In late 2008, the real estate market was shifting (actually down-shifting) and I found myself with a little extra time on my hands. And so began the planning for the blog that you see today. My blog didn't happen overnight! There have been many late nights reading through real estate blogs from Phoenix, Seattle and San Diego (list to the right) Continue Reading
Some Home Selling Tips
Northern Virginia home sellers need to understand how current home buyers are searching and finding their next home. In fact, anyone preparing their home to sell can achieve a lot over the next month or two to get their house prepared for those "picky buyers" who will emerge from the "holiday season trance" come 12:01 a.m. on 1/1. A blog post on Continue Reading
Real Estate Apps meet the Mobile Web
Having a real estate “app” on your Smartphone has become a great tool for house hunters. The mobile web has arrived like a storm for Northern Virginia real estate and properties need to be easily found... and mobile ready (that especially means photos, darn it). Here is an example: Using myself as the guinea pig… a current listing is a condo in Continue Reading
My Feedburner Burned Out
Image via CrunchBase Sometimes when you add a blog post or plug in to a WordPress blog, things can get a little out of whack. You add something here or there, and then a plug in doesn't work well or you tell yourself that you will fix it on Sunday afternoon and you hit the "Deactivate Plug In" button. So, there was a time when I had Continue Reading
Replace those brass-toned light fixtures!
Home sellers need to take a close look at the light fixtures in their homes when they are preparing to go on the market. Those brass-tone or gold-tone fixtures that the builder put in the hallways, bathrooms and walk-in closets were probably the cheapest things he could find. Home lighting is very important and can't be overlooked. Those Continue Reading
That’s One Hot House!
We just survived our first super-hot summer weekend in Northern Virginia and it is only mid-June! With temperatures in the 90°'s and humidity running at 70%+, this is the time of year that home owners start to see their central AC units crash. I always recommend to my clients after they buy a home to look into service contracts with local Continue Reading
In Real Estate, Online Photos are Essential
You would think that Northern Virginia Real Estate agents would get it by now, but I am still seeing some really bad house photos being posted online. It is a trend that a lot of agents across the country poke fun at, and even have blogs of the worst photos seen in their MLS. Anyone who is looking for a home to buy is starting out on the Continue Reading
Your house has an ice dam?
One of the problems of having too much snow and below freezing temperatures for a week is the gutter ice dam. This happens when the gutter stops draining due to compacted snow or a block of ice. Then, the warm air escaping from your home generates just enough heat to melt the snow pack causing the gutter to fill with water. Hopefully it flows out, Continue Reading