HOME INSPECTIONS: WHAT SELLERS SHOULD KNOW TO AVOID AN EXPLODING DEAL
July 3rd, 2009 categories: PODCASTS
EPISODE 9 - REAL ESTATE IN CHANTILLY RADIO
If you are considering selling your home, you probably know that a prospective home buyer will likely want a professional inspection of your property, as a condition of their purchase. You and your real estate agent have worked hard to get a qualified buyer, but deals fall through every day because of issues discovered during the home inspection.
As an informed home seller, what should you know about before the buyer’s home inspection is performed? What are the “deal breakers” that cause buyers to run for cover? What are the big problems you must know about in advance of the buyer’s home inspection?
And..what are the small, easy to deal with preventative steps you can take to help the home inspection go well?
What is the single most important insight the home seller should know about home inspections?
In this three part series, we interview veteran Home Inspector Reggie Marston. You may know of Reggie from his appearances on HGTV’s “The House Detectives.”
If you missed the previous interviews, we invite you to go back and start with EPISODE 7 and then continue on with EPISODE 8.
We also invite you to receive future episode of Chantilly Radio through a free SUBSCRIPTION to our blog.
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VIDEO: EASY WAY TO REMOVE HARD-WATER STAINS
July 1st, 2009 categories: Home Life
If you live in and area with “hard water“ you know that, over time it can produce some unsightly stains, typically in the bathroom areas.
It may not be bad for your physical health, but it may annoy your emotional health just a bit by having to look at those ugly stains.
If you have experienced this problem, check out this 2-minute video from Rachel Yatuzis. It is easy, and it works. You will just need a little lemon juice, along with vinegar and baking soda.
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HOME INSPECTIONS: WHAT BUYERS SHOULD KNOW BEFORE HIRING A HOME INSPECTOR
June 24th, 2009 categories: PODCASTS
EPISODE 8 - REAL ESTATE IN CHANTILLY RADIO
As a home buyer, knowing what to look for in a home inspection can save you a lot of stress and help yo avoid significant financial loss.
A well performed inspection plays a vital role in the home buying process. But many buyers are not sure about exactly what the home inspection can and can not accomplish.
What should buyers be concerned about, and what should they not be as concerned about? What are the typical issues that surface? This episode focuses on what buyers should be focused on, and what they should expect from a well-performed home inspection. We also discuss what “red flags” may indicate you are not getting the inspection you need.
In this three part series, we interview veteran Home Inspector Reggie Marston. You may know of Reggie from his appearances on HGTV’s “The House Detectives.” In this Chantilly Radio series, he covers the fundamentals, and then goes on to discuss the special concerns from the different perspectives of both buyers and sellers. Check out these episodes before you buy or sell, so that you can avoid major stress and end up with a better outcome.
You can listen to the previous episode in this series, and we invite you to receive a free SUBSCRIPTION to Real Estate in Chantilly, which includes future episodes of Chantilly Radio.
Download this episode (right click and save)
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MANAGING THE STRESS OF MORTGAGE RATE DECISIONS
June 23rd, 2009 categories: Buyer Strategies, Mortgage & Finance, Real Estate Psychology
One of the stress points for home buyers is knowing when to lock-in to their mortgage rate.
By all means, make your own decision, in collaboration with your loan professional and your real estate agent. But as you do so, here are a few ideas that I hope will add a little something toward making the process work better for you.
Last week was an example of volatility in mortgage rates. They fell on Monday and Tuesday, then jumped up on Wednesday and Thursday.
Several factors contributed to the bumpy ride. For starters the Unemployment claims fell, and Leading Economic Indicators rose. On top of that inflation readings are modest.
As a home buyer trying to make a good decision, and manage your own stress, what should you do? In the spirit of Keeping It Simple, let me offer three things that are very basic but will help you avoid what is not doable. You can “drive yourself a little crazy” trying to nail the perfect interest rate decision, but often the better part of wisdom is knowing what is truly “controllable” and what is not.
And that is my first point. One key strategy in managing the psychology of uncertainty is acknowledging and accepting what is knowable and what is unknowable about a given situation. So, the first thing is to acknowledge that there is no “perfect” timing, and there is no absolute way of ensuring that your locked -in rate won’t be better - or worse - next day, or next week. The stress comes from trying to anticipate what is unknowable.
The second thing we can do is determine our time frame. Most people can’t live comfortably with open-ended uncertainty. So determine your own time line for getting that rate locked. You can try to guess this or that movement of rates, but that may add a great deal of stress to the already stressful process of buying your home. And listen carefully to the insights of the professionals you are working with both from the mortgage side as well as the real estate agent side.
The third thing you can do is be ready to act rapidly. What enables you to act with speed? Doing the “due diligence” and making decisions on what your timing needs to be. So much of the home buying process can be made easier by having a plan. After you have gotten the details of your program worked out with your loan professional, and you have gotten all of your own financial arrangements worked out, be ready to act decisively.
And as always, I urge you to be quality and integrity conscious in your choice of both loan officer and real estate agent. Even though you can’t know some things in advance, it is vital to be advised on what you can know, and that is why you should be discerning in your choice of professional help.
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YOU WILL BE SEEING LOTS MORE GREEN PRODUCTS…HERE IS ONE WORTH KNOWING ABOUT
June 22nd, 2009 categories: Home Life
It may be quite some time before the market for green products gets into full swing, but there is a lot that is starting to happen. Take lawn products for example.
Chantilly home owners who use a lawn service won’t see many, if any, electric tools in use. Most lawn service companies use gas powered tools. They perform far better, but their environmental impact is another story.
A California Air Resources Board study offered that a 5-horsepower, gasoline-powered lawnmower produces more pollution in 1 hour of use than driving a Prius for 800 miles.
Yep…those lawn tools can put out more than noise pollution. As a counter-point, the the Eco Trimmer by Lehr
It is supposed to emit 96 percent fewer carcinogens than a gas-powered tool while having no negative impact on air and soil. And it has been highly-rated, as well.
They are going for about $200 on Amazon.com and you are seeing them in major hardware stores, too. You can get the pitch on why this product works well at the official Lehr website.
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COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT: PLEASANT VALLEY IN CHANTILLY, VA
June 21st, 2009 categories: Chantilly Fairfax County
TO VIEW “FOR SALE” PROPERTIES IN PLEASANT VALLEY : CLICK HERE
PLEASANT VALLEY IN CHANTILLY VA
MORE INFORMATION ON: PLEASANT VALLEY
MORE INFORMATION ON: CHANTILLY-FAIRFAX COUNTY, CHANTILLY-LOUDOUN COUNTY, CENTREVILLE AREA, and NEARBY COMMUNITIES.
Moving to the Northern Virginia area? Here is USEFUL INFO about the area.
PROPERTY SEARCH: Search for properties in Northern Virginia.
PROPERTY UPDATE: Get current updates of “For Sale” properties via email.
Please let us know if we can be of any help with other questions you may have about Pleasant Valley. I have lived in this community for over 20 years and have become a “Pleasant Valley Specialist.” We have helped many, many individuals and families buy, sell, and elocate to and from this area, and we are here for you as well!
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RISING HOUSING STARTS
June 19th, 2009 categories: Buyer Strategies, Seller Strategies
For many, it was a surprise to see Housing Starts unexpectedly jump in May.
Along with some other data of late, it may be that a recovery of real estate is at least in a very early stage.
For home buyers and home sellers, the immediate impact of more housing starts is on home inventory.
When Housing Starts go up there needs to be a corresponding increase in demand. Otherwise values will get more downward pressure.
At least from my vantage point in the area where I work, I am seeing at least some off-setting demand. There seems to be a shortage of non-distressed properties on the market at the present moment…at least that is what I am seeing. But it’s a complex market, so I don’t offer that as anything more than what I am seeing “on the street.” But at the moment it does feel and look a good bit different that is has been…more stuff is happening.
Looking at the bigger picture, we have home affordability near record-high levels, mortgage rates significantly below historical averages, and on top of that there is the first-time homebuyer tax credit in place,
Additionally, existing Home Sales are up 16 percent on a “raw numbers” basis versus last month and home supplies are lower versus last year.
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RELOCATE AMERICA’S TOP PLACES TO LIVE: OKLAHOMA IS OK
June 18th, 2009 categories: Home Life
Relocate America publishes their Top 100 Places in the US to live, and this year Oklahoma is OK. The study places high priority on solid local economic conditions as well as stable housing prices.
This year Tulsa, Oklahoma, comes out smelling like a rose, with an unemployment rate that is 3 percent below the national average along with affordable housing.
These same conditions were the general pattern among the Top 10, which are:
- Tulsa, Oklahoma
- Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
- Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina
- Huntsville, Alabama
- Houston, Texas
- Albuquerque, New Mexico
- Lexington, Kentucky
- Little Rock, Arkansas
- Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
The study suggests that its 2009 winners will be in a better position to bounce back from the recession.
Check out the Top 100 Places To Live In America 2009 list on the Relocate America website.
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HOME INSPECTIONS: WHAT TO KNOW BEFORE YOU HIRE A HOME INSPECTOR
June 16th, 2009 categories: PODCASTS
EPISODE 7 - REAL ESTATE IN CHANTILLY RADIO
If you are buying or selling a home in the near future, you will most likely be dealing with a home inspection as part of the process.
It can go very well…or be a nightmare that blows up the deal.
What should the informed real estate consumer know in advance to help prevent common issues, and avoid big problems?
In this three part series, we interview veteran Home Inspector Reggie Marston. You may know of Reggie from his appearances on HGTV’s “The House Detectives.” In this Chantilly Radio series, he covers the fundamentals, and then goes on to discuss the special concerns from the different perspectives of both buyers and sellers. Check out these episodes before you buy or sell, so that you can avoid major stress and end up with a successful outcome.
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WHY HAVE MORTGAGE INTEREST RATES JUMPED UP RECENTLY?
June 16th, 2009 categories: Buyer Strategies, Mortgage & Finance, Seller Strategies
In the past few weeks, mortgage rates have jumped by more than 1.125 percent. Why the upswing? Read the rest of this entry »
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