Misstie Pollard Homes in Bull Run Area of Manassas

An Opinion Regarding Sellers Purchasing Home Warranties

To all sellers out there. Please always have a home warranty for your buyers. But most importantly for you; peace of mind is priceless , so I thought.

My story is not new and unfortunately all too common. Anytime I am working with a seller I always recommend them to purchase a home warranty. It is very common for most agents to make this recommendation so I am no one special.

However, I assisted another agent whose clients choose not to take the advice of purchasing a home warranty when selling their property. That seller ended up purchasing a water heater shortly before closing; at the cost of $1200.00 instead of paying about $100.00 for a trade call fee.

Because they were not my client I was unable to say anything to them. I wanted to tell the clients of the other agent “I know you don’t want to spend any more money but a service call fee beats the cost of replacing the appliance any day”. Sometimes you are not able to say anything. We are natural risk takers. The higher the stakes the greater the pay off if we win. The down side if we lose the loss is great too.

Sellers are you felling lucky?

Is it necessary to have a termite inspection for a condo?

During my last home inspection a debate was created regarding termite inspection for a condo. The conversation ranged from the condo association will cover termite remediation, just confirm with the condo disclosure docs. And headed towards it depends on what floor the condo unit is located. Finally the debate ended at crossing out the entire section on the contract if its 3^rd floor unit or higher. As the debate grew many biased comments were made.

What to do? Do what is legal, what is ethically right, and what will protect buyers. The regional contract that I use does not have an option to not have a termite inspection for good reason. Termites that are found inside the condo unit may be the unit owners responsibility. Wood boring termites live inside paintings and furniture. If current tenants or residents of the unit have traveled and or purchased gifts containing wood; termites could be present. Only the subterranean termites need to return to the earth every night. So they limit how many floors they will travel within the building. Subterranean termites have been found as high as the 7^th floor in a building. Also termites are not the only insect the inspector is looking for; the inspection looks for wood destroying insects which could be beetles, bees and ants as well.

Termite inspections are such a low cost especially for a condo. It protects buyers to purchase their inspection to control the reporting accuracy and have choices. If sellers want to pay then do it at settlement and allow the buyers to choose and pay for their inspection.

The law: do not cross out the pre-printed contract and or add your own wording. Ethics and buyer protection for me is combined. If the sellers want to pay then pay at settlement have the fee listed on HUD1; allow the buyers to choose their inspector.

In closing inspections do not provide full guarantees: walls, ceilings, and floors will not be removed. The visual inspection by trained and licensed personnel will provide buyers their due diligence in making an investment purchase over an emotional attachment.

Termite photos provided by Terminx

Living and working in Prince William County Virginia.

I attended my local economic committee meeting at Prince William County Chamber of Commerce and found interesting information about the county I live and work in. Also the county was feature in CNN "Where the jobs are".

Almost 50% of the county workforce has a college degree. Prince William County ranks #11 in the nation for the highest median income. The 2^nd largest school system in Virginia is Prince William County School District. Half of high school graduates transfer to 4 year institution.

In addition to the traditional suburban communities Prince William County also offers Gated, Marina, Range, and Golf Course living. The county houses 11 public golf courses, 55 parks, and a county Wildlife Refuge.

Data Centers generates over a billion dollar investment to Prince William County also creating a few hundred jobs. Federal contractor agencies bring a multi-million dollar investment with over 3200 jobs. Expansion of technology in the county has brought in two companies who are doing research on cancer and anthrax.

Prince William County is working on building new VRE (Virginia Railway Express) Stations. Within the last year more than half a dozen businesses have relocatated to the county. We should continue to see business expansion in the future.

Thank you for allowing me to share living and working in Prince William County Virginia.

I have been to the Bull Run Public Library countless times. Normally I just go on line search for the book I want. It is held for me until I pick it up. Long gone are the days of physically searching through the card catalog for your book of choice. I happened to let myself step outside of my formatted schedule and browsed the library. I came across a neon lighted children’s area, a quiet study room, a young adult area that was something from the Jetson’s, (Did I just date myself?), and a genealogy assistance room.

The genealogy assistance room is called The Ruth E. Lloyd Information Center (RELIC). There is staff professionally trained to assist customers to research and trace their family history. So, who was Ruth E. LLOYD? She was a Prince William County civic leader, who led the development of the Prince William Public Library System.

It was a wonderful experience to have assisted help viewing documents from the National Archives and other related organizations. Don’t forget to view the calendar of events. Saturday August 6 is Storytime for all ages at 11:00 AM. Thanks for listening to my two cents on the Bull Run Public Library.

This photo was taken during my morning bike ride on Route 15 in Haymarket near Dominion Valley.

As I was riding I noticed what looked to be debris from a blown truck tire. I am glad the turkeys were across the street and not on the bike path.