Buy! Own! Sell!

Brighter Sells Better

2013-06-01T20:07:00.001-07:00

Homes that are bright tend to sell better than homes that are dark. There is something about bright open spaces that just makes people feel better. It gives them that happy, warm and fussy feeling. That is why all things being equal, most buyers will typically prefer homes that let in a lot of light. It is the reason Realtors will turn on all the lights during an Open House because we know light translates to a faster sale at a higher price. What are you to do if you have an area in your home that is dark and gloomy? A relatively inexpensive solution is a solar tube.

Solar tubes are just that, tubes with a patented reflective interior that harnesses natural sunlight from your roof into the room where it is installed. A typical 10" tube will light up an area about 10 x 10 feet. They can produce as much light as a three 100 watt bulbs, and all of that without the use of electricity. And they are a lot easier to install than skylights.

That leads us to our next point. You do not necessarily need to be ready to sell to take advantage of solar tubes. Solar tubes can save you money in the long run. It will eliminate the use of lights during the day and over time they pay for themselves. It is a "green" alternative.

Solar tubes can be found in places like Lowes and Home Depot or you can purchase them online. There are various brands on the market available, so make sure you find one that is right for you. Although you can have them professionally installed, if you are a little bit handy, the kits typically come with everything you need to install them yourself.

One of our team members installed it in her home and the difference is noticeable. Feel free to view her review here and check out the results below!

Steps To Buying a Home

2013-04-24T20:22:00.001-07:00

For many first-time home buyers the process can be a little overwhelming. Therefore I have put together this step-by-step summary on what buyers can expect during the buying process based on my experience in Northern Virginia.

1. Get pre-approved by a lender. In Northern Virginia, 99.9% of sellers will not even consider an offer without a pre-approval letter from a lender. That is the reason why many brokers will also not show you homes until you have shown them your pre-approval letter. This pre-approval also makes sense. It will give you, the buyer, and your Realtor a baseline for what you can and cannot afford. You can line up your own lender or your Realtor can help you find one.

2. Sign an agency disclosure and possibly an Exclusive Right to Represent Buyers Agreement. The agency disclosure should be presented to you by your Realtor before they give you advice on home buying or shows you a home. The agency disclosure is required by VA law to protect you the buyer. An Exclusive Right to Represent Buyers agreement will state that you will only use that Broker during the process of purchasing a home and outlines the Broker's responsibilities towards you.

2. Send your Realtor your needs and wants for the home. Start thinking on what features are a deal breaker and which ones will be nice to have. Your Realtor will use this to put together a customized search for you and line up potential homes for you to view.

3. View homes. This is the fun part! Once you start receiving the listings and you find something you like, you will make an appointment with your Realtor to start viewing those homes and narrow it down to your dream home.

4. Make the offer. Making an offer is more than just letting your Realtor and the seller know how much you are willing to pay for the house. Your Realtor will put together a purchase contract that upon ratification (acceptance of the offer) will become a binding agreement between you and the seller. The Offer must be accompanied with the lenders pre-approval letter and an earnest money deposit.

5. The Home Inspection. If the purchase contract has a home inspection contingency (and we strongly recommends this), a home inspector will look at the house and let you know any issues with the home. At this point, you negotiate with the seller what items they will fix and what items you will just accept as-is.

6. The Appraisal. As soon as the offer is accepted, your lender will begin to ask for supporting documentation to get the official approval for the home loan. One of those supporting documents (which the lender will order), is an appraisal of the home to make sure that the purchase price matches the appraised current value. Unless this is a cash purchase, an appraisal will be required. The house must appraise for the purchase price or more. If the house is valued at less than the purchase price, either the seller will have to reduce the price or you will have to pay the difference out of pocket.

7. Final Walk Thru. After all the contingencies have been met (home inspection, appraisal) and your loan has been approved, you will inspect the home one more time with your Realtor. The purpose of the "walk-thru" is to make sure the property is in the condition you agreed upon in the contract and the sellers took care of any repairs they agreed to as part of the contract. The final walk-thru usually occurs the day of, or the day before settlement.

8. Settlement. You are now ready for settlement. At settlement, if all goes well, all you will be doing is signing a stack full of papers and receiving your keys to the property. If it is a cash purchase, that stack will be significantly smaller. In the worst case, scenarios, there might be some last minute negotiations regarding the condition of the house during the walk-thru.

This list is by no means all inclusive as each process can differ. However, it should give you a pretty good idea of what to expect. If you are not in the VA area, but need a good Realtor, contact me through the web form on the right and I will help you get in touch with a prominent Realtor in your area.

HAPPY HOUSE HUNTING!!!

Luisa Rodriguez

Referral Agent

355 West Rio Rd

Charlottesville, VA 22901

Direct: (240) 377-7104

I am exclusively a referral agent that maintains a license only to refer customers to Licensed Realtors. Before becoming a referral agent, I was a successful, award winning Realtor.

The Importance of Curb Appeal

2013-02-17T22:07:00.002-08:00

Having great curb appeal is a must if you are trying to sell a home. And some of the most dreary homes can be greatly improved with creative landscaping. Take the before and after picture of the home below that we sold in Woodbridge, VA. Which home would you consider buying?

BEFORE

AFTER

The choice is clear. The homeowners cleaned the siding, they repainted the shutters and the steps, they removed the storm door, and most importantly they hired a professional landscaper for the front yard. And although a professional landscaper can be very expensive, there is nothing in this front yard that can't be done by a homeowner that is willing to put in a little bit of sweat equity. The difference in the two pictures below is striking and it is the difference between a home buyer calling his Realtor and saying, "I want to see this house" and just clicking onto the next property.

The return on that small investment will be worth it. If you are interested in selling and finding a Realtor that will help you sell your home at top-dollar, contact me and I will put you in touch with the best in the business.

Luisa Rodriguez

Referral Agent

355 West Rio Rd

Charlottesville, VA 22901

Direct: (240) 377-7104

I am exclusively a referral agent that maintains a license only to refer customers to Licensed Realtors. Before becoming a referral agent, I was a successful, award winning Realtor.

New Down Payment Program in Arlington, VA

2012-12-17T06:16:00.000-08:00

Arlington, VA has been out of reach for many lower and moderate income individuals. However, Arlington County has recently instituted a program that will put Arlington within reach for many families. The MIPAP (Moderate Income Purchase Assistance Program) helps first time home buyers with up to 25% of the purchase price of a home. The 25% comes in the form of a no-payment, no-interest loan. The are certain conditions under which the loan will have to be paid back and this program is not for everyone. However, if being in Arlington is important to you (you want to keep your child in a certain school system for example), then this may be the program for you.

There are certain income restrictions and this is only for first time home buyers. The maximum purchase price for 2012 is $362,790. If you are interested in learning more, please contact me so I can put you in touch with a Realtor that is familiar with this program.

Luisa Rodriguez

Referral Agent

355 West Rio Rd

Charlottesville, VA 22901

Direct: (240) 377-7104

I am exclusively a referral agent that maintains a license only to refer customers to Licensed Realtors. Before becoming a referral agent, I was a successful, award winning Realtor.

Buyer Beware: Meth Homes

2012-10-26T06:15:00.000-07:00

A lot of buyers have heard of the dangers of mold, lead, and asbestos. Well, now there is a new one to add to the list, meth homes.

Meth homes are houses where someone at one time maintained a methamphetamine lab. The chemicals from the lab will seep into cabinets, walls, floors, etc. Possible effects of exposure to these chemicals include migraines, respiratory difficulties, and skin irritations to name a few. Children are at higher risk because their bodies are still developing and small children tend to frequently put things in their mouths.

Problems with Identifying a Meth Home.
The presence of meth cannot be identified with a routine home inspection. Realtors would be required to disclose that information but a Realtor does not know what the seller may not have told them. Even homes that have been "decontaminated" should remain suspect. There is no national standard for meth home clean-up and many of those clean-up efforts do not completely rid the home of the meth residue.

So What is a Buyer (or Renter) to Do?
The best way to get the scoop on a house is to talk to the neighbors. That should be rule of thumb before moving into any property whether you are buying or renting. Neighbors can not only tell you a lot about the previous owners but also about the neighborhood in general. Most people are more than happy to share that type of information. Therefore, before making an offer, make sure to take a short walk to the neighbors' homes and start knocking on some doors.

Further reading: Are You Living In a Former Meth-Lab?

I am a former high producing Realtor in the DC Metro area. Although, I am not actively selling real estate anymore, I can help you find a great Realtor in your area. Feel free to contact me for help finding a realtor or general real estate questions.

Woodbridge, VA Commuting Options

2012-07-24T20:13:00.000-07:00

Are you moving to Woodbridge, VA? Do you need to know what your commuting options are? One of the biggest headaches in this part of the US is the traffic, particularly I-95. Thankfully, there are some options to reduce some of the stress. As you make a decision where to live in Woodbridge consider where the primary commuter stations are located and whether they service your area of employment.

Note that most of these transportation services operate mostly during rush hour times. These are not options for commuting to DC on a weekend or at off-peak hours.

VRE: The Virginia Railway Express is the train that connects Woodbridge to DC. The upside is that it also connects to some of the major stops for the DC Metro. For more information go to www.vre.org.
Slug lines: Although many are hesitant at first, it is a popular form of transportation here in the DC area. You are basically hitching a ride from individuals that want to be able to use the HOV lanes. For more info go to www.sluglines.com
OmniRide: Bus line linking the Woodbridge area to primary work locations within the Beltway. For more info go to www.PRTCtransit.org
Ridesharing: This is a free service that will match your commuting needs with other residents. For more info go to www.PRTCtransit.org

Woodbridge Commuting Options will show you where the primary commuter lots are located in Woodbridge. This interactive map will also allow you to click on the marker and find out what the primary destinations are for each lot. Please double check the information at the individual websites as it is possible that I might have made an error or that they have updated their schedules.

Cheaply Remodelling a Bathroom

2012-07-18T05:22:00.000-07:00

It is very rare that a buyer will find the "perfect" home. Some sacrifices will have to be made because most of us are working within a budget. What you don't want to sacrifice are the "bones" of the home (structure, roof, HVAC, etc), the floor plan, and the size of the rooms. However, there are a lot of cosmetic issues that will become a deal breaker for many buyers when in reality, they can easily be changed with a little bit of sweat equity. Here is an example of how to cheaply remodel a half bath.

I remodeled the half bath when we purchased a colonial that was almost 50 years old. The existing bath when we first moved in was very dated. I wanted to make it classy without breaking the bank. I splurged on the toilet and faucet because I wanted "eco options," but there are a lot cheaper toilets/facuets that will also look nice.

Toilet $275.00 (I saw some nice looking ones for as low as $100)
Vanity and Top: $130.00
Mirror $55.00
Vinyl Tile $20.00 (.69 cents per tile) (super easy to install)
Faucet $150.00 (but classy styles as low as $80).
Misc Supplies $50.00 (caulking, glue, etc).

Dated Bathroom

Cheaply Remodelled Bathroom

Doing it yourself will save you hundreds of dollars. Installing the toilets, vanity, faucets can be pretty easy if you take the time to read directions, use a little common sense, and have patience. If you have never done it before (which I had not), you can google instructions and many times you will find YouTube videos that teach you step-by-step. Also, make sure you plan out what makes more sense to do first, which most likely will be the tile.

Insulating Your Attic

2012-07-18T05:00:00.000-07:00

Heating and cooling many times will eat away at your monthly budget. To keep utility expenses down, consider doing things around your house that will keep cool or hot air from escaping. One very important way to do that is to make sure that your attic is well insulated. In the winter months, hot air rises and you will lose heat through a badly insulated attic. In the summer months, the attic gets very hot and that heat will transfer to the rest of your house forcing your air conditioner to work even harder.

Insulating the attic yourself is rather simple and easy and can be done for a few hundred dollars depending on the insulation you choose. I personally like the GreenFiber because it is eco-friendly. It can be found either at Home Depot or Lowes. If you buy 20 bags or more, they will rent you the sprayer for free. Also, remember, before you insulate, to make sure to seal or air leakages in the attic such as areas around recessed lights, vents, etc. All of these little things are inexpensive and will keep your heating and cooling bills low.

Pellet Stove May be Worth it For the Long Term

2012-07-18T04:50:00.002-07:00

My husband and I just purchased an older home that has oil heat. When I was an active Realtor, I had sold homes before with oil heat, but never really understood all the dynamics behind them and frankly, oil heat is not very common in a lot of areas around Washington, D.C., where I was actively practicing real estate. When you have oil heat, the radiators are low to the ground. It is actually a more efficient way of heating a home than central air because hot air tends to rise. Vents are a lot of times in the ceilings and that makes your system work twice as hard because it has to pump more air to heat up the room.

What is the problem with oil heat? The oil itself is expensive!! It costs us approximate $650 to fill up our tank in the current market. We had to fill it up four times during the winter and once in the summer to heat our hot water and that still meant trying to keep the house at an average of about 60 degrees. That comes out to an average of $520 for the fall/winter months mid-October through mid-March. In comparison when we had gas heat in our old home of a similar size, the highest month in the winter would be $185 and during the summer $35.00. My guess is that if I had to estimate how much oil was for us during the coldest month in the winter, it would probably be around $650!!

Since gas is not available in our area, my husband and I started looking at alternatives. Many suggested a pellet stove to insert into our existing fireplace. I had never heard of such a thing so I was a bit skeptical, but my husband insisted. Since we plan to be in this home for the long term, we made the investment. We are impressed. That little thing has kept my bottom floor at a cozy 70 degrees and can keep the upstairs to about 55 degrees during the coldest months (in the 20s outside) with no help from the oil heater. And the top floor heats up only because hot air rises and finds its way into the top floor. The oil heat acts only as supplemental heating to keep our upstairs in the mid-60s.

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The pellet stove runs partially on electricity and mostly on wood pellets. We were able to find a place that sold the pellets for $250 a ton and most people are estimating we needed 3 tons this past winter. The electricity use did get bumped up about $80 a month. Doing the math on the pellets vs oil, with the pellet stove I am now spending around $420 a month (taking into account electricity, supplemental oil heat, and pellets) so I am saving around $500 for the season. I saved $500, but still kept the house at an average of 8 degrees higher than last year. If I would have kept it at the same temperatures, my savings would have been significantly more.

My house is a 2000 sq foot above ground colonial (2 levels above ground). I am not accounting for the space for the basement as it is now unfinished. Our stove is also not located in the best location and the installers warned us that it might not be able to heat the upstairs too well. Even so, it is still doing a pretty decent job. If your pellet stove is in a central location, you can potentially save even more. If you currently have oil heat and/or electric heat, it most definitely might be worth looking into a pellet stove. We are certainly glad we did.

Fresh paint? or Toxic Air?

2012-07-06T07:56:00.000-07:00

I am an environmentalist at heart. I have been for sometime now, but it went into overdrive when my daughter was born 5 years ago. So it is a natural progression for me to become more involved in "green" real estate as a Realtor.

A lot of my buyers will get excited when they smell the "fresh paint" on some of the homes. Part of the excitement is that they know they won't have to do any repainting themselves, but few know how toxic that paint smell is. Today's paints are less toxic than they were 10 years ago due to public demand but even low-VOC paints can still be harmful. There are non-toxic paints out on the market and although more expensive, the health of your families will benefit in the long run (and this holds true for different types of paints and stains).

Here are somethings you should know about paint.

1) The EPA says that indoor air quality can be more seriously polluted than outdoor air and one of the causes is paint.
2) VOLATILE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS (VOC) are a traditional component of many oil based paints and even latex paints (and some of your household cleaners as well).
3) Exposure to VOCs can cause can cause the following symptoms:

conjunctival irritation

nose, throat discomfort

headache

allergic skin reaction

dyspnea

declines in serum cholinesterase levels

nausea, emesis

fatigue

dizziness

4) Prolonged exposure has been linked to kidney and liver disease and even cancer.
5) VOCs continue to be released well after the paint dries (I am talking years)
6) Zero-VOC paint will still have some level of VOCs but still at lower levels than traditional paints.
7) Small children and the elderly are the most susceptible to the negative effects of VOCs in the air.

I realize that as a buyer there are not a lot of homes that will use zero-VOC paints or non-toxic paints. But you can choose to buy a home that has NOT been "freshly painted" and then paint it yourselves with the paint of your choice. I know it is a lot more work and higher expense, but think about the savings in health care costs!

As a buyer you should demand greener and healthier homes. Eventually sellers will comply.

My primary source for putting this blog together was Home Repair and the EPA website at www.epa.gov.

Luisa Rodriguez

Prestige Property Group

Exit Choice Realty

Woodbridge, VA 22192

240-377-7104

www.RealEstateEliteTeam.com

www.PrestigeRealEstateTeam.com

luisarodriguez@mris.com

For quality service, please contact us and a member of our team will be more than happy to assist you.

Where to Live in Northern Virginia

2012-07-06T03:35:00.000-07:00

As a Realtor, I get this questions asked a lot. As a Realtor, it is also difficult to answer. Because of the rules and regulations that we have to abide by, rarely can we provide an opinion on a "safe neighborhood" or what is the "best neighborhood." If you give me a list such as, "high rise condo with pool and gym, less than three miles from work, in an area with nightlife," then I can easily pull a list together. However, once we start getting into areas that are more subjective, then it becomes a little more difficult because what is "great" for one person, may not be so "great" for another.

The best way to get an idea of where to live is to see what your peers are saying and look at the local news for cities you are considering. Here are some great places to start.

50 Great Neighborhoods
Bestplaces.Net
City-Data.com
Crime Reports
WUSA9 Where You Live

Luisa Rodriguez

Exit Choice Realty

Woodbridge, VA 22192

240-377-7104

www.RealEstateEliteTeam.com

luisarodriguez@mris.com

For quality service, please contact us and a member of our team will be more than happy to assist you.

Military: Things to Consider When Moving to Northern Virginia

2012-07-06T03:00:00.000-07:00

Two of the major characteristics of the Northern Virginia area that drive the location of where most people will decide to live is driven by school districts and traffic. For information on schools, check out the right column at My Website. If you do settle on a specific school district, then my team will do their best to create a geographic search that will limit properties to that area.

Traffic in the Northern Virginia area can be stressful and painful. The I-95 corridor looks like a parking lot during rush hour traffic and many commuters choose to arrive to work early to avoid some of that craziness. The best way to reduce that stress is to choose an area near commuting hubs. Even though the Metro is very popular within the "Beltway" (the area within the 495 loop), it is not the only commuting option. Living inside the Beltway can be significantly more expensive that living outside the Beltway, so understanding what your commuting options are is critical before deciding on where to live.

QUANTICO: If you will be stationed in Quantico, the areas closest to the base include Triangle, Woodbridge, Dumfries, Stafford, and Manassas. Triangle, Dumfries, and Woodbridge lie directly to the north of the base. Manassas is to the West. The advantages of living in those areas is that if you are driving to work, you will be moving AGAINST traffic. You will face "base traffic" as you approach Quantico, but that is unavoidable and limited compared to general rush hour traffic. However, the downside of living to the North of Quantico is that you will not be able to take advantage of some non-driving commuting options. Commuter buses and trains tend to run North, away from Quantico in the mornings and South, towards Quantico in the afternoon.
You may choose to live south of the base in Stafford and some individuals will go as far away as Fredericksburg to take advantage of the cheaper housing prices. You will definitely get more for your money. The downside, is that you will be driving with traffic during rush hour. However, you can take advantage of the commuter train, the VRE (http://www.vre.org) which has stops in Fredericksburg, Stafford and within the base in Quantico.

FORT BELVOIR: The areas surrounding Fort Belvoir include Alexandria (generally North of the base), Springfield (northwest of the base), Lorton (to the West and Southwest), Woodbridge to the South. If you decide to live near the area of Kingstowne in Alexandria and near the Springfield Metro, the Fairfax Connector may be a good option if you are looking to take public transportation. For more information on this possibility go to (http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/connector/routes/335.htm). Choosing Alexandria and Lorton will be your best bet if you are trying to limit your distance from the base, but it will also be the pricier option. Many choose to live in Woodbridge to get more for their money, but you will be running with traffic and hit rush hour. Other than carpooling, as far as I have been able to find out, no other public options for commuting from Woodbridge to Belvoir are available.

THE PENTAGON: The Pentagon is located in Arlington, VA and it is located within the Beltway. The advantages of getting stationed at the Pentagon is that it is a commuting HUB which makes public transportation a great possibility regardless of where you decide to live. There is a Metro Stop at the pentagon itself as well as several bus stops, and slugging stops (a popular way of getting around in the Northern Virginia area). However, real estate near the Pentagon is expensive compared to other areas so many do choose to live farther out. Even if you decide to live in Woodbridge for example, which many people do, you will have a variety of public transportation options (train, bus, slugging).

In addition to the information I have provided here, please check out Neighborhood information on my website which provides more detailed commuting information for specific neighborhoods, or feel free to just call or email me. I would be more than happy to assist you.

Luisa Rodriguez

Exit Choice Realty

Woodbridge, VA 22192

240-377-7104

www.RealEstateEliteTeam.com

luisarodriguez@mris.com

For quality service, please contact us and a member of our team will be more than happy to assist you.

Are there Grants for First Time Home Buyers?

2012-07-06T02:51:00.000-07:00

The $5000 Grant for First Time Home Buyers is a program that is not very well known nor advertised. Few lenders, from my knowledge, offer the program, but it is very much real and available although only in a few states. Luckily, one of those states is Virginia. Applicants will have to meet certain requirements and the program has many restrictions, but we have several clients that have bought homes using this program and in all reality, it has been a true God-sent for them. It greatly reduces the amount of money that the buyer has to bring to the closing table and if the seller offers closing cost assistance, it puts the buyer in a much better position.

Below, I list some of the requirements for the program in "bank speak." To summarize key points: income limits are based on the number of people in the household (the more people in the household, the higher the income limits). The buyer must live in the house for at least 5 years or they will have to proportionally repay the grant money. You must be a first-time home buyer which usually means that you have not owned a home in the last 3 years. Not listed below, but also an important point is that the buyer's credit score will need to meet a minimum requirement.

In order to correctly determine whether the buyer will qualify or not, he/she will need to apply for the program. If you are indeed a first time home buyer, then it is definitely worth trying, but I wouldn't sit on it. The funds are limited. If you are indeed interested in learning about this program, contact me ASAP so my team can help you take advantage of this great opportunity and help you find a great home!!

Maximum subsidy is $5000 per homebuyer
Funding is provided as a 4 to 1 match
The homebuyer must contribute at least $1,000
The homebuyer must have income that is less than or equal to 80% of HUD median income for the area, adjusted for family size
Purchased home must be used as the homebuyer's primary residence
Homebuyer must meet the definition of a first-time homebuyer as defined by the Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing Act of 1990
Retention period is five years
Borrower must complete Bank-prescribed financial literacy training
Home must be located in the Bank's district, which includes Alabama, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, or Virginia
Eligible properties include:
- Owner-occupied 1-4 family properties
- Townhouses, condos
- Foreclosed properties
- Cooperatives
- Manufactured and Mobile Housing
- New construction (within 30 days of closing)
CALL ME TODAY TO SEE IF YOU QUALIFY!!!

¡SÍ, HABLO ESPAÑOL!

Marjorie Chacon
Prestige Property Group, LLC

EXIT CHOICE REALTY
14067 Crown Ct

WOODBRIDGE, VA 22193
Direct: (703) 819-6337

Assistant: (240) 377-7104
Office: Office (703)494-0404

www.PrestigePropertyGroupVA.com

marjoriechaconteam@yahoo.com

When a Short Sale Does NOT Affect Your Credit Score

2012-07-06T02:43:00.001-07:00

Many individuals who would otherwise attempt a short sale don't do so because they believe it will negatively affect their credit score. However, if you are not in default (your payments are on time), there is a pretty good chance you can short sell with a limited effect on your credit. Not only that, but you may also be able to purchase immediately following the short sale.

The key to short selling while maintaining your credit is to be on time with your mortgage payments. In fact, one of the primary reasons individuals have had their credit so negatively affected due to a short sale is because of the late payments, and not necessarily because of the short sale itself. That is why it makes me cringe when I hear of individuals that have purposefully defaulted because they were led to believe that that is the only way the lender would approve the short sale. My team will NEVER recommend that a client purposefully default on a loan in an effort to conduct a short sale. It is not ethical for us to do so and it is not necessary.

One of the ways to find out if the short sale will affect your credit is to find out how the bank will report it to the creditors once the short sale is complete. Each lender has a different policy, and a knowledgeable experienced negotiator will take that into consideration when negotiating the short sale. Once a short sale is successfully negotiated, in many cases you may also be able to immediately buy another property following the short sale. The ability of an individual to buy will be based on many factors, so make sure you are working with real estate professionals who are well versed in all the regulations pertaining to short sales. My team has successfully helped such clients and my negotiator is one of the best in the business.

Of course, the above scenarios are for individuals who can continue to make their payments throughout the short sale process. To many it may seem counter intuitive that if you are able to maintain your payments, that you will be able to honestly claim a hardship, the basis for any short sale approval. A "hardship" can mean many different things, and you do not necessarily have to be in a dire situation to get a short sale approved. For example, if you are in the military and being forced to PCS, that alone can be the basis for the hardship and the approval. Again, each lender is different and have different policies, but that is why we are here. We will look at your particular situation, and make a recommendation based on our experience on how the short sale will affect your credit and your ability to buy again in the near future.

My team works in Northern Virginia, but even if you are located in another state, contact me and through my network of realtors nationwide, I will try to find you a licensed Realtor that can help you in your geographic area.

Luisa Rodriguez

Prestige Property Group

Exit Choice Realty

Woodbridge, VA 22193

240-377-7104

www.RealEstateEliteTeam.com

luisarodriguez@mris.com

For quality service, please contact us and a member of our team will be more than happy to assist you.

Increasing Living Space at Little to No Cost

2012-06-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

Sometimes we start to feel a little constrained in our own homes. We feel that if we could just add one more room, things would be a little better? For example, do you wish you could just have an extra room for an office? Or one for a playroom for the kids? Or maybe you are a buyer and you found a house you like, but it is just a tad bit small because it doesn't have that office or that playroom that you need. Well you can add some "extra" living space to your home by being a little creative and getting rid of rooms that you don't use.

About 2 weeks ago, I went to a friend's house and all of a sudden I noticed that they didn't have a formal living room. As I thought about the layout of the house, I realized they had turned the formal living room into their dining room and the formal dining room into an office. Brilliant!! So I went home and to my husband's chagrin (since he has to do all the heavy lifting) I started thinking about how I could make that work to my own advantage in my own home.

I had a formal living room that we never used. Okay, my five year old likes to set up her tent there every once in awhile, but if guests come over they are either in our eat-in kitchen, the family room, or the dining room. I therefore decided to follow my friends footsteps and turn the formal living room into the formal dining area. Here are the benefits:
***My "new" dining room has so much more space. My china cabinets fit better and my oversized dining room table fits nicely. The old dining room was too small so everything looked so crowded. That space which never was used before is now fully functional.

***My former dining room which is right off the kitchen, I turned into the kids play/activity center. That got their toy cabinets out of the family room which is now more practical for me as a mom and I can keep my kids within eyesight while I am cooking. The toy cabinets actually play off nicely with the kitchen cabinets and counter tops so aesthetically it looks better tool.

***My family room is now functionally better as well. Before the kids toys were right next door to the back door. With the dogs and people coming in and out of the door, I was constantly concerned that my kids toys were getting covered with dirt. That area is now open and designed for foot traffic and my kids have a clean and safe area where they can hang out.

***Instead of spending money, I made money out of this deal. I sold my extra sofa and chair on Craigslist and got some nice spending money.

The moral of the story is if you do not have thousands and thousands of dollars to buy a bigger home or add an addition to your existing home, think about the areas of your home that you do not use. Start with the formal living room--few people use them today and personally, I believe they are just a waste of space. Play around with ideas and see what will work better for you but chances are you will be able to find a better use of the space.

Luisa Rodriguez

Prestige Property Group

Exit Choice Realty

Woodbridge, VA 22193

240-377-7104

www.RealEstateEliteTeam.com

luisarodriguez@mris.com

For quality service, please contact us and a member of our team will be more than happy to assist you.

Short Sales and Security Clearances

2012-06-29T07:52:00.001-07:00

In the Northern Virginia area, having a security clearance is almost a must if you want to work in the DC Metro area. It is no surprise that we therefore come in contact with various clients who are concerned about the effects of a short sale on their security clearance. Since we are real estate professionals, we can't give you a definite answer whether it will or it won't, but none of our short sale clients who fully disclosed the circumstances of the short sale to their supervisors and the clearance issuing office have had any issues. I myself worked for the military for 7 years and held a security clearance. I understand the sensitivities behind it and here is my advice based on my experience.

If you feel that you need to complete a short sale due to circumstances out of your control such as a job transfer, spouse losing a job, balloon payment kicking in, etc be upfront with your supervisor and discuss with them the possibility of doing a short sale. If there is one thing I learned, it was that is always better to run something by them than to remain quiet and face the consequences.

My feeling is that if you have a history of not paying bills on time, you have unnecessary debt, and then you try to do a short sale, it will turn out very negatively for you. However, if up to now you have a clean financial record but circumstances out of your control are forcing you into that situation, it will have a limited affect on your security clearance. Also remember that as common as security clearance are in the DC area, so are short sales so I truly doubt you will be the first. Recent reporting in the Army Times seems to agree with my opinion, at least as far as the Air Force is concerned. That is also in line with the experience of our short sale clients that also had security clearances and didn't face any repercussions. But in general, I think the services are hesitant to give a blanket yes or no to short sales because they will review each case on its own merit.

Also, remember the military conducts its clearance investigations separate from the CIA and the FBI so how each one will handle it will depend on each agency's internal policies. I remember that I applied for a job with the CIA and the FBI while I already held a clearance with the Navy. The FBI retracted their job offer based on the residency status of one of my family members. The CIA offered me a position and had no issues with my family member's status--and neither did the Navy. That is why I think it is best to broach the issue with the appropriate personnel at your agency and get a feel from them on how a short sale based on your circumstances will affect your clearance. You do not want to withhold the information and then all of a sudden have it appear during your reinvestigation.

Luisa Rodriguez

Prestige Property Group

Exit Choice Realty

Woodbridge, VA 22193

240-377-7104

www.RealEstateEliteTeam.com

luisarodriguez@mris.com

For quality service, please contact us and a member of our team will be more than happy to assist you.

Dealing with Wet Basements

2012-06-29T05:19:00.001-07:00

I recently had to deal with a wet basement in my own house. You see, my house was built in 1962. The basement is almost entirely underground and there is no sump pump. We only bought the house in January but we began to notice that water was appearing on the concrete floor and we couldn't tell where it was coming from. What a headache!! I also noticed that some of the things I had stored down there were starting to grow mold. Gross!!

As a Realtor I have walked into many, many moldy houses and seen the effects of wet basements. When I had seen some home owners deal with the issue, their contractors had built motes around the entire house, added drainage, then the sump pump and then refilled the moat again. I could only imagine the expense!!! In addition, my house has a concrete patio in the back. All I could think about was how much it was going to cost me to have them break up that patio and then put in a new one.

I took the advice I always give my clients: get an estimate from several contractors. Check on websites like Angies List to see if they are reputable and then make your decision. I was so glad that I did!! I had a few contractors price the job and give me a detailed explanation of how they were going to deal with my basement. What I learned is that there are other ways of water proofing the basement that do NOT require digging on the outside of the house. The contractor I chose will actually dig into the concrete inside the house but only about 8 inches wide and 8 inches deep. They then install a type of drain that will collect the water from the foundation and deliver it to a sump pump. I found out that this method, although still somewhat expensive, is from a 1/3 to a 1/2 cheaper than having to excavate around the house and much less intrusive. So if you are thinking of waterproofing your basement, make sure you get several opinions and take this one into consideration, it will save you a lot of money. I know it saved me!!

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Increasing Living Space at Little to No Cost

Short Sales and Security Clearances

Dealing with Wet Basements