Kathy O'Neal

EPISODE 10 - REAL ESTATE IN CHANTILLY

If you are a home buyer in Chantilly or one of the other communities in Northern Virginia, you will want to hear this brief but informative discussion of what you need to know about the mortgage loan process in the current market.

In this first installment of the series, we discuss the fundamental concepts of getting your mortgage loan.

Where do you start? What can you expect? What are the charges you will incur? How much money will you need for down payment? What about credit scores? In this four-part series on Getting a Mortgage Loan we discuss the fundamental information you will want to know before jumping into the home buying process.

The Kathy O'Neal Team at REMAX Premier wants Chantilly, Centreville, and Northern Virginia area home buyers to have the benefit of this information so that they can get the best loan for their needs. You can get all of the episodes in this series through a free SUBSCRIPTION to our blog.

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EPISODE 9 - REAL ESTATE IN CHANTILLY RADIO

If you are considering selling your home, you probably know that a prospective home buyer will likely want a professional inspection of your property, as a condition of their purchase.  You and your real estate agent have worked hard to get a qualified buyer, but deals fall through every day because of issues discovered during the home inspection.

As an informed home seller, what should you know about before the buyer's home inspection is performed?  What are the "deal breakers" that cause buyers to run for cover?  What are the big problems you must know about in advance of the buyer's home inspection?

And..what are the small, easy to deal with preventative steps you can take to help the home inspection go well?

What is the single most important insight the home seller should know about home inspections?

In this three part series, we interview veteran Home Inspector Reggie Marston.  You may know of Reggie from his appearances on HGTV's "The House Detectives."

If you missed the previous interviews, we invite you to go back and start with EPISODE 7 and then continue on with EPISODE 8.

We also invite you to receive future episodes of Chantilly Radio through a free SUBSCRIPTION to our blog.

As I work with buyers and sellers in Chantilly and Northern Virginia, I like to keep a watchful eye out for how our area is similar or different than what I am seeing in the national trends. I don't have a definitive answer, and never will because the market is dynamic, and oh so local. I see variations down to the neighborhood level, as supply and demand exerts its influence from community to community.

As the present moment, in my travels, I see a lack of listings of non-distressed properties. But these things are fluid.

Looking at the national level for a moment, I note that the monthly Case-Shiller Index was a bit different most recently, with 19 of the 20 measured markets indicating a slowing of home price declines for April.

Here are some of the headlines covering the latest report:

• Case-Shiller Home Prices Decline Only 18% (Business Week)
• Case-Shiller Less Bad (Seeking Alpha)
• Home Prices In 20 Cities Drop Less Than Expected (Bloomberg)

Case-Schiller has it critics. For example, it only includes 20 cities. Houston, Philadelphia, San Antonio and San Jose are not included from the report and yet each of these cities ranks among the country's 10 most populous areas.

Nevertheless, it appears that at least the pace of falling prices is slowing. This makes for three months where this pattern has been present in Case-Schiller.

We'll keep an eye out for what May and June show.

[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.]

EPISODE 8 - REAL ESTATE IN CHANTILLY RADIO

As a home buyer, knowing what to look for in a home inspection can save you a lot of stress and help you avoid significant financial loss.

A well performed inspection plays a vital role in the home buying process. But many buyers are not sure about exactly what the home inspection can and can not accomplish.

What should buyers be concerned about, and what should they not be as concerned about? What are the typical issues that surface? This episode focuses on what buyers should be focused on, and what they should expect from a well-performed home inspection. We also discuss what "red flags" may indicate you are not getting the inspection you need.

In this three part series, we interview veteran Home Inspector Reggie Marston. You may know of Reggie from his appearances on HGTV's "The House Detectives." In this Chantilly Radio series, he covers the fundamentals, and then goes on to discuss the special concerns from the different perspectives of both buyers and sellers. Check out these episodes before you buy or sell, so that you can avoid major stress and end up with a better outcome.

You can listen to the previous episode in this series, and we invite you to receive a free SUBSCRIPTION to Real Estate in Chantilly, which includes future episodes of Chantilly Radio.

Download this episode (right click and save)

EPISODE 7 - REAL ESTATE IN CHANTILLY RADIO

If you are buying or selling a home in the near future, you will most likely be dealing with a home inspection as part of the process.

It can go very well...or be a nightmare that blows up the deal.

What should the informed real estate consumer know in advance to help prevent common issues, and avoid big problems?

In this three part series, we interview veteran Home Inspector Reggie Marston.  You may know of Reggie from his appearances on HGTV's "The House Detectives." In this Chantilly Radio series, he covers the fundamentals, and then goes on to discuss the special concerns from the different perspectives of both buyers and sellers.  Check out these episodes before you buy or sell, so that you can avoid major stress and end up with a successful outcome.