Interest rates have recently dropped to aHISTORICAL LOW.
Several of us on The Belt Team have recently refinanced our mortgages to take advantage of this! And if this is something you are considering, just contact The Belt Team and we will be happy to pass on the names of our excellent local lenders.
But maybe you are wondering whether the market has really “bottomed out” and whether perhaps you should continue waiting to buy, even if this means watching rates go up a little. If this is something you are thinking about, you might want to watch “This Month in Real Estate” for a good explanation of exactly what this may mean for YOU.
Many of the agents in our Keller Williams McLean office (including The Belt Team) have family members serving in the military overseas. One colleague’s son (Josh Gibson) is an Army medic stationed in Iraq and starting this month he will be working with us to coordinate care packages for the troops there.
Our KW Cares McLean charitable foundation will provide the postage and we are collecting items for the care packages now. Our first box will ship on July 26th. If you would like to participate, please drop items you would like to donate (see list below) at our office (6820 Elm Street in McLean) or contact a Belt Team member and we will make a pick up. Here are the items the soldiers have particularly requested this month:
~ Canned meat like tuna, chicken or salmon (MUST HAVE A POP TOP)
~ Power bars
~ Protein powder or protein shakes
~ Beef jerkey
~ NONMELTING candy
Here’s what a recent message from Josh said: “We just played tug-o-war in 125 degree heat (148 with humidity factored in) with full gear including full armor to celebrate Independence Day! So stuff being as NON melting as possible is really important!” You gotta love the spirit of the men & women serving our country!
Thanks for your help and please keep all our soldiers in your prayers!
Realtors, like many of you, work LONG hours. Most successful Realtors work 7 days a week, with 12-18 hour days. A day off happens rarely. Why do we do this? Mostly because we really care about the clients we serve. We realize that we have a unique opportunity to help people at important times in their lives. We are not doctors making life or death decisions, but we do take very seriously the fact that our clients invite us in at key moments in their lifetime. Sometimes they are getting married and buying their first home ~ sometimes they are retiring and moving “down South”. Sometimes it’s a divorce or death that causes a move ~ and sometimes they are expecting their fourth child and need a larger home! No matter the reason, moving is important to them . . . AND to us!
The emails/letters below came in recently and reminded us of why we do what we do. Thank you to Richard & Jan Sanchez and Julius & Jean Coles for making our day. Sometimes all it takes is a pat on the back!
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Pauline,
Richard and I just want to thank you for EVERYTHING you have done. I know it hasn’t been easy, dealing with contractors, installers and Sears. We are so thrilled to have sold the property and we know we could not have done it without you. You are such a professional and always upbeat and encouraging. Thank you again for everything.
JAN
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Dear Gail,
On behalf of my wife and me, I would like to take this opportunity to express my deepest appreciation for all that you & your team did to sell our home at 318 Lewis Street NW, Vienna, VA. From the first time we met at our initial interview with you until the day of the closing, you have shown your true professionalism and to be one of the top Real Estate Agents, if not the top, for Northern Viorginia.
My wife and I appreciate all the wise counsel that you provided throughout the sales process of our home. We were truly amazed that you were able to obtain a firm contract on our home in just seven days, for we had expeced the sale to take at least two months. What is more remarkable is that you were able to negotiate an excellent price for our home and to steer us calmly through some very difficult negotiations and a less than welcome inspection report. While we were somewhat frustrated with these developments, your calmness and sound advice helped us to reach a mutually agreeable solution to all the problems that arose and to finalize a contract for the sale of our home. We will be eternally grateful for all your help and the support provided by The Belt Team.
Thanks again for being such a wonderful and highly professional Real Estate Agent. My wife and I would recommend you to anyone seeking to sell their home in Northern Virginia.
The Belt Team . . . Serving all of your real estate needs in Vienna, Oakton, McLean, Great Falls, Arlington, Reston, Fairfax and the entire Northern Virginia Region! Contact us today for a FREE home valuation or buyer counseling session!
Thank you to all who participated in our Food Drive for SHARE of McLean!
Last week, Keller Williams Realty celebrated RED Day. RED stands for Renew, Energize, Donate. And RED Day is a national community service initiative by the 77,000+ agents and staff of Keller Williams Realty. All kinds of activities took place around the country - from home building to blood drives to visiting nursing homes & more.
Locally, our office collected food & supplies for SHARE of McLean. SHARE is run by a coalition of religious & civic organizations and provides lower income families in McLean, Great Falls & Pimmitt Hills with a food pantry & emergency assistance program. You may be surprised to know that there are MANY families in these areas who need help and the number has been on the rise.
This year, we are proud to say that thanks to your generosity, Keller Williams McLean collected 2,800 POUNDS of food for the food pantry (in addition to cash & Giant gift cards).
TGIF! And that means it’s time for our Theme Song of the Week and a look at what homes will be held open this weekend.
First, see if you can guess what the song is. Here’s the hint > > > > It’s Friday! And it’s 5 o’clock somewhere!
Ok, give up?
The answer is “Happy Hour” by the Housemartins. They sing “It’s Happy Hour again, and again, and again…” We think this is what you’ll be singing when you find your dream home to live in. You never know, maybe that’s what you’ll find at one of our open houses this weekend! (Scroll down for open house details.)
Here’s where you will find us this weekend:
~ Sunday, May 23rd from 1PM to 4PM - 10240 Dunfries Rd in Vienna - $849,000
~ Sunday, May 23rd from 2PM to 4PM - 408 MacArthur Ave NE in Vienna - $1,149,900
~ Sunday, May 23rd from 2PM to 5PM - “Thistle Ridge” in Vienna - $1,499,900 & Up
10240 Dunfries Road in Vienna - $849,000
Welcome to this fabulous home that’s move-in ready and full of updates, sited on a gorgeous “acre” lot backing to Fairfax County parkland in close-in Vienna and in the sought after Madison High School pyramid!
Directions: From Tysons: South on Route 123, Right Flint Hill Rd, Left Vale Rd, just past the pond turn Left on Dunfries. Or from Oakton: Take Hunter Mill Rd, Right on Vale, Right on Dunfries. Or from METRO: Nutley to Maple Ave (Rt 123), Left Maple, Right Flint Hill, Left Vale, Left Dunfries.
Brand new from Sekas Homes! 3 Finished levels, 2 story foyer, 9′ ceilings, oak stairs, gas fireplace in family room, gourmet stainless steel kitchen with spacious pantry, awesome master suite. Energy Star certified & Sekas quality. Great location close to town, parks & schools!
Directions: From Tysons - South on Rt 123 into Vienna, Right Beulah Rd to just past Cynthia Ln, Left MacArthur to home on right.
Thistle Ridge is a breathtaking new home community from master builder Sekas Homes in Vienna. 9 new homes will be built on beautiful cul-de-sac lots! Three are pre-sold. Six opportunities remain! Prices start at $1,499,900.
Directions to Thistle Ridge: From Rt 123 in Vienna, Proceed North on Beulah Road. Bear left on Clarks Crossing Road. 2nd Right on Brookside Lane. Right on Thistle Ridge to #9604.
Charming Vienna Woods rambler less than a mile from Vienna Metro! This is a fabulous opportunity to get into the wonderful community that is The Town of Vienna (read more about Vienna here).
Are you thinking about selling your home in the next few years? If so, why not take a few photos NOW and then when you’re ready to sell, even if it’s not Spring, you’ll be able to show off your home at its best!
If you’re in Northern Virginia, you can even contact The Belt Team (703-242-3975) and we would be happy to come out, advise you on what you need to do to prepare your home now for marketing in the future and we can even take those photos for you.
(This is a great tip for Fall and Winter as well - so keep your camera handy!)
With less than a week to go before the Homebuyer Tax Credit expires (contracts must be ratified by Friday, April 30th), sales are still brisk in the Vienna Oakton area.
A total of 40 homes went under contract this past week. This matches last week’s high for 2010. 78% of the homes that went under contract were listed under $800,000. But we finally saw a few homes between $800,000 and $1,000,000 sell.
Average days on market remains at just about the 3 month mark - with 96 days in Vienna and 90 days in Oakton.
The supply of homes is also at just around 3 months, with Vienna’s supply at 2.9 months and Oakton’s supply at 3.2 months.
An interesting note to both Buyers and Sellers is that of the 40 homes that went under contract this week, 20 went under contract in 10 days or less. Sellers seem to be pricing more realistically and Buyers who want to buy need to be prepared to move quickly.
Join our Chief Operating Officer, Christy Belt Grossman, for our weekly webcast of “This Week In Vienna Oakton Real Estate”.
The first part of the video will provide you with facts & figures like number of homes that went under contract, current inventory levels and average days on market.
The second part of the video answers the perennial question “How’s the Market”?
