Seller Strategies
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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What home buyers and home sellers should know about roofing – Part 3
February 1st, 2010 categories: Buyer Strategies, Home Life, PODCASTS, Seller Strategies
EPISODE 32 – REAL ESTATE IN CHANTILLY
We continue our series on roof repair and replacement for home buyers and sellers in the Chantilly, Centreville, or Northern Virginia area.
In this series on Chantilly Radio we interview veteran Home Inspection professional, Reggie Marston.
If you are a buyer, you will want to have a basic understand of what you should be concerned about. Likewise, as a seller, you will want to know what roofing issues are important for the effective sale of your home.
Reggie is inspecting homes every day, and his insights can help you avoid loss and make more informed judgments about potentially costly roof repairs.
In this episode we focus on what sellers should consider before they put their property on the market. What is the one thing most buyers will be very concerned about? When are the services of a roofing contractor needed? What common sense preventative steps can you take as a seller to help ensure your roof won’t be a Home Inspection issue?
If you plan on buying or selling a home in Northern Virginia, check out this series (Part 1 and Part 2). It may save you time and money.
By the way, if a home buy or sell is in your future, and you are wondering about the selling prices of other homes in your neighborhood or community, by all means take advantage of our Market Snapshot.
It will give you immediate access to actual selling prices. Any questions or comments, just contact us anytime!
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What home buyers and sellers should know about roofing – Part 2
January 25th, 2010 categories: Buyer Strategies, Home Life, PODCASTS, Seller Strategies
EPISODE 31 -REAL ESTATE IN CHANTILLY
We continue our series on what you need to know before getting your home’s roof repaired or replaced, for home buyers – and sellers – in the Chantilly, Centreville, or Northern Virginia area.
In this series on Chantilly Radio we interview veteran Home Inspection professional, Reggie Marston.
If you are a buyer, you will want to have a basic understand of what you should be concerned about. Likewise, as a seller, you will want to know what roofing issues are important for the effective sale of your home.
Reggie is inspecting homes every day, and his insights will help you avoid typical glitches and blindspots that can hurt both buyer and seller.
In this episode we discuss specifics on how to decide what level of quality you want, how to find a reputable contractor, how to get a good price, and what are the red flags to watch out for to help ensure you don’t get a vendor or a price that is not right for you.
If you plan on buying or selling a home in Northern Virginia, check out this series. It may save you time and money.
By the way, if a home buy or sell is in your future, and you are wondering about the selling prices of other homes in your neighborhood or community, by all means take advantage of our Market Snapshot.
It will give you immediate access to actual selling prices. Any questions or comments, just contact us anytime!
Download this episode (right click and save)
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What home buyers and sellers should know about roofing – Part 1
January 20th, 2010 categories: Buyer Strategies, PODCASTS, Seller Strategies
EPISODE 30 -REAL ESTATE IN CHANTILLY
Home buyers – and sellers – in the Chantilly, Centreville, or Northern Virginia area know that the condition of the property’s roof is always an issue of concern.
In this series on Chantilly Radio we interview veteran Home Inspection professional, Reggie Marston to discuss what home buyers and sellers need to know about the condition of the property’s roof.
If you are a buyer, you will want to have a basic understand of what you should be concerned about. Likewise, as a seller, you will want to know what roofing issues are important for the effective sale of your home.
Reggie is inspecting homes every day, and his insights will help you avoid typical glitches and blindspots that can hurt both buyer and seller.
If you plan on buying or selling a home in Northern Virginia, or even it you are not a home buyer or seller now, check out this series. It may save you time and money when the time does come.
By the way, if a home buy or sell is in your future, and you are wondering about the selling prices of other homes in your neighborhood or community, by all means take advantage of our Market Snapshot.
It will give you immediate access to actual selling prices. Any questions or comments, just contact us anytime!
Download this episode (right click and save)
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Real Estate in Chantilly and Centereville Area: Buy, Sell, or Wait?
January 18th, 2010 categories: Buyer Strategies, Real Estate Psychology, Seller Strategies
Working with buyers and sellers every day, I get a sense of the “mood on the street” that is not necessarily reflected in national statistics.
Here is a quick impression of what I have been seeing lately in working with Northern Virginia home owners and buyers, as well as those moving here from other areas.
I’d summarize the mood this way: “I am going to get on with my life!
After four plus years of non-stop bad news, people are tired of having their real estate life on hold.
Of course, reality is ever present, and some people have circumstances that simply prevent them from doing what they would like to do. Some things you can not, and should not ignore. No point in making a real estate move that will make your situation worse.
But “distress” is not the only reality that is out there. There are many buyers and sellers on solid financial ground. They have been watching the national drama, and trying to figure out when is the right time to do whatever it is they planned on doing, real estate wise.
So what point do I want to make from this? Let me offer a few ideas to any of our readers who may be thinking through a real estate decision.
First, make rationally-based decisions, not fear-based decisions. To me, this means not being overly optimistic or pessimistic. It means looking honestly at the key factors that are part of your decision.
Second, get really good professional advice. Never work with someone who you feel is trying to exert pressure on you to make their preferred real estate decision. I have made this point from time to time in this blog: choose a really outstanding real estate agent.
Third, if the finances add up for you, do remember that you are living through a time of special opportunity. At some future point, who knows when, the real estate market will be much different than it is today. Add just enough contrarian thinking to see beyond what the “crowd” sees.
And if you do happen to be looking for someone to help you make that next move, we invite you to watch a different kind of testimonial video…in the voice of our clients.
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Video: How to Select the Right Real Estate Agent
January 8th, 2010 categories: Buyer Strategies, Seller Strategies
If you are a home seller or home buyer in Northern Virginia, and you don’t already have an agent that you will work with, you have an important decision. You
will be very wise to engage in “due diligence” with this selection.
In my opinion, based on working in the industry for over twenty years now, this is one of your most important real estate decisions. Do this right and you are far more likely to have a good experience. Do it wrong and you may have consequences that will be emotionally and financially painful.
If you already have a person that has done a good job and served you well, work with them again. You know what they can do.
If you don’t have that trusted agent, and you will need to find someone, invest a little time watching this video.
Just go to our VIDEO CENTER, then scroll down to “The Right Real Estate Agent For You”
The video is not entertainment, and it is not a sales pitch. It is a set of easy to understand ideas that will enable you to be a very smart real estate consumer and make a choice that will help you get a top agent who is seasoned, professional, and capable of getting you to your desired goal.
Sure, we’d love for you to give us a call after you watch the video. But that is not the main objective. The objective is to help you get the best agent for you. And this video will definitely help you in that process. Once you learn these principles, you can use them for years, whenever you need to find a really first-class agent.
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Relocating? What To Know Before Hiring A Moving Service! (Part 5)
December 4th, 2009 categories: Buyer Strategies, PODCASTS, Seller Strategies
EPISODE 28 – REAL ESTATE IN CHANTILLY
If you are relocating to the Northern Virginia area, or making a local move, you may be looking for a moving company.
In this series on how to hire a good moving service, we discuss what informed home sellers and buyers should know before they start looking for a moving service.
JK Moving and Storage started with the dream of its founder to create the best moving service in the world. Today it is a company which provides local, national, and international moving services.
In this last episode in the series we discuss the JK story: how the company started, its customer philosophy, how it trains its employee associates, what the “JK experience” in moving looks like from start to finish, and what are the core values behind the JK Moving and Storage approach.
If you have listened to the episodes in this series, you will know the importance of making a careful selection in your choice of moving companies. Listen to the “JK philosophy of moving” and if what you hear about this company’s approach matches what you would like in a mover, consider JK among your moving candidates. If you have a move ahead, this is definitely a company to know about.
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Getting Your Northern Virginia Home Ready to Sell: Passing the “Smell Test”
December 3rd, 2009 categories: Seller Strategies
In our Chantilly Radio series on “How to Sell Your Home in a Challenging Market” we go through a comprehensive set of strategies on getting your home sold well in the challenging market we have been going through.
If you live in Northern Virginia, and plan on putting your home on the market anytime soon, give this set of shows a listen.
One of the “little things” that can be a “big thing” is the issue of home odors. An off smell can get prospective buyers out of your property in no time. These odors can come from any number of sources: rugs, walls. furniture, cooking, you name it. To get the best value for your home, this is one of several areas that must be right.
Of course, if the property is distressed, buyers may expect glitches. But if your property is being marketed as a “normal” property, buyers will have a set of higher expectations.
You can control this aspect of marketing your home.
Check out this 4-minute video from NBC’s The Today Show. It is basic information, but good to know and follow. You will get ideas on:
- How to deal with odors imbeded in wood
- How to remove “smoke smell” out of a wall
- How to improve a home’s air quality by cleaning carpets
If you have more significant problems you may consider in-home air purifiers.
The objective of all of this is to give buyers a great experience so that your home stays on their short list. Controlling this very basic but critical area of scent is very much in your best interests as a seller.
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Relocating? What To Know Before Hiring A Moving Service! (Part 4)
November 23rd, 2009 categories: Buyer Strategies, PODCASTS, Seller Strategies
EPISODE 27 – REAL ESTATE IN CHANTILLY
If you are relocating to the Northern Virginia area, or making a local move, you may be looking for a moving company.
In this series on how to hire a good moving company we discuss what informed home sellers and buyers should know before they start looking for a moving service.
If you start shopping for a moving service online, there are several things to be aware of so you don’t wind having a bad experience with a less than professional company.
In this fourth episode of the series, we discuss typical scenarios in which consumers looking for a reputable moving service start with the Internet. If you begin your search this way, what must you be careful about? How do you avoid unpleasant surprises both in charges you were not anticipating as well as poor service? What are the “red flags” that are signals for “trouble ahead?” Once you know what to avoid you will be in a better position to hire a reliable and honest mover.
Chantilly and Northern Virginia area home owners who see a move upcoming, as well as anyone moving into the Northern Virginia area, will benefit from the honest and straightforward insights of someone who is working inside the moving industry.
Don’t miss the entire series!
Download this episode (right click and save)
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Relocating? What You Must Know Before Hiring A Moving Service! (Part 3)
November 13th, 2009 categories: Buyer Strategies, PODCASTS, Seller Strategies
EPISODE 26 – REAL ESTATE IN CHANTILLY
If you are relocating to the Northern Virginia area, or making a local move, you may be looking for a moving company.
In this series on how to hire a good moving company we discuss what informed home sellers and buyers should know before they start looking for a moving service, how to avoid fraud from “rouge movers” and other scams, as well as how to know good price and value.
In this third episode of the series, we start with the one “big secret” that a reputable moving service would love you to check out, but that a poorer quality company will want you to avoid like the plague.
We also discuss the biggest misperception consumers have about the claims process, should you experience damage or loss during your move.
Also, what will your move cost? What are typical price ranges for moving services? How negotiable are prices? What about very “low ball” estimates? Are there potential problems behind promises of extremely low costs?
Chantilly and Northern Virginia area home owners who see a move upcoming, as well as anyone moving into the Northern Virginia area, will benefit from the honest and straightforward insights of someone who is working inside the moving industry.
Don’t miss the entire series!
Download this episode (right click and save)
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