Easy Fixes Before You Sell Your Home
March 19th, 2010 categories: Home Life, Seller Strategies
If you are a Chantilly or Northern Virginia area home owner, and you are starting to get your house in shape for an upcoming sale, these three easy DIY projects will be good to know about.
Better to save your money for the big stuff that you can’t do on your own, and do many of the small things yourself, as you are able.
If you have granite counter-tops you will especially want to see the sealant demo.
And if you are giving serious thought to a home sale, you will want to start becoming aware of what homes have actually sold for in your community. You can get that info simply by going to our Market Snapshot page.
We will email you a current list of what homes have actually sold for, and keep you updated as other homes are sold. And of course, you can always contact Kathy for details on any property that you would like to know more about.
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Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
March 17th, 2010 categories: Uncategorized
With a name like “The Kathy O’Neal Team” how could we not give homage to St. Patrick and all things Irish on this grand day.
We honor St Patrick today. He was a magnificent man who tirelessly served his people and his faith. His sacrifices and achievements are far greater than most people realize. Do a quick Internet search for a brief history of his life and times, and you will get a sense of this.
So to all of our visitors at RealEstateinChantilly.com we wish you a wonderful St. Patrick’s Day. May the Irish spirit of humor, good will, generosity, and a love of language and thought, keep your spirits high all year long!
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Exceptional Condo for Sale at 7508 Ashby Lane in Alexandria VA
March 15th, 2010 categories: Featured Listings
If you are considering buying a condo in the Alexandria area, this very sharp property is worth a good look.
The great location in the Kingstowne area is a big plus. And, the property itself is very well-maintained. This condo community has a wonderful feeling of being well-organized and maintained. The park areas nearby are especially attractive.
- 7508 Ashby Lane #K – Alexandria, VA 22315
Please note too that this is a normal sale home…no headaches with short sale or foreclosure issues.
If this sounds interesting, take a quick Visual Tour to get a better sense of this exceptional home.
If you’d like to see the property, just contact Kathy to arrange a convenient time or if you have any further questions. We are always here for you.
Price: $285,000
MLS#: FX 7268492
More information: please click here and you will see the property on our Featured Listings page.
If I can answer any questions, please Contact Us.
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What if you are “underwater” and must refinance?
March 12th, 2010 categories: Mortgage & Finance, Seller Strategies
We have all heard about the problem of “underwater” home mortgages.
If you are dealing with this issue, I want you to be aware of the extension of the Home Affordable Refinance Program. It has been extended for another year, until June 30, 2011.
As I understand it, these are the four most basic requirements to get help from this program:
- The existing loan must be guaranteed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac.
- Your home must be a 1 to 4-unit property.
- You must have a perfect mortgage payment history going back 12 months.
- Your first mortgage balance must be 125% or less of your home’s market value.
Not sure if your loan is backed by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac? Check it out at Fannie’s website: http://www.fanniemae.com/loanlookup; or at Freddie’s: http://freddiemac.com/mymortgage. If it is not listed, you are not eligible for the program.
There are a number of other details to be aware of, but this will get you started.
You can get more info from the HARP FAQ section on the government’s official website. A next step after that would be to contact your mortgage loan professional. If you need a few references, email or call me. I can give you a few reputable options.
Don’t let fear of the bureaucracy prevent you from at least getting more information. You may find this to be a viable option, but you will have to do a little homework.
And of course you can always call upon me to help with the areas of your situation that may involve home buying or home selling.
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Painting your home’s interior as preparation for selling? Check out this tool.
March 7th, 2010 categories: Buyer Strategies, Home Life, Seller Strategies
If you are starting to get your Northern Virginia home ready to put on the market, this is a tool that may be helpful.
A little paint can go a long way toward refreshing a home’s appearance. It is one relatively cost effective way to add curb appeal
But it is a challenge to imaging how the room will look with any particular color. This is also true if you are a home buyer and are wondering how a certain color would look in your new home.
If you are in either situation, or just getting ready to do some painting on your current home because it needs to be done, there is a very helpful tool at the Better Homes and Gardens website that you should know about. You can apply various color combinations to get a sense of what the room would look like with your new color.
This could save you a lot of time and regret.
Using the Color This! product suite does require a basic registration process. But it’s worth the few seconds it will take. Exteriors and window treatments are included. This helpful tool will take some of the guess work out of your project.
We can also take the guess work out of the current market value of your home, if you are painting in preparation for selling. Visit our Market Snapshot tool and find out what homes in your Northern Virginia community have actually sold for, or just Contact Us for a quick read on the market value of your own home. We are always here for you!
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Outer Banks Investor Video Series: Boating in the Outer Banks?
March 2nd, 2010 categories: Outer Banks Focus
Do you have a dream of owning investment property in the Outer Banks? Have you ever wondered about whether this might be possible?
It is a dream that many regular folks – not millionaires – make happen all the time!
North Carolina’s Outer Banks is one of the best values you will find when it comes to vacation property, or year round living.
Your first step is to get well grounded in the basics, so that you make wise and careful decisions based on your goals?
We created “Outer Banks Focus” just for potential investors, as well as those interested in full-time living in the Outer Banks.
In this podcast and video series we equip you with answers to the kinds of questions potential buyers should be asking, but do not necessarily do so, because of not knowing where to begin.
In this episode we talk about a common question regarding boating in OBX.
Check out the previous videos such as Four Wheel Drive Area, Corolla, Duck, or Investment vs Full-time Living.
After that, listen to our 6 part series on “Investing in the Outer Banks” on Chantilly Radio.
The Kathy O’Neal Team of REMAX Premier in Fairfax and our Outer Banks strategic partner, Barb Connery of REMAX Ocean Realty, are a dynamic team to help you get all the information you need in a very relaxed and deliberate manner. Their decades of combined experience will give you an immediate sense that you are getting the “straight scoop” on Outer Banks real estate.
Let us know how we can help!
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Chantilly Home for Sale at 15123 Philip Lee Road
February 27th, 2010 categories: Chantilly Fairfax County, Featured Listings
If you are a home buyer looking in the Chantilly area, our most recent listing in Pleasant Valley is definitely worth your attention.
The home sparkles and has been extremely well maintained. On top of that, the owners have done a lot of recent work so that this home would be a stand out.
15123 Philip Lee Road - Chantilly, VA 20151
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The list of new systems in this home is long…..new siding (2008), new garage door (2008), new exterior doors (2008), new hot water heater (2209). The list goes on!
Also to note: this is a traditional sale property….so forget the hassles and uncertainties. This one is good to go.
If this sounds interesting, take a quick Visual Tour to get a better sense of this exceptional home.
If you’d like to see the property, just contact Kathy to arrange a convenient time or if you have any further questions. We are always here for you.
Price: $400,000
MLS#: FX 7263863
More information: please click here and you will see the property on our Featured Listings page.
If I can answer any questions, please Contact Us.
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Getting Up-To-Date Mortgage Rate Information
February 23rd, 2010 categories: Buyer Strategies, Mortgage & Finance
Chantilly and Northern Virginia area home buyers who are on the lookout for the best interest rate, may have noticed some of last week’s hesdlines proclaiming that mortgage rates were down 0.04 percent, on average, since the week prior.
Other headlines proclaimed the same thing:
- US Mortgage Rates Drop For 2nd Straight Week (Reuters)
- Mortgage Rates On 30-year US Loans Fall To 4.93% (Business Week)
- 30-Year Fixed Mortgage Rate Falls Farther Below 5% (Marketwatch)
The Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (PMMS), has been collecting are reporting mortgage rate data for nearly 40 years.
But here is the point: mortgage rates are far too dynamic and fluid to expect that even good data from the PMMS will let you know when and where you will get the best mortgage rate.
Remember to, as we have discussed on Chantilly Radio when we talk about mortgage issues, that the interest rate you are getting is not the only consideration to evaluate when you are mortgage shopping.
When you are on the lookout for the right time to “pull the trigger,” the best person to give you up to the moment information is a mortgage officer you trust.
Stay in contact with them because things can change hour-to-hour, if not minute-to-minute.
As always, if you need a few references, I can always give you the names of several reputable mortgage professionals. Let me know if this would help.
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Cleaner Home Air and Saves Your HVAC System: Replace the Filter
February 22nd, 2010 categories: Home Life
Chantilly home owners can extend the life of their home heating and air conditioning system with just a little easy maintenance.
The simple task of replacing your filter not only helps the system last longer, it also helps keep your home air a bit cleaner.
The job is easy…for many systems even easier than you will see in this video. Not all systems require that you take the back panel off to get to the filter. For many you just slide our the old and slide in the new.
I have seen a quarterly (every 3 months) change recommended, but some suggest once a month is optimal, especially if you have pets or other conditions where frequent change can help prevent potential problems.
Also to remember…the cheap filters do not perform well. You can offset the extra cost of the deluxe filters by buying them in bulk.
This video will show you the ineffectiveness of the lower cost filters.
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Outer Banks Investor Video Series: Duck
February 17th, 2010 categories: Outer Banks Focus
Thinking about buying an investment property or second home in the Outer Banks?
Are you wondering where to begin your research so that you can be a truly informed consumer?
Do you want to make sure you are well grounded in the basics, so that you make wise and careful decisions based on your goals?
If any or all of these are concerns, you have found a very valuable resource.
In this podcast and video series we equip you with answers to the kinds of questions potential buyers should be asking, but do not necessarily do so, because the not knowing where to begin.
Start with any of the previous videos such as Four Wheel Drive Area, Corolla, or Investment vs Full-time Living.
After that, listen to our 6 part series on “Investing in the Outer Banks” on Chantilly Radio. You will get information you really should have before you start the home search process.
The Kathy O’Neal Team of REMAX Premier in Fairfax and our Outer Banks strategic partner, Barb Connery of REMAX Ocean Realty, are a dynamic team to help you first get all the information you need in a very relaxed and deliberate manner. Their decades of combined experience will give you an immediate sense that you are getting the “straight scoop” on Outer Banks real estate.
Let us know how we can help!
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