Author Archives: Margie

How does the home inspection contingency work?

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Margie

You’re so excited! After all the time and effort to get your home ready to put on the market, all the anticipation as each potential buyer views your home, you now have a ratified contract. You’re done, right? Unfortunately, not … Continue reading →

Posted in Selling a Home | Tagged buying a home, buying a house, home buyer, home buyers, home inspection, home inspection contingency, home seller, house buyer, house seller, selling a home, selling a house | 4 Comments

You can buy a home with a 3.5% downpayment

Posted on May 3, 2011 by Margie

One of the things that often surprises my buyers is that they only need a 3.5% downpayment. That’s right…you do not need to wait until you have saved a 20% downpayment. The idea of purchasing a home can be daunting … Continue reading →

Posted in Buying a Home | Tagged buying a home, buying a home in Haymarket, buying a house, buying a house in Haymarket, Haymarket VA, Haymarket Virginia, home buyer, home buyers, home search, homes in Haymarket, house buyer, houses in Haymarket, looking at houses, Northern VA, northern virginia | Leave a comment

Weekend Happenings April 29-May 1

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Margie

The warm weather brings a lot of outdoor activities this weekend. We have everything from Royal Wedding Watching, to Outdoor Film Festivals, to the Annual Top Dog Half Smoke Challenge. Enjoy! Continue reading →

Posted in Weekend Happenings | Tagged Extreme Animals, friday, Georgetown French Market, going out, Hirshhorn After Hours, Northern VA, northern virginia, O Street Mansion, Rosslyn Outdoor Film Festival, Royal Wedding, Sweetlife Festival, Taste of the 8th, Top Dog Half Smoke Challenge, weekend, weekend happenings, what to do on the weekend | Leave a comment

The steps to buying a home

Posted on April 26, 2011 by Margie

The steps to buying a home include: finding out how much you qualify for, working with an experienced Realtor, starting the home search, making an offer, ratifying a contract, final loan approval, removing contract contingencies, and going to settlement. Continue reading →

Posted in Buying a Home | Tagged buying a home, buying a house, choosing a real estate agent, choosing a realtor, home buyer, home buyers, home buying process, home search, house buyer, house buying process, how to buy a home, how to buy a house, looking at houses, Northern VA, northern virginia | 3 Comments

Easter Egg Hunts in the Northern Virginia Area

Posted on April 22, 2011 by Margie

Chantilly VA–Ticonderoga Farms (Saturdays & Sundays, March 26 – April 24: 10am-5pm): Come join us and the Easter Bunny for some festive fun. Egg Hunts feature candy and toy-filled eggs. Find those special golden goose eggs for a prize. Kids … Continue reading →

Posted in Seasonal Events | Tagged Butler's Orchard, Dodona Manor, easter egg hunt, easter egg hunts in northern va, easter egg hunts in northern virginia, easter egg hunts in VA, easter egg hunts in virginia, easter egg roll, living in northern va, living in northern virginia, Meadowside Nature Center, Reston Zoo, Ticonderoga Farms, Tudor Place, White House easter egg roll | 2 Comments

Northern Virginia Housing Statistics March, 2011

Posted on April 20, 2011 by Margie

They are in, and they are encouraging! The March 2011 housing statistics were just released. The number of homes sold each month finally started to trend up in March after a relatively steady decline since the summer. Inventory is also … Continue reading →

Posted in Real Estate Statistics | Tagged buying a home, buying a house, home buyer, home buyers, home search, house buyer, housing statistics, multiple contracts, Northern VA, northern virginia, real estate statistics, selling a home, selling a house | Leave a comment

Yes, Virginia, there are multiple contracts!

Posted on April 19, 2011 by Margie

Any buyer trying to buy a home in Northern VA these days is running into an odd situation–multiple contracts and bidding wars. Remember those? The question is why. You’ve probably heard of the robo-signing issues that started to come to … Continue reading →

Posted in Buying a Home | Tagged buying a home, buying a house, foreclosure inventory, home buyer, house buyer, multiple contracts, Northern VA housing inventory, Northern VA housing statistics, Northern VA real estate statistics, northern virginia, robo-signing | 4 Comments

Should we get rid of the Mortgage Interest Deduction? (MID)

Posted on April 16, 2011 by Margie

Mortgage Interest Deduction. I don’t know about you, but it makes a big difference on my taxes each year…in a good way! Before you keep reading, there are two things that you should know about me. 1. I have not … Continue reading →

Posted in Buying a Home | Tagged buying a home, buying a house, housing, interest deduction, mortgage interest, mortgage interest deduction, owning a home, owning a house, tax deductions, taxes | 3 Comments

Weekend Happenings April 14-17

Posted on April 14, 2011 by Margie

Ahhhh…it’s the weekend! My son doesn’t have to go to school tomorrow so I don’t have to do the morning grind. Wooohooo! Are you looking for something fun to do? Here are some ideas to get you started! Thursday The … Continue reading →

Posted in Weekend Happenings | Tagged friday, going out, Hank's Oyster Bar, Jay Pharoah, National Building Museum, saturday, weekend, weekend happenings, what to do on the weekend | 2 Comments

Is it a good time to buy a home?

Posted on April 13, 2011 by Margie

Now really, how do you think I’m going to answer that? I’m a Realtor®! Actually, I decided to write this post because I was pondering what advise I would give to my two sons who are almost 18 and 20. … Continue reading →

Posted in Buying a Home | Tagged buying a home, buying a house, home buyers, home search, looking at houses | 3 Comments

Learning to love that wet dog smell

Posted on April 12, 2011 by Margie

I love my dogs but walking them on a drizzly, chilly morning has just never been my idea of a great time. I even bought these groovy rain boots with colorful polka dots on them, thinking they might at least … Continue reading →

Posted in Life in Northern Virginia | Tagged blossoms, dog walking, drizzle, rain, rainboots, spring, spring morning, tulip trees, walking dogs | 1 Comment

What is the difference between a Realtor® and a real estate agent?

Posted on April 7, 2011 by Margie

I really never get this question, but it is a question that all buyers and sellers should ask! All Realtors® are real estate agents, but not all real estate agents are Realtors®. In order to be a Realtor, a real … Continue reading →

Posted in Buying a Home, Selling a Home | Tagged buying a home, buying a house, choosing a real estate agent, choosing a realtor, real estate agents, realtors, selling a home, selling a house | 2 Comments

Think like a buyer when you sell your home

Posted on April 6, 2011 by Margie

The internet, digital photography, satellite maps, and other new technology has totally changed the way buyers search for houses. How do sellers best reach a buyer? Continue reading →

Posted in Selling a Home | Tagged buying a home, buying a house, selling a home, selling a house | 1 Comment

Pink Pigs and Switchbacks

Posted on April 5, 2011 by Margie

One of the many things that I love about showing houses is the opportunity to see some pretty unusual stuff! On my last excursion with buyers, we were in an area which has a couple of neighborhoods carved into mountains. … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventures in Real Estate | Tagged home buyers, home search, looking at houses, Northern VA | 1 Comment

Biking in Northern Virginia