Archive for July, 2010
Selling Your Home in Northern Virginia: Staging for Advantage (Part 2)
July 26th, 2010 categories: PODCASTS, Seller Strategies
EPISODE 42 – REAL ESTATE IN CHANTILLY
If you are planning on selling your Northern Virginia home, give a listen to this series on how to stage your home.
We will likely continue to be in a very competitive market for home sellers, but in any market it is in the best interests of sellers to stage their home well.
We discuss primary strategies to get your home looking better so that you will be able to compete in a market where buyers have lots of choices. Will your property stand out in such a way that prospective buyers will come back to take that second look? Or will it be quickly put aside in favor of others that seem to “feel” better?
In this series of shows professional Home Stager Jackie Brannan of Home Transformations takes us through some of the main strategies and insights that informed sellers need to know. Among other things, we discuss:
The Kathy O’Neal Team strongly believes that time and effort spent in preparing the home before it goes to market is one of the smartest and most cost efficient moves a home seller can make. This is a classic case of “paying it forward.” Well prepared homes are likely to do far better than their less appealing counterparts.
If you live in the Northern Virginia area and are within a year or so of putting your home on the market, we invite you to take advantage of our free home estimate and staging consultation. Call Kathy for details.
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Dramatic Luxury Log Home at 11365 Waite Lane in Catlett VA 20119
July 21st, 2010 categories: Featured Listings, Nearby Communities
This luxury log home at 11365 Waite Lane in Catlett, VA (20119), not far from busy Northern Virginia, is the kind of property you won’t often see.
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11365 Waite Lane - Catlett, VA 20119
It is also a home that you have to see and experience to fully appreciate.
Whether viewed from inside or outside, you get an immediate “Wow!” This luxury log home sits on 6 to 7 acres, and the land is a nice combination of woods plus open space.
The dramatic Great Room will knock your socks off with its full-wall stone fireplace, but that is just the opening act to get you ready for the deck views. Speaking of which, a huge deck runs across the back of the home, and the views are addictive.
Lots and lots of other features in this distinctive home, but if it sounds interesting just take a quick Visual Tour, and then let us know if you would like more information.
And of course, 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: $ 698,000
MLS#: FQ7333310
More information: please click here and you will see the property on our Featured Listings page.
If you have any questions, please Contact Us.
PS – If you are relocating to Northern Virginia, we can get your questions about the area answered quickly.
Incredible views from 11365 Waite Lane in Catlett, VA 20119
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Selling Your Home in Northern Virginia: Staging for Advantage (Part 1)
July 20th, 2010 categories: PODCASTS, Seller Strategies
EPISODE 41 – REAL ESTATE IN CHANTILLY
If you are planning on selling your Northern Virginia home, give a listen to this series on how to stage your home.
We will likely continue to be in a very competitive market for home sellers, but in any market it is in the best interests of sellers to stage their home well.
We discuss primary strategies to get your home looking better so that you will be able to compete in a market where buyers have lots of choices. Will your property stand out in such a way that prospective buyers will come back to take that second look? Or will it be quickly put aside in favor of others that seem to “feel” better?
In this series of shows professional Home Stager Jackie Brannan of Home Transformations takes us through some of the main strategies and insights that informed sellers need to know. Among other things, we discuss:
The Kathy O’Neal Team strongly believes that time and effort spent in preparing the home before it goes to market is one of the smartest and most cost efficient moves a home seller can make. This is a classic case of “paying it forward.” Well prepared homes are likely to do far better than their less appealing counterparts.
If you live in the Northern Virginia area and are within a year or so of putting your home on the market, we invite you to take advantage of our free home estimate and staging consultation. Call Kathy for details.
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Mortgage Rate Shopping: Reactions to Fed’s June Meeting
July 18th, 2010 categories: Buyer Strategies, Mortgage & Finance, Seller Strategies
Mortgage rates hit all time lows this week, at least according to Freddie Mac.
And they may be staying low for awhile, but then again who can predict. A good run of economic news could send them creeping up.
Since the Fed released its June 2010 meeting highlights, mortgage rates have been dipping, owing to the tone and language of the report.
The Fed’s report is page upon page of stats, and other somewhat dense descriptions of the U.S. economy, along with discussion of the give and take of opinions among the Fed members.
Some highlights from this report include:
- An expectation of below normal growth through 2012
- A less positive picture on employment
- Credit conditions easing only very slowly
This is not great news overall, but it may bode well for mortgage rates.
If you have a re-fi or a home purchase on the horizon, consider getting that mortgage rate locked in now. Forget the stress of trying to second guess what is next.
And of course, if you are considering a move to the Northern Virginia area or a home sale or purchase in Northern Virginia, I invite you to take a quick minute and watch our video on how we serve our clients. It is an honest view on how we serve home buyers and sellers. Click on “Our Story: In the Voice of Our Clients.”
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Protecting financial identity and other information online
July 11th, 2010 categories: Buyer Strategies, Home Life, Seller Strategies
With the vast amount of online buying occurring these days (May 2010 Retail Sales at non-store retailers topped $29 billion) we thought this 5-minute video from NBC’s The Today Show would be useful to you.
There are plenty of predators out there, so it always pays to be aware of ways you can avoid fraud. Be careful with your online purchases. This video offers practical strategies and insights.
And of course, if you are home shopping, our Property Search and other tools are always easily accessible to you on our other website. If you are a home seller, you will especially benefit from Market Snapshot where you can get actual sold prices of homes in your Northern Virginia community.
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Save your HVAC and breathe easier: Change air filters
July 8th, 2010 categories: Home Life
Your AC is probably getting some heavy use here in Northern Virginia during this time of year.
That takes a toll on the filter. Lots of complications – and costs – can be the result of a badly clogged air filter. It pays to replace them frequently.
The experts recommend that you not buy the cheap filters.
You pay a bit more for the good ones, but after watching this 1-minute video, you’ll see why cheap may by costly
Airborne particles are smaller than most mesh filters. Pleated filters are recommended instead.
The better filters start around $11 and they can be purchased in bulk from Amazon at a good discount.
The 3M’s Filtrete line of products is a high quality brand carried in most big box stores.
You may want to consider changing the filters out monthly if you have shedding prone pets or special sensitivity to dust.
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How To Use Your Home Fire Extinguisher
July 5th, 2010 categories: Home Life
It is a sobering statistic: In 2006, on average, a person died in an in-home fire every 2 hours, 42 minutes, in the U.S. In addition, someone was injured every 32 minutes.
And in terms of property damage, the number is nearly $7 billion.
It makes watching this 2-minute video from Lowe’s worth your time.
And of course, this is an incentive to have a fire extinguisher to use.
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Community Spotlight: Walney Oaks in Chantilly VA
July 3rd, 2010 categories: Chantilly Fairfax County
Our community profile for this week is Walney Oaks in Chantilly, Virginia.
WALNEY OAKS IN CHANTILLY, VIRGINIA
Walney Oaks is an established community of mostly single-family homes, with a small number of townhomes.
Here are CURRENT LISTINGS IN WALNEY OAKS.
PLEASE NOTE: Several small communities may have periods when no properties are on the market. If you see no properties listed in the above link, and have questions, don’t hesitate to contact Kathy.
- If you want more information on properties in Walney Oaks, or any area communities, or if you are interested in FORECLOSURES, SHORT SALES, and BANK OWNED properties, just CONTACT US and we will give you information on whatever is available.
Here are a few other links that will give you more information about this community and others in this general area:
MORE INFORMATION ON WALNEY OAKS.
MORE INFORMATION ON CHANTILLY-FAIRFAX COUNTY, CHANTILLY- LOUDOUN COUNTY, CENTREVILLE AREA, and NEARBY COMMUNITIES.
Moving to the Northern Virginia area? Check out our Area Living, and of course call or email Kathy if you want quick answers to any questions about property in the Chantilly or Northern Virginia area.
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Do you KNOW if this is a good time to refinance your mortgage?
July 1st, 2010 categories: Mortgage & Finance
This 3-minute video from NBC’s The Today Show from last month is still worth a quick look if you are thinking about a refi.
If you are uncertain as to whether a refinancing of your mortgage is a good idea, that is probably a sign that you need to check it out.
You should know the answer to that question, otherwise you may be throwing money away each month.
As always, let me know if you need a few mortgage contact referrals. I routinely provide buyers and sellers with several referrals that I have found to be reputable, quality mortgage professionals.
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