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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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Tips for Buying Bristow Homes and CondosBristow Real Estate Cycles
One problem with attempting to time your purchase to the business cycle is that even experts have problems accurately predicting the future economy. Even when they can, the Bristow market does not necessarily move in tandem with the stock market or the economy as a whole. Bristow is a unique situation.
When the economy is doing well, interest rates are generally higher. The result is that fewer people can afford houses, and Bristow is no exception. When the economy slows down, interest rates fall, the "affordability index" moves up and more people can afford houses. The Bristow market will take the lead.
Bristow. How Much Should You Offer?
Comparable sales figures is a good guide for homeowners who are pricing their Bristow 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 Bristow 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.
Bitten by the Bristow Home Improvement Bug?
Unless money simply isn’t an issue, the financial implications of remodeling are definitely something to consider. When it comes time to sell your Bristow home, the new buyer will usually not pay for over-improvements. This means that if you have the smallest home in an area of larger, more expensive homes, home improvements may make very good financial sense. However, if you already have the largest, most expensive home in Bristow, more improvements may make you more comfortable but may not bring you a good financial return. You may find that it is financially wiser to sell and move to a different home that already has the features you want to add.
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.
Bristow APPEAL
A large part of the appeal of the real estate market in any area is the architecture or the style of the homes themselves. The appeal of Bristow is its appropriateness to the region in terms of style, history and weather conditions.
Bristow BARGAINS
A bargain exists in the mind of a buyer when entering into an agreement to exchange goods when the buyer thinks the price is favorable. Bargains can always be found in the Bristow market if a buyer is patient and willing to wait for a truly motivated seller. In economic downturns many people believe that foreclosures and short sales are automatically bargains when, in fact, this may not be the case.
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