Rock The Red

Having been a Northern Virginia resident since 1976 and a capitols fan just about from the beginning. This is a very exciting time for me. For those of you that have no idea what I am talking about its HOCKEY!! and the Washington Capitols. They start there playoffs tonight against the New York Rangers at the Verizon Center in DC. Alex Ovechkin is arguably the best offensive player since the Great One himself. Although I have no tickets yet I will be watching on TV and encourage everyone to rock the red. Lets Go Caps, Lets Go Caps, Lets Go Caps etc...

Open House controversy

Having been in the Real Estate business full time since 1992, I have heard it all about whether Open houses work to actually sell houses. My Opinion has not changed over the years, the fact is that Open houses do work to sell houses. Find an agent that says Open houses don't work and you will find an agent that does not like to hold Open Houses. Its just that simple. I was talking to a Realtor a few days ago, (one of my colleagues) and we were brain storming about how to increase business in this market. He told me his wife actually said to him that because he has been in the business over 20 years that he should be at the point that he does not have to work weekends any more. I could not believe it, that is like telling a veteran surgeon that he does not have to spend any more time in the hospital. Realtors work nights and weekends, and that includes doing Open Houses on Sunday, of the 52 weeks in a year we do Opens at least 45 of those weekends. I have met so many Realtors over the years that struggle with the nights and weekends hours and I always wonder why they even bother to get in our business.

We had three Open houses this past weekend and had an average of 15 groups through each open house. So far none of them have sold as a direct result of the Open house, however the previous two weekends we had an average of 3 Opens also and two of those houses did sell one of which we sold ourselves. One of the best reasons to do Open Houses is to get feed back from the market place (buyers) as to the condition, price etc. on that house. The seller always appreciates direct feedback from the buyers. Don't get me wrong Open houses are not the cure all for selling houses, but it is one of about 10-15 different ways we market listings. Give me a call to discuss the rest. If your a Realtor out there struggling with the weekend schedule, just get over it, plan on working those two days and taking the other five off. That would be better than trying to take the weekend off. Happy House Hunting and Happy egg hunting.

$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.

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 .

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.

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.