You finally have the home of your dreams under contract. You and the seller have agreed on home inspection repairs. Even the appraisal is done and acceptable to all parties. The lender says your credit is great and the loan is sailing through processing. You think you are home free. Not so fast…… I’ve seen […]
In this hot market, if you are trying to buy, getting a home under contract takes hard work, great strategy and, often, a bit of luck. Inventory remains low and demand far exceeds supply. Yet, I sense that more contracts then ever are falling apart before they get to settlement. How can that be? Well, […]
Frequently the decision to buy or sell a home is driven by an event or timeline. Perhaps you have taken a new job in another city and need to relocate now. Or a baby is due and your current housing situation will quickly become inadequate. Or you need to make a move between school years. Other […]
I was recently reading Michael Lewis’ book, “The Undoing Project” which is about two Israeli psychologists who developed several innovative decision making theories. Some suggested that perhaps we are not as rational as we think we are. In chapter 9 there is a long discussion on the theory of regret. They discovered that people did […]
We have all received emails from foreign “dignitaries” who need our help transferring millions of dollars into the US. Or we get an email from a “relative” who was robbed while on vacation and needs money to get back home. These are easy to spot as frauds. But now hackers are getting more sophisticated. They […]
The Spring market in Northern Virginia is hot. It is not uncommon for new listings to receive multiple offers. In fact, I had 3 homes sell this month with multiple offers that were above asking. Why is this happening? Well, interest rates are still very attractive and buyers are out in force but sellers are […]
As I write this in mid February 2018, interest rates are about .5% higher than just a month or so ago. It is impossible to know where they will be 6 months from now but there is more pressure on the upside than the downside. So how much does a mortgage increase when rates rise? […]
Every business changes with the times. New strategies, formulas and trends come and go. Real estate is no different. Over my 25+ plus years I’ve seen so much. Most of the change has been technology based. In 1989, I remember my broker was excited that he went out on a limb and bought a fax […]
In 2013, I took a virtual tour out Rt 66 and showed what $500,000 will get you in Arlington, Gainesville and points in between. So 3 years later, what has changed? The original 2013 info is in black and the 2016 info in red. —————————————————————– Buckle up and let’s take a ride west on Rt […]
Post housing crisis, mortgage underwriting is thorough, overbearing and at times non-nonsensical. Some say it borders on harassment. Gone are the days of “liar loans” and no doc loans and good riddance. However, while underwriters continue to scour every inch of your financial past, lenders are again offering 100% financing and other programs where a […]
