Reston, VA

The sun is shining today, but the snow remains. I am trying to rally the troops to get out and continue the effort to move the very heavy snow off of our driveway and shovel out the car that did not fit in to the garage.

In the meantime, here are some photos from yesterday. I am not sure I will be able to add any for today since we don't have a single AA battery in our house (and that is what my camera needs).

Today we begin the 'big dig.' Superbowl parties are limited to neighbors only...but at least the snow has stopped!

We have had some pretty mild winters over the past couple of years, but this winter, 2009-10, we are making up for lost time.

As I write this, my kids are home from school (again) and I am watching my 13 year old learn to work the snowblower. The past couple of years we never even filled it with gas. It is nice to get some help with the driveway while he still thinks the machinary is 'fun.'

These picutures I took last week, one month after our first big snow in December:

We have finally been able to remove Mr. Snowman, and the rest of our lights, from the front yard (I unplugged everything long ago when it became clear they were sticking around for a while!). I can't remember the last time we had snow on the ground for a month! Usually it is gone within 3 days.

Since then, we have had 2 storms--one on Saturday the 30th of January and one last night, the 2nd of Feburary. This is the view from my kitchen when I got up this mornig. It was beautiful.

And finally, just for fun, here are some photos of our french bulldog, Gigi. Gigi does not really enjoy the snow...

We are expecting another storm (and they are calling this one big) on Friday night. I will be sure to post the pictures!

Nearly every listing I have ever marketed has initially had at least one item that does not operate correctly or is not in desirable condition. Examples include, but are not limited to, broken ice makers, stained or damaged carpeting, broken Jacuzzis, wall paper (a big problem for most buyers), and unattractive light fixtures.

In virtually every situation, the seller has asked me if we can just offer a credit at closing.

In virtually every situation, I recommend against this for a couple of reasons:

1. Lenders don't like credits for repairs. They like to know that the house they are taking on as collateral is in great shape.
2. Repair credits can often interfere with the buyers ability to seek seller concessions or get other down payment assistance; the ratios sometimes make them impossible to provide.
3. If you, as the seller, don't want to make the repair or replace the offending item--usually because it is a hassle--what makes you think a buyer wants to take on that hassle? Usually, they are not interested for the very same reason that you are not interested.
4. Buyers cannot always imagine how the property will look with the change...and will move on to another place that is in better condition.

Think of it this way: you would never show up at a job interview wearing jeans and needing a haircut and assure the boss that you will get it taken care of later--or offer to let him pick out some clothes for you if you are hired . You would take care of it before the interview, after all, you only get one chance to make a good first impression.

Marketing your home should be the same way. Present your home to its best advantage and it will stand up to the competition--because, this IS a competition. Your home may have strengths that a prospective buyer would never consider because they can't get passed the dirty carpets. If the first impression that a buyer has of your house is the cracked tile in the entryway, what do you think they will expect the condition of the furnace to be? For many buyers the thinking is that if you don't care enough to fix the things that people see, you certainly won't care enough to fix those that they cannot.

Don't handicap your sale by trying to take the easy path and just offering to throw money at the problem...you will pay much more for it in the long run!

Are you looking for a home at a bargain price that could benefit from some loving care? You might want to cast your eyes on the homes which are available as foreclosed or short sales in Reston Virginia ... I've put together a link to a list of homes which are offered by their owners for less than their current mortgages or have already been foreclosed by Lenders on the resale market on a 1st come,1st served basis. You need a Realtor to show them and help you through the process ... And Yes, they've already factored in the Realtor cost so you can get the sort of help you'll need to land one of these bargains. Visit www.reston-area.com/forsale.htm and look to the links at mid-page for Foreclosed and Short Sale Homes.

The inventory of homes for sale in Reston's Town Center area was about 54 homes active on the market as of 1 Feb 2010. The available homes run the full spectrum of condos through townhomes from brand new to about 15 years in age. Prices ranged from a low of about $200k to a high of $1.5 million. Visit Available Homes at http://www.restontowncenter-homes.com/ to view currently available Reston Town Center Homes.