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, […]
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? […]
I have written about the teardown business before. In one article “Is Your Home Worth More Dead Or Alive?” I suggested sellers should take time to analyze their situation and decide whether it is better to sell to a builder or sell to an owner occupant. In the other “Vienna Teardowns Part 2 – Street […]
As you may have surmised from reading my blogs, I believe in investment real estate. I have personally invested in Northern Virginia and in markets outside this area. When I went to new markets it took me quite a bit of work to find an investor-friendly Realtor in that town. I thought others may be […]
As you may have surmised from reading my blogs, I believe in investment real estate. I have personally invested in Northern Virginia and in markets outside this area. When I went to new markets it took me quite a bit of work to find an investor friendly Realtor in that town. I thought others may […]
It is a trick question. I had better be the winner as I have one advantage over all of value based formulas used by the big 3. I have seen the inside of the house. Often, really too often, folks tell me, ” but Zillow says….” I could counter that Trulia says it is worth […]
The Truth in Lending RESPA Integrated Disclosures (TRID or TILA-RESPA) is changing the lending landscape and how settlements are conducted. In fact we will no longer have settlements but more on that later. Like most construction projects, the original launch date has been pushed back. The changes were scheduled to take effect August 1 but […]
Many people want to invest in real estate but find that they can’t do so in their home market. Either the cash flows are not there or the property is too expensive. Here in Northern Virginia, the average price point is in the in the mid 500s and selections below $200,000 are very limited. With […]
