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DC
METRO REAL ESTATE
Serving
the Real Estate needs of the communities of
Manassas, Bristow, Haymarket, Warrenton, Gainesville
and Culpeper in Northern Virginia
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Dave
Scardina
Broker
/ Owner
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703-829-SOLD
866-909-0900
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Bristow Homes SearchGuidelines for Buying Bristow
Let’s say everything is a GO! You have found the perfect Bristow home. You know you can afford it and it is actually priced below what you expected to pay. What a bargain! Yes there are bargains to be found in Bristow. At this point it is fine to put in an offer on the property but only with a well-planned contingency. Of course, it the home is going to be financed, the lender will want a Home Inspection before agreeing to lend money on the property. However, you need to protect yourself by making an offer SUBJECT TO a clean bill of health from the Home Inspector of your choice. This kind of a contingency gives you an out if the inspector finds a problem with the roof, or foundation or other structural problem that was not apparent to the seller or to your agent. This does not mean you will not buy the house but you will have a good reason to renegotiate the price with the seller.
Bitten by the Bristow Home Improvement Bug?
Before you finalize your decision regarding remodeling versus moving, it is wise to get a professional estimate of your Bristow home’s current value, the actual costs of moving to a different home and the estimated return on investment of the most common types of home improvement. I’ll be happy to provide you with a complimentary analysis of your home’s current value. Simply call or E-mail me whenever you are ready. As for improvements that traditionally bring the highest rate of return on investment, here are some statistics. Kitchen remodeling and adding a bath tends to bring rates of return with averaging anywhere from 85% to 95% return on your dollars spent. Compare that with the 64% return on investment for adding a home office.
Buying Bristow Real Estate...Will it Pay?
With a typical 30-year loan, most of your monthly payment goes toward interest payments with only small amounts going to the principle in the early years. Only half the principle is repaid in the first 23 years of the loan. You can build equity in your Bristow faster by choosing a 15-year loan instead of a 30-year loan.
As a Bristow real estate owner you have the right to pay more towards the principle loan amount each month. Let’s say your monthly payment is $700.00 a month and $100.00 a month is being applied to the principle. If you choose to pay $900.00 instead of $700.00, the $200.00 overage will be applied entirely to the principle. Thus, instead of gaining $1,200.00 a year in home equity, you gain $3,600.00. Investing in Bristow can be a very good idea.
Green Remodeling Your Bristow
Energy conservation. The average Bristow today uses systems for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and most homes are not built as efficiently as they could be, resulting in high energy consumption. The U.S. Department of Energy believes if current buildings were green-improved, they would use $20 billion less in energy per year. Bristow green remodeling puts a strong emphasis on making homes as efficient as possible with modifications such as energy-efficient appliances and thermostats that can be programmed at different temperatures for different times of the day.
What Makes Bristow Sell?
Books have been written about this topic but to be concise, successful sale depends on six factors: Price; Terms; Location; The Home’s Condition; The Home’s Accessibility and the Marketing exposure the Bristow receives.
Price is what a willing seller and a willing buyer agree on. Price is determined by the current market, which fluctuates causing home values and prices to fluctuate. Often Bristow that does not sell is over-priced for the current market. Terms can vary as well. Some owners want payment in full, some are willing to carry a second.
Location is a major consideration in pricing and desirability for Bristow. Has the neighborhood gone to pot or does it look like a street at Disneyland? Are there open spaces nearby or is the home located in the middle of commercial district?
What Makes Bristow Sell?
The Condition affects its salability and possibly price. Bristow that is in move-in condition will usually sell for a higher price than a home that suffers from deferred maintenance.
The Home’s Accessibility refers to just that. Is the Bristow accessible to shopping and local transportation? For some this would be a necessity and for others, the more remote the better.
Marketing Exposure refers to how Bristow is advertised. Today the Internet is a fantastic way to market a home but it is still true that the best service a listing agent can do for sellers is to promote the home heavily with local brokers and agents. The Internet and other advertising certainly help, but it is still true that in most cases it is the agent that sells the home by making sure the right buyers know about it.
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