Kathy O'Neal

If you are considering selling your home and you live in the Stome RIdge or surrounding area, you probably already know that most home sellers get their property sold using a broker and real estate agent. However, a small percentage go the For Sale By Owner (FSBO) route.

I may not have a perfectly objective view on this, but I can offer realistic guidelines if you are thinking about the FSBO alternative, or if you have already gone this route and are thinking twice about it.

Here are a few things to keep in mind.

• It is your goal and preferences that are important, not the views of anyone in the industry like myself or any of the various FSBO-type web sites.

• That said, it is important to have a realistic view of what this involves. You probably won't get that realistic view if you have read only the advantages or only the disadvantages. Look at both.

• Many FSBO transactions are family-to-family type transactions. This is much different that attempting to sell the property on the open market.

• Some people pull off a FSBO, and would do it again. If you keep only that in mind, and base your decision on that fact, you will be missing the other equally true part of the story, which is...

• Many..from all the stats I have read most... who start as FSBO end up either with a modified "fee-for-service" or full-service agreement with a broker. I believe this happens because..

• They entered the process without a realistic assessment of the commitment.

If you'd like a bit more on this, written from a FSBO-critical point of view, take a look at this article from my monthly E-Newsletter.

And of course, if you are considering a FSBO, or are doing it now, but rethinking the decision, feel free to contact me for my best objective perspective given the particulars of your situation. I promise not to give you a canned response on why it is a "bad idea." I will give you an honest view based on whatever you'd like to discuss.

The Kathy O’Neal Team serves home buyers and sellers in Northern Virginia, with special focus on Chantilly, Centreville, and the communities of the Western Fairfax region.]

Are you using the Internet to find a real estate agent in the Northern Virginia area?

If the answer is "Yes," this post is just for you. Here are easy to apply criteria to help you make a great choice.

If you already have someone that you know, trust, and respect, you're in good shape. But if you are like many real estate consumers, you begin your search using the Internet and eventually make a choice. I'd like to offer you some help on how to make an exceptionally good choice.

So here goes. Based on 20 years of working in the residential real estate business, here is my take on what an informed consumer should know before selecting an agent with whom they will work.

Two things to mention before I give you the first "sign post" on the road to a great agent choice. First, don't base your decision on any one "sign post" - take them together. Second, WHO you select does matter. You are making a really big sale and/or purchase. So perform "due diligence," so that you end up with a true professional.

So what's the first big sign post? Let me get very "realtiy based": you start with level of experience.

The first thing you want to know is length of time working as a full-time professional within the field. This is a baseline criteria. Yes, there are 30-year people that are not for you, and on the other hand there are people with limited experience who are sharp, disciplined, and professional in approach.

There are exceptions on either end of the experience continuum. Because there are exceptions, I suggest you weigh this factor in relation to the others we'll discuss, to come up with your judgment.

How much experience should you expect? Well, with 10 years of solid experience, you are probably working with someone who has seen lots of market conditions and different types of individual problems. If they have kept learning and growing as a professional, you can benefit from all of the successes they have experienced.

But for you to benefit from their experience, they must be experienced.

Remember, having a real estate license, and being affiliated with a brokerage does not necessarily mean that the agent is doing much business. You want to get a fix on length of experience and depth of experience. By depth I mean just how much business they are doing. Three transactions every year, or 40 plus transactions every year?

If you are in contact with the agent, you can simply ask about their length of time in the business and the number of transactions they do during the year. If you encounter someone who is offended by the question, that might be an indication that you should go on to greener pastures.

If you are trying to make this judgment without having yet contacted the agent, go into the "Featured Listing" section of their website and see what you can discover about the volume of listings they handle. Are they helping people buy and sell homes in Northern Virginia on a regular basis?

Please remember, don't make this choice on length and depth only. You really need a few other things to line up before you can feel confident that this agent is right for you.

If you want to get the full story on this in video, visit our VIDEO CENTER and scroll down to "The Right Real Estate Agent for You." It is free and immediately accessible.

Next time we'll discuss the second big sign post.

As always, we are here for you. Contact us with comments or questions. We also invite you to visit our blog, Real Estate in Chantilly.

Cox Farms is a local tradition in the Chantilly, Centreville and surrounding area. The familiar sign marquee at the intersection of Braddock and Pleasant Valley Roads, with the occasional humorous message, is a Chantilly landmark in its own right.

In the late winter, after one bad weather day too many, the Cox Farm markee reminds us that Spring is on the way. After a short winter break, the Farm opens to bring in the Spring. During Spring and Summer, drivers passing or visiting the Farm get a blast of color from the many flowers that line up near or under the Farm pavilion.

Then, in that transition period when summer is nearly over but the crisp air of Fall has yet to kick-in, you'll see the sequential message signs along Pleasant Valley Road, reminding you that the Fall Festival is on the way. It is one of those annual events that punctuate the passing seasons, and it has become a local tradition.

The event is the Cox Farms Fall Festival. It's a little touch of rural Disney World in Northern Virginia suburbia. Non-stop hayrides, live entertainment, farm exhibits and demos, fun rides that seem to increase in number each year, tasty food treats, all the pumpkins you could ever want, lots of other Fall-type items, and best of all, getting that feeling of open space and countryside ambiance right here in Northern Virginia!

I have gotten to know the owners and staff at Cox Farms over the years. They are an absolutely terrific team of service-oriented and community spirited people who work their heart out every year to put on a wonderful event.

If you have not brought the kids to this experience, give it a try. They will probably want you to make it an annual event.

Here are a few details to help. You can get more info at the Cox Farms website.

WHEN? September 20 to October 31, 2008 - 10 AM to 6 PM
November 1 to Noverber 4, 2008 - 10 AM to 5 PM

ADMISSION - Monday to Friday: $9 - Saturday & Sunday $15

[The Kathy O’Neal Team serves home buyers and sellers in Northern Virginia, with special focus on Chantilly, Centreville, and the communities of the Western Fairfax region.]

If you live in Stone Ridge or South Riding, or one of the local communities, and want to have a more creative and memorable dining experience, please read on.

You are probably familiar with how scenic the ride on Route 50 can be after you get past Gilbert's Corner. But if you have not ventured very far along this road, you may not have reached Upperville. It is not that far past historic Middleburg, but it is small enough to breeze right through without much notice.

Shortly after you pass the Upperville Village sign, you will notice the Hunter's Head Tavern.

The Hunter's Head is a teriffic spot as either a destination, or a stop along a short Route 50 road trip.. You can get the historical synopsis of the building, as well as other information about the philosophy and approach of Hunter's Head by visiting their website.

The Tavern is a place with history on its side. What is now the Hunter's Head Tavern, and was previously The Carr House, was a log cabin build in 1750. With a great deal of time and effort, the building has been preserved with much of its original structure intact. Sitting inside this space gives you that unmistakable sense of walking back in time.

The Hunter's Head has any number of "distinctives." Three are apparent when you discover the interesting background and operating philosophy behind this restaurant: first, the focus on organic food products; second, support and participation in the practice of localized, family farming; and third, belief in and practical application of humane livestock practices. Hunter's Head and its affiliates, including Ayrshire Farm, are providing leadership around these issues.

The menu is extremely well-prepared pub-style food, with creative variations on the Daily Specials. It is a quality comfort food kind of place, with a strong Colonial ambiance. Nothing stuffy...just casual and comfortable

If you'd like a break from the chain restaurants and predictable menus that are closer in, take a run out to this gem in Upperville.

And if you do visit, let us know what you think.

[The Kathy O’Neal Team serves home buyers and sellers in Northern Virginia, with special focus on Chantilly, Centreville, and the communities of the Western Fairfax region.]

If you happen to live within or close to any of the communities near the Chantilly or South Riding area, and you'd like to catch a summer concert, you can still do so. South Riding has a Summer Concert program with different artists every Friday, or at least many Friday evenings. The concerts are free, and they run through the end of September.

The artists are serious performers with impressive backgrounds and there is quite a mix of music styles. Full details on the South Riding Proprietary website.

Then again, if you are in that concert mood, you could kick it up a level, and go to WolfTrap. Living in the Northern Virginia area has its special pleasures (traffic not being among them), and one of those is the occasional concert at the WolfTrap Center for the Performing Arts.

By the way, just in case you did not know, The Barns at WolfTrap, an indoor facility in addition to the prime Wolftrap stage, features performances that extend throughout the year.

The Kathy O’Neal Team serves home buyers and sellers in Northern Virginia, especially Chantilly, Centreville, and the communities of the Western Fairfax region.