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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


Dave Scardina  
Broker / Owner

703-829-SOLD

866-909-0900

View Haymarket Homes for Sale News

Haymarket HOME BUYING PITFALLS TO AVOID


Sellers usually rely on sales of Haymarket homes of comparable value to determine a fair and realistic price to set for their home but many sellers feel their home is worth much more and price their home accordingly. Buyers must also be tuned into sales for comparable homes in Haymarket in order to judge the price of any home that is under consideration.

Being “House Poor” gets to be “Old New” real fast. A large and beautiful home with little or no furniture tends to be empty and cold. A life where almost every dime of income goes to the support of the Haymarket house wears thin very quickly and is a frequent cause of family stress. Pushing yourself right up to your limit leaves you highly exposed when the inevitable changes to the national or your personal economy occurs.

Haymarket 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 Haymarket market does not necessarily move in tandem with the stock market or the economy as a whole. Haymarket 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 Haymarket is no exception. When the economy slows down, interest rates fall, the "affordability index" moves up and more people can afford houses. The Haymarket market will take the lead.


Haymarket. How Much Should You Offer?


Comparable sales figures is a good guide for homeowners who are pricing their Haymarket 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 Haymarket 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.


Buying Haymarket Below Market


On most real estate Websites you can enter the parameters you want for your Haymarket. Include the price, size, features and location and the technology will notify you automatically the moment a property that meets your needs comes on the market. Now if what you are looking for is a particular type of property for a price that is significantly under market, you’d better be prepared to act quickly because you aren’t the only one who’s looking for a bargain.

Often times, when a home comes on the market priced under the market there are extenuating circumstances. Maybe the house needs maintenance. Maybe the yard needs work. If you are prepared with a certain amount of knowledge about the costs of roofing, painting, landscaping and other types of deferred maintenance, you will be in a position to evaluate whether or not the Haymarket is priced well enough that it truly is a bargain and not a fixer-upper nightmare.


Buying Haymarket Real Estate...Will it Pay?


A frequent question from prospective homebuyers relates to building home equity. Haymarket buyers like to estimate how much a home may increase in value based upon past appreciation. One of the many advantages of home ownership is that appreciation is based on the home’s market value rather than on the actual dollar amount invested or the down payment so that a $100,000.00 home that appreciates 5% is now worth $105,000.00. This is one way of building your Haymarket home equity but there is more you can do.


When Haymarket Does Not Sell


Let’s say a home is in excellent condition but simply messy. The cat box needs changing, the dog dish is a mess, the dishes haven’t been put into the dishwasher and the beds are not made. Should these conditions affect the price of the Haymarket? No, but they do. Take two identical houses next door to each other and priced the same. The sparkling clean house will sell much faster than the messy house and the messy house will more than likely sell for a lower figure. This is true of Haymarket as well as real estate nationwide.

When a home does not sell, the owners tend to think that the REALTOR didn’t do a good enough job of promoting the property. There is a difference among agents and brokers and some will promote a property more than others. However, the main and most important method of promoting Haymarket for sale is listing it in the local MLS.