list. The best part of working with a professional like myself is that you can leverage my relationship with them knowing that they will treat you right since we send them a lot of business. If you'd like some more info about how we can help you start talking about improving your home's value or you'd like a recommendation for a contractor, give me a call or send me an email. I'd be happy to help!

Our new agent James Oxley can help you with all of your real estate needs, whether it’s buying, selling, or investing. Buying a Northern Virginia home? Get a Full Home Search   Selling your Northern Virginia home? Free Home Price Evaluation It’s our pleasure to introduce you to one of the newest members of the Greetings Virginia Team, James Oxley. Some of you might already know James as a local actor and pastor. Previously, James had a career in the military and has been in the sales and management business for more than 25 years. One of the things that attracted James to the Greetings Virginia Team was the opportunity to help people and go the extra mile to give back to them. James lives for the opportunity to help people and give back to them. If you’re interested in buying a home, selling a home, or investing in real estate, don’t hesitate to reach out to him by email at [email protected] or by phone at 202-590-8926. In addition, you’ll also receive two educational videos a month about the world of real estate and what’s happening in the marketplace. We look forward to helping you!

The winter is actually not a bad time to sell your home. There are more serious buyers and fewer homes for you to compete against. Buying a Northern Virginia home? Get a Full Home Search   Selling your Northern Virginia home? Free Home Price Evaluation I have been getting calls almost every day from home sellers asking me if they should sell their home during the fall and winter months or wait until spring. To help you make your decision, let’s look at one of the most important factors that determine whether it’s a good time to sell: inventory. Inventory in real estate is like inventory in any other market. When supply goes down, demand goes up. In the fall and winter real estate markets, it’s true that demand dwindles this time of year. However, supply dwindles as well. Although there is less activity overall, the market is just as strong. This makes winter a great time to sell. The current buyers in the market are more serious. Homes sell faster in the winter than they do during other times of the year as well. You have more serious buyers at this time who aren’t just out looking at homes because it's nice out. The buyers in this market are braving the cold weather to see homes, so you can bet they want to get a deal done. If you have any questions for us, don’t hesitate to give us a call or send us an email. We would love to hear from you.

Real estate transactions fall apart for a number of reasons, but some stand out as the most common: Inspection goes bad: Sometimes buyers look at the inspection and ask the seller to make dozens of repairs, which is not a good strategy. We advise you to look at the big-ticket items like the roof and the heating system, not things like a ding in the wall.Real estate agents getting in the way: Too often I see agents become emotionally involved and get in the way of their clients' best interests. Make sure you hire the right agent for your specific and unique needs as a buyer or seller.Don't hire an agent who lets their emotions get in the way. Negotiation goes bad: I've seen a buyer offer $40,000 under asking price on a $500,000 and upset the seller. As your fiduciary, I'd tell you that while an offer like that might not be great, let's still negotiate and make a counteroffer. The agent's job is to get the highest profit possible, so let them be the third party negotiator who can act on your behalf. If you have more questions about making sure your transaction goes smoothly, please don't hesitate to give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to helping you!

Today I’d like to give you a quick rundown on the market cycle and explain how it can impact you as a home buyer or seller. The first thing to understand about the market cycle is that there are four different possibilities for markets at any given time. There is the bottom of the market, an inclining market, the top of the market, and a declining market. We have to understand where we’ve been to figure out where we’re going. None of us have a crystal ball, but what we can do is look at the market’s history: In 2009, we were at the bottom of the marketplace. From 2009 to 2013, we saw pretty major appreciation in home values—in fact, we regained all of the losses that we had taken previously from the crash of 2006 to 2009. So from 2013 to today, we’ve been pretty much at the top of the market, despite the micro-pockets in the Northern Virginia area.The winter downshift may coincide with an economic downshift. Why does this matter to you? If you’re thinking of selling your home in the next nine months to a year, we need to talk now. Winter is coming, and with that comes a seasonal downshift. Right now, it looks like that seasonal downshift is going to happen at the same time as an economic decline, so if you want to be able to reap the highest price on the sale of your property, contact me now and I’d be happy to talk with you about what’s happening in the marketplace and how that may impact you. In the meantime, if you have any questions about buying or selling a home, don’t hesitate to reach out to me by phone or email. Looking forward to hearing from you!

Buying a Northern Virginia home? Get a full Home Search   Selling your Northern Virginia home? Free Home Price Evaluation Typically in real estate transactions, everything is negotiable. However, there are certain costs that buyers and sellers can usually expect to pay. Usually, the seller will pay the commission to the broker they hire. The broker then pays out a commission (the amount of which the seller has agreed upon) to both the agent selling the house and the buyer’s agent. Remember, the agent works on behalf of the broker. As a buyer, you typically have to pay for the appraisal, the termite inspection, loan fees, title processing fees, and the title search. When you select your title company, the title company will search to make sure there are no defects and the title is free and clear. That way, you won’t wind up with hostile claims or other people claiming they own the property once you buy it. “ Remember, everything is negotiable. ” Things like taxes are paid on both sides of the transaction. The buyer will be responsible for flood certification, prepaid interest, homeowner’s insurance, and property taxes. Sellers can always contribute to closing costs. Remember, everything is negotiable. If you have any questions about what you can expect from your specific transaction, give me a call or send me an email. I look forward to hearing from you!

Buying a Northern Virginia home? Get a full Home Search   Selling your Northern Virginia home? Free Home Price Evaluation Today, I want to take this opportunity to invite you to a movie night my team is hosting at Kingstowne Regal Cinemas. Anytime between 4-7 p.m. on July 24th, you can enjoy any movie that’s playing, my treat. The reason I do this is because we appreciate you either as a past client, a friend, or a referral partner. We ask for nothing in return, but if you do know anyone looking to buy, sell, or invest in real estate, we always appreciate you referring us! “ Please come by and be my guest at the movies! ” Please come by and be my guest at the movies! Give me a call or shoot me an email to see how you can RSVP! I look forward to hearing from you soon! Click here to register for your tickets!

Buying a Northern Virginia home? Get a full Home Search    Selling your Northern Virginia home? Free Home Price Evaluation There are four crucial numbers that affect your buying power that you need to be aware of, especially from a lender's perspective. Keep the following four things in mind if you plan on buying a home anytime soon:Credit Score. This helps a lender understand your creditworthiness. The higher your credit, the better chance you have of getting the loan amount you desire. Down payment. The higher your down payment is up front, the lower your payment is going to be. In many cases, a high down payment also results in a lower interest rate!Debt-to-income ratio. How much debt do you have compared to your income? The lower this ratio is, the better. Your assets. What are your financial resources? A lender will want to take a look at your income and your financial assets. The more impressive they are, the better luck you’ll have getting the financing you seek. We work with reputable lenders who can help you wade through the process and get the best possible rates and terms. Whatever your financial situation, we can put you in touch with someone who can get you what you need to accomplish your buying goals.  Give us a call or shoot us an email with any questions. We would love to help you!