Tag Archives: home buyer

Don’t Commit Mortgage Sabotage

Posted on April 20, 2012 by Margie

Lending standards have gotten much tighter as a result of the mortgage crisis. Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac now require a credit “refresh” no more than three days prior to closing . Since most mortgages are sold to Fannie and … Continue reading →

Watch Out For This Mortgage Scam

Posted on October 20, 2011 by Margie

Scam artists are taking advantage of the common practice of originating lenders selling a borrower’s loan to a new servicer. Find out how to protect yourself. Continue reading →

Posted in Buying a Home | Tagged buying a home, buying a house, home buyer, loan sold to new servicer, mortgage scam, new mortgage servicer, Northern VA, northern virginia | Leave a comment

8 Questions to Ask Before You Put an Offer on a Short Sale

Posted on June 28, 2011 by Margie

A short sale is when a homeowner lists their home for sale, contingent on receiving approval from their lender(s) to sell the home for a price that falls short of the amount owed on the mortgage(s). If you are considering putting an offer on a short sale, here are eight questions you should ask first. Continue reading →

Posted in Buying a Home | Tagged buying a home, buying a house, buying a short sale, home buyer, home buyers, house buyer, Northern VA, northern virginia, short sale | 2 Comments

What Is Today’s Home Buyer Looking For?

Posted on June 16, 2011 by Margie

The more a seller knows about their potential buyer, the more thy can leverage that knowledge to maximize their sales price. Today’s home buyer falls into 3 age groups: Baby Boomers (45+ years old), Gen-Xers (35-44 years old), and Gen-Yers (17-34 years old), and 3 categories: first-time buyers, repeat buyers, and investors. Continue reading →

Posted in Selling a Home | Tagged home buyer, house buyer, Northern VA, northern virginia, selling a home, selling a house, what home buyers look for | Leave a comment

Buying a new home from a builder? Why you need a real estate agent.

Posted on May 27, 2011 by Margie

Clearly it makes sense for a buyer to be represented when they purchase a home, but does any savings a buyer might receive by not being represented outweigh the benefit of being represented? Removing the agent does not lower the price for the buyer; it raises the net price for the seller and leaves the buyer without an advocate. Continue reading →

Posted in Buying a Home | Tagged buying a home, buying a new home, buying from a builder, choosing a real estate agent, home buyer, Northern VA, northern virginia | Leave a comment

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

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

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