Episodes
Don’t Make These Mistakes When Buying
October 08, 2019 18:49Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Let’s say you’ve found the house of your dreams, you’ve got it under contract, and in 30 days, you’ll be handed the keys. First of all, congratulations! That being said, if you don’t want to jeopardize your plans of becoming a homeowner, here are five common buyer mistakes you need to avoid making: 1. Quitting your job. Now is definitely not the time to quit your job or get fired. Before closing, your...
How You Can Appeal Your Home’s Tax Assessment
September 23, 2019 21:38 VideoIf you think your home’s tax assessment is too high, you can always appeal it. Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale As a homeowner, tax assessments are something you have to deal with on every year. Upon finding out that their property tax has increased, many people simply throw their assessment in the shredder and accept the increase without giving it a second thought. Don’t do that! If you read your assessment carefully, you’ll see that...
Real Estate Market Conditions in Northern Virginia, D.C., and Maryland
September 09, 2019 16:39 VideoSelling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale For this market update, I’ve compiled the data from the Northern Virginia, D.C., and Maryland real estate markets because all of the numbers are so similar. Here’s what you need to know. Let’s start by looking at what the real estate market is doing today. The median sold price in the D.C. Metro is up by 2.91%. Although there is a 17% appreciation rate right now in Arlington, it’s from a much smaller s...
What Are Instant-Offer Companies?
August 19, 2019 19:45Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale You’ve probably heard on TV, radio, or the internet ads from companies that are launching an iBuyer program. But what are iBuyers? An iBuyer, or instant buyer, is a company that buys properties from sellers quickly and conveniently. When you sell to an iBuyer, you don’t have to list the house for sale on the market; in fact, you don’t need to do much with the home at all as far as preparation goes. Like...
The Truth About Amazon’s Impact on Home Values in Our Area
August 05, 2019 16:58Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale What kind of effect will Amazon have on home values in our Northern Virginia/D.C./Maryland marketplace? Should you sell now, buy now, or wait? The answer depends on where you live and what kind of house you have. I did some research about the average yearly salary of Amazon employees, and truth be told, I wasn’t that impressed—depending on the position, the answer usually ranged from $58,000 to $128,...
Should You Invest in Real Estate Today?
July 19, 2019 18:38 VideoGiven that today’s market leans heavily toward sellers, should you invest in real estate? The answer is yes, but not without following these tips. Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Our current market is booming with activity and inventory sits at an all-time low, which is leading many of my clients to wonder if there are still opportunities to invest in real estate despite the definite seller’s market we’re in. Admittedly, as someone ...
A Quick Virtual Tour of a Gorgeous Property
June 24, 2019 19:07Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Our newest Great Falls property is absolutely gorgeous. Listed at $3.69 million, this luxurious home boasts a whopping 14,000 square feet. You’ll definitely want to see the stunning photos of this incredible home, both inside and out. We’ve even captured some incredible shots using drone photography. If this home has captured your attention or if you have any questions, feel free to give me a call.
What Do the 5 Richest Counties in the U.S. Have in Common?
June 07, 2019 17:38Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale What do the five richest counties in the U.S. have in common? Before we answer that question, let’s add some context to it. According to U.S. News & World Report, the median household income for counties around the nation is $57,652. What constitutes a household? According to the Census Bureau, a household refers to a single housing unit and all of the people that live in it. For example, a studio apar...
What’s Going on in Our Spring Market?
May 20, 2019 15:27Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale It’s hard to believe that it’s already May. Now that the first quarter is behind us, let’s take a look at what’s been happening in the market. Specifically, we’ll be going over data related to how conditions have changed since this time last year. Let’s start with Northern Virginia. Year over year, the median home price has risen by 3.3% (up to $465,000). This rise is likely thanks to the current high d...
Make Your Yard Shine With these Spring Cleaning Tips
May 02, 2019 19:27Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Here are a few spring cleaning tips for your property that will help make the outside look clean and organized: Trim the trees. Sometimes I trim the trees on my property during the fall, but this year we decided to do it in spring. Remove any dead plants or bushes and plant some new ones in their place. Adding dark mulch always is always a nice touch. Reevaluate the lawn. You might have some bald s...
How the Latest Stats From Our Market Compare to Last Year’s
April 08, 2019 16:00Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale What’s the latest news from our Northern Virginia/Maryland/Washington DC market? Here are the latest statistics and how they stack up compared to this time last year: Northern Virginia: The median sold price rose 4.65% to $450,000 The average days on market dropped 19.23% to 63 days—this number is higher because it includes luxury homes, which often take two or three years to sell Homes are selling...
Tips for Getting off the Mortgage Treadmill
March 01, 2019 21:33Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale I just jumped off the treadmill in my home gym, which got me thinking about a different kind of treadmill: the mortgage treadmill. Many of us jumped on this treadmill whole-heartedly, but we can’t wait to get off of it. Truth be told, I’d rather be paying my mortgage than paying someone else’s, so that’s fine. Reports show that people who own homes have a net worth that’s 44 times higher than renters. ...
The Top 5 Mistakes Sellers Make
February 12, 2019 20:40Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Are you having trouble selling your home? If so, it may be because you've made one of these five home selling mistakes: 1. Overpricing the home. People think they can simply price their home high and negotiate if necessary. While it’s possible, this is not recommended. When you sit on the market for months before adjusting your price, it doesn’t reflect well on your listing. Even after the price has bee...
Buy the Right Home at the Right Price By Following the 5 P’s
January 29, 2019 21:33Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale If you’re a homebuyer in our market, here are the five P’s you need to remember to find the right home at the right price: 1. Professional: Find a real estate professional to work with. Work with someone who knows the area you want to buy in and knows how to negotiate. We’re in a low-inventory market here in the DC area, so if you don’t hire an expert to represent you, you won’t get the property you wan...
Happy Holidays, From Us to You
December 18, 2018 16:35Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale 2018 was a wonderful year for our team, and we’d like to thank you for the business you’ve given us—we couldn’t be where we are without you. This holiday season, we hope you’re able to spend plenty of time with family, friends and loved ones. May this new year bring you and your family joy and prosperity. We look forward to continuing to meet your real estate needs in 2019 and beyond. Happy Holidays!
Should You Build a New Home or Renovate Your Current One?
December 04, 2018 20:59Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale People say renovating is actually a nightmare—it’s painful and difficult. Well, so is moving; there’s no real easy way out. So if your home has run out of space, you have two options: build on or expand your existing home or move to another. Now, many of you like your neighborhoods, and if you live in Arlington and want to stay here, let’s explore the option of expanding your home. You’ll need to make ...
The National Market Is Shifting, but Are We Shifting Along With It?
October 23, 2018 16:17 VideoSelling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale If you’ve been paying attention to the latest nationwide market statistics, you might’ve noticed that in many areas around the country, we’re shifting from a seller’s market to a buyer’s market. In our Northern Virginia/D.C./Maryland area, however, we’re still in a seller’s market. Let’s recap some year-over-year statistics from this past September. In Virginia, the average days on market was 39 da...
Buyers’ Standards Are High—Does Your Home Stack Up?
September 13, 2018 20:08 VideoSelling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale My guest Mike is a real estate broker in Virginia, Maryland, and D.C; he and I partnered up a month ago and today we’d like to talk about the importance of your property’s condition when it comes to selling your home. Three months ago when the market was busier, people couldn’t get away with failing to paint their house, fix the grout in the bathrooms, or other such details, even though they felt they c...
What the Upcoming Recession Means for Real Estate
August 17, 2018 19:33 VideoSelling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Many of my investors ask me when the next recession is going to happen. The truth is that I don’t know. All I can do is look for answers. Many smart economists predict that the recession might start in 2020. Our economy has been expanding since 2009 and we have seen almost a decade of growth. All signs point toward a recession soon. However, to my friends that invest in real estate, there’s no need to p...
What You Need to Disclose in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington D.C.
August 03, 2018 15:25 VideoSelling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Today I want to talk about property disclosure as the seller. Many people have asked me what they need to disclose about their property when selling. To answer this, I should start by saying that what you have to disclose depends on where you live. Each state actually has different rules about disclosures. Virginia, for example, is a “buyer-beware” state. If you read Virginia's one-page disclosure, it...
The Benefits of Multi-Generational Living
June 29, 2018 15:47Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale What is multi-generational living? Multi-generational living refers to a person sharing a household with their parents or in-laws. It has become increasingly popular over the last few years with more people searching for homes that have finished basements with a separate entrance so they can have their parents live with them. I am currently selling a house in Vienna which has live-in parents and in-law...
5 Lessons Learned From the Housing Crisis of 2007
June 14, 2018 16:08Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Though it was a bad time for many reasons, there were still lessons to be learned from the 2007 financial crisis. Today I want to discuss how those lessons apply to the 2018 market, and how we can avoid making the same mistakes that we did 11 years ago. 1. Don’t buy a house you cannot afford. As a real estate professional, I still see a lot of people who aren’t meeting with their lenders to ascertain ho...
10 Expensive Day-to-Day Mistakes You May Be Making as a Homeowner
May 29, 2018 19:43 VideoSelling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Here are the top 10 most expensive mistakes you might be making on your home: 1. Using traditional light bulbs. Did you know that if you change from traditional light bulbs to LED light bulbs, you can save as much as $150 over the life of each light bulb? 2. Ignoring a leaky faucet. If you know you have a leaky faucet and think it is no big deal, consider this: One wasted drop per second equates to 3...
2018 vs. 2017: A Q1 Market Comparison
April 27, 2018 16:00 VideoSelling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Today let’s review the first quarter market of 2018 and see how it compares to the first quarter of 2017. The average sold price for Virginia in the first quarter of 2018 is up 3.48%, which is great news for homeowners. Homes are selling on average at $511,066 this year versus just $498,880 last year. Sold units are down 2.85%; we are in a low-inventory market, so fewer homes have sold in the first quar...
4 Ways to Add Value to Your Home
April 10, 2018 16:24 VideoNo matter when you plan on selling, you can always add value to your home. Here are a few of our top tips. Selling a home? Get a free home value report Buying a home? Search all homes for sale Many of you have asked me about what you can do to improve the quality of your home so that you get the most amount of money in the shortest amount of time when you decide to sell. Here are four things I would do if I were to sell a house right now: 1. Fix anything obvious. If you have rotten wo...