Are you are thinking about selling your house? If you have talked about this to friends and family, you are probably getting a lot of advice--much of which you find conflicting. For the past several years, I have written a number of blogs for sellers which I have called the Getting Your House Ready To Sell Series.
I hope that you can benefit from some of these posts. Selling your home is different from many other life decisions because it impacts not only your net worth, but is usually a very emotional transaction. It is a rare seller who can completely remove emotion from the sales process.
I hope you found these posts informative and that you are able to use some of my advice as you prepare your home for sale. Try to remember that your goal is to make your home as attractive as possible to the greatest number of people. I will be posting 3 more of these compilation posts over the next week...be on the lookout for more in the Sell Your Home series.
My business is built around referrals. If you live in the Northern Virginia area and are considering selling your house, I would welcome the opportunity to discuss my approach to preparation, pricing and marketing. As an accredited Home Staging Realtor, I believe that much of the work of selling your home has to be done before the sign goes up on your house. If you have family, friends or colleagues who plan to list their property, I would be honored if you would pass on my name and contact information.
I ran across an article today that I thought was worth sharing. It was from the Washington Business Journal and it was discussing the findings of an Urban Land Institute report which shows that there remains a shortage of workforce housing in the Washington D.C. area within 20 to 30 minutes of 6 workforce employment centers: Downtown Washington, D.C., Reston and Herndon, Alexandria, Tysons Corner, Bethesda and Rockville
I have several buyer clients right now that have not been able to find homes. Both of these clients are looking in Reston VA. It seems to me that we are beginning to run in to an inventory shortage. Homes that are priced above the comparables are remaining on the market, but those that are priced fairly and are in good shape are generally moving within a reasonable time frame. I have seen that there is still a bit of a struggle for sellers to determine what is a reasonable comp and what is not. I will tell you that when a home hits the correct price, it WILL go under contract.
My experience, combined with the findings in the ULI report, would indicate to me that at least in the Reston/Herndon area, we are on the way up from the bottom of the real estate market.
If you are a buyer who has been on the fence, this might be the time to jump in and find your new home. Unless you would rather wait and pay more later...
For the full text of the article: http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2009/11/02/daily36.html
My husband and I went downtown (Washington D.C) last night with some close friends to celebrate our anniversary and several birthdays that we had all celebrated between us.
We had a lovely dinner at Chef Geoff's Downtown before heading to the National Theater.
Chef Geoff's was a great choice for a pre-theater meal; it was around the corner from the theater and across from the Warner Theater, so they are accustomed to working with theater ticket deadlines. The served us efficiently and we arrived at the the theater with plenty of time to find our seats and glance through the Play Bill. They have valet parking at the restaurant, but we opted for the paid parking garage located between the restaurant and theater.
We were fortunate to get to see Jersey Boys. If you have an opportunity to see this show, I would HIGHLY recommend it. Besides the fantastic music (I had no idea how many hits Franki Valli and the Four Seasons had over the years) it was a compelling story with a fast pace that kept us all riveted until the final curtain.
It was a great evening and one of this things I like best about living in Reston, VA; we are close to all that Washington D.C. has to offer: theaters, museums, shopping and great dining.
Many of us have an extra fridge tucked in the garage storing soda, waters, beer, juice boxes, sports drinks and generally anything that doesn't fit in the kitchen refrigerator.
The one in my garage was inherited from my husband's old office. I would guess it is circa 1988. Every once in a while it makes a pretty alarming noise, but then all is well and it goes back to purring along. I am sure that a good half of my electric bill goes to keep this thing going.
If you live in Virginia, this might be your weekend, to finally head out to the store to replace the old 
junker and get the new appliance you've been considering. According to the Virginia Department of Taxation website, 'Energy Star and WaterSense qualified products purchased for non-commercial use and costing $2,500 or less will be exempt from sales tax.'
This can add up, especially if you are outfitting the whole kitchen!
You may have heard about the Cash for Clunker Appliances program that is coming. I just researched it to find out when, and if, we can expect it. According to what I found out, each State is supposed to submit a detailed plan to the Federal Government by October 15. The Fed will review it and then provide the States money to fund it. The Program should be available at the end of this year or the beginning of 2010. As with Cash for Clunkers, there will be a set amount of funds. When the money is gone, it is gone, so if you plan to use this option, be prepared to jump on it as soon as it is announced.
So now if you live in Virginia ,you have two options to reduce the cost of getting new, energy efficient appliances. Everywhere else has at least one option, too.
What are you waiting for? Get out there and get that new washer, dryer, refrigerator, stove or dishwasher that you have been dreaming of!
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An experienced Associate Broker working in Reston, VA the Northern VA area. I work with with buyers and sellers, specializing in Staging and preparing homes for Sale and helping buyers 'buy green.'
I come from a corporate background; I spent a number of years working in consulting and project management. What does this mean to you? It means that you will receive my undivided attention and that details, large and small, will not fall through the cracks. It means that I value you your business and look forward to having you as a repeat client. My focus is on becoming your permanent REALTOR. You don't regularly change accountants or dentists--you shouldn't have to find a new Realtor for each real estate transaction!
I also believe that continuing education is a critical component of good service. I am an Associate Broker, an Accredited Buyers Representative (ABR), a Graduate of the Realtors Institute (GRI), an EcoBroker (specializing in buying and selling GREEN homes) an e-pro (technical training to meet the needs of my clients) and an Accredited Staging Professional--Realtor (to assist you in preparing your home to sell quickly and for the most money).
I work throughout Northern Virginia, from Arlington to Leesburg, marketing homes and assisting buyers with their purchases. Let me help you find both a house that suits your needs and a community that you will love. Not only do I live in the area (specifically in North Reston), but I grew up here, too!
If you are looking for a Green home, take advantage of my EcoBroker training to learn how to identify those features that will help you to save money. As a seller, my assistance and advice in helping you to prepare your home for sale is second to none. I am an Accredited Staging Professional Realtor, but I also have keen eye for what is important to buyers. My husband is a builder and works with me to provide contracting resources for my clients to get their homes ready for marketing economically and quickly.
1. "Holly Weatherwax is an outstanding REALTOR®. She was very supportive during the sale of my home and my transition to a new state. She is extremely creative, determined, and responsible in all facets of the home sale process. She even made me feel calm at times which says a lot considering selling a home is one of life's most stressful activities. I wouldn't hesitate to ask Holly to be our REALTOR® again in the future. You get the "best" when you have Holly working for you."
Delight, Middleton, WI
2. "My husband and first met Holly by looking at a single-family home she had listed. We inquired about the home, met with Holly and were very impressed by her. Soon we realized, we not only wanted to buy this home, but also have Holly sell ours! We chose not to bring in another REALTOR® putting Holly in the unique situation where she had to wear multiple hats in representing her existing clients and now us. She handled it flawlessly and in a very professional manner. She made herself available to us at all hours, made checklists with timelines to get everything accomplished for closing and most of all, made us feel at ease. Every detail was taken care of we had complete trust in her from our initial meeting, which carried through to the end of our buying and selling experience. I think this is what makes Holly exceptional."
Catherine D'Reaux,
3. "We were so pleased with the way in which Holly Weatherwax completely handled every detail involved in the sale of our Reston home. The way is which she packaged our home to get it ready for the sale, marketed our home, handled open houses, offers for sale and even the closing was professional thorough, attentive and caring. Holly handled every aspect of this sale so completely that we were never overwhelmed or stressed. She made the sale of our home easier and more enjoyable than we could have imagined."
Stacey and Ray T., McLean, VA
4. "I wish to provide a reference for Holly Weatherwax, whom I retained as our REALTOR®. To begin, a written reference cannot express strongly enough the satisfaction my wife and felt through our house purchasing process. It was a privilege to have Holly represent us with exceptional service and integrity.
I have purchased many different homes in the last 20 years in 4 different states. Having used a different realtor with each home purchase, I have had a chance to see many different styles and approaches. While some of the realtors were good...I never felt a strong commitment to use any REALTOR again, until now. Without a doubt, I would use Holly Weatherwax again to sell and or buy another house in the Northern Virginia area."
Clifford Samodurov, Principal, Innovative Benefits Solutions
5. "Holly was a great resource for me in buying my home in Reston last year. She was patient, prepared and thoughful, carefully considering my situation and family needs before showing me a house, responding to my inquiries or suggesting alternatives. Holly was great to work with, wonderfully experienced and possesive of a great blend of real world practicality and shrewd business sense. Whether she was helping you negotiate a transaction or discussing a homes potential (or, importantly, lack thereof), Holly was there for me as a great resource and I am most grateful."
Don Caron, Reston, Va
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