Jul 04
adminCaroline, Fredericksburg, General, King George, Spotsylvania, Stafford
Has the worm turned?
In the month of June 2010 there were 458 homes sold in Fredericksburg Virginia, Stafford County Virginia, Spotsylvania County Virginia, King George County Virginia, and Caroline County Virginia.
Of those 458 104 were foreclosures and 76 were short sales.
Foreclosures and short sales accounted for 39.3% of the total sales.
One could interpret this to mean that the foreclosure and short sale market is declining and the “normal” sales are increasing and, therefore, the market is getting healthy again.
Hopefully, this is the case since I have many former clients who would like to sell their current home and move on to another. Personally, I think it may be a bit soon to conclude that the market has improved; this is one month of decrease in the number of foreclosures and short sales sold in our area. Improvement yes, a positive indicator for the months ahead? Not yet.
We will continue to monitor this in the months to come; keep returning to see the reports.
Jun 21
adminGeneral city of fredericksburg, king george county virginia, spotsylvania county virginia
Bad things can happen when you don’t lock up your guns. Ask any panda or anyone who comes into your home under the guise of being a potential buyer.
Our last blog dealt with locking up any medicine you had. This one warns you about locking up any weapons you may have in your home. What more can we say.
I’d bet there would be more people coming into your home that could use an expensive weapon more than they could (or perhaps a better word would be “want”) some prescription medicines for their own use.
I think that this advice applies equally to those living in the City of Fredericksburg Virginia, Stafford County, or Spotsylvania County. Those living in the rural areas of those counties as well as those in Caroline County and King George County have just as much reason to heed this tip as do those in the more urban areas.
Oftentime gun owners who do not have children are prone to forget they have one in the bedroom closet that a stranger to their home might be able to steal without being noticed. Naturally, this applies more to a handgun than it does to a Gatling Gun (amazing how the panda knows how to hold one).
Just a word to the wise!
Jun 19
adminGeneral for sale by owner, stafford county virginia
Don't leave your pills out for all to see
I’m not kidding here folks. Just recently someone was sent to jail for stealing drugs from someone’s home in Stafford County Virginia while they were looking at it while it was for sale.
Furthermore, it was found out during the investigation, that the thief had made a habit of stealing drugs from many homes that were on the market. Not an isolated incident.
In truth, this is also good advice for those who have employed a real estate agent to sell their home for them. Common sense tells us that the person intent on stealing anything from your home can do so without you even noticing.
Years ago, there was a family in Prince William County that visited open houses on weekends. While the “father” and “mother” were engaging the real estate agent, the “child” opened the medicine cabinets and emptied the contents into a purse she was carrying. It mattered not what the drugs were. They word sort them out later. By the time the loss was recognized, the family was long gone.
You can’t be too careful!
Jun 15
adminGeneral
Don’t Follow The Potential Buyer Around Your Home!
One of the first lessons I learned when I started my real estate career in 1989 was to leave people alone when they came into an open house. If a real estate professional does not follow a potential buyer around an open house why should you? The answer is that you shouldn’t.
Your response might be “Why?”
First of all, most people don’t have to be told they are in the dining room when there is a table in the center of the room and a chandelier is hanging over the table. The room with the large bed and the separate bathroom adjacent to it most probably is the master bedroom. Get it?
Mr. and Mrs. Homebuyer might like to comment on each of the rooms or on the home in general while they are touring it. They will not if you are “bird dogging” them around. You want them to be comfortable in your home and they will not if you are giving them the “guided tour.” When they have finished looking at your home you should probably ask “May I answer any of your questions?” However, that may not be a good idea either. They say “Sure, why are you moving?” You respond “The house is getting too small for our family now.” “How many are there?” they ask. “We have three children.” Guess what, so do they! If the home is too small for you it will probably be too small for them too.
Resist. Let them tour the home and then thank them for coming. Give them your name, email address or telephone number if they do not have it already. Suggest they contact you if they need to revisit. Don’t try to pressure them in any way. Offer assistance or tell them about the schools (if you like them, naturally) and about how near shopping is (if it is). Sell the community. That is important to buyers.
More to come in Tip 3.
May 10
FredericksburgRealtyIncCaroline, Fredericksburg, King George, Spotsylvania, Stafford city of fredericksburg, for sale by owner, king george county virginia, spotsylvania county virginia
First impressions do count!
Truthfully speaking, if you have the time to spend waiting for someone to come knocking at your door when they want to and not when you want them to; and, you can live with people coming to see your home that may not be qualified to buy it; and, you understand, fully, the laws that deal with real estate contracts and sales, you might be better of selling your home without a real estate agent’s guidance and assistance. You might want to add an additional part to this equation; you are going to price your home competitively with the current market.
Let’s look at the later sentence in detail. The majority of homes sold in our area (City of Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania County, Stafford County, King George County, and Caroline County) are sold through the assistance of a real estate agent/brokerage. The prices the homes sold for probably include payment of a real estate commission. Therefore, when you want to sell your home without assistance from a local real estate agent/broker, go ahead and subtract whatever you think that commission was from the price you are going to ask for your home. Buyers are very savvy with this and will see through the price if you don’t.
Back to first impressions. In all probability, the buyer for your home will drive to it. They will park their car either in the street, in a parking space, or in your driveway. No matter where they park you have to make the path from wherever they park to your front door impeccable. No candy wrappers, no unkempt plants or flower beds, no trim that needs painting; in other words, PERFECTION.
It is a good idea to have a seasonal wreath on your front door too. That adds that special touch that may separate your home from another they will surely be looking at.
Just some free suggestions to you if you are thinking about being a Fizbo (For Sale By Owner acronym).
May 09
adminGeneral
I wish I had a dollar for each time someone asked me “How is the market, are you seeing any signs of it improving?” . It would probably equal the equivilant of selling another home. So, here is my answer based on statistics.
During the month of April there were 286 homes sold in the Fredericksburg area which includes: City of Fredericksburg, Stafford, Spotsylvania, Caroline, and King George Counties. Of those homes sold 82 were foreclosures and 57 were short sales. That means 48% off all homes sold in the Fredericksburg area were “distressed ” sales. In the past 3 months this is the first time that we are under 50%.
Does that mean the market is “picking up” ? I don’t know, you tell me. I seem to think that if 48% of homes sold are still distressed sales we have a long way to go.
Apr 29
FredericksburgRealtyIncGeneral
Replacing a water heater is not cheap! Would it be worth spending about $75 to replace yours if it no longer provided hot water for your morning shower?
You can buy an insurance policy for your water heater and many other appliances, fixtures, and systems in your home. Homebuyer’s warranties are available to you. Naturally, like other insurance, there are deductibles and you will not be insured if there is a pre-existing shortcoming.
Call Fredericksburg Realty at (540) 368-3900 or email us at FburgRealty@gmail.com for more information.
Apr 27
adminFredericksburg
Fredericksburg Virginia has many wonderful homes for sale. Considering that homes in beautiful and historic Fredericksburg VA date back to the 1700′s, there is a wide variety of styles to choose from. Many of the historic homes have a history that precedes the Civil War. However, there are many newer homes found in communities like Idlewild. There are older and modern townhomes, older and modern duplexes, and older and modern detached homes. There are homes in planned communities and homes in the downtown Historic District. The selection is great and the styles of homes are broad.
If you are contemplating a move to Fredericksburg Virginia merely contact us and we will endeavor to provide you with all the information you need to make a learned decision about relocating to our area. We would be happy to welcome you to our city. It was good enough for George Washington, James Monroe, and Hugh Mercer so let us show you that it may be good enough for you too.
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