About King George County, VA

RE/MAX BRAVO
10401 Courthouse Rd
Spotsylvania, VA 22553
540-891-8884 (Phone)
540-891-8884 (Fax)
http://www.fredva.com/
Licensed In The State Of VA

In Stafford, King George, and the greater Fredericksburg area we have been plagued with high inventory which suppressed the market. A couple of years ago the inventory for our realtor association got up to around 4500 listings. At this moment the count is around 2689 active listings, 560 listings under contract, and 247 listings that closed escrow in the past 30 days. This means we are showing signs the market is turning the bend to recovery.

As with the last cycle our prices should flatten out and then slowly rise for a few years before we hit a big boom again.

For investors this is a great time to purchase .

Please call me with any real estate related questions.

Susan Walsh/EXIT Realty Expertise/540/ 809-1366

King George, VA Real Estate buyers are finding many choices for nice homes with acreage in a small close-knit country community living for much cheaper than before. Buyers come from southern Maryland, northern Virginia, and everywhere else.

Because of new "smart growth" zoning, the allowable subdivision of most acreage is limited to a minimum of two acres per "building lot". This means the price difference between a lot with a fraction of an acre and a lot with a couple of acres is not going to be as dramatic as many buyers would suspect. This is great news for Virginia home buyers who prefer the extra acreage.

Because King George, VA is close to Fredericksburg, VA and to Waldorf, MD (without all those pesky traffic lights) the commute to work can take less time than expected. Suburbia may be closer in miles to work, but many lights and crowded roadways come with that territory. The tension eases way up when crossing into King George, VA County, and you know you're home.

Do you like water activities? King George borders on both the Potomac & Rappahannock Rivers and has several small lakes.

Do you like hunting & fishing? Fresh air and fields?

Would you like to have your horses outside your door?

Don't let this laid back town fool you. There is plenty to do for the family. There is a brand new YMCA that offers all kinds of good programs and opportunities, parks, Caledon Natural Area, intramural sports, an active community center, and the list goes on.

If you live in southern Maryland or the Greater DC area, do yourself a favor and take a closer look at King George, VA.

Susan Walsh / Realtor

EXIT Realty Expertise

King George, VA

(540) 809-1366

Like most of the country, King George & Stafford Virginia real estate has dropped in value since it's peak three years ago. As a real estate agent, and member of the community, I've run into a few people that are concerned that their tax assessment is higher than market value, so they perceive they are paying too much tax.

At first blush that makes perfect sense. However, a few months ago a good friend of mine, and owner of multiple properties, shared his thoughts on why the assessments being too high does not result in owners paying more than their share. It makes sense.

Think about the purpose behind having tax assessments in the first place. The county decides it needs "X" amount of dollars for it's budget that year. The assessment is used to divide the tax burden fairly amongst the property owners. Generally speaking all property in King George and Stafford counties is currently assessed over market value so all the property owners are in the same boat. If the assessment was dropped to try to resemble fair market value then the county would have to raise the tax rate. Either way the county will get it's money.

On the other side, if new assessments were to take place, we would spend even more of our hard-earned dollars doing new assessments for every piece of property.

There is a bright side to everything.

Susan Walsh

Exit Realty

If you want to sell your home and you live in King George, Stafford, or anywhere in the Northern Virginia We all know that it needs to outshine the competition. Last year I took a training class from a professional re-habber to learn what they do to spruce up a home in order to get it sold quickly, and for maximum profit. Here is a general summary of what they said:

•1. Powers wash exterior surfaces.

•2. Fresh coat of paint/stain inside and out on all normally painted/stained surfaces - NEUTRAL Colors!!!

•3. Fresh moderate landscaping including bushes, bright flowers and mulch

•4. New carpet & flooring - NEUTRAL Colors!!! - use same color carpet in entire home.

•5. Replace light/fan fixtures inside and out to update a home - attractive fixtures can be had at modest pricing - pick one finish for entire home (ex. chrome, polished chrome, gold.)

•6. Replace older faucets with updated ones - same finish as light fixtures

•7. Replace the knobs on all cabinets to update a home - cheaper than new cabinets - same finish as light fixtures

•8. Replace outside door knobs for bright new shiny ones

•9. Replace the switch plates to update a home - they can be had for around $1 each and make a big difference. Pick white or bone colored whichever one goes best with the neutral wall color you picked.

•10.If cabinets are otherwise dated visit your local home improvement center for attractive painting ideas - If done neatly & correctly they will be pleasing to the eye and much more pleasing to your pocketbook than new cabinets.

•11.Seal asphalt driveways/pathways or fresh gravel on gravel drives or power wash concrete drives.

•12.Eliminate any and all clutter, grime, weeds, overgrowth, outdated curtains, broken blinds, and misc signs of neglect.

As long as you buy modestly priced home improvement products that look nice, and use reasonably priced contractors, the cost should be around $10,000 for a typical 3 br 2 ba starter home. If you can do professional quality work and do it yourself then the cost will be lower. If you've already done some of this recently and it's still in good shape the cost will be lower.

Make sure to get several quotes, references, make sure they are licensed, insured, and bonded for the above work. It is a huge advantage to you that contractors are hungry for work right now.

Other items to evaluate:

•· Replace siding only if old siding looks worn or damaged - NEUTRAL Colors!!! - get quotes

•· Same for roof only if it looks shabby or currently leaks- NEUTRAL Colors!!! - get quotes

•· Rotten wood anywhere on exterior? - Repair/ Replace.- get quotes

•· Rotten fencing? - remove or repair or replace - get quotes

Call me with any real estate related questions and I will be more than happy to assist you.

Susan Walsh / EXIT Realty Expertise / cell (540) 809-1366