Dan Rochon

Your Team of Northern Virginia Realtors

Looking for a realtor that knows the market in Northern Virginia? Whether you are thinking about buying, selling or investing, we have a realtor consultant for every need, covering all of Northern Virginia to include; Arlington, Crystal City, Alexandria, Old Town Alexandria, Kingstown, Fairfax. In addition, all areas outside of the metropolitan to include, Woodbridge and Manassas, known as Prince William County.

Dan and Traci & Consultants are Keller Williams Realtors in Virginia; our roles and our services to provide you with the following:

Buyer's Agent - A buyer agent represents you in the transaction of purchasing a home. You can say, that she's got your back. She will start off by finding out your needs, your likes and dislikes. Whether you like living close to conveniences or living further out. She will also provide you with statistics and comparables. When you are ready to write your offer, she will assist you with how to write and present, depending on the location, demand and how long the home has been on the market. Today, the market has become very demanding in that many offers are being written at once. So it's key to have a buyer's specialist that knows just how to set-up an offer to get your offer accepted. It's also important that she knows how to protect you during the process. Even though the market has increased with inventory and a lot of offers are being written-up on properties, you still need have someone that's going to protect you.

Listing Agent - A listing agent represents you in the transaction of selling your home. Here you need someone who knows and has the tools to market hard. She will provide you with all the comparables in your neighborhood, what the last house sold for, rented for and the average time on the market. She will then determine the best way to market your home; this takes creativity, a gift that pays off, because she needs to utilize every aspect of exposure as possible. Exposure includes all the hard copies of real estate home advertising and all the websites that are available to her that she has taken the time to sign-up for. Next, she schedules a time to take pictures after your home has been staged for a showing. This is important, because she has to know how to play up the strengths as well as minimize the weaknesses. Since everything is mostly Internet driven today, having plenty of pictures and being able to tell a story about your home are key if she's going to accomplish "serious lookers". Lookers are buyers and you need plenty of them to increase your chances. It's important to "partner" with your listing agent. Depending on your expectations, if you want to sell fast, as usually the case, it's important to be open to ideas. That means being open to doing a lot of showings, which includes evenings and weekends. This can sometimes be inconvenient, but more beneficial. When the offers start coming in, it's important that your listing agent determines how to qualify. Qualifying includes, a pre-approved letter from a lender and an earnest money deposit that shows "a commitment to purchase". After all you don't want to waste your time with offers that have not been qualified, this only keeps your home on the market unnecessarily. Finally, when you get the offer that has been accepted and qualified, you are then ready for settlement. Your listing agent will follow your offer every step of the way to settlement.

Investor Specialist - An Investment Specialist is someone who knows the market very well. Knowing the market entails, knowing the area and the rate of return. Our Investment Specialist is also an investor himself, so he takes it very seriously. Northern Virginia and all the surrounding areas have taken one of the biggest hits in foreclosures. Understandably so, Northern Virginia continues to be one of the most desirable places to live, because of job opportunities, attractions and conveniences. With that said, the inventory has greatly increased, having more investment opportunities, which is good, but can also be confusing. It's like walking into a huge department store and not knowing where the bargains are, and it's always better to have someone guide you. Once you have isolated your search, then you will want to "make that offer". Making the offer entails doing homework, this is crucial, because you will need to compare all aspects of the property. Knowing how long it's been on the market, the extent of the distressed condition, how much expense to expect and the rate of return. Our Investor Specialist will provide you with comparables to include, how much you can expect to sell or rent the property for. In addition, an action plan to increase the rate of return.

Short Sale Listing Specialist - A Short Sale Specialist is someone who has the gift of playing many roles. She represents the seller in every sense of the word, because not only does she play the role of a Listing Agent, she also has to be a "master of negotiations". A "real" Short Sale Specialist is someone who has taken the time to develop relationships with mortgage lenders. It's important when interviewing for a Short Sale Specialist, to ask the following questions, how long they have been doing short sales, how many short sales they have done, not just how many listed, but how many have gone to "settlement". It's easy getting the listing, it takes talent to "get it to closing". More importantly, have they developed relationships with the mortgage lenders and finally, this question might be difficult to ask, but just how detailed they are as well. It's important to know, because short sales have become necessary and crucial. Short sales can be a long and frustrating experience, but the more experience your Short Sales Specialist has, the better your chances are of getting the quick relief that your looking for.

Our Short Sale Specialist has a very compassionate approach; she understands that it wasn't easy coming to the final conclusion of doing a short sale. She is licensed in Virginia, Maryland and D.C. She has also developed many relationships with the various mortgage lenders in all three states. Don't let soft approach fool you, she's as tough as they come. Her success in short sales has gained her recognition, not only with her clients, but also with lenders and her team members. Buyer agents know that when they are showing one of her short sale properties, that it will "go to closing".

A special note to all those who are considering doing a short sale. Our hearts go out to those who are losing their homes during these tough economic times. When you hire one of us, you will have "all of us" backing you up. We are committed to making the process easy and quick. Sincerely, from all of us from the Dan and Traci & Consultants team.

Dan and Traci & Consultants

Dan Rochon, REALTOR®
Investment Specialist, licensed in VA

Traci Rochon, REALTOR®
Short Sale Specialist, licensed in VA, MD, DC

Keller Williams Realty
6354 Walker Lane, suite 100
Alexandria, VA 22310
Direct 703-346-2776

Our Core:

To always, live by the "get by giving" philosophy, make my client's goal my goal, work toward a common good, to do what I say I will do when I say I will do it

Find Secrets to Real Estate at: www.GreetingsVirginia.com

Buying Forclosed Bank Owned Properties in Northern Virginia

Thinking of investing? There's never been a better time. With all the foreclosures on the market today, the inventory continues to increase. However, with the inventory increasing, there are many more aspects to consider before buying. That old term "location, location, location," still matters. Just how distressed should you go? And whether you should flip, sit or rent. Northern Virginia is taking one of the biggest hits today in foreclosures.

Our team specializes in investment properties. We'll guide you every step of the way by providing you with:

• A list of foreclosed homes
• Location and price
• Estimated costs to "fix-up"
• Comparables in selling and renting
• How long they have been sitting on the market

We also specialize in all the surrounding areas of Northern Virginia to include:

• Alexandria
• Arlington
• Fairfax
• Woodbridge
• Manassas

Call us and we'll set up a free consultation to you started in investing.

Helpful links to investing:

How to Buy Foreclosures

http://www.ehow.com/how_6560_buy-foreclosed-property.html

Best Time to Invest

http://www.usnews.com/articles/business/2008/02/13/talking-with-a-foreclosure-guru.html?s_cid=related-links:TOP

Dan Rochon, REALTOR®
Keller Williams Realty
Licensed in Virginia

Dan and Traci & Consultants
Traci Rochon is licensed in VA, MD, DC
Northern Virginia Realty
Short Sale Specialists

Alexandria, VA 22310
Direct 703-346-2776

Find Secrets to Real Estate at: www.GreetingsVirginia.com

When you relocate to Northern Virginia, you will fall in love with many of the local stunning attractions, a place to call home.

Northern Virginia's central location is conveniently located near many attractions. Many of the local sites to enjoy are; Arlington, Crystal City, Alexandria and Old Town Alexandria. Not to mention being less than an hour away from the many attractions in Washington, D.C. With the many lovely places to live that attract many residents to Northern Virginia, it's definitely a place to call home.

Please contact us on your next visit, we'll help introduce you to the area as well as assist you in your home hunting. We have a team of realtors that will suit your every need. Whether you're looking for a home or an investment property, we have an expert in every area. Many of us are also natives of Northern Virginia. We look forward to giving you the grand tour of the many attractions of Northern Virginia.

Attractions:

Historic Alexandria, VA

http://oha.alexandriava.gov/

Torpedo Factory

http://www.torpedofactory.org/

Potomac River Events

http://www.riverexplorer.com/

Potomac River Rowing

http://olivepopeye.multiply.com/photos/album/14/Rowing_on_the_Potomac_River

http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=447&sid=608532

Cherry Blossoms Parade

http://nationalcherryblossomfestival.org/cms/index.php?id=390

OUR CORE VALUES:

To always...
...Live by the "Get By Giving" philosophy
...Make my client's # 1 goal, my # 1 goal
...Work toward a common good
...Do what I say I will do by when I say that I will do it

Dan and Traci & Consultants

Keller Williams Realty
6354 Walker Lane, suite 100
Alexandria, VA 22310
Licensed in Virginia, Maryland & D.C.

Direct 703-597-7875
Fax 703-564-9815
Office 703-562-1757

www.greetingsvirginia.com

In most states, "statutory" or "non-judicial" foreclosure is used. In a non-judicial foreclosure, the lender will first follow a procedure to attempt to collect the unpaid debt by giving the debtor a notice of default. Default on a payment is how a property first enters into the foreclosure process. If the lender fails to collect the unpaid balance, he or she will issue a Legal Notice that notifies the owner that the foreclosure process has begun. If the debtor does not pay the debt or uses lawful means to stop the foreclosure (such as filing bankruptcy), a Bank Sale or Auction Date will be set. At the conclusion of the Bank Sale or Auction, the lender may become the property owner and the property will most likely be placed with its Real Estate Owned (REO) department.

The bank that forecloses on a property can pursue the previous owner for any deficiencies amount that it was unable to recover through the foreclosure. For example, an individual owes a mortgage of $425,000 and after the foreclosure and resale process, the bank sells the property for $300,000, a deficiency judgment for the difference of $125,000 could be obtained against the previous owner. This will allow the bank to pursue collections of this amount. The rules that govern foreclosure in Virginia or your state are set by your state and you should consult with an attorney for explanation regarding legal matters and a qualified tax advisor concerning tax implications.
Marketing and selling your home as a short sale is a way to prevent foreclosure. Often a bank will allow a short sale if they believe it will result in a smaller loss than foreclosing. A short sale is when a bank will accept less than what is owed on it as a payoff. The homeowner may avoid having the foreclosure on his or her credit history and sometimes the deficiency (difference between mortgage and final sale proceeds) is forgiven by the bank. Situations will vary; to determine if your property could be sold as a short sale, contact Dan and Traci & Consultants with Keller Williams Realty at 703-562-1791 or go to www.VirginiaShortSaleRealtor.com.

Pre-foreclosure

When an owner misses a payment, he or she is in default of the mortgage. During this time period, before the final bank sale, the owner still maintains control of the property and can list the property for sale, sign documents, and do whatever is necessary to avoid foreclosure. This is the owner's chance to save him or herself from foreclosure. The bank is in the business of lending money and not in the business of owning real estate, so in most cases it would make every effort possible to avoid taking ownership of the property.

REO Property, Opportunity Lost

If a property is foreclosed, it is either sold to a bidder at an auction or is taken by the bank and placed into its Real Estate Owned department. It is the REO department's job to sell the asset for the most money in the quickest time possible. At this point, the previous owner of the property has lost control of the process and a foreclosure has been filed against him or her.Reasons to Avoid Foreclosure

Often homeowners in distress do not understand their options and the consequences of not taking any action. If a property is foreclosed, there are many repercussions.
In the future, the foreclosure will have to be divulged on any new mortgage application.

If the applicant is approved for a new mortgage, the past foreclosure will likely affect the terms and rates of the mortgage in a highly undesirable manner.

~ Security clearances, and in some instances, employment may be jeopardized. ~The lender may ask for a deficiency judgment and collect any unpaid balance due to it. ~The lender may seek this payment by any legal means, including garnishment of wages and social security benefits. ~Credit scores can be lowered by over 300 points and may have a catastrophic impact on future credit, including insurance rates, utility deposits, and the ability to finance items and rent or purchase property. ~Foreclosure is a credit item that is one of the most difficult to repair and overcome.

Options other than Foreclosure

Marketing and selling your home as a short sale is a way to prevent foreclosure. Often a bank will allow a short sale if they believe it will result in a smaller loss than foreclosing. A short sale is when a bank will accept less than what is owed on it as a payoff. The homeowner may avoid having the foreclosure on his or her credit history and sometimes the deficiency (difference between mortgage and final sale proceeds) is forgiven by the bank. Situations will vary; to determine if your property could be sold as a short sale, contact Dan and Traci & Consultants with Keller Williams Realty at 703-562-1791 or go to http://www.GreetingsVirginia.com/