Associate Broker, Long & Foster Real Estate
Careful Not to Overplay Your Hand The market you WANT to house hunt and negotiate in may be vastly different than the market in which you are ACTUALLY shopping. Case in point is our 2020 Northern Virginia real estate market. With so little on the market, and still plenty of buyer demand, the advantage in Read More …
All Real Estate Sales are Final Being a Bristow/Gainesville Real Estate Agent has been full of interesting moments. A full time real estate professional in any market can have a cocktail party enthralled with the stories of the things they have seen and heard over their career. The other day, I was remembering one of Read More …
Controlling the Date of Ratification It’s the attention to detail, knowledge of the contract and control of a situation that combine to make an ordinary real estate agent, GREAT. Case in point, the very important detail of when a contract is ratified. Once a contract is ratified, sellers are contractually obligated to sell with only Read More …
The Value of a Cash Offer in a Seller’s Market Market conditions seem to not register in the minds of cash buyers, or the agents that represent them. There is simply a declaration of a cash offer, remarks of what is “wrong” with the property (usually cosmetic) and the sock in the gut that comes Read More …
‘Tis the Season to Fall in Love The anticipation of the holidays have a reputation for even warming up the Scrooges among us. There is a want to fall in love this time of year. You need look no further than The Hallmark Movie Channel lineup. Holiday movie after holiday movie with stories of love, Read More …
Whenever I take a new listing, the preparation for pictures is critical. First of all, I believe in professional photography for my listings. I tried to keep up with the advancements in technology as long as I could, continuing to take my own listing photos up until 2017, but that is when I left it Read More …
What a Difference a Fake Bed Makes in a Vacant Bedroom The picture above is of a vacant bedroom. It’s got fresh carpet and paint and shows well. However, not having any furnishings it is going to be difficult for buyers to imagine what furniture will fit in there. Enter my light staging touches that Read More …
Light Staging in a Bathroom Makes a Difference Vacant homes in a seller’s market will sell, but they always get more attention and sell for more if you dress them up a bit. Above is a before picture of a bathroom in a townhouse listing. Put in some towels, decor and soap and voila! A Read More …
What Inventory Shortage? Twice in the last week I have had individuals, who are either not licensed real estate agents or not full-time professional real estate agents, want to educate me and other top real estate agents in the Northern Virginia market that the inventory shortage they hear us complaining about doesn’t exist. There is Read More …
Do Sellers Get to See the Buyer’s Appraisal? If a seller is seeing a buyer’s appraisal, there is a problem. The only time a seller gets to see their buyer’s appraisal is if the value is lower than the agreed upon sales price. At least, that’s how it works in the Northern Virginia area, which Read More …