About Fairfax City County, VA

This article was from the Washington Examiner dated October 18, 2009. The Principal Daniel Meier is still in office as the Principal presumably until found guilty in a court of law. My only objection is what kind of morals does this teach our youth? Robinson Secondary School is an exceptional high School in one of, if not, the best school systems in the United States. We continually tell our kids not to steal or do drugs, and then this happens...

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/local/crime/Teachers_-principals-caught-in-fraud-case-8398445.html

I recently saw an individual wearing a button at a business meeting that said " I refuse to participate in a recession." Wow! What an optimist! That is how I try to think but every now and then I read something in the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, or online that gives me the creeps about the coming Winter sales season and the foreclosure "dump" predicted in 2010. A huge surge of ARM resets are predicted for about August 2010. In the meantime, we are dealing with an average nationwide unemployment rate of about 10%. Luckily, here in Northern Virginia, that rate is about 6.5%. Depending on your profession, there are jobs available, especially hard to fill jobs requiring a U.S. Government clearance and, somewhat surprising, I learned from a masseuse at Message Envy in Burke, VA that they are expanding and business is booming! There are jobs out there, but the media has literally scared the living daylights out of the average citizen in regard to whether it is a good time to buy or not.

In my humble opinion, housing prices will not drop much, and will likely continue to stabilize or even go up in the Northern Virginia housing Market.There are likely to be exceptions and periods of time in the next year when activity is lower and inventory is a bit higher. Currently, there is little inventory in the local housing market. In many cases, the homes for sale are bid well over the asking price especially for the nicest properties. There is roughly a four month supply of available houses and that includes the most battered foreclosures and million dollar plus properties. In some areas it is pretty close to being a sellers market.

So what does that mean? It means the Northen Virginia Real Estate Market is in pretty good shape overall. It also means that it is a good time to buy. If you are thinking to time the market think of it this way. You will not know that the bottom has been reached until the prices start going back up. By then you have already missed the bottom and that deflates the "I am going to wait until prices hit rock bottom" myth.

If you have been sitting on the sidelines waiting for a GREAT deal, you might consider getting in the game quickly. The Northern Virginia area bargains are quickly drying up. Inventory is very scarce, and homes don't sit on the market for too long. Bargain priced homes are getting scooped up quicklyl and frequently there are multiple offers for each home offered. It is still a good time to buy, but the market is changing and the number of real deals out there, are getting harder and harder to capture.

12 Facts Nobody Told You When Purchasing Bank Owned Foreclosed Properties

What to expect when purchasing Bank Owned Foreclosed Properties

9. There are NO sellers disclosures provided with a bank owned home. The bank has no information on the condition of the home or when any repairs or updates have been performed, if any. You can pay to have your own private inspection done by an inspector of your choice.

10. Banks prefer to close on a property within 30 days of an accepted offer.

11. You will need a mortgage PRE-APPROVAL and loan program chosen when making an offer on a property. They will not look at an offer without a current pre-approval from a reputable lender. In fact, most banks require that you get pre-approved through their lender as reassurance you qualify for a loan. You do not have to go through their lender, but some banks require you to be pre-approved by heir own lender of choice to be considered on an offer.

12. Many bank properties have MOLD issues due to no utilities being on, and the potential of a water pipe bursting due to cold weather conditions and flooding may have occurred. This may have allowed mold to form in the drywall. The bank WILL NOT remedy this issue.

Freddy Solis
RealEstate.com, REALTORS®
Mobile: 703-943-7844
FreddySolis.com

Mad Jam (DC's West Coast Swing and Hustle Dance Weekend) is March 5th through March 8th 2009 in Tyson's Corner. The Alexandria Fun with Friends Group has several members in attendance.This is the biggest swing dance party in the Mid-Atlantic and currently has more than 1100 dancers have registered.

Register and more details here!

Highlights:

• The Largest Pro Staff - Over 50 Dance Experts
• 4 Nights of Amazing Social Dancing
• Incredible Performances by Dance Superstars
• 45 Dance Workshops for all levels
• Fun & Organized Contests, $18,000+ in Prizes
• 4 Star, Luxury, High Rise Starwood Hotel Giant Ballrooms with Huge Dance floors
• Saturday Midnight Breakfast Buffet
• Friendly, Competent Event Staff