Hot zip codes: 20105 Aldie, 20152 Chantilly, 22066 Great Falls, 20165 Sterling

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Hot zip codes: 22192 Lake Ridge, 22026 Dumfries, 22012 Manassas, 20136 Bristow, 20169 Haymarket

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Hot zip codes: 22315 Kingstowne, 22039 Fairfax Station, 22079 Lorton, 22312 Pinecrest,
22066 Great Falls

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3708 Roxbury Lane, Alexandria, VA 22309

Offered at $217,000

3 Bed/2.5 Bath Interior Townhome

3 Finished levels with covered porch

Separate Dining Room

Fireplace in Family Room

Lower Level Bedroom, Bath and Den

Large Deck in Rear Yard

3609 22nd Street S, Arlington, VA 22204

Offered at $879,800

Beautiful new American Framehouse!

5 Bedrooms, 4 Full Bathrooms and 2 Half Bathrooms

4,600 Square Feet of Living Space over 3 Finished Levels.

HUGE Open Kitchen with Gleaming Hardwood Floors, Crown Molding, Spacious Breakfast Nook, 3 Ovens including a Double Wall Oven, Granite Counters, GE Stainless Steel Appliances, Over-Sized French-Door Refrigerator and Large Center Island.

Master Suite features a Spa-Style Bath with Ceramic Tile and Double Vanity, Large walk-in Closets, Ceiling Fan and Crown Molding.

Located minutes from Shirlington Village, Columbia Pike, the Pentagon and DC!

6979 Manahoac Place, Gainesville, VA 20155

Offered at $280,000

Beautiful Foreclosure – Move In Ready!

3 Bed/3.5 Bath Interior Townhome in Greenhill Crossing.

3 Finished Levels with Brick Front,  New HVAC,  and New Carpeting throughout.

Bright kitchen with large center island,  New Flooring, New Gas Stove, New Microwave and New Dishwasher.

Huge formal dining room and living room with brand new carpeting.

Private Fenced back yard with patio, deck and shed.

Fannie Mae HomePath property approved for HomePath Mortgage and Renovation Mortgage Financing!

Five months ago our buyers’ agents were able to take their clients to multiple homes over several weeks, allowing for a leisurely home viewing and lengthy decision-making timeframes.  The market has certainly changed, as anyone looking to buy a home in Northern Virginia recently has learned! Real estate agents and homebuyers are reporting a return to multiple-offers, escalation clauses and competitive bidding.  Those looking to sell their homes are finding that they are now able to choose from several offers and are getting higher than full price offers for their properties.

Homebuyers looking to buy a home in NOVA need to make finding their home top priority.  This means having their financing set and letting their agents know which neighborhood and price range they are looking to buy in.   As soon as a home meeting their criteria is listed they need to jump in the car and view it.  Homes at the right price, in the right place and in good condition have multiple offers within a week.   Sleeping on the choice overnight before making an offer is now often too late.

Tips for getting your contract offer accepted:

A Quicker Loan Process –   Meeting with your lender and supplying all documentation needed for a quick closing will make your offer stand out from the rest.  This paperwork will include a list of your assets and verification of your income. Things such as bank statements and paystubs are common.  Most important – NO large purchases or deposits from the time you ratify to closing.  This behavior will delay closing as these large withdrawals and deposits will require your lender to obtain an explanation from you.

Be Flexible on Contingencies and Pricing.  If you already own a home and you need to sell it to buy a new one, sell it. Winning a contract when you have contingency on your financing requiring the selling of your current home will be difficult to impossible.  Shorter contingencies on things such as home inspection, appraisal and financing will make your offer stand out.  Get a clear understanding from your lender to find out how long it will take to get your financing set and your real estate agent to get a closing date.

Buy with Cash.  Sellers can be uneasy with the thought of loans falling through at the last minute.  Cash offers that are less than a higher competing offer will sometimes be accepted even in a hot market.

Stand out from other house hunters.  See houses the day they are listed, scour the internet daily for the neighborhoods and price range your are looking in, let your friends and families know that you are in the market to buy a home and drive the streets in your area of choice to look for “For Sale” signs that sprout up in the lawns.   You can avoid competition with other offers if you make a great offer (above asking price) first.

A Larger Earnest Money Deposit and Quick Closing - In a competitive market such as this, closing in a hurry is attractive to home sellers.  Having your loan process streamlined – getting your lender all documentation up front, tight contingency timeframes (or no contingencies at all) and home inspections the day of (or even before) ratification will lead to a quick closing.

Including a larger earnest money deposit with their bids shows your sincerity and seriousness of your offer.  It will make you stand out from the others.

Include a Cover Letter    Many sellers will make an emotional decision when selling their home.  They want to leave the home they have put their hearts, labor and love in to someone who will do the same.  This is especially true if there is more than one great offer.  Home sellers will give the winning decision to the buyer they like most.

Looking to sell or buy a home in the Washington Metro area?  Contact us today at 888-NOVA-BUY or Info@ajteamrealty.com.  You have the Dream; We’ll win you that address!

9036 Jeffries Road, Great Falls, VA 22066

Offered at $579,900!

Custom built unique home with 3,562 finished square feet on 2.11 Acres.

A little TLC with some updating and this foreclosure home will bring it to it’s full potential.

Includes a nice horse stable and shed.

Main level features a bedroom and 1.5 bathrooms, separate living and dining rooms and high ceilings.  The open kitchen has breakfast space.

The upper level includes a master suite with sitting room and full bath along with 3 additional bedrooms and additional bathroom.

In a separate report released Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors, the national median home price declined by just 0.4% in the three months ended March 31 compared with the same period in 2011.

Locally, the market report shows a home prices projected to decrease 1.8% for the recently started second quarter compared to last year, then an increase of 2.5% from now to next year.

The most recent April stats for Northern Virginia put out by RBIntel.com show a slightly different trend with an increase in median home price of 6.74% over last year and 5.27% increase from March.  This reflects the consumer confidence brought on by lower unemployment and lower mortgage rates.  With the Days on Market decreasing by 14.29% over last year and 21.74 over last month, we are seeing buyers taking advantage of what can be the last days of lower prices.

About half of the 146 metro-area markets surveyed by NAR showed a price increase, as buyers make inroads into the supply of homes for sale all across the country. National inventory has dropped by 22% compared to a year earlier.

Local inventory is showing that same decrease with a decrease in new listing of 6.35% over April of last year and a decrease in active listings of 18.85% from a year ago.

CNN Money quotes Lawrence Yun, NAR’s Chief economists as saying, “Given the steadily dwindling supply of inventory and notably higher listing prices that are being negotiated today, prices are expected to show further improvements in the near future.”

(Information gathered from CNNMoney.com and RBIntel.com)

3214 Foothill Street, Lake Ridge, VA 22192

Offered for $1,695/Month

Available June 1, 2012!

Roomy 3-Finished Level End-Unit townhome located in the heart of Lake Ridge.

Finished basement with a bedroom, full bath and large recreation room.

Separate formal Dining Room and spacious, eat-in Kitchen with ceramic tile flooring, cook-top range and sliding glass doors leading to a private fenced rear yard and deck.

Perfect family home located at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac with quality Lake Ridge schools nearby!