Facts About Manassas Homes Values / Buyer – Seller Tips

DC METRO REAL ESTATE

Serving the Real Estate needs of the communities of Manassas, Bristow, Haymarket, Warrenton, Gainesville and Culpeper  in Northern Virginia


Dave Scardina  
Broker / Owner

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Facts About Manassas Homes Values / Buyer – Seller Tips

Adjustable Rate Loans for Manassas


ARMS may be called by various names including, variable-rate loans, adjustable rate loans or adjustable mortgage loans for your Manassas home. They all feature an interest rate that can vary over the rate of the loan.

Advantages: The monthly payment on a typical ARM is lower in the early stages than the fixed rate loan. This may make it easier for the buyer to afford the Manassashome.

Disadvantages: As interest rates increase, your monthly payment may increase or the amount of your payment applied to the principle may decrease which means that you must gamble on property appreciation to offset this increase in your indebtedness.

Manassas Home Inspection


The purpose of a thorough home inspection is to ensure that Manassas home buyers know exactly what a home’s condition is prior to completing the transaction. A good Manassas home inspection should include an evaluation of the foundation, framing, roofing, site drainage, attic, plumbing, heating, electrical system, fireplaces, chimneys, pavement, fences, stairs, decks, patios, doors, windows, walls, ceilings, floors and built-in appliances. All significant or pertinent findings should be reported in writing to the prospective Manassas homebuyer. The home inspection report gives the Manassas homebuyer the information he or she needs to determine whether to buy the property as is or to ask the seller to make repairs.

In most cases, when an Manassas homebuyer makes repair requests, sellers usually agree to some if not all of the conditions.

Guidelines for Buying Manassas


The Internet is great but nothing really substitutes for your personal inspection of homes that are for sale in the Manassas. When you have visited plenty of homes online and in person when the right property comes along you will know it.

It is perfectly normal for buyers to have a general idea of what they want in a home without a great deal of specificity. Research, both online and in person will help you define your Manassas needs but you can and should know your financial needs before you even start looking. I recommend that buyers go through the process of prequalifying with a lender or at least with a real estate agent in order to narrow the search among homes that are a possibility. Many agents refuse to show homes to prospective buyers who have not been pre-qualified.


Manassas. How Much Should You Offer?


Comparable sales figures is a good guide for homeowners who are pricing their Manassas and a good guide for prospective buyers. Make sure you compare homes that are similar to the one your are considering...the same neighborhood, the same size, the same condition. Also, make sure you compare sales within the past six months.

Ask your REALTOR for a comparison of the list price and sales price of comparable Manassas sales. This information may give you a trend and a guideline for your offer. For example, maybe homes in the area have consistently listed for more than they actually sold for. If that is the case, find out what percentage of reduction occurred. Use this information as a basis for your offer.


Manassas: Art and Science


Buying a piece of Manassas real estate is a science but buying your Manassas home is an art. The science part involves getting the legal and financial parts down while the art is finding the Manassas property that you’ll be happy with.

The total universe of possibilities within the universe of Manassas real estate is quite diverse but narrowing your search ahead of time will help keep things in perspective.

In general there are two phases to any Manassas real estate search. In the first phase, you get a feel for the different areas and an idea of what is being offered at what price. In the second phase, you search for the Manassas real estate that meets all or most of your specifications.


Rent or Buy Manassas


For most people, the chance to trade nondeductible rent payments for mostly deductible mortgage payments is a powerful inducement to trade a rental home into a Manassas of your own. This is by far the single most important reason why people decide to buy their first Manassas.

However, whether you are considering your first Manassas investment or planning to move up, the number crunching necessary to figure out how much house you can afford depends on two calculations: one for actual monthly outlays, the other for the true, after tax costs.