Here are the most aggravating and common mistakes real estate agents make: 1. No Pictures: Our MLS allows for up to 30 photos and a virtual tour...or better yet, take more photos and create an individual website for the property. Even as an agent - the first thought that occurs when you see something without a picture is: "what's wrong with it?!" Uploading 3 pictures of the backyard, and having all 3 be identical, is not helpful. Take pictures!!! Pictures attract buyers! 2. Is it the right key for the unit? DOES IT WORK? I don't know about you, but I know i'm MORTIFIED when I drive a buyer to a property and waste their time and mine to find out the key doesn't work. Or better yet - isn't there. Label the key (especially if it's a condo building!) so we all know which unit it opens, and please make sure it works. 3. Is the listing information correct? The other time waster - giving show instructions as "Show anytime, vacant," only to find out that there's no key....because it's 24-hour notice, by appointment. I congratulate you, Mr. Busy Agent, on having multiple units for sale in one building - but you're not doing anyone a favor by having agents knocking on the doors of unsuspecting sellers in the middle of dinner because we think it's vacant. 4. Add as many details as possible. Know your product! I think it's a reasonable request to ask square footage. If you can't answer that very frequently asked question, you don't know your product. If you don't know it - how can you sell it? Does the building/neighborhood have pet restrictions? Put it in the listing. If my client has a 75 lb rottweiler, we'll save everyone's time by not showing them properties that only allow cats. It will also prevent getting your sellers excited about a potentially interested buyer. 5. Make it as easy to show as possible. Some circumstances really do require at least 24-hour notice or appointment only instructions. But if that's the case - answer your phone. You do your clients a disservice by not even attempting to entertain showings by ignoring emails and voicemails. We all know you have a blackberry or iphone - what good is it in paperweight mode? The other big one? I know we're reliant upon GPS nowadays, but please, please make sure the directions are correct - both to the property and for parking!
I know everyone can relate to some of these - we're not perfect. But when you're on the other side of things, you can get a very clear message when someone else makes it impossible for you to do your job well, afterall, how can you help your buyers find what they're looking for if you can't even get in the house?
With the $8,000 tax credit, interest rates, and lower prices, i've had a ton of buyers that i've been working with lately. In doing so, you get to see the process from another side - and it becomes VERY clear what makes a world of difference when a buyer is house shopping. This past weekend was a particularly frustrating one for me, representing the buyer. I know i've learned a tremendous amount of changes I can make when helping sellers to attract more buyers.
Search Homes for Sale in Arlington VA with a Virtual Tour
Laura J. Rubinchuk
Keller Williams Realty
703.283.6120
Laura@TheLJRGroup.com
For those of you Whole Foods shoppers who buy American Flatbread’s frozen pizzas, here’s some great news!
American Flatbread will be opening a new restaurant in the ground-level retail shops of the Zoso Lofts Apartment building at 1025 N. Fillmore Street, Arlington VA 22201 in Clarendon on October 5, 2009.
American Flatbread started in Vermont in 1987. Their pizzas are made from Organic ingredients in a Primitive, wood fired oven. They support local farmers for their produce. They even brought a portable oven to Clarendon Day 2009:
Aside from various styles of “flatbreads” (i.e. pizzas!), they’ll feature 3 seasonal salads on the menu, in addition to drinks.
Can’t wait for the Clarendon one to open on October 5th? They have a restaurant in Ashburn, VA too!
Want to see what’s for sale within walking distance to the new American Flatbread Restaurant in Arlington?
Search current Arlington and Clarendon Homes for Sale
The stats for August in Falls Church, VA includes both the city of Falls Church and the part of Falls Church within Fairfax County.
Detached Houses
Average Net Sale Price: $514,397 after 49 DOM
Range: $190,000 to $1,183,000
Townhouses
Average Net Sale Price: $405,722 after 43 DOM
Range: $116,750 to $613,000
1 Bedroom Condos
Average Net Sale Price: $180,446 after 86 DOM
Range: $83,500 to $263,900
2 Bedroom Condos
Average Net Sale Price: $301,629 after 48 DOM
Range: $141,000 to $534,500
Everything is up in Falls Church City - sales price, median sales price, sales volume, units sold, and days on the market (this one surprises me!).
Search Falls Church Condos and Townhomes for Sale
McLean VA is home to many businesses and personal residential pieces of real estate. The zip of 22101 is heavily populated with Businesses, so I've broken out the August statistics by zip code: 22101 Detached Houses Average Net Sale Price: $1,078,628 after 101 DOM Townhouses Average Net Sale Price; $779,722 after 36 DOM 22102 Detached Houses Average Net Sale Price: $1,099,125 after 155 DOM 1 Bedroom Condos Average Net Sale Price: $211,000 after 24 DOM 2 Bedroom Condos Average Net Sale Price: $455,693 after 82 DOM The real estate market in McLean is almost like the Tale of 2 Cities. The area of 22101 is up about 8% in average sale price, up about 12% in median sale price, things are selling about 12 days faster than last year, and sales volume is up about 13%. However, in 22102, the number of units sold was only 2 fewer, however, average sale price is down 43%, volume is down 47%, and things are selling 27 days faster. Buyers are acting when they see something they like! Search the current Homes For Sale in McLean VA
Range: $500,000 to $2,585,000
Range: $480,000 to $1,200,000
Range: $738,000 to $1,950,000
I’ve been so focused lately on individual condo building and townhouse community blogs, that I neglected my monthly market updates! So here goes with the numbers: August 2009 Sales for Arlington County Virginia Detached Properties
North Arlington South Arlington Studio Condo North Arlington 1 Bedroom Condos North Arlington South Arlington 2 Bedroom Condos North Arlington South Arlington Townhouses North Arlington South Arlington These are all averages. Please don’t use them to place any value on your particular unit. For example, the most expensive townhouse sold in South Arlington this past month was a brand new unit with a garage at the Shirlington Crest – you can’t use that as a comp for a 2 bedroom 60 year old unit. Anyhow, what the numbers are telling us for August is that Arlington is running about average with just over 200 sales last month. The overall average sales price is down about 7% from last year, but the median price is 7% higher! Average days on the market before going under contract is also down – mostly because inventory levels are so low (about 3.5 months worth), that properties in decent condition and priced fairly, are selling within days! Thinking about buying? Search the current Arlington VA Homes For Sale
Average Net Sale Price: $815,959 after 73 days on the market (DOM)
Range: $350,000 – $1,769,000
Average Net Sale Price: $535,547 after 94 DOM
Range: $205,000 – $950,000
Average Net Sale Price: $228,150 after 25 DOM
Average Net Sale Price: $311,106 after 41 DOM
Range: $134,000 – $447,820
Average Net Sale Price: $196,937 after 90 DOM
Range: $70,000 – $355,000
Average Net Sale Price: $479,115 after 50 DOM
Range: $273,000 – $638,500
Average Net Sale Price: $424,029 after 111 DOM
Range: $155,200 – $740,000
Average Net Sale Price: $691,137 after 72 DOM
Range: $432,900 – $1,075,000
Average Net Sale Price: $381,131 after 70 DOM
Range: $175,000 – $592,495
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Providing real estate expertise in Arlington County, Fairfax County, and Washington, D.C.
Laura is an upstate New York native, but now calls Arlington home. Prior to becoming a full-time Realtor, Laura served as an analyst and consultant in the finance realm of the Federal Government. Laura completed her undergraduate work at the University of Rochester and holds a dual degree in Economics and Statistics, as well as a Master's Degree in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University. Licensed in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., Laura focuses her business on helping first-time home buyers and sellers navigate the real estate process. Professional Affiliations and Designations
Business Experience
Education
Licensed in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland
"As a first time home buyer the entire process was very daunting to us, however Laura made it very easy. She made us feel very comfortable from the start and never made us feel like any of our questions were "dumb questions". I would absolutely refer her to any of our friends and family in the area searching for a home." - Nick, Washington, D.C.
"When my business partner and I moved into the DC area looking to invest we sent out a list of criteria to several real estate agents hoping to find one that could help us accomplish our goals, thank goodness we found Laura. She worked quickly to compile a list of over 100 properties, most of which we visited in a short two day period. Without Laura's dedication and hard work I'm convinced that we wouldn't be anywhere near where we are now. We plan on continuing our professional relationship with her and look forward to working with her in the future. Thanks Laura!" -Stephen E., Alexandria
"We are happy to say that in less than six weeks, we were in our new home and it is all thanks to Laura's dedication to us. She really listened, her commitment to us was reflected in her professionalism, timely communication and service to us and that made all of the difference. She was very knowledgeable and there were no questions or concerns that she was unwilling or unable to address. She has so much energy and goes above and beyond what a Realtor should do. She restored our confidence in the home buying process and I have since recommended her to anyone interested in buying or selling a home." -Maxine and Mustafa, Washington, D.C
"We recently had a baby and needed to move to a bigger home. A friend recommended Laura, so we contacted her. We thought we wanted to rent for another year before buying, but we told Laura that if she was able to find us a "steal" we'd consider it. When she got back to us with a list of for sale and for rent properties, we were surprised how many homes were on the market close to our price range. In the end we decided to stick to our original plan and rent. Laura never put any pressure on us to decide one way or the other- she let us decide what was best for us- even when it would have been better for her had we chosen to buy. We were planning to move in September but Laura's work was so fast that she was able to help us get into a place in August which worked out even better for us. She showed us the properties on last minute notice and was overall very flexible, friendly and helpful. We would recommend her to anyone who asked!" -Jess & James, Falls Church
"Laura did an amazing job of finding me a condo that fit exactly what I was looking for. Her extensive knowledge of the area and the outside research she did for me made the process very fast and easy since we didn't waste time looking at properties that she knew I wouldn't be interested in. She was very low-pressure about making the sale by letting me move at my own pace.
As a first time buyer, I wasn't sure exactly how the process worked after finding a place to put an offer on, so Laura helped me every step of the way, from the initial offer through the mortgage approval and closing. I always felt very comfortable with how things were working, and anytime something came up she would contact me right away and we'd resolve the issue asap. I couldn't have asked for a better experience!" - Mark, Arlington
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