Associate Broker, Long & Foster Real Estate
Proof I Was Born Trustworthy What does a picture of an empty bedroom have to do with me being trustworthy? Well, it all begins with the story of where this picture was taken. Today, while visiting the neighborhood where I grew up, I stopped and knocked on the door of our next door neighbor. Miss Read More …
Fun with Staging Whenever I meet with Bristow and Gainesville home sellers about listing their home, staging is a subject that inevitably comes up. Staging isn’t about emptying the entire contents of your home and putting in rental furniture, though some sellers seem to think that is what staging entails. Staging starts with editing the Read More …
Temporary Housing For sellers in a seller’s market, the only downside to selling is knowing where they will live next. For sellers that have sold and then bought in the same market, whether a move up or downsize, they are likely facing the same conditions that made selling so attractive: That’s a hard market for Read More …
When Santa Visits Bristow Seems I’ve been a little too lax since 2009 to get a photo of Santa visiting my Bristow neighborhood of Braemar. You certainly get plenty of warning when Santa is coming. The sirens on the firetruck and lead vehicle blare away on the first Saturday in December. This happens for hours Read More …
How Much Did the Seller Pay for the House? When helping buyers find a home to purchase, there will ocassionally come a question when deciding what to offer. How much did the seller pay for the house? This question, to an experienced, top producing Bristow Real Estate Agent, might as well be as relevant as Read More …
Don’t Forget to Winterize Your Hose Bibs This afternoon, I met a plumber at a listing of mine to figure out why the interior hose bib was not working properly. No matter how long the seller and I turned the shut off right to close it up, it wouldn’t work. Water was still coming out Read More …
What is a Low Appraisal Guarantee? In a fiercely competitive seller’s market, where buyers far outnumber the inventory for sale, buyers are scrambling for ways to make their offers stand out in multiple offer situations. A low appraisal guarantee is one tactic I am seeing buyers using. Low appraisal guarantees are additional down payments that Read More …
What Sellers Expect in Seller Favored Markets Seller favored markets occur when there is more buyer demand than there are homes available for sale. Those circumstances lead to buyers competing for a homes in multiple offers situations. The majority of sellers love these and get giddy at the idea of “bidding wars.” Not all listing Read More …
Monday, My Favorite Day of the Week When I was a cubicle warrior, commuting into DC and Arlington, I hated Mondays. Friday, of course, was my favorite day of the week then. TGIF is a common phrase, so I was not alone. Something changed in my attitude and weekly outlook when I became a real Read More …
Listing During the Holidays: To Decorate or Not? When someone who celebrates Christmas lists during the holiday season, one of the first questions sellers generally ask is whether they can still decorate their home. It’s a legitimate question and the answer is going to vary based on each agent you ask. Some will tell you Read More …