Previewing Review 2/7/12

This weeks tour of homes took us to the Eastern Herndon and Oakton areas of Fairfax County. The first house we visited was a listing of a fellow agent in this office. They are having some difficulty with pricing from their clients and wanted other agents' thoughts. The outside of the home is gorgeous and has massive curb appeal. The inside of the house past the foyer has issues though.

The seller did very little work and almost all the walls are damaged, need minor spackling and nail remove, and need to be cleaned. When listing a house is listed with an agent it is a partnership and both parties need to work together to get as much out of the transaction as possible. If a home is not only improperly but also not in show condition then it will end up sitting on the market for far too long.


The house had other issues as well but the main issue a house has can be demonstrated in a property we looked at later in the day. Before we got to that property we looked at a couple others. One was a Brokers Open that had actually gone under contract that morning. It was a beautiful house priced perfectly and that helped it to go off the market quickly.

The next house was a 1,904 sq. ft. old fashioned farm house on 2 acres of land off of Vale Road in Oakton. A person looking for peace and quiet couldn't ask for a nicer location. Standing next to the garage and looking at the basketball hoop makes one feel like they are in Hoosiers. The inside of the house is warm and inviting and opens before you when first entering. The kitchen is not updated like a lot of houses on the market, but all the appliances look like they work, and the most important quality in an oven is if it is warm on the inside not what it is made out of on the outside.

The bedrooms were large and spacious, but the bathrooms were a bit on the small side and could use some remodeling. A few doors were replaced with cheap unpainted ones from a hardware store and the basement was unfinished. Overall the pluses outweigh the minuses and if I had someone looking in that price range in the Oakton area I would take them by that home.

The next house we looked at might have been the best. It is a 1,248 sp. ft. home with a finished basement off of Waples Mill Road in Oakton. It is only one floor above ground but it is a wonderful floor plan The kitchen is in the rear and is a little small, but with full upgraded appliances. The dining room is next to the kitchen at the back of the house with a walk out to a deck and sun room and the living room in the front of the house. The master bedroom is a little small, but the home is priced right for the neighborhood.

The next house we saw was also on Waples Mill in the Oakton area and a little bit larger at 1,392 sq. ft. also with a finished basement. The big problem with this house is it was over upgraded. Everything was new. In one of the upstairs bedrooms new carpeting was installed and the doors were not re-cut to fit the new thicker carpet. The kitchen was very nice with tons of cabinet space and fully upgraded appliances, but not any more so than the home up the street.

The mast bedroom had a fire place and bay window and was oddly located on the first floor near the front of the house. It had a new walk in closet and remodeled master bath, and it would have been interesting to see the floor plan before all the work was done. The biggest issue people have when upgrading their home is deciding what to upgrade.

By looking at the tax assessments it is instantly clear that most of a home's value is in the land. The one upgrade that would increase the price the most is the one that cannot be made, and there is a danger in over improving a home and pricing it out of the neighborhood it is in.

After looking at single family homes it was time to come back towards the Fairfax side of Oakton and look at a condo and a town home. As far as the condo goes it is amazing what the difference of one exit on 66 can do for asking price. It was a 1,049 sq. ft. two bedroom condo off of Blake Lane and units in that development were priced at or above larger units with nicer floor plans just one exit west on 66 in the Penderbrook and Fair Ridge sub-developments.

The condo was a foreclosure and therefor not in good condition. Aside from the cost to buy the unit the carpets were going to have to be replaced and the fridge was leaking in the kitchen and causing water damage. The kitchen was also in need of a few cosmetic improvements and maybe even new appliances. With higher rent being able to be charged in that area as opposed to farther west it could be a good buy for an investor who has the money to make the repairs needed.

The last home we looked at was a short sale town home. It is a 1,432 sq. ft. home with a finished basement. As a Realtor we get to help people at what should be a happy time in their lives. Walking into a short sale like this reminds us that there is a dark side to this job. It is hard not to feel like an invader in someone's home when it is clear they are in a tough situation.

The home is in good condition for a short sale and the only work required is the replacement of the stove and fridge that the previous occupants took with them. The kitchen is a bit dated as the home was built in 1974, but because it is in such good condition for a short sale the money saved could easily be invested in remodeling the kitchen. The home is in a good location at a good price and could be a great value for someone.

Every day I try and learn something new that I can then pass on to my customers. If any of these homes sound like something you want to see or if you would like to learn more about any of these areas then please contact me through my main site www.SuperNoVaRealty.com.