Tuesday, March 31, 2009

$8,000 Federal tax credit for first time Buyers

Just wanted to comment quickly on this part of the stimulus plan. It appears to be creating some urgency with buyers that we have not seen in our market place here in Northern Virginia in a few years. The high lights are, 1. $8,000 tax credit does not have to be paid back. 2. There is an income limit. 3. The house has to be bought between January 1, 2009 and December 1, 2009. Follow the url for all of the additional details. http://www.vhda.com/vhda_com/apps/DocumentLibrary/document_load.asp?docid=2672

Happy House Hunting. Oh Yeah dont forget. Tomorrow is April fools day. Dont let any one get you.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

Open Houses for Sunday March 29, 2009

We had 3 Open Houses this Sunday and all of them saw a lot of traffic. I sat on one at 1509 S. Randolph st. that is listed for $549,500 it is a 3 br 3 ba 3 finished level cape cod with a lot that is 12,086 sq. ft. We had over 30 groups through this House. We also had one open at 2102 S. Quincy st. that is a 3 br 2.5ba end townhouse listed for $434,000 and we had 15 groups through that one. The other Open house was on S. 22nd St. and it is 3br 3.5 bath end townhouse with 4 finished levels and a 2 car garage. It is listed for $459,000. To see these as well as our other listings and to search the mls yourself. Go to my web site at Northernvirginiahouses.com .

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Great to be an American

I think about growing up in this country and think about what a great child hood I had. Especially relative to most other parts of the world. One of the things I like about this country is our acceptance of other peoples beliefs and ways of life, whether it be there religion or there customs or there right to voice there opinion no matter what it is. Living in Northern Virginia is the quintesential example of this. We have so many different cultures and ways of life, not to mention all the different kinds of food there are in this area. During these very tough economic times we are all going through sometimes it is important to focus on the things we have to be grateful for, the little things. When I do that I tend to feel better over all. So today I think I will focus on the positives, try not to watch to much news and it is a whole lot easier. Buying your first house is such a big part of being an american, the whole country is focused on making this a possibility again for every one. It really is a great time to buy a house.

Monday, March 23, 2009

The National cherry Blossom Festival

It is that time of year again. Some of the best weather for the Washington Region begins with the National Cherry Blossom Festival. It begins on March 28th and ends on April 12, with the parade being held on Saturday April 4th. The official site can be found @ http://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org If you have not been, you really must take the time and go down to the tital basin and see them.

Right Now! It really is a good time to buy a house.

I remember about 15 years ago when the market was similar to the way it is now, (extreme buyers market), a local real estate company had this radio ad that said, " right now really is a good time to buy a house". That was 1994 or 1995 and at the time it was really hard to tell. Well hine sight is 20/20 and if you would have bought a house back then it would be worth a lot more today. After 3 or 4 years of our market correcting here in Northern Virginia I beleive we are at that point again. You add to that interest rates being at an historic low and prices having dropped dramatically and it is a bit of a perfect storm for buyers to take advantage of this market.