The most common question any Realtor is going to get asked is, "How is the real estate market?" This is a tough question to answer and some Realtors will take the easy way out and tell people it is interesting or that they would be surprised. The real answer should always be the truth, but it is not an easy truth to get to.
There is no overall market for real estate. The market is going to vary drastically from state to state, county to county, and even subdivision to subdivision. Look at the difference in the market for single family homes in Foxfield and Greenbriar. These two subdivisions are basically right across route 50 from each other and both in the 22033 zip code.
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
At Least I got My Car Washed
Last night are 8:30 PM I got a call from the Weichert Lead Network telling me I was about to get a call from a lead. I was convinced I had my phone on vacation and wouldn't be available to take the Weichert Lead Network calls but I guess somewhere along the line of deciding to put my phone on vacation and putting it on vacation I forgot.
When I got the person on the line I scrambled to pull up the listing they had looked at that had caused them to call in in the first place. In talking with them this felt like a good one. Much better than the other lead network calls I had gotten where the person is either under a fake name or it is a message for me to call them and they never answer the phone.
When I got the person on the line I scrambled to pull up the listing they had looked at that had caused them to call in in the first place. In talking with them this felt like a good one. Much better than the other lead network calls I had gotten where the person is either under a fake name or it is a message for me to call them and they never answer the phone.
Monday, March 26, 2012
Northern Virginia Amenities: Wegmans
My personal home is surrounded by grocery stores. Within a small radius there is a Giant, Safeway, Whole Foods, Harris Teeter, and best of all a Wegmans. Wegmans is a combination of all the previously listed grocery stores where it carrier a wide variety of the standard grocery's and then has a large section for take out dining, organic products, and international products. It is hard to find a much better shopping experience than the one at Wegmans.
When Wegmans first moved into Norther Virginia people weren't sure what to make of it. It had the appearance of your standard issue gourmet grocery store that would cost too much and end up being a place only people concerned about the Jones' would shop. The standard issue groceries at Wegmans are priced at a competitive rate with the other stores in the area and there is a larger selection of nearly everything.
When Wegmans first moved into Norther Virginia people weren't sure what to make of it. It had the appearance of your standard issue gourmet grocery store that would cost too much and end up being a place only people concerned about the Jones' would shop. The standard issue groceries at Wegmans are priced at a competitive rate with the other stores in the area and there is a larger selection of nearly everything.
Friday, March 23, 2012
Lessons from the Other Life
I live so many lives at times it becomes unclear whether I am even a real person anymore. My main focus in my private non-work life is the pursuit of baseball. This hobby has taken me to many interesting and wonderful places, but the greatest journeys it is taken me on are the ones within my own mind.
Yesterday while driving to a friend's house to record an episode of our Nats based podcast I got a call off of some handouts I had given out earlier in the day. It is the same type of info that I put out on here with market analysis and a few interesting items about the area. I had them out in a few neighborhoods and haven't really gotten any feedback positive or negative about them.
Yesterday while driving to a friend's house to record an episode of our Nats based podcast I got a call off of some handouts I had given out earlier in the day. It is the same type of info that I put out on here with market analysis and a few interesting items about the area. I had them out in a few neighborhoods and haven't really gotten any feedback positive or negative about them.
Thursday, March 22, 2012
Ghost Stories of Northern Virginia: Bunny Man Bridge
When we asked why we had stopped he told us he had a story we had to hear. As legend would have it a nearby asylum was closed and while the inmates were being transferred their bus crashed. Of the escaped patients only one was never found. Or was never found until skinned rabbit carcasses started to be found hanging from trees in the woods of Clifton.
Northern Virginia Market Update
Another 20th of the month has come and gone and that means it is time for the RBI market update for the previous month. Watch this video and enjoy its useful information and then call me with any questions or for further information.
I learn something new in real estate everyday
so you don't have to
David Huzzard
www.SuperNoVaRealty.com
I learn something new in real estate everyday
so you don't have to
David Huzzard
www.SuperNoVaRealty.com
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Bradley Acres Market Activity
In the last couple post I have written about Bradley Acres and now it is time to examine it further and see what the market activity looks like in that subdivision. First though I would like to say that I really like not just the homes in Bradley Acres but the location as well. It is not what can be called off the beaten path, but it feels like it. After passing the Fairfax Towne Center on West Ox Road it feels like entering the country.
While that part of Fairfax County has a private feel to it it is still close to everything. Bradley Acres is located near Frying Pan Park and between Reston Town Center and Fair Oaks Mall. Bradley Acres is a neighborhood that feels the way a neighborhood should. It has sidewalks and front yards but is still located in a private area that benefits from being off of a major road that can quickly take a person to either Reston or Fairfax.
While that part of Fairfax County has a private feel to it it is still close to everything. Bradley Acres is located near Frying Pan Park and between Reston Town Center and Fair Oaks Mall. Bradley Acres is a neighborhood that feels the way a neighborhood should. It has sidewalks and front yards but is still located in a private area that benefits from being off of a major road that can quickly take a person to either Reston or Fairfax.
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
Previewing Review 3/20/2012
Another Tuesday means it is time for more previewing and as I have an Open House again this weekend the previewing becomes part of my preparation for that. My Open House is in the subdivision of Greenbriar lies between Middle Ridge Road and Stringfellow Road off of route 50. The Greenbriar Shopping Center is one of the best in Northern Virginia featuring not just the standard grocery store, but a Total Wine, Dogfish Head, PetCo, Bone Fish, and Buffalo Wing Factory as well.
Greenbriar is a planned community built up during the late sixties and early seventies featuring a few types of homes. The one I will be sitting open is a Rambler. A Rambler is good for people that don't want to have to deal with steps but still want a nice sized home for a good price and in a great location. The house I will be holding open is located at 4127 Point Hollow Lane in Fairfax Virginia. It is 1,950 sq. ft. with four bedrooms and two baths. One of the best features of the home is its wide open living room/dining room that is located at the back of the house directly off of the kitchen.
Greenbriar is a planned community built up during the late sixties and early seventies featuring a few types of homes. The one I will be sitting open is a Rambler. A Rambler is good for people that don't want to have to deal with steps but still want a nice sized home for a good price and in a great location. The house I will be holding open is located at 4127 Point Hollow Lane in Fairfax Virginia. It is 1,950 sq. ft. with four bedrooms and two baths. One of the best features of the home is its wide open living room/dining room that is located at the back of the house directly off of the kitchen.
Thursday, March 15, 2012
Previewing Review 3/15/12
There is a lot of work that goes into holding an Open House. Most of it is done behind the scenes and is something that very few people are going to realize was even done. Today was just such an occurrence as I previewed all the competition in the zip code for the property I will be holding open this Sunday from 1:00-4:00 at 12136 Folkstone Dr in Oak Hill, Va.
Most of the properties that had been on the market in the Folkstone subdivision have gone under contract and there is only the one I am holding open and one other that are currently active. I made certain to see the other one as it is $150,000.00 less, claims to have an additional bedroom, and nearly 1000 additional sq. ft. I have to admit I am not the best at eyeballing square footage but I have to say the house I am holding open looks larger and the additional bedroom was an in-law suite they had converted the garage into. It doesn't look like more sq. ft. but that doesn't mean it isn't.
Most of the properties that had been on the market in the Folkstone subdivision have gone under contract and there is only the one I am holding open and one other that are currently active. I made certain to see the other one as it is $150,000.00 less, claims to have an additional bedroom, and nearly 1000 additional sq. ft. I have to admit I am not the best at eyeballing square footage but I have to say the house I am holding open looks larger and the additional bedroom was an in-law suite they had converted the garage into. It doesn't look like more sq. ft. but that doesn't mean it isn't.
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Ghost Stories of Northern Virginia: Walney Road
Northern Virginia is a place filled with history. Being so close to the capital of the United States and part of one the first states will do that, and as a place filled with history there are plenty of ghost stories. There are your run of the mill Civil War ghost stories like seeing Civil War soldiers crossing a bridge near Bull Run battlefield, but then there are the real interesting ones. Take for instance this one out of Chantilly, Virginia.
Down route 50 right before the exit to 28 lies Walney Road. It is an unassuming road like man that will be found in Northern Virginia. It has an Anita's on the corner and leads down to an industrial park, but it wasn't always part of a built up area. There was a time before Chantilly was built up that Walney road didn't lead to the Dulles Expo center and wasn't even paved.
Down route 50 right before the exit to 28 lies Walney Road. It is an unassuming road like man that will be found in Northern Virginia. It has an Anita's on the corner and leads down to an industrial park, but it wasn't always part of a built up area. There was a time before Chantilly was built up that Walney road didn't lead to the Dulles Expo center and wasn't even paved.
Monday, March 12, 2012
One Section Over
If you have ever been to a sporting event and had the misfortune to buy tickets along a pricing line but in the higher price then you know what I am talking about. When you first get to your seats you are kind of excited because they are good seats close to the field and on an aisle, but on the other side of the aisle is someone with a view that is three feet different and who paid $10 less. As the game goes on you start to wonder why no one told you not to buy these tickets or how you ended up one section over from less expensive seats.
One section over from Fairfax County is Prince William county, and along the dividing line it is no different. The average price difference for comparable single family homes can be anywhere from $100,000-$200,000. Now this difference makes perfect sense if you live in the parts of Fairfax county that are much closer to the district or in desirable areas like Reston, but imagine living right along the county line in a place like Lorton.
One section over from Fairfax County is Prince William county, and along the dividing line it is no different. The average price difference for comparable single family homes can be anywhere from $100,000-$200,000. Now this difference makes perfect sense if you live in the parts of Fairfax county that are much closer to the district or in desirable areas like Reston, but imagine living right along the county line in a place like Lorton.
Saturday, March 10, 2012
A Humble Servant: A Brief History of the Realtor
The client agent relationship that binds a Realtor to a client traces its origins back to the master/servant relationship of feudal England. The Realtor fills the roll of the servant and owing certain duties to the master in the relationship who is the client. Think of other agent relationships and it is much the same. If a football players wants to play on the west coast even though an east coast team is offering more money then the final decision is that of the client's.
When a Realtor signs a contract to work with a buyer or a seller they are signing on to be that person's servant. They then owe them the duties of care, obedience, loyalty, disclosure, accounting, and confidentiality. If a Realtor is working with a buyer and has signed nothing then not only do they not owe the buyer these duties they in fact owe them to the seller. This alone should make buyers want to have a signed agreement with a Realtor that makes it clear who the agent works for.
When a Realtor signs a contract to work with a buyer or a seller they are signing on to be that person's servant. They then owe them the duties of care, obedience, loyalty, disclosure, accounting, and confidentiality. If a Realtor is working with a buyer and has signed nothing then not only do they not owe the buyer these duties they in fact owe them to the seller. This alone should make buyers want to have a signed agreement with a Realtor that makes it clear who the agent works for.
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Reston Condos
Today's goal in real estate was to view condos in Reston around the same price range as the condos I viewed in Fairfax the other day. The stylistic differences between a condo in Reston and a condo in Fairfax are interesting to note. All of the units seen today where open and let in a lot of light. There was a nice private feel to all of the condos, and most had a view of some type of nature.
The first two units seen today were located in the Villaridge subdivision near the South Lakes shopping center. The first unit was a first floor 990 sq. ft. unit with two bedrooms and one bath. It had an interesting floor plan with a fireplace dividing the living room from what could be used as the dining room and the kitchen in the rear near the master bedroom. The second bedroom looked to have been used as a sitting area as the doors had been removed. This did open things up and if a young couple or a single person moved in they could use it in the same way.
The first two units seen today were located in the Villaridge subdivision near the South Lakes shopping center. The first unit was a first floor 990 sq. ft. unit with two bedrooms and one bath. It had an interesting floor plan with a fireplace dividing the living room from what could be used as the dining room and the kitchen in the rear near the master bedroom. The second bedroom looked to have been used as a sitting area as the doors had been removed. This did open things up and if a young couple or a single person moved in they could use it in the same way.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Previewing Review 3/6/12
Pardon this for being short but today was an ambitious day of previewing. I just got done looking at thirteen properties in five subdivisions. One doesn't realize how much seeing homes can tire out the human body until they do it for a living. The constant up the steps down the steps has to be somewhat good for the heart though.
The first property I saw was in the Virginia Run subdivision. I can offer breakdowns of every subdivision in Northern Virginia and will do it when an offer is ready to be made or when the search has zeroed in on an area, but with so many properties to sum up I will just say this was your standard late-80's new American traditional home. It had an updated kitchen with solid surface countertops and modern appliances. It also had a nice office off of the master bedroom and a few other nice features.
The first property I saw was in the Virginia Run subdivision. I can offer breakdowns of every subdivision in Northern Virginia and will do it when an offer is ready to be made or when the search has zeroed in on an area, but with so many properties to sum up I will just say this was your standard late-80's new American traditional home. It had an updated kitchen with solid surface countertops and modern appliances. It also had a nice office off of the master bedroom and a few other nice features.
Monday, March 5, 2012
You're a Client not a Customer
Yesterday while driving home from a networking meeting I heard a commercial for a certain online real estate company. The commercial did everything but blatantly lie to people. It danced very close to the edge of truth. The main way they got around telling people the truth was vocabulary.
There are a lot of words that mean one thing by dictionary definition, but mean something different when involved in a particular field of industry. For Realtors the word customer is one of those very important words that means something very different. For a Realtor a customer is pretty much the entire world. It is anyone we have the possibility of discussing real estate with. If you are reading this right now you are a customer.
There are a lot of words that mean one thing by dictionary definition, but mean something different when involved in a particular field of industry. For Realtors the word customer is one of those very important words that means something very different. For a Realtor a customer is pretty much the entire world. It is anyone we have the possibility of discussing real estate with. If you are reading this right now you are a customer.
Friday, March 2, 2012
Now is a Good Time to Invest in Condos in 22033
As many of you might know the new tax assessments came out this week and depending on your situation and location this is either good news or bad news. For me it is partially good news and partially bad news. The assessed value of my condo dropped once again, which I have to say confuses me. That is good news because it means my taxes go down. I can't move one way or another right now so I am really only going to feel the positive effects of this for a bit.
But this does bring out the glaring weakness of tax assessments. Mostly where are they getting their data? Is it from the MRIS or is it just a low paid worker throwing darts at a board. From my check of the MRIS and knowledge of market activity in the 22033 zip code I have to say it is the latter.
But this does bring out the glaring weakness of tax assessments. Mostly where are they getting their data? Is it from the MRIS or is it just a low paid worker throwing darts at a board. From my check of the MRIS and knowledge of market activity in the 22033 zip code I have to say it is the latter.
Thursday, March 1, 2012
I am not a Vampire
I struggled for a few minutes to come up with the title for this post until I remembered it was a blog and supposed to be fun. The point of blogging is to deliver good information in a fun and interesting manner. I am not trying to write ad pieces or text books here, but I still want my readers to be informed.
The idea for the title stems back to what happened to me while doing follow up on an open house. The person had requested information on the age of the AC. I gave them that information and explained to them all the things I could do for them as their agent. All they told me was that they weren't interested in that house. That is fine with me as I wasn't the listing agent for that house and would happily show them others. Of course I have heard nothing since from them.
The idea for the title stems back to what happened to me while doing follow up on an open house. The person had requested information on the age of the AC. I gave them that information and explained to them all the things I could do for them as their agent. All they told me was that they weren't interested in that house. That is fine with me as I wasn't the listing agent for that house and would happily show them others. Of course I have heard nothing since from them.
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