Are Andresen

Selling a home Category

Pocket listings return in hot housing market

CNN ran a story today about the return of the pocket listings in hot housing markets. With the market being as hot as it is in Northern Virginia buyer agents use all the tricks they know to find properties not listed in the MRIS.

I wrote a story about pocket listings last year ( Does A Pocket Listing Line Your Pocket ) and why they are almost always a bad idea for sellers:

A typical seller will be put at a monetary disadvantage by not exposing the home to as many purchasers as possible from the start. By the law of supply and a demand, a pocket listing would on average sell for less than one that was available for all to see and make an offer on. In my view a general pocket listing policy by a real estate brokerage a-la “we only allow in-brokerage sales of our listings the first 7 days” is unethical. The problem is when it is the listing brokerage that pushes for the pocket listing for their own gain – a pocket listing initiated by a client (for whatever reason) I don’t really see any issue with. 

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Top 9 items to prepare for your home for Picture Day!

When we photograph homes for a real estate listing we typically take pictures of most of the rooms in the home. The exceptions would be standard size closets, storage areas, attics and garages.

Preparing for a photo shoot is somewhat similar to staging your home for showings and open houses. However, for the pictures we will generally move around items and keep more things out of sight than you would for regular showings. For example, a trashcan will be removed for a photograph but it is not expected to be removed from sight for a showing.

Below is a Top 9 list of items you should consider completing before we come to take pictures of your home. Great shots will bring in more potential purchasers and will get you a better price! When you list with us, you will receive the full list of 50 items that should be done to make your home  fantastic.

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Prices Flat at the Fountains at McLean in Tysons Corner

Tysons Corner is bustling these days with the completed HOT Lane, Silver Line metro nearing completion and the Tysons West and Walmart. Many new communities will now be within walking distance to the metro for the first time – Fountains at McLean is one of them.

The number of sales in 2012 were slightly up from 2011 at the Fountains at McLean. Read the rest of this entry »

Woodburn Village Prices and Rents Going Up!

There was an ok level of activity in Woodburn Village in 2012 with 22 sales. Last year there were a total of 28 sales - hence a little bit less sales volume.

A great piece of news is that the number of distressed sales keep going down. In 2009, only 23% of the sales were normal sales, in 2010 33%, in 2011 57% of the sales were normal and this year about 70% are regular sales. That is great news for the owners and the community – and prices do seem to have started going up! Read the rest of this entry »

Don’t Wait For Spring To Sell Your Home!

The Tysons Corner(Vienna and McLean) real estate market ended 2012 strongly. While the number of homes being listed remained typical, the number of sales in October and November jumped significantly. The continued availability of low interest rate loans no doubt played a role as did the strong economy in the area.

Looking at the graphs it is obvious that sellers in Tysons Corner prefer to put their homes on the market in March and April. Purchasers seems to feast on those listings and do their closings during the summer.

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Does A Pocket Listing Line Your Pocket?

To my great joymsn real estate ran an article today on “pocket listings”. As the inventory of homes for sale in many areas have become quite sparse, buyers and their agents have had to become creative in their search for non-listed properties.

I do often get calls from purchasers (working with and without other agents) asking if I have “anything coming up” or anything “not listed”in communities where we specialize (like Idylwood Towers, Gates of McLean, Pimmit Hills, Fountains at McLean.) My answer is always the same: “we have properties coming up for sale in those communities all the time. Please have your agent monitor those neighborhoods in the MLS/MRIS and you will know when they are available.If you do not have an agent I will be happy to set up an automatic email for you.”

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How is the Tysons Corner Market?

Based on the first seven months of 2012 the Tysons Corner (Vienna and McLean) market will remain strong. The 2012 spring and summer market has followed the trends of 2011 with about the same amount of homes coming on the market. July did see less activity so it will be exciting to see what August will bring. 

The number of closings are up some but overall I expect this year to be the same as last year. For the rest of the summer we’ll probably be at about 65 homes a month selling before things start to slow down again.

Looking at the graphs it is obvious that sellers in Tysons Corner prefer to put their homes on the market in March and April. Purchasers seems to feast on those listings and do their closings during the summer.

In general we advice to buy and sell when you are ready. That being said, many will try to use the market trends to their benefit. So, here are some thoughts on using the trends to your advantage.

As a seller, to avoid the March-April rush you could try listing in January or February. That way you may take advantage of any pent-up demand from the winter months. Alternatively you could try listing in May. Your new listing will look attractive with few days on the market as compared to homes having been listed in March and April. You may also take advantage of the high number of closing sales in the June-August time frame.

If you have a choice – when should you purchase a home? You could try to get an early start on the large inventory being listed in March and April instead of joining the crowd purchasing in May-July.

Every situation is different and the above may or may not apply to you. We know the Tysons Corner area and we would love to talk to you about how we can help you buy or sell a home.

How is the market in Tysons Corner?

Based on the first five months of 2012 the Tysons Corner (Vienna and McLean) market this year will remain strong. Based on the data this year, the spring market pretty much mirrored 2011 market with the same amount of homes coming on the market. The number of closings are up some but overall I expect this year to be the same as last year.  For the rest of the summer we’ll probably be at about 65 homes a month selling before things start to slow down again.

If you look at the graphs, it is obvious that sellers in Tysons Corner looove to put their homes on the market in March and April. Purchasers seems to feast on those listings and do their closings during the summer. 

So, what should you do if you want to time the market? In general, buy and sell when you are ready. That being said, many will try to use the market trends to their benefit. So, here are some thoughts on using the trends to your advantage.

As a seller, to avoid the March-April rush you could try listing in January or February. That way you may take advantage of any pent-up demand from the winter months. Alternatively you could try listing in May. Your new listing will look attractive with few days on the market as compared to homes having been listed in March and April. You may also take advantage of the high number of closing sales in the June-August time frame.

If you have a choice – when should you purchase a home? You could try to get an early start on the large inventory being listed in March and April instead of joining the crowd purchasing in May-July.

Every situation is different and the above may or may not apply to you. We know the Tysons Corner area and we would love to meet with you to discuss how we can help you buy or sell a home.

Timing The Real Estate Market in Tysons Corner?

“When is the best time to purchase a home” and ”When is the best time to sell a home” are  questions we get all the time here at Soldsense. Homes are in short supply in this area with stable prices and few foreclosures and short-sales. 

It still takes a lot of time to find suitable homes for clients due to the limited supply in this area - based on  the recent year trends my clients may have to wait a few months more.

So, if you have a choice – when is the best time to sell your home? And what would be the best time to purchase a home?

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11 Sure Ways To Dress Up Your Tysons Corner Home For Sale

First impressions count, and how your home appears from the outside will set the mood for the rest of the showing. To get that “wow—I want to live here” reaction, see if any of the following items may help you get there;

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