Manassas Park, VA

Just Sold in Manassas Park: Immaculate End Unit Townhouse in Belmont Station for $240,000

The townhouse my Buyers purchased in Belmont Station was like digging up a buried treasure. After having their hearts broken with another Belmont Station townhouse(an undisclosed Short Sale) just one week prior to settlement, we continued our home search throughout Manassas Park, Bristow and Gainesville. The Buyers really wanted to live in Belmont Station, but it seemed that every townhouse we saw listed was either too small or needed too much work.

With the deadline to move out of their apartment looming in near future, I pulled the tax records for the townhouses in Belmont Station that were most like the one my Buyers had originally intended to purchase. I started to mail out letters to the home owners, asking if they were interested in selling because I had ready, willing and able buyers. I even wrote a blog post directed at Belmont Station townhome owners. I had a list of about forty home owners and got six letters into the campaign when the phone rang on September 13th at the precise moment that I was pulling in to Belmont Station to show them yet another listing that had popped up. Right after viewing that first promising listing in the neighborhood, I took my Buyers to meet the owner of their true dream home who had just called from my letter.

The Seller represented himself and I represented the Buyers. I don't, and never will, believe in dual representation.

The parties agreed on sales price of $240,000 and closing cost assistance of $7,700. The seller also agreed to purchase a home warranty for the buyers. It was the antithesis of the previous contract the buyers had been party to. When there were home inspection issues, they were addressed...and on the very same day as the items were discovered. The Seller didn't even wait to have the itemized addendum from the Buyers. And the week before settlement, the Seller sent out an email with the names and numbers of their new neighbors. He'd been speaking to them about the soon-to-be-new -owners and giving them a warm introduction.

It's clear the Seller loved this home. It had hardwood floors and upgraded carpet. Crown molding and recessed lighting throughout. A double tiered deck. Stainless appliances. The home was left with a very nice gas grill, lawn mower and a freshly painted pantry. The Seller said he wanted it to feel like home for the Buyers when they moved in. This truly was the dream home of my Buyers and I'm so happy they got it. The best part was, no one else even had a chance to bid on it. We were the only ones that knew it was for sale....all thanks to that letter. Everything really does have a way of working out.

On October 28th my Buyers became the new owners of 9400 Lanae Lane in Belmont Station. They are going to be very happy here.

How Do You Find the Perfect Manassas Park House When Nothing on the Market Fits?

Less than one month ago, a newly engaged couple that I am representing to purchase a home had their hopes and dreams smashed. They'd been under contract to purchase a regular sale that turned out to be a Short Sale. The Seller didn't have the money required to make it settlement since there was a shortfall between the balance owed on his mortgages and the amount of the sale, but hadn't even attempted to get bank approval. The Buyers and I got a notice from the Seller voiding the contract one week before our scheduled settlement. Talk about a punch in the gut.

The weeks following that sucker punch have not been fun. The Seller seemed unsure as to whether he wanted to try a Short Sale. We gathered this by his inability to sign the Short Sale purchase offer in the two weeks he'd had it. My Buyers loved the home and more importantly, the neighborhood. While their initial search had been a larger area, now they saw themselves living in Belmont Station. Yet it was hard for the Buyers to let that first home go.

We continued to search in their wider area, with nothing fitting their needs or wants. In the meantime, I pulled the tax records for townhouses in Belmont Station that were equal or bigger to the one that they'd been lined up to purchase. I sent out six letters to home owners in the neighborhood, asking if they wanted to sell because I had Buyers. This, after I posted an article to Belmont Station home owners with the same message. My plan was to exhaust the list of home owners, three letters a day, and keep looking at the newly listed homes elsewhere.

On Wednesday, Mr. Buyer called me about a "coming soon" sign he'd seen in Belmont Station. We called and made an appointment to see it before it was even in the MLS. As we pulled into the neighborhood to view that soon-to-be-listed townhouse in Belmont Station, my cell phone rang. It was one of the six Belmont Station home owners who had received my letter. He needed to sell. I was stunned and said I'd call him back. Unaware of his address at that moment, I was literally walking by his house when he called.

After viewing the first property, I phoned back to see if we could stop by and see the caller's home since we were in the neighborhood. Already, we had a winner in the one that would be listed the next day. My fear was a bidding war. It was a stunning home. Only issue, it smelled of dog and had a really odd carpet. So we made it to our caller's address. An end unit with a fabulous deck that we had commented on during our numerous trips to the community. We went inside and found an even better fit for my Buyers. We asked him what he wanted to sell for and if he would pay for closing costs and a home warranty. Last night, I was there at the Seller's home presenting an offer from my Buyers. He even served homemade chocolate chip cookies. There is no indicator of looming success like chocolate.

We are officially under contract today with what ended up being an unplanned For Sale By Owner. It was meant to be. The Seller is saving on a listing commission since I won't do dual agency and my Buyers are getting the TRUE home of their dreams. All for the price of a forty-four cent stamp.

Now I know why I had the song, "I Knew You Were Waiting For Me," playing in my head as we embarked out on our home tour on Wednesday. We didn't know it starting out that night, but things were about to line up exactly as they were meant to be.

Belmont Station Home Owners: Do you Want to Sell? I Have Buyers.

Belmont Station in Manassas Park, VA may not be a very well known community, but it is exactly where a couple I am representing want to live. Unfortunately, they were under contract to buy a Belmont Station townhouse listed for $219,000, scheduled to settle on August 31st (2011), but the Seller was unable to bring the shortfall of the mortgage payoffs and his other obligations to the table. As a result, he voided the contract one week before their settlement.

If you own a Belmont Station townhouse, and are interested in selling, let me know. My Buyers would prefer a one car garage townhouse in Belmont Station, but they are open to the idea of a townhouse with no garage. The location of the Belmont Station community is desirable for them and we'd very much like to find the home of their dreams there.

Warning: The Benefits of a "Regular Sale" in the Current Northern Virginia Real Estate Market May Be Absent

There is no doubt that the economy has had it's effect, in some way, shape or form, on just about everyone you know. In the Northern Virginia real estate market, the effect is obvious when you hear of a Short Sale or Foreclosure hitting the market. I'm here to tell you that even the "regular sales," the home owners with equity, have been hit by the economy. And what that means to a Buyer may not be readily apparent.

Right now I'm representing first-time Buyers who found the home of their dreams in Manassas Park. And it was a blessing to hear that it was a regular sale. Despite the disclosures by the Listing Agent that the toilet and sink in the second level hall bath were leaking and/or non-functional, the listing made no mention about the home being sold as-is.

When a home in Northern Virginia is sold as-is, it means just that. The paragraph in the sales contract that calls for all systems (heating, cooling, plumbing, electrical and appliances) to be in normal working order, is deleted. You get what you get.

Well, my Buyers wrote an offer without an as-is clause, offered more than they had wanted to, and asked for less than they wanted to in closing help because we were told the Seller was "cutting it close." The home inspection revealed about ten walk through items that would be required repairs by the home owner to fix. In the meantime, a title search revealed HOA lien upon HOA lien. My gut told me that the items that were required to be fixed might get done, but the negotiable items (of which there were about five) would not.

What my Buyers and I were NOT prepared for was for the Seller to send back an addendum that stated the home was being sold as-is and offer them $250 for that change up at this stage of the game. So much for buying a "regular sale."

My honest opinion is that if your home is being marketed as a "regular sale," there are certain expectations Buyers have. Required repairs to the systems and appliances in the home that are in-operational being one of them. If that's not part of your "regular sale," disclose that fact up front and ask for an as-is clause as part of the offer. Counter an offer with one. Don't wait until AFTER the home inspection items have been given to you to sucker punch the Buyer with a switch to as-is.

Being up front is the best approach in real estate. It's about setting expectations. You're not really a "regular sale" if you're being sold as-is, the same as the Short Sale or Foreclosure down the street.