Coral Gundlach

You may have noticed a bit of extra congestion at pick up time from Tuckahoe Elementary School in Arlington this fall.   That is because the neighborhing Catholic High School, Bishop O'Connell is remodeling their football fields and now all their soccer, lacrosse and field hockey games appear to be played on the Arlington county fields adjacent to Tuckahoe Elementary.    

Everyone within a mile (ish) of Tuckahoe on the same side as Lee Highway is a "walker" or "driver", meaning your kids are not on the  bus route and parents or caregivers must pick them up at 3:41 or so.   I fall into this category living 4/10 of a mile from the school.  

In years past, I could drive if running late and not have too much of a hassle in getting the kids, but this year, it is pure madness.  The Bishop O'Connell games are held at the same time as the school releases and there are no parking spaces on the streets and a bunch of extra congestion, due to the athletes, spectators, etc.

What's more, there are invariably people just using 26th Street as a cut through to I-66.   Those poor people get trapped for at least 30 minutes until this chaos of cars, buses, strollers, dogs and pedestrians clears.

My advice?   Walk to pick up your kids as often as possible and if you are just driving through Arlington between 3:30 and 4:00 - don't take 26th between Sycamore and Underwood!  If you see me driving to Tuckahoe between 3:30 and 4:00, it means I was running late with my real estate business and had no choice.

Are you an Arlington, VA homeowner who would like to sell your house and buy a bigger house? Or have the kids moved out for college and you are thinking of downsizing? In this economy, most current homeowners have to sell their home in order to be able to buy the next one. If you think "Wait, but I can find the house first and then sell"...well that used to be easy, but it's not any more. The lender for your new home will make sure you can afford both mortgage payments, and have the money in the bank to do so for 6 months...possibly more. Also if you think you can rent out your house while you buy another one, check with a lender first. Unless you again, can afford to carry both payments for 6 months to a year, they will want you to have already rented out your house for a year or so, and that is hard to do when you are living there.

So, if you are thinking of either upsizing or downsizing and need to sell one to buy another, here are a few ways it can be done.

I have helped many people through the years through this "move up" or "downsize" transition. And here are a few ways it can be done smoothly, as well as the pros and cons to each.

1) List your house for sale with a Realtor, and start getting to know what is on the market in the place/category you want to buy. If you are in a condo or in a far out suburb, you might want to take a more passive approach to looking for houses as it could take a couple of months to get a contract ratified on your house. Go to open houses while you have showings or have your agent show you a few houses here and there. Don't go into full-on house hunting mode, however, because you are likely just window shopping. When that offer comes, then you start pounding the pavement with your agent until you find the house. You either line up temporary housing if you can't get a short rent back from your buyer, or you rent back from them. A "rent back" is a relatively short period of time in which you sell the house then pay your new buyer/owner rent until you can close and take possession on your new home.

2) Write an offer and do a sale of home contingency. Okay, this is a great idea for a buyer, but there's one tiny problem...sellers hate it. And relocation companies, banks, and most 3rd parties absolutely will not allow it. Now what they will allow is a "coinciding settlements clause." Which means you already have a solid offer on your home and the sale is contingent on it closing. I write those all the time and get them accepted. A seller is much more likely to take a contract contingent on another already ratified contract then they are on a person who is planning to get their house on the market soon. A home sale contingency shows a lack of commitment as a buyer.

3) Put your house on the market and ask for a "home of choice contingency." This gives you, the seller, a short timeframe to find a house. Usually a couple of weeks, which is the same amount of time a buyer would get to do their inspection.

Any of these solutions can work smoothly, and I've helped dozens of clients with dual transactions such as this. If you need to sell in order to buy and are overwhelmed by the prospect, give me a call. I will walk you through your options with no pressure, and see if we can get you into your next Arlington, VA home.

If you are looking to buy a home in Northern Virginia, and want a quick commute, you may have heard that living near a Metro Station is the way to go. There are pros and cons to purchasing near a metro and here are a few things to keep in mind. There are also few ways to search near a Metro, but on my website, there is an easy and effective tool to do just that.

Prices are higher near Metro Stations. Take Arlington for example, homes in zip codes near the Metro Orange and Blue lines through Ballston. Those zips are 22201, 22202, 22203, 22205 and 22209. You will see across the board, except occasionally in 22203*, the average home prices are higher than in 22204 and 22206, the two zips that don't have direct Metro access.

In Arlington, the areas that are not "walking to metro" are very easily accessible via bus.

You will pay more for fewer square feet for the priveledge of being walking distance to a Metro.

Living near a metro also gives you other benefits than the metro. The metro accessible neighborhoods are usually in urban villages that are close to shops, restaurants and entertainment in Arlington.

So if you want to buy a home near a metro in Arlington, VA, you will need to do a careful analysis of what you can get for your money and decide how important walking proximity metro is to your wish list. If you are having trouble deciding, I can help you work through the pros and cons of deciding where to live here in Arlington or other Northern Virginia communities.

If you are interested in buying or selling a home in Northern Virginia, contact me for a personal consultation. There are many factors that go into these prices. The numbers only tell part of the story of any market analysis. An active agent working in this marketplace will help guide you to make the best home buying or selling decisions.

*22203 skews low because of an assisted living building that has low prices but high monthly fees.

If you are thinking of selling your Arlington, VA home, you probably want to get the most money for it, right? Value is determined by the market, which essentially means, if there are buyers out there who are willing to pay a certain price for your house, that is what it is worth. Yes as part of the mortgage loan process, an appraiser will have to also determine value, but that won't really matter unless there is a ready, willing and able buyer who will go through with the purchase. The trick is, you have to believe that this is the value, that there's not a buyer waiting in the forest on a white horse who is going to give you just what you want for your house. In this market, that is not going to happen.

So you think you know what your home is worth? Why exactly? Because a neighbor's house sold for X amount? Okay, that's fair, but do you know the differences between that house and yours can make a BIG difference in value? It's not just the square footage or street that makes the value of a house. Home buyers in Arlington, VA want a move in ready house. Arlington home buyers tend to be busy working professionals and the majority of them don't want a fixer upper, and they are willing to wait for the "right house."

So, if you are thinking of putting your house on the market understand that cosmetics matter - a lot! Here are some of the current, popular trends that buyers crave and that make Arlington, VA homes sell for top dollar.

Remodeled kitchens:

Stainless and granite sell houses in Arlington, VA. Shallow as it may seem, that is what is in style and that will automatically give buyers peace of mind that they are buying an updated, current home that is worthy of top market value. For some reason, when buyers walk into a house with old appliances and formica countertops, the ballpark estimate that goes off in their head is MUCH higher than reality and they take it out of the price of your house. You can make these changes for less than $10,000 - but in the value of your home in a buyer's eye? Could cost you twice or three times more off the price of your house.

Current, neutral paint:

This is so basic and so cheap. You see, there are so many different opinions out there as to what colors are pleasing. "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder," therefore you must appeal to the most people and that's why neutral is king. I recently took a buyer out who was so turned off by the paint colors of a very nice house that she didn't want to see it. I convinced her that paint is easy to change and she should give it a shot, but it took some convincing. So if you are a potential Arlington, VA home seller, you don't want to turn off even one buyer with your extreme paint colors, as stylish as they may be. I don't mean dump a can of "shell white" all over the walls, either. You need to make it warm, inviting and neutral. I can help with this. As part of my services to sellers, I recommend paint colors, and facilitate contractor scheduling too.

Staging:

I can't emphasize enough how important this is. And staging does not mean you have to pay someone $5000/month for extra furniture. Now if you have a large house and it is vacant, that is most likely the best course. But if you live in your house, I can help you stage with what you own and some extra purchased accessories. Minor changes like new bedding, pillows, window treatments and art can make all the difference in a sale. And if you are on a budget, I can work with you. I will stay within your budget and get you bang for your buck.

My most recent Arlington, VA home sale was one I staged myself on a budget. I told the sellers what they needed, and with about $1,000 and many trips to Target and Home Goods, I got their home in model condition and they got two strong offers and settled in less than 30 days. And the sellers loved their new accessories, and took them onto their new home out of state. This is how they described the process on Zillow in this review.

So if you want to get top dollar for your Arlington, VA home, contact me for a confidential consultation. I am already talking to sellers about spring 2012 sales. There is a lot of planning that goes into your sale if you want the best price.

I went out with a new buyer on Friday looking for homes in Arlington, VA, and there was one house that really grabbed our attention - great location, price and NO PICTURES. I did not have a chance to preview, and our experience told me, I would not have been able to even if I had tried.

The MLS had only one exterior photo, yet it was listed for 100 plus days. This prospective buyer was dumbfounded by this. If you are a home seller or listing agent with no pictures, please understand that this is a basic requirement if you expect to actually sell. Even though our MLS does not require multiple photos, buyers do, and no photos = no sale. However, this is the least of what was wrong with this listing.

Showing instructions were confusing. The remarks said "Show to your buyer today", and the instructions said "call first lister." Usually calling the lister first is a courtesy so they know you are showing a vacant house. With no pictures, I am guessing here. It also had a combo LISTED in the MLS - which is a big security risk, by the way, but I will get back to that.

I called the lister at 11:00 on Friday, and still have not heard back and it's Sunday evening. Since it did say "show your buyer today!" I told my client we'd go by, knock on the door and play it by ear, since the combo was in the listing. There was no mention of pets or kids or sleeping shift workers, for what it's worth.

We drove up and there was a pile of two by fours and various other kinds of wood like siding and baseboards piled up in front. I had already warned my client the place would probably not be pretty with NO PICTURES in the mls after 100 days, and the pile of rubbish kind of confirmed it.

We walked up and there was a TV on, but no one answered our knock. And that handy combo listed in the MLS? Didn't work. Wasn't even the right number of digits for the box.

So here's a recap:

• No pictures and nearly 4 months "on the market" if you can call it that.
• Pile of rubbish in the FRONT yard
• No return call from the agent for over 48 hours
• Incorrect, misleading showing instructions
• BIG security risk of publishing a combo. I hand my MLS sheets to my clients and who knows where they leave them when they leave me.

So, I have to ask - Exactly why is your house on the market?

If you are thinking of selling your home in Arlington, VA, contact me to see how I will get your home professionally marketed and SOLD. I don't believe in sticking a sign in the yard and walking away.