Northern Virginia Real Estate: Vienna, Oakton, McLean, Great Falls, Reston, Fairfax, and surrounding areas.

(Personality Is Always A Plus, But It Isn’t Everything! Statistics May Be Boring, But They Could Save You Time & Money!)

You’re thinking of selling. So how do you know which Realtor to work with? Your boss gave you the name of a Realtor. You met a Realtor you liked at an open house. Your sister-in law just got her license and says she’d love to help you. And what about the one who sold you your house 5 years ago (what’s his name again?).

Selling a home can be a very emotional decision. After all, this is your LIFE we’re talking about. The place where you created LOTS of memories. AND it’s your FUTURE we’re talking about. What happens with the sale of your home affects what options you have moving forward.

AND IT’S LIKELY ONE OF, IF NOT THE BIGGEST FINANCIAL DECISION OF YOUR LIFETIME. So you want to get it right. How do you do that?

1. The Personality Factor: You’re not looking for a new BFF here. (If you don’t have kids - that’s “Best Friend Forever”!) But you DO want to make sure you “click” with the person. After all, this person will be advising you on factors that affect you and your family’s life to a great degree. So the person needs to understand you and your needs. You need to “get” each other and trust each other and be able to speak openly & directly. And so while having a relative or friend in the business may be nice as far as the “clicking” part goes, sometimes the “speaking openly & directly” part may be an issue. You may not want to tell that person all your personal financial information. And even if you do, you may not want to have the kind of open & direct conversations that are often part of selling your home. Preserving your friendship or family relationship may take precedence over doing business together. Worst case scenario: Something goes wrong. Wouldn’t you rather fire the Realtor you hired as a business decision versus firing your best friend or sister-in-law?

2. The Communication Factor: The most common complaint we hear from people who hire us after they have tried unsuccessfully to sell with another agent, is that “after the sign went up, we never heard from her again until she called to ask us to reduce the price.” So when you are looking at Realtors, ask HOW they communicate, WHAT types of information they provide and HOW OFTEN they do so. And make sure that what they do works for you. Your Realtor should have systems in place that provide you with ALL the information you need to make smart decisions.

3. The Expertise Factor: Your Realtor should be an expert in real estate AND an expert in your market. Did you know there are more than 1.2 million Realtors in the U.S.? And almost 10,000 Realtors in Northern Virginia? So make sure you have one with experience. The more homes they have sold, the better their skills are likely to be. (We call this the “Are you really a Realtor or do you just play one on TV” question.) More experience normally translates to a faster sale and a higher sales price for you!

You also want an expert in YOUR market. So how do you find out how much of an “expert” someone is? ASK FOR THE STATISTICS! They may be “boring”, but they could save you TIME and MONEY.

Here’s an example:

Last year in Vienna, The Belt Team sold 58 homes. That is 3 times as many homes as the next best agent. The “average agent” in Northern VA did not even sell 1 home in Vienna. Not only did we sell more homes, we sold them 15 days FASTER and for MORE MONEY than average (1.4% more). So in this example, if your mortgage payment is $4,000/month and your home sold for $800,000 - The Belt Team would have saved you $2,000 by selling your home 15 days faster (1/2 of one mortgage payment) plus $11,200 by selling it for a higher percentage of list price than average.

This is why you need to ASK FOR THE STATS (in other words - “SHOW ME THE MONEY!”)

Contact us if you would like a FREE copy of “41 Questions You Need To Ask When Interviewing A Realtor To Sell Your Home” or “90 Tips To Prepare Your Home For Sale“. (If you’re ready to list your home NOW, call (703) 242-3975 to schedule an appointment.)

The New Year is upon us. But if we travel back to 2007-2009 and review the news headlines one would think it was Halloween for several years in real estate.  You may remember some of these news bytes:

“Housing Horror”- Crain’s Business

“U.S. Housing Crash Deepens in 2008 After Record Drop” - Bloomberg

“Worst Case Scenario” CNN/Fortune

and on and on . . . .

It was “Friday the 13th” every day for a while as literally every local market in the country experienced falling sales and homes values as buyers froze and the banking, mortgage, building, and residential brokerage industries came to a virtual standstill.

In Northern Virginia, depending on location and price range, values dropped between 25-50 percent from peak, new home construction slowed drastically, some national builders left our market or went out of business, and many local small builders went bankrupt or could not obtain construction financing.  The number of real estate agents and mortgage brokers began to shrink.  Consumer confidence was at all-time lows.  And in 2009, the Northern Virginia area lost jobs for the first time since 1990-1992.

It’s good to learn from the past and not to live in it.

At the end of 2011 and headed in to 2012, local headlines read differently.  Reminding ourselves that residential real estate is local, local, local and not a national market, our region has performed fantasticly compared to most every other market in the USA.  Vienna in particular was ranked the #5 best housing market in the USA according to a recently released study by Bloomberg/BusinessWeek with median home values increasing almost 13% in 2011.  Yes, 13%, that is not a “typo”!  While not ranked in the report, many of the other local adjacent communities are doing comparatively well, especially as you get closer to Washington, DC.  Thanks to a healthy local economy and extremely affordable interest rates for mortgages, we are experiencing the most stable market since the frenzied run up of 2004-2007.

According to the GMU Center for Regional Analysis, Northern Virginia’s unemployment rate is at 4.5%, which is about one half the national rate. A significant number of new jobs were added in 2011 and many of those were filled with people relocating to our area. The market theme most weeks and almost every month in 2011 was a decrease in the inventory of homes compared to the week/month before and year over year.  The latest numbers show that as of December 12, 2011 the Washington, DC region had 48,934 versus 64,266 units during the same week of 2010.  That’s a whopping 23.9% decrease.  The months’ supply of homes is now 6.1 compared to almost 8 months a year ago. Locally the month’s supply is between 2-6 months depending on price range, home style and type. A 5-6 month supply of homes is considered to be a balanced market between buyers and sellers.

The data also shows that total sales volume for 2011 is less than 2010 and if you read news headlines highlighting this it can be misleading.  The truth is that sales are off because there are fewer new listings, especially attractive homes that people want to buy. The result is a pressure on prices to increase, which we saw in 2011.  Some headlines will also state the fact that in most areas the time to sell a home has increased and the percentage of list price is decreasing.  Again, the uneducated buyer or seller that relies on headlines and sound bytes might think that it is a buyer’s market.  The truth is that homes that are prepared properly, show well and are priced to what the market comparables indicate value is are selling quickly in weeks not months and in many cases with more than one offer.

So what is in store for 2012?

The local real estate market is not as volatile as the stock market and residential real estate markets move at a much slower pace.  While we always experience temporary fluctuations in local housing activity that affect the psychology of buyers and sellers due to national news events like the recent credit rating downgrade by Standard & Poor’s or 911 or local incidents like the sniper attacks, weather, earthquakes, etc; the local  trends we see in housing are expected to sustain in the new year.  As long as mortgage rates remain at or near historical lows, affordability at all time highs and our local economy is healthy, expect 2012 to look very similar to 2011.

This is what the final report from The GMU Center for Regional Analysis titled “Housing the Regions Future Workforce.  Policy Challenges for Local Jurisdictions” stated in the summary of key research findings in the 4th quarter of 2011:

“Over the next 20 years, the Washington DC metropolitan area will add more than a million net new jobs. At the same time, the region will need 1.8 million replacement workers to fill jobs vacated by retirees and others. The ability to absorb these new workers into the region and to ensure robust regional economic growth depends critically on providing a sufficient amount of housing of the right types and prices and in the right places.” “If each jurisdiction provided enough housing to accommodate all of its future workers, the Washington DC region needs to add 731,457 net new housing units between 2010 and 2030.”

If the research and forecast for population and job growth is even remotely accurate, the future for housing in our area is sound.  Happy selling and buying in the new year to come!

If you are looking for an advocate to help you navigate & negotiate in TODAY’s market, email The Belt Team or call us at (703) 242-3975. Our expertise is the Northern Virginia real estate market. Call now to schedule a Buyer or Seller consultation, to request a FREE WRITTEN REPORT of your home’s value or to be put on our FREE PRIORITY NOTIFICATION LIST for special buying opportunities that are not in the MLS or on the Internet. You can’t afford not to.

TGIF - Time for our Friday Funday Video & Open House Announcements!

Our video this week is dedicated to all of you who are out browsing open houses, getting to know the market and thinking about buying a home. Last weekend, all of our open houses were packed. It appears that great minds think alike and many of you are thinking of buying either your first home or a new home. So, our video sends a message just for you. Here’s Stevie Ray Vaughn with “If The House Is Rockin, Don’t Bother Knockin, Come On In“. Scroll down for this weekend’s open house info!

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OPEN SATURDAY & SUNDAY 1-3PM - 108 Battle St SE in Vienna - $1,339,500!

This fabulous new home is just getting its finishing touches! Custom built by master builder Dominion Associates - crafting Vienna since 1979! Enjoy an elegant Hardiplank & stone elevation with charming porch feature, upgraded finishes & quality throughout, luxurious kitchen, first floor library, two fireplaces, an oversized deck, finished lower level with fifth bedroom, 4th full bath, & wet bar. Madison High School pyramid and fabulous “in-town” location!

Directions: From Tysons: Route 123 South (Maple Ave) to “downtown Vienna”, left Park St, right Moore Ave, 1st right on Spring St to end of Spring St. Home straight ahead on Battle.

More Info about 108 Battle St SE in Vienna

Read about “Life In Vienna”

Contact The Belt Team

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OPEN SUNDAY 1-3 PM - 9626 Counsellor Drive in Vienna - $609,900

Charming five bedroom colonial in desirable Barrister’s Place! Three finished levels including a walkout lower level, family room with fireplace, hardwood floors under carpet on upper level - plus in living room, dining room & family room. Large level backyard with patio. Mere minutes to the “heart of Vienna”, W&OD Trail & Metro Bus - plus in the Madison High School Pyramid! $626,000

Directions: From Tysons: Route 123 South, Right Lawyers Rd, Right Abbotsford, Right Counsellro Dr to #9626

More Info about 9626 Counsellor Drive in Vienna

Read about “Life In Vienna”

Contact The Belt Team

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OPEN SUNDAY 1-3PM - 9850 Hidden Estates Cove in Vienna - $849,000

Beautiful custom home mere minutes from Vienna Metro! Welcoming wrap-around front porch, hardwood floors throughout main & upper levels, kitchen with new appliances opens to exceptionally spacious breakfast room, family room with fireplace, tray ceiling master bedroom with fireplace plus master bath with vaulted ceiling & skylights over tub, finished walkup lower level.

Directions: Route 66: Exit Nutley Street toward Vienna past Metro, Left Courthouse Road pass Nottoway Park, Right Hidden Road, immediate left Hidden Cove Estates to 9850 Hodden Estates Cove.

More Info about 9850 Hidden Estates Cove in Vienna

Contact The Belt Team

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OPEN SUNDAY 1 - 3PM - 2010 Westwood Terrace in Vienna - $850,000

This lovely colonial is in a tranquil cul-de-sac in a super convenient Vienna location. Enjoy hardwood floors throughout the main level, a fantastic family room with woodburning fireplace, eat-in kitchen with granite countertops, master bedroom with sitting room, gas fireplace & luxurious master bath, finished walkout lower level with 5th bedroom, & 3rd full bath, plus a large rec room. Walk to the Town of Vienna and all the amenities Vienna has to offer! $850,000

Directions: From Tysons: Route 123 South, Left Niblick Drive, Left Wolftrap Road, Left Westwood Terrace to #2010.

More Info about 2010 Westwood Terrace in Vienna

Read about “Life In Vienna”

Contact The Belt Team

Should we put our home on the market now? Or should we wait until Spring? How long does it take the average Buyer to find a home? And where do they start their search?

“This Month In Real Estate” answers these questions & more:

For a personal consultation about what makes the most sense for YOU - call The Belt Team at (703) 242-3975. We’ll help you navigate the process and figure out what is in YOUR best interests!

We need your help!

The Belt Team is participating in the Cell Phones For Soldiers program this month. While troops may be coming home from Iraq, there are still many soldiers serving and protecting us around the world. This program is close to our hearts. Two of our Belt Team members (Krissy Cruse & Mary Jane Perry) have active duty spouses (in the United States Marine Corps & United States Navy respectively), Mary Jane is also retired from the United States Navy herself, Pauline Knipe’s spouse, a Desert Storm vet, served as an officer in the Unites States Marine Corps and Jerry Belt served in the United States Air Force. So we especially know what it’s like to be far away from home & feeling disconnected.

The goal of the program is to help our soldiers be able to call home. Here’s how it works:

• We collect old cell phones and donate them to Cell Phones For Soldiers, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

• Cell Phones For Soldiers sells them to a company that recycles phones.

• The money that is received from the recycling company is used to buy calling cards that are sent to our soldiers.

Simple - right?

We bet lots of you got new cell phones for Christmas or just have old phones sitting around doing nothing . . . and now you know what to do with them! Help The Belt Team reach our office goal of 100 phones!

Contact The Belt Team at (703) 242-3975 or email us at Info@TheBeltTeam.com and we will arrange a time for pick up. (You can also drop them off at our office: Keller Williams Realty - 6820 Elm Street in McLean.)

PS - All kinds of phones are accepted. They don’t have to be working. And we don’t need all the accessories. You can use this cell phone data erasing tool to remove personal info from your phone before you donate it.

Have further questions? Check out the Cell Phones For Soldiers FAQs

Thanks in advance for your generosity!

Today, we were notified by Zillow that another one of our clients had submitted a review of The Belt Team on their web site. (If you’ve ever read hotel reviews on TripAdvisor or restaurant reviews on Zagat- the idea is the same. Among other things, consumers can write reviews & comments about real estate agents and their experiences with buying & selling their home.)

This will be the 31st time this year that one of our clients took the time to write up a review about their “Belt Team experience”. We are so grateful! When the email notification arrives that says another review has been submitted & published, there is always a slight pause and our hearts skip a beat - because while we pride ourselves on service & skills that are “beyond the pale” so to speak, we never know for sure until we read the review what exactly our client has said. We take our Belt Team Mission Statement very seriously:

“The Belt Team is a team of committed professionals who provide unparalleled real estate expertise in the Northern Virginia market. We put our clients’ and customers’ interests first and serve them with the utmost honesty, trust and integrity, striving to exceed expectations in all aspects of our relationships. Our objective is to help you sell or buy your home at the best price and most favorable terms that the market will bear and to do this as quickly as possible with the least possible inconvenience to you. We seek the highest compliment you can give us, the referral of your family & friends. We expect to create a Success Story for each client!”

And since the reviews are submitted by the client directly to Zillow, we do not get to preview them before they are published. But we’re proud to say that EVERY SINGLE REVIEW that has come in this year has been a FIVE STAR RATING (the highest rating Zillow has). AND each client has taken time out of their busy moving schedule to write all sorts of amazing comments decribing their experience with The Belt Team.

So . . . If the New Year brings new changes for YOUR family and you find yourself thinking of buying or selling a home, give The Belt Team a call. Whether it’s a new job taking you on a new adventure, a new addition to the family that means it’s time for a bigger home, or a new stage of life and it’s time to “right-size” - we’re happy to walk you through the process from start to finish. Buying or selling a home doesn’t have to be stressful if you have the right team at the helm. (Plus - we’re great negotiators! As an example, our homes sell faster & for more money than the average agent - and there are almsot 10,000 agents in Northern VA!)

If you’re wondering what “The Belt Team Experience” is like - check out what our 2011 clients have said in their independent reviews on Zillow.com . It’s an experience you don’t want to miss!

In the meantime, we wish all of you a Happy Holiday & look forward to working with many of you next year. We promise to give you the full “Belt Team Experience”! Contact The Belt Team here or call (703) 242-3975 for more info about The Belt Team Experience.

Realtors in Northern Virginia are a dime a dozen. Seriously. There are more than 11,000 Realtors in the Northern Virginia Board of Realtors. So, if you’re thinking about buying a home here, how do you go about finding the RIGHT REALTOR?

Tune in LIVE  to Real Estate Radio Washington - WAVA 780 AM on your dial from 1-2PM today (Dec 10th) when Terry Belt will answer these and other questions.

You can also listen to past broadcasts with great info for both Buyers & Sellers featuring CEO, Terry Belt and Belt Team Partner, Pauline Knipe.

Contact The Belt Team if you’re thinking about buying a home. We have partners who specialize in buyers only, first-time homebuyers, local buyers, relo buyers and more!

Recently, the McLean office of Keller Williams Realty (the office where The Belt Team makes their home) took on a HUGE project. We weren’t quite sure how it would go, but our intent was to continue our tradition to ”Give Where We Live”. We’re all actively involved in our community and this tradition is one reason we have chosen to be part of Keller Williams Realty. As it says in the Bible ” Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” (Luke 12:48)

So . . . we chose two local charities to raise money for (”Lift Me Up” in Great Falls and “Our Military Kids” in McLean) & we set about planning our 2nd Annual Keller Williams Charity Golf Tournament & Auction. Last year’s auction raised $10,000. And our goal was to exceed that number this year.

The charities we were working for are totally awesome, so there was no lack of motivation!

Lift Me Up is a therapeutic horseback riding program for children & adults with a variety of disabilities. And Our Military Kids provides grants to the children of National Guard and Military Reserve personnel who are currently deployed overseas, as well as the children of Wounded Warriors in all branches. The grants pay for participation in sports, fine arts, camps, and tutoring programs that nurture and sustain children while a parent is away in service to our country or recovering from injury.

The Co-Chair of the event was The Belt Team’s very own Mary Jane Perry. And boy are we proud of her and our entire office. Everyone pitched in and an entire year of planning & execution fell into place on October 26th when our charity event took place at Trump National Golf Course.

Belt Team members Christy Belt Grossman & Krissy Cruse registered almost 200 golfers on what turned out to be a GORGEOUS day.

And when the sun went down, all kinds of friends, family, clients & community joined in for our reception & auction. We even had some really special guests, including Lt Commander John Schofield (you can read more about him here),  a young boy & his family who came all the way from Camp Lejeune as part of a special ”Our Military Kids” surprise, and even “Austin Powers” showed up! In the evening, “Donald Trump” ran the live auction. And tons of generous folks stepped up as sponsors, donors & bidders.

Thanks to the effort of so many wonderful people, we’re happy to announce that $58,702 was raised & given to the two charities - $29,351 each to “Lift Me Up” and “Our Military Kids“.

So a HUGE THANK YOU to all of you who donated, played, sponsored, bid, worked, prayed & had faith. We could not have done it without you!

(And if you’re interested in playing in next year’s tournament or being a sponsor, let us know. The list fills up fast!)

The weather has finally turned colder, Thanksgiving is days away, and the holidays are approaching. At this time of year, we often get the question, “I want to sell my home, but should I wait to go on the market until after the holidays?” or “My home is on the market now, should I take it off during the holidays?”

Well, the answer is “It depends“! (If you read our blog regularly, you know that “It depends” is often the answer in real estate. For example, click thru, fast-forward the video to the 2 minute mark and check out what we had to say previously about the question “How is the market?” )

Here are some things you might want to consider if you are thinking about selling your home during the holidays:

• If your home is already on the market, it may be a good idea to stay on the market. Buyers who are looking at homes during the holidays are usually “Real Buyers” and not just “lookie-loos”. Mary Jane Perry, Buyer Agent for The Belt Team, says “I have buyers who are still looking during this timeframe, especially since interest rates are still competitive.” And Pauline Knipe, Belt Team Listing Specialist says, “My experience is that Buyers who are out looking at property during the holidays tend to be serious buyers. They are few and far between, but there are a number of people (like Relo Buyers) that NEED to buy or they wouldn’t be out looking.”

• During the holidays, many Sellers take their homes off the market. This means we often see inventory drop and that means if you are on the market, you may have less competition. Kevin Kleifges, Belt Team Real Estate Consultant, says: “It depends on your situation. Are you relocating out of state for a job opportunity or are you looking to upsize or downsize locally? If it is the latter, then you have the option to wait until after the holidays to alleviate the inconvenience of preparing and showing your home during the holidays. But if you need to sell immediately, it’s a good time because of less competition among other homes and extremely favorable interest rates for buyers.”

• What is your true motivation? Do you truly want/need to sell? If you’re just “testing the market” (IE - if you are not realistically pricing your home to what TODAY’S Buyers are willing to pay), then now is NOT the time to go on the market. Your home will likely not sell, and then when Spring arrives - your home will be “stale on the market”. Prospective Buyers will wonder what is wrong with your home and why it has been on the market so long. (This is true at any time of year. Overpricing stigmatizes your home and hurts your eventual bottom line significantly.)

• “Set your expectations according to the market you are in.” says Susan Hussey, Realtor with The Belt Team. “If you decide to sell now, price your home for the Winter market - not what you think the Spring market will be. Plan accordingly and prepare yourself & your family to be ready to juggle preparation & showings with other seasonal activities.” (And if you have little ones, maybe Santa’s upcoming visit will encourage them to keep their rooms clean!)

• If you do go on the market, don’t forget that Buyers looking at your home are trying to picture themselves & their families in your home. This is hard to do if your home is over-decorated with holiday knick knacks. So you may want to be a little more restrained than you normally would when putting up your decorations. Too many decorations can also make your rooms look smaller than they really are. In addition, Winter is a dark time of year, so make sure you keep your home as light-filled as possible. Open the drapes, raise the blinds and turn on all your lights. The few extra pennies will be worth it!

If you need help working through what is the best time to put your home on the market, give The Belt Team a call at (703) 242-3975 or email us at Sales@TheBeltTeam.com . Every situation is different and we would be happy to help you figure out what is best for YOU!

If you’re thinking about selling your home, you may be wondering how technology has changed the process over the years. It’s definitely NOT your Grandma’s real estate market! So what are some of the top tech tools being used today to sell homes?

1. IVR (Interactive Voice Response) Systems

On each home marketed by The Belt Team, we install a special rider on the sign so that anyone who is interested can call and get information 24 hours a day. They can hear a recording and get a fax about our properties any time of the day or night. Yes, all of our info is easily found on all sorts of web sites, but when you’re driving by - it’s a lot easier to just call. You’d be surprised how many people call as early as 5AM or as late as midnight!

The good news for our Sellers is that our system captures the caller’s number via caller id. Since the technology includes an 800 number, we are able to caller id every caller. Within seconds of a call, we receive an email notification with the caller’s message (if one was left) and their phone number. And one of the Realtors on our team follows up with a return call to make sure the caller got all the info they need. No page left unturned so to speak!

2. SOCIAL MEDIA

GChat, Hangout, Facebook, IM, Twitter, Skype, Texting, You Tube, LocalMinds, FourSquare, Video Tours, Blogging, Circles, etc, etc, etc. These are terms you may or may not be familiar with. (And between the time I write this and the time I post it, there will probably be more new terms!)

Some things in real estate haven’t changed much since your Grandma bought & sold her house, but the way we communicate has definitely changed. Today’s Buyers & Sellers want to be communciated with in very particular ways - and no two consumers are the same. So we make sure that when we’re selling homes, we’re on top of that communication path. If none of these terms mean anything to you - that’s ok. When we’re selling your home, we handle the technology for you. And if you already know what hangouts & circles are - great. You know exactly what we’re talking about!

Today’s market requires creativity and a need to be on the leading edge of technology. The Belt Team has embraced this philosophy. It’s one reason why we were selected to be Community Bloggers for various online news sites like Vienna Patch, Oakton Patch and WUSA9. And it’s why we have close to 500 followers on Twitter.  And why we have a You Tube channel. And why our agents are on Facebook. And why we write a lifestyle blog about Vienna. You get the picture. We don’t wait for Buyers to come to us. We’re proactive and reach out to draw them in.

Back in the 50’s & 60’s there used to be TV shows about “the future”. (My favorite was The Jetsons!) But boy would your Grandma have been surprised back then to see what we can do now.

Imagine this scenario:

You’re selling your home. You take the kids to the Outer Banks for a week so your house will actually stay clean. Your spouse is on travel in South America for business. Your in-laws co-signed when you bought the house, so they have an interest as well. And your Realtor is here in Vienna.

A contract comes in on your house. Now what? Your Realtor emails the contract to everyone. You’re on vacation, so you pull it up on your smart phone. Your spouse travels with an ipad, so he pulls it up there. And your in-laws have an old-fashioned desktop and check their email as well.

Your Realtor sets up a “hangout” on Google Plus (or conferences everyone in on Skype - you know the thing you set up so the grandparents could “see” the kids!) and all 5 of you go over the contract and discuss your options. Then your Realtor sends out the document via DocUSign so each party can sign electronically and no time is wasted in ratifying a contract.

Back to your regularly scheduled vacation - where you toast the fact that you were smart enough to choose a “tech savvy” Realtor!

With today’s technology, we have actually even sold several homes where the Buyer never even stepped foot in the home until AFTER they owned it!

3. THE “BAT PHONE”

Remember when Batman would get “important calls” on the red ”Bat Phone”? Well, all the calls that come in on our listings are important. So we have a dedicated cell number we use on all advertising for the homes we sell. We call this cell phone the “Bat Phone”. Our goal is no only to be “high tech” but also to be “high touch”. And so each week a different Realtor Partner on the team handles the Bat Phone. Our goal is that this phone is ALWAYS answered. Today’s consumer wants answers immediately. And we aim to please.  This tech tool might sound pretty “low tech” - but when was the last time you called and got a live person on the phone instead of voice mail or a bunch of recorded prompts?!

If you’re thinking of buying or selling a home, contact The Belt Team.

We combine yesterday’s values with today’s technology to make your tomorrow bright!