Hampton Roads Real Estate by Tina in Virginia

Just Listed in Castleton!

2008-05-21T14:49:00.001-04:00

quality=high bgcolor=#FFFFFF WIDTH="400" HEIGHT="300" NAME="slideshow"
ALIGN="" TYPE="application/x-shockwave-flash" PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer">

Lack of Housing

2008-05-07T15:04:00.002-04:00

I had to do a search today for a client who is relocating here. He isn't sure if he will rent or buy so I pulled both types of properties. He specifically wants to be in one of the most popular school districts and in the northeast section of Virginia Beach.

What did I find? A lack of housing! Yes, while his price range is the "average" for the northeast area of Virginia Beach, there were only 8 rentals and 12 homes for sale which met his criteria (not picky mind you - he just wants something open and airy, 4 bedrooms, 2 baths).

So, while some areas are having problems, obviously, this area is not!

Get a Walk-Score for Your Home!

2008-05-05T13:03:00.003-04:00

Is it Turning Around or is it Just Normal????

2008-04-25T07:41:00.002-04:00

Yes, things are picking up in our real estate market. Economic growth in the 4th quarter of 2007 was a dismal .6%. Compared to last year, pending sales have dropped 23% in Hampton Roads. Things are picking up....does that mean things are turning around? Well, our market ALWAYS picks up this time of year. It's spring! Our market is ALWAYS stagnant in the winter. If you look at the other economic factors such as unemployment, consumer spending, etc. things are not "turning around". But, yes, our market is hopping again.....happy spring!

Tidewater Hokie Club Golf Tournament April 28, 2008

2008-04-17T23:17:00.002-04:00

Click Here To View Flyer

View Flyer Web Page

New and Improved!

2008-04-12T20:03:00.001-04:00

Just Listed in Cape Henry Shores!

2008-04-11T23:18:00.001-04:00

Just Listed in Kings Grant!

2008-04-05T08:34:00.000-04:00

quality=high bgcolor=#FFFFFF WIDTH="400" HEIGHT="300" NAME="slideshow"
ALIGN="" TYPE="application/x-shockwave-flash" PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer">

Just Listed in Lake Smith!

2008-04-05T08:26:00.003-04:00

quality=high bgcolor=#FFFFFF WIDTH="400" HEIGHT="300" NAME="slideshow"
ALIGN="" TYPE="application/x-shockwave-flash" PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer">

TOP 8 REASONS WHY YOUR HOUSE WON'T SELL

2008-03-29T15:26:00.004-04:00

Many sellers in this market have the "It's not me, it's you" mentality. Bottom line is, it's your house and no one cares about getting it sold more than you do. Here are the top 8 reasons why your house isn't selling:

It's overpriced. It doesn't matter what you paid for it. It doesn't matter what it appraised for 6 months or 6 years ago. It doesn't matter what your neighbor's house is listed for. No one cares that you upgraded your carpet padding or paid extra for real wood instead of fake wood blinds. Your house is only worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it.
Less-than-perfect-condition. Your property needs to shine inside and out. It needs to look like it was painted yesterday and cleaned with a q-tip today. Have it professionally staged and de-personalized. You want buyers looking at your house, not at your deodorant on the bathroom counter. You need every single person who walks through the door to be able to envision themselves living in your property.
Your agent. You need an agent who isn't afraid to tell it like it is and aggressively market your property. If your property isn't on at least 25 websites, consider finding an agent who is technologically-savvy. Also, if other agents do not like your agent, your property won't get shown. What is your agent's reputation amongst his/her peers? What do your pictures on the internet look like? If they look like a 6 year old took them, tell your agent to re-take them or have them done professionally.
Your neighbors. Do your neighbors have 8 cars, a boat and a RV in the driveway? Do they only mow their lawn when they get a notice from the city? Do they leave their trash cans in front of their house? Do they park in front of your house? If they look good, you look good. If they look bad....well, you know. Have a talk with them and try working something out - maybe a nice gift certificate to dinner when your house sells. Mow their lawn yourself if you need to.
Location. Are you on a busy street? Are you in a less-than-popular school district? If you are, you need to compensate for these factors by lowering your price.
Curb appeal. Your landscaping needs to be perfectly maintained. No, ifs, ands or buts about it. Mow, edge, trim, weed....often. Plant flowers for color. Put a flag up. Get a nice new doormat and toss the nasty one you have been wiping your feet on for 5 years. Paint your front door and give it a shiny new doorknob. Fix your broken mailbox. Add fresh mulch.
Odor. Ever walk into a house and get hit by a less-than-pleasant odor? Ask a friend you trust to give you the honest truth about your property's scent. If the news isn't great, start with the front entrance and clean with a strong cleaner. Have your rugs, carpets and uhpolstery cleaned and deodorized. Launder all of your draperies, blankets, bedding, throw rugs and shower curtains. Get the litter box out of the house if possible. Put a pet door in the door that goes from the house to the garage and keep the litter box in there. Take your dog(s) to the groomers. Better yet, send your furry sweethearts to live with grandma until the house sells. It doesn't matter how well you clean, if a potential buyer is allergic to cats, their eyes will be watering by the time they leave your house and it believe me, they won't be tears of joy.
Flexibility. DO NOT be home when buyers come to see your home. Selling your house is a business transaction....treat it like one. If an agent wants to show your home at 9am on a Sunday, LET THEM! Nothing you have to do right now is more important than getting your home shown. Don't plan dinner parties in your house and don't decide that now is the time to become a gourmet chef. If you get sick and need to stay in bed all day, put your jammies on and lie on your friend's couch instead. Go through your mail and put it away immediately. Is it an inconvenience? Yes. If you can't deal with the inconvenience, move yourself to grandma's too.

HOUSES ON SALE!!!!

2008-03-27T07:40:00.003-04:00

Did you know that houses are not only for sale right now, but there are many ON SALE and some even on CLEARANCE?!?! As the inventory of homes grows, the law of economics dictates that prices will drop...and they are. Now, not all sellers realize and/or accept this. There is still a significant amount of housing inventory that is listed, but not with sellers who are motivated to sell. But, many homes have very motivated sellers who are in a position to offer a buyer a great deal. How do you find one of these deals?????
Look at buying a home as a business decision, not an emotional one.
Purchase a home for it's location, neighborhood, condition and price - not for whether your living room sofa will fit perfectly.
Be willing to close on the property quickly.
Don't ask the seller for the sun, moon and stars. Hit them on the price, but give the seller everything else they want (such as their choice of closing date, no closing cost assistance, etc.)
Don't nit-pic - be willing to do some work on the property
Have a fully approved mortgage with a reputable, local lender.
Use a buyer's agent who knows how to negotiate and isn't afraid to make offers which may "insult" the seller and/or seller's agent.
Go get that deal!
And, if you need a Realtor in the Virginia Beach area, contact Tina Merritt.

Staging Simply.....What a Great Idea!

2008-03-26T17:07:00.003-04:00

I recently used a new company to stage one of my vacant listings...StagingSimply.com.

WOW! These guys are wonderful! They came out the day after I called and charged just $299.95 for my vacant listing!

This is not your "typical" staging and Staging Simply tells you right off the bat that they are not going to furnish (or re-furnish) your property. They use simple pieces to add color and interest to a property and they specialize in vacant properties under $250,000.

Staging Simply charges by the house, not the hour (prices are listed on their website) and do not schedule a consultation first. The buyers for my listing even asked if they could have the bathroom decor!

It's difficult in the lower price ranges to find affordable ways to spruce up your property. If you are in the Hampton Roads, Virginia area, I recommend giving StagingSimply.com a try to get your home sold quickly!

Happy Easter!

2008-03-22T13:55:00.002-04:00

What is FHA?

2008-03-18T22:21:00.001-04:00

FHA is becoming the more popular loan of choice lately. What exactly is FHA?

FHA - Stands for Federal Housing Adminstration

FHA was created in 1934 by the National Housing Act and is not a lender but the insure the loans against losses from foreclosure on residential loans. FHA does not fund the loans but they insure them.

The borrower pays a mortgage insurance premium to FHA and FHA then uses these premiums to reimburse lenders on losses made on FHA loans. The guidelines are generally more relaxed than standard conventional loans with higher loan to value ratios and allows more borrowers the opportunity to become homeowners.

In addition to setting the underwriting criteria, FHA also chooses which lenders may participate in their mortgage loan programs.

To locate a FHA lender you can go to http://www.hud.gov/.

Wachovia Mortgage is an approved FHA lender. You may apply online, phone or in person.

Naoma Doriguzzi

757-971-2876

naoma.doriguzzi@wachovia.com

Cre8buzz beats MySpace

2008-03-17T16:53:00.001-04:00

This article looks at the power of the new online bloggers community cre8buzz which is like a MySpace for bloggers. Take a look at the traffic they drive to my site and remember they only have around 2000 users.

read more | digg story

Do you have an approval letter?

2008-03-14T22:19:00.003-04:00

In today's market as you go about your home search it is NECESSARY to have an approval letter in your hand from your lender. Guidelines have changed quite a bit in the past several months and there is no need to go searching for homes that you cannot qualify for or even purchase. Yes it is a GREAT time to purchase a home right now with house values and interest rates extremely low right now. The buyers are at an advantage in this market today!

What does an approval letter mean?

Quite simple, it means you have already met with your lender and given them your application, pulled credit, provided all income documents and bank statements. That means that they have reviewed your loan approval and they have provided you with a Good Faith Estimate (GFE) and went over the terms of your loan. Before I provide an approval letter to my buyers I actually submit the whole loan package to the underwriters for approval so that there is no question on your ability to get the loan. NO SURPRISES is best!

If these steps have not been made with you and your lender then I would make sure that you do those before spending time to look at homes that are not in your price range.

FOR LOAN APPROVALS FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT 757-971-2876.

NAOMA DORIGUZZI CALL ME FOR ALL OF YOUR HOME FINANCING NEEDS MADE EASY!

WACHOVIA MORTGAGE
naoma.doriguzzi@wachovia.com

Great Deals to be Had!

2008-03-13T12:13:00.003-04:00

Look at buying a home as a business decision, not an emotional one.
Purchase a home for it's location, neighborhood, condition and price - not for whether your living room sofa will fit perfectly.
Be willing to close on the property quickly.
Don't ask the seller for the sun, moon and stars. Hit them on the price, but give the seller everything else they want (such as their choice of closing date, no closing cost assistance, etc.)
Don't nit-pic - be willing to do some work on the property
Have a fully approved mortgage with a reputable, local lender.
Use a buyer's agent who knows how to negotiate and isn't afraid to make offers which may "insult" the seller and/or seller's agent.

Go get that deal!

JUST LET GO.....

2008-03-09T14:20:00.001-04:00

JUST REDUCED IN GREAT BRIDGE!

2008-03-09T11:09:00.001-04:00

JUST LISTED IN SMITHFIELD HEIGHTS!

2008-03-09T10:36:00.002-04:00

Just Reduced in Portsmouth!

2008-03-09T10:24:00.001-04:00

JUST REDUCED IN POQUOSON!

2008-03-09T10:10:00.003-04:00

An Open Letter to Lawrence Kudlow at CNBC by Frankie Carl

2008-03-05T15:02:00.001-05:00

Dear Mr.Kudlow,

I have very little confidence that you will ever hear of this email. However, I am moved to write and send it after listening to your recent shows. I am a Realtor and a real estate agent in the state of Virginia. I am also an investor in real estate. I am not only offended, I am saddened by you implying that there is some way that many purchasers have deceived the lenders by providing false information to the lenders. I personally, have never been able to perceive any opportunity as an investor, to lie or manipulate my lenders. I have always had to verify something. After 9/11 I have provided not only my social security number and my driver’s license but my checking, savings and investment account information. Even when you apply for a non-papered loan, you still are required by the government to give identity information. As for my clients and the clients of my professional peers, I have never seen the opportunity for anyone to deceive the professional money lenders. The responsible party, the party who is most at risk is the lender. Perhaps you have not participated in this process for a long time or, you have insider connections which taint your perspective. From 100,000 to 1,000,000, I have never seen a professional lender, allow themselves to be deceived by the average Joe on the street. To imply that the average American, is capable of fooling those who make their money on lending is disingenuous. There are also the Realtors and professional real estate agents who act as a secondary fire wall. Our clients are investments in our future. We are committed long term to our clients and a failed purchaser hits us at our bottom line. The onus is on the lender: the expert and professional, to qualify a viable borrower. It was the dangerous brew of weak ethical standards and greed that led to what we see now in the financial markets. The subprime market from a sociological perspective contained a high percentage of people who really should not have been sold the American dream. They were perceived as an “emerging market” that grew productivity. The loan originators took advantage of the rates and the psychology of the dream. The majority of the foreclosure situations are either innocent, lower income persons who finally saw the opportunity to stop renting and partake in the dream or, opportunistic investors who got caught in the middle of the flip. I implore you to stop besmirching those who were led by their dreams and creative loans devised by lenders, to buy more than they could afford if, the market turned against them. Just for the record, some people who purchased under these circumstances, also failed to maintain their investment. People who did not live like the little pig in the brick house, had their houses blown away by not only being fiscally irresponsible in their personal lives, but by also failing to maintain their most important investment. It can be shocking when someone shuts down one of their bathrooms because of leaking faucets and a toilet that needs repair. Light bulbs broken off in sockets are left unrepaired and electrical outlets that don’t work stay that way. No improvements are made like paint and floor repairs and then, when under duress, they call to sell. I am sympathetic to your defense of industry bashing. However, I implore you to take another look at what is happening on the other streets of our great country. In this particular instance, I believe that it is the money lenders who are responsible for creative lending standards that ignored not only human nature but market realities. Thank you for your time, f.

4 Bedrooms for Under $180,000!

2008-02-28T23:34:00.000-05:00

quality=high bgcolor=#FFFFFF WIDTH="400" HEIGHT="300" NAME="slideshow"
ALIGN="" TYPE="application/x-shockwave-flash" PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer">

REDUCED in Sawyer's Mill!

2008-02-28T07:55:00.001-05:00

quality=high bgcolor=#FFFFFF WIDTH="400" HEIGHT="300" NAME="slideshow"
ALIGN="" TYPE="application/x-shockwave-flash" PLUGINSPAGE="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer">