Do I Really Need a Realtor?
*Note: this blog was updated in August 2017*
In a previous blog we gave you tips on Choosing Your Realtor. But many people still wonder with the internet and it’s limitless supply of information and videos, available 24/7 – do you really need a Real Estate Agent in this day and age?
The answer is YES, you absolutely do! In fact, there are actually some reasons you need a Realtor more today than ever before. Buying and selling a home is such an exciting time in your life. Why try to reinvent the wheel and spend countless hours researching market information or looking for a document that may or may not be outdated? Enjoy your time looking at homes and preparing for a successful transaction by hiring a Realtor to help you along the way.
5 Reasons You Need A Realtor
#1 – REALTORS HAVE ALL THE LATEST TOOLS!
Any full time Agent has a multitude of subscriptions to websites that assist or help in the home buying or selling process (you should see our username spreadsheet, it is several pages long!). Some of these sites have fees and some of them don’t, but just knowing which ones are useful or even good is a part time job. Your Agent will save you time and energy by using their resources to simplify the home buying or selling process. Agents also have access to the MLS, which has data that you can not find anywhere else on the web. It is up to the minute, Realtor-to-Realtor information about the property you may be interested in, or the neighborhood you may be selling in. Let your Agent give you current, relevant information instead of the outdated listing you may find while surfing the web.
#2 – REALTORS KNOW THE MARKET
This is what they do all day – they live and breathe real estate. A seasoned Agent knows how deals are being negotiated in certain markets, they know the feel for whether or not a micro-market is hot, whether it is a sellers’ market or not, etc. And this is just the beginning! Having an Agent help you understand how to not just present your offer, but how to make it a winning offer that suits current conditions is vital. This knowledge of the market applies to 6 or 7 different topics within the contract alone that can make or break your offer. Your Agent already knows what others are currently doing in these markets, so why waste time trying to figure it all out yourself?
#3 – REALTORS KNOW HOW TO SELL AND SELL FAST
Realtors know how to sell homes – it’s their job! They know the latest tools to use and what the buyers want. Today, prospective buyers expect professional photos and videos to accompany your listing. Let your real estate Agent handle staging and marketing your home across various channels. Plus, let them screen candidates before you spend your valuable extra time cleaning your home for a showing. Your Agent won’t waste your time showing off your home to someone who is not even qualified to buy it.
#4 – REALTORS KNOW HOMES!
A seasoned Agent has attended and negotiated dozens of home inspections. This brings them to a level of experience and knowledge that can only be learned by navigating a variety of challenges and different homes with different issues. If you are selling, they can prepare you to avoid certain hurdles by making the necessary repairs in advance. If you are buying, they can look for potential issues while you enjoy looking at the size of a room and envisioning where your TV will fit on the wall. An expert eye will be looking for water leaks, a yard that may have potential issues or even just the age of the appliances and major systems. Being able to have multiple sets of eyes and different perspectives can really make or break your buying or selling experience.
#5 – COORDINATION SKILLS AND RESOURCES
Your Realtor will have access to the multitude of current documents that are needed along the way. Just making an offer can be a 28 page document! In addition, there are contingencies to attend to and either negotiate and/or remove. There may be notices that need to be provided or documents to receive. A great Realtor will have systems in place to keep track of each and every aspect of not only the contract, but coordinating all the folks that help you buy the home. Do you really want to worry about whether you ordered your termite inspection and who needs it after it is done? What happens if there are termites, and how do you address it to keep you in compliance? A great Realtor will make it all look simple. Just know that on the back end there is a lot going on that you don’t have to worry about. You have enough to take care of with the loan process, packing, and moving. Focus on your new home and let the experts take care of the rest!
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Our #1 recommendation is to clean the home you are about to move in to. It is the only time that the home is vacant and ready for a full cleaning. Clean things like cabinets, drawers, corners of closets, window, lights, etc. Most homes are cleaned before you move in – but if not, make sure you take a couple hours to put the elbow grease in before you pile all of your things in the home.
Pack a box or bag of essentials that you will need the next few days after the move. Things to include: a few changes of clothes, kitchen utensils, towels, sheets, a can opener, electronic and phone chargers… anything you might need for a few days while everything else you own in still in a box! The last thing you want to do is dig through a dozen boxes to find these little essentials. Also, keep a folder handy that has your most important papers in it, so it is easily accessible in the event you needed to get to them quickly (this helps keeps them safe, too).
family or friends. Remember to label your boxes clearly. Packing and labeling them by room is a great start, and label boxes on their sides, as you will most likely be stacking them. It also helps to make a list of what is in each box if you are considering storing your boxes after moving.
Earlier this month the JS Realty Team at Samson Properties provided a 
the previous year and units sold are also up +16.88%. The percentages are obviously not as large when compared to Brambleton, but keep in mind we are looking at Loudoun County as a whole, not just one of its most popular subdivisions. When you compare average days on the market in Loudoun County to the previous year you will see a modest increase from 58 in 2014 to 81 in 2015. This can be mostly attributed to the increase in inventory from the year before – classic “supply and demand”. Overall, similar to Brambleton, the whole county is experiencing a market that is on the move in a positive way.
We expect this positive market to continue for the foreseeable future. The JS Realty Team has stayed busy helping our clients achieve their goals through the buying and selling of homes. It has been a great year so far and we look forward to helping even more of our clients in the remainder of 2015.
Seems like this would be a pretty easy question to answer, but it really depends on the state that you are closing in, and how that state handles defining the term “settled”, or when escrow has occurred. Most often this has to do with the way the money is funded and disbursed, and how the Deed (the paper work that deems you are the owner of the property) is recorded and recognized in your state. Since we are located in 
the Seller to sell their home and then buy their next home. Physically, though, this can be a real challenge. Offering the Seller to stay a couple of extra days after settlement could be just what they need to make selling their home to you easier. In this case, you (the Buyer) will be offering a “rent back”. This is done through a signed agreement (a Post-Settlement Occupancy Agreement) that states they will stay in the home for a specified period of time, for a certain amount of money, and will be exiting the property on a specified date.
So does this mean you get keys or not? In most cases the Seller will agree to give you one set of keys with the understanding you will not need to access the property until the specified date that they will be exiting the property. Once they have exited the property you will be able to re-inspect the home and take possession based on the terms in which you both agreed to. This is pretty common and often occurs with little to no issues.
Technically it is, however we often do not recommend it due to many various risk factors that could make this a bad idea for both the Buyer and the Seller. There is a possibility that something unforeseen happens and the deal does not go through at the last minute. Or worse, if something tragic happens to the home while the Buyer is occupying it and the Seller is still the owner. This would create a potential insurance nightmare. The reasons this could be a bad idea are numerous, however if you and the Seller are prepared to face these risk and are able to come to mutual agreeable terms, this is an option and does occur from time to time. It would be similar to the “rent back” method and it is called a Pre-Settlement Agreement.
day of the settlement in the event something unforeseen causes a delay.
Let’s face it, nobody likes to pay taxes. Taxes are a necessary evil to keep our government running. Understanding how taxes are levied might help ease the pain… or inspire you to get involved and have your opinion heard.
holdings. When you sell a home the Seller pays a Grantor’s tax, and in Loudoun, Fairfax, Prince William, and Arlington Counties, along with the cities of Alexandria, Fairfax, Falls Church, Manassas and Manassas Park, the Seller also pays a “
Usually your mortgage company escrows money from your monthly payment to cover your property taxes. Lenders do this to make sure the taxes on the home are being paid so there isn’t a lien placed on the property. The amount the property owner pays is determined by the fair market value of the property. An annual assessment program is used to calculate the amount. Owners pay a percentage, known as the property tax rate, on 100% of the fair market value as of January 1. Current years assessments are based on the past year sales. Assessed values are determined by a mass appraisal of similar properties that have been recently sold.
Don’t confuse an assessment with an 
Another way taxes are collected is at the settlement of the sale of all property. The Seller pays a Grantor’s tax, and in some jurisdictions a congestion relief tax. Both of these are calculated by a percentage of the value of the home, either the sales price or the appraised value, whichever is higher. The Virginia General Assembly currently has set the rate at $2.50 per $1,000. The purchaser pays recordation taxes to the county and state. These tax stamps vary between the jurisdictions and are sent to the clerk of the court.
Collecting Real Estate taxes is a large portion of revenue for both the state and local jurisdictions. In 2014, Real Estate construction contributed 6.1% to the nation’s economic output as measured by the Gross Domestic Product. Real Estate drives many facets of our economy, so therefore it makes sense that it is a large part of the tax base.
-Average adult age is 42
What does “Short Sale” really mean?
Option 2 – Sell Short. This option requires you to ask the Lender if they would be willing to allow you to sell your property as a short sale and forgive you the amount you owe, plus closing cost.
interest rates from the low 3% to over 4.5%.
No one can tell for sure what rates will do, but everything I hear and read indicates that interest rates will rise gradually through 2015. We may see rates approaching 4.5% or even higher by the end of the year.
believe that rates will gradually increase. It is also reasonable to assume that rates may rise to the 5% mark by the end of 2015 or the first half of 2016.
You make an offer on your dream home and within your offer there are several areas that you fill in that reference the word “contingency” – what does this mean, and why is it important?
you are allowed to void the contract and receive your 
From the Seller’s prospective all of the contingencies are a risk, and if you make the contingencies too long or to aggressive, you risk turning the Seller off in regards to your offer. Most Sellers are looking for short timelines and to secure the strongest offer they can get. So the bottom line is, keep your contingencies to a reasonable and attainable limit, protect yourself, but also help instill confidence and security within your offer to the Seller.
BUYER TIP
Interest rates and mortgage bond prices are inversely related. If mortgage bond prices go up, interest rates go down.
Federal Reserve System:
In summary, there are many factors that influence mortgage interest rates. All of these factors are outside of our personal control. When it comes time that you need a loan to purchase or refinance a home, you will be faced with making a decision to lock in your interest rate or let the rate “float” in hopes that the market improves and you can get a lower rate. Here is my advice in regards to that decision: It is much better to be locked in with rates falling than floating with rates rising.