Luisa Rodriguez

As Realtors, we have worked with different kinds of loan officers--great ones and not so great ones, just as in any profession. Some are very good at their jobs and care about their clients and some, well, are not quite as good. When you are purchasing a home, you cannot afford to have just anybody take care of your loan. And buyers need to look beyond just the cost of getting a mortgage.

There are many articles out there of how to identify junk fees--they show you how to negotiate for lower fees and interest rates--they show you how to carefully look over your good faith estimate--they tell you to perform due diligence to keep your costs low. And these are all things that you should do. You should be an informed consumer and you should understand what you are being charged. However, what these articles do not typically tell you is that not all loan officers are created equal and cost is only one element that needs to be considered when choosing your loan officer.

You also need to look for quality. As my father used to say, "what is cheap, in the long run, is more expensive." If your loan officer is not on top of your file and following up with all parties every step of the way--you may end up paying more out-of-pocket or worse, lose the home--no matter what a great deal you got on that home loan.

The first home I purchased, the process was less than smooth. I would call at least twice weekly to make sure everything was on track, and even still, about 4 days before settlement, they decided to give me a list a mile high of problems with the loan. They were simple things I needed to take care of and had I been told at the beginning of the process, it would have never been an issue. My husband and I had an average credit score of about 740 and this was at the time when they were giving loans to just about anybody. But I accomplished the impossible in those 4 days, and finished my to-do list only to be told, "Sorry, we can't close on time, because the VA certificate was never ordered" even though I had signed a form authorizing the lender to obtain the certificate. We couldn't postpone the settlement because were were renting at the time and the new renter was due to move in the next day. It would have cost us a couple days at a hotel, storage for all our stuff, and a lot of heartache. Finally, after a lot of screaming and yelling, talking to managers--we closed on time, but not without being emotionally drained and pretty near a nervous breakdown.

Now, as a Realtor, I hear the horror stories of my fellow agents who have dealt with loan officers who consistently postpone settlement dates--not because the client didn't do their part, but because they just failed to return phone calls or follow-up on key issues. So please, do not just pick a loan officer out of a hat or because they offered really cheap rates. Ask your friends for referrals, ask us Realtors for a list of officers with great reputations, and you can even go on websites such as Angie's List for consumer recommendations. They are a lot of great and incredible loan officers out there--make sure you have one of them on your side when buying a home.

It is always a joy to be able to see the happy faces of clients when they finally get the keys to their "new" home. It is also very satisfying to see the excitement in your sellers face when you tell them that we got an offer--and that it is a good offer. But what is the icing on the cake is when you have the neighbors of a home you are selling tell you how excited they are about its sale.

I recently sold a home that was the "black sheep" of the block. A client of mine purchased it, renovated it, and I got to sell it and the neighbors were ecstatic. I met them during the open house and they shared just how thrilled they were about this newly renovated home. They couldn't even believe it was the same house. Previously they had been concerned that this home would keep their property values down, but now they had hope.

My client is an investor. He buys run down properties, fixes them and then "flips" them. And he is not the only investor in Woodbridge doing this. I think in the past, during the housing bubble, some of these investors got a lot of bad press. But today, with the amount of foreclosures in various neighborhoods around Woodbridge, I think they are doing a service. The problems with foreclosed homes and how they degrade the "look" of a neighborhood has been well documented. Many regular buyers purchase these homes and fix them up themselves which is also great. Investors also give those buyers who just want something that is move-in ready a chance to buy a nice, clean, and updated home.

Although there is a lot of negative that has come out from real estate meltdown, there is one good thing to be happy about. Many of these older homes in neighborhoods like Dale City are getting a face lift--and that can only be good in the long term for these real estate markets.

I just learned a very important piece of information by trying to help my next door neighbors. They wanted to refinance their mortgage and they asked me to go over their good faith estimate. The first thing I did was to pull a CMA to see if there was even a possibility that the house would appraise. As I had suspected, for those of us that purchased in 2005, it wasn't looking good. I didn't think refinancing was going to be possible for them, but I decided to call one of the lenders that had financed my buyers' purchases in the past. During our many conversations, I learned one very important piece of information. If it is a VA to VA refinance, the VA will not require an appraisal.

I am not a loan officer. There are others who will be able to provide detailed information on the ins and outs of refinancing a VA loan. And questions about refinancing should be directed to your favorite lender/loan officer. But this is an important piece of information that we need get out to those that do have VA loans--our military service members and veterans. My next door neighbors, once they are completed with the refinance, will save over $400 a month. At least from friends and family, they just assume they cannot refinance because they are upside down on their mortgage due to the dramatic drop in home values. At least for those having VA loans, it is nice to be able to provide our vets a bit of good news.

There is a new day care opening up in Woodbridge, VA in Port Potomac for infants, toddlers, pre-schoolers, kindergarten and I think it also offers before and after care. It is off of route 1 about 1 mile south of Dale Blvd and it is called Creme de la Creme. Although there are a lot of day care options, for families in the Woodbridge, Dumfries area, this one is probably a notch above the rest. ALthough the facility does not open until 19 January, enrollment is actually beginning now. Children at Creme de la Creme wear uniforms. They have classes that include, art, music, gym, science and math, virtues, manners and I am sure I missed a couple more. I was personally impressed with their teaching philosophy. They offer both part-time and full-time care. The facility even features a water park. For parents looking for high-end day care that are moving to the area, this may be the place for them.

For more information: www.cremedelacreme.com

There are many great reasons to live in Woodbridge, VA, but one of my favorite's is Wegman's. A grocery store? Really? Really. I spend a lot of time at the grocery store each week and because of the types of products I buy, sometimes I would find myself shopping at three different places for my week's groceries. I would drive all the way to Springfield twice a month just for some of my staples. Now, I am down to two, the Commissary at Quantico and Wegman's. And for those times that I am really pressed for time, it is just Wegman's.

It is such a great grocery store for many reasons, but the primary one is its great selection. It seems to have something for everybody and if you buy the Wegman's brand, you can save quite a bit. Since we eat a lot off organic and all natural foods in our home, the selection is amazing. It saves me the trip to Whole Foods. The produce always looks so fresh, their wine selection is pretty extensive, their bakery has freshly baked organic breads, and it even has a the little train that gets my 2 year old excited about grocery shopping. One of my new discoveries at Wegman's is their pizza. We like it better than any other pizza place and the price is cheaper when you consider the size of a Wegman's large pizza. I can even stop and pick up a latte before heading home.

Wegman's is one of the newest additions to Woodbridge and the first phase of an upscale shopping area across from Potomac Club. And although it might be considered an upscale grocery store, the prices are unbeatable.