You’re Invited to Our Upcoming Celebration

We’ve got a party coming up on June 1, and you’re invited. Here are all the details.

Buying in Northern Virginia?  Get a Full Home Search Here

Selling in Northern Virginia? Get a Free Home Value Report Here

I wanted to make sure you got an invite to the exclusive party that we’re having for all of our friends, clients, and families. Our entire team will be there and we are looking forward to seeing you.

On Friday, June 1, join us at Bar Louie in Gainesville from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. for a great time. We’ll have free food, drinks, and a ton of different door prizes. My buddy, Redskin great Brian Mitchell, will be there as well. I would love to have you come out.

Head on over to ravingfanclub.org to reserve your spot.

Just head on over to ravingfanclub.org to reserve your spot. We would love to see you and your family, and we would love for you to meet the team. If you know anybody who is thinking about buying or selling a home, bring them too! 

If you have any questions in the meantime about the party or about real estate in general, give me a call or send me an email today. I would love to hear from you soon.

Get a Second Opinion on Your Zestimate

Buying in Northern Virginia?  Get a full home search here

Selling in Northern Virginia? Get a free home value report here

People have been asking me more and more questions about their Zillow Zestimate and what it means. They want to know what I think about it. Well, there was a recently article posted on inman.com that is quite telling. The article pointed out that when the Zillow CEO went to sell his home recently, it sold for 40% less than the home’s Zestimate. If the CEO’s value is off by that much, how much might yours be off by?

A Zestimate is an algorithm Zillow uses that is mainly based on tax records and past sales. It’s not very accurate, because they don’t know anything about your home’s upgrades, what your neighborhood is like, and the demand for homes in your area. There are a lot of different micro-markets in Northern Virginia. You need your valuation to be as accurate as possible.

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A Zestimate is just an algorithm.

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If you really want to know what your home is worth, we can come out to your property to do a no-cost, no-obligation home valuation. We’ll look at your upgrades as well as all the recent comps in the area so we can give you the most accurate home valuation possible.

If you have any questions for us, don’t hesitate to reach out by giving us a call or sending us an email. We would love to hear from you.

3 Tips for Springtime Sellers in Northern Virginia

Buying in Northern Virginia?  Get a full home search here

Selling in Northern Virginia? Get a free home value report here

Today, I’ll cover three of the best tips to sell your Northern Virginia home this spring.

• Amp up the curb appeal. Especially with mobile phones and buyers driving around neighborhoods, curb appeal has never been more crucial. Hire a professional landscaping company to freshen up your front lawn. That’s the first thing buyers see and determine whether or not they want to see the inside of your home.
• Fix it and don’t forget it. Home inspectors go through your home for about four or five hours and address any repairs. Take a tour of your home, potentially with a local handyman, and inspect for repairs. Fix them ahead of time! They’ll come up later in the home inspection.
• Market like you mean it. Because of competition, hire a professional to market your property. We know how to sell for top dollar! Don’t miss out.

If you’re thinking about buying or selling in the surrounding area, give me a call or email. I’d be happy to serve your local real estate needs and answer any questions you may have!

What Influences Your Buying Power in Northern Virginia?

Buying in Northern Virginia?  Get a full home search here

Selling in Northern Virginia? Get a free home value report here

Today, I’ll focus on four specific things that help determine your buying power in Northern Virginia.

• Your credit score: As one of the most important factors in the buying process, I recommend checking your credit score. Oftentimes, these services offer advice on how to improve your score.
• Your down payment: You should know how much your initial down payment will be. A lender looks at this. Different types of loans don’t even require one, so it’s better to familiarize yourself with the requirements.
• Your debt-to-income ratio: This accounts for how much debt you have and how much income you bring in. This ratio determines if you’re able to pay off debt, and impacts what type of loan you’ll get.
• Your financial resources: One of the lender’s biggest concerns is whether or not a borrower has the means to pay back the loan. They’ll need to review your financial information to know.

If you’re thinking about buying or selling a home in the surrounding area, give me a call or send me an email. I’d be happy to answer any real estate questions you have!

What Are the Latest Numbers in Northern Virginia?

Buying in Northern Virginia?  Get a full home search here

Selling in Northern Virginia? Get a free home value report here

A lot of exciting things have been happening lately in Northern Virginia. Our team continues to grow; in fact, we just moved into a new office space. We also recently found out that we were ranked the #23 real estate team in Virginia by RE/MAX.

Today we want to give you a quick update on how the various markets around Northern Virginia are performing. We will be discussing the median sale price and the average days on market to give you an accurate portrayal of our market. 

Fauquier County

The median sale price is up 4% from 2014, and now sits at $362,000. The average days on market here is 75 days.

Prince William County

The median sale price here is $344,000, only up 1% from last year. As for the average days on market, it is only 40 days.

Fairfax County
The median sale price in Fairfax County is $495,000, right around where it was at this time last year. 

Loudon County
In Loudon County, the median sale price is down 2% from 2014, and the average home here is taking just 44 days to sell.

Stafford County
This area has seen a ton of growth, as demonstrated by its 8% rise in average sale price from last year. The average days on market here is about 60. 

We hope this update has been of use to you. If you have any questions for us about the market, we are always here to answer them. We look forward to hearing from you!

How Can You Get a Big Return When Flipping Homes in Northern Virginia?

Buying in Northern Virginia?  Get a full home search here

Selling in Northern Virginia? Get a free home value report here

There are a lot of reality shows on TV about buying properties and flipping them for a return. Although these shows often make it look a whole lot easier than it is, there are some great opportunities to make money flipping homes here in Northern Virginia. To help you, I want to share the four keys to flipping properties:

1. Knowing where to find good deals: Great deals aren't going to just fall into your lap. You need to work with a skilled agent and have a solid marketing plan in order to get the results you desire.
2. Financial resources: Most real estate flippers pay cash for properties because it's very hard to get a loan on a property that's going to need a lot of work. I know local lenders who are interested in giving real estate flipping loans, and I would love to put you in contact with them. 
3. Good network of contractors: When flipping a property, there are various contractors you need to rely on, such as: roofing, HVAC, flooring, painting, carpeting, kitchen work, etc. Having a good network of trustworthy contractors will make each flip a whole lot easier.
4. Finding a Good Realtor: An experienced Realtor will help you with the marketing of the property and to find a great deal. Additionally, a Realtor will pull comps for you so you can avoid homes that won't net you any money, as well as find homes that are likely to yield a favorable return.

If you have any questions about flipping properties, don't hesitate to give me a call or shoot me an email. I would love to hear from you!

How Can You Grow Your Wealth in 2015?

Northern Virginia is an ideal location with an excellent variety of homes that are situated within a vibrant real estate market. If you to want to look over all the properties currently listed within the area, go here to perform a full home search, or if you're interested in seeing how much your property is worth, click here for a free home value report. For any other questions regarding your property's value or the market conditions of Northern Virginia, do not hesitate to call Chris at (703) 485-1435.

Have you been looking for a way to supplement your income? If so, you've come to the right place. Today, we share a few tips to help you boost your financial situation! 

1. Determine your goals. We encourage you to put your goals on paper and determine where you want to be throughout the year.
2. Create a budget. There are plenty of tools online to help you. We like www.Envelopes.com, where you can put your budget into a virtual envelope and link it directly to your checking account.
3. Consolidate loans. There are many banks out there that are willing to lend money for a lower rate. It's simply a matter of filling out the paperwork.
4. Transfer high credit card balances. Check your credit card statements and ensure you're not paying a crazy interest rate. There are a lot of cheaper cards out there that you can transfer your balance to.
5. Save for retirement. There's plenty of different ways to save for retirement, whether through mutual funds or a 401(k) through your work. There's a lot of great information out there about saving for retirement we would love to share with you.

If you have any questions about growing your wealth in 2015, don't hesitate to give us a call or shoot us an email. We would love to help you make more money this year!