January 8, 2014 “There is no love sincerer than the love of food.” – George Bernard Shaw, Man and Superman. Being a foodie in DC can be quite an expensive hobby! For all of us that love that chance to try all of the latest restaurants that are friends are buzzing about, Restaurant Week is that time when we can do it without the guilt. Beginning Monday, January 13 through Sunday, January 19, over 230 of Washington, DC’s finest restaurants will be offering 3-course lunches for $20.14, and 3-course dinners for $35.14. A showcase of Washington, DC’s finest culinary talents, Metropolitan Washington Restaurant Week is a great opportunity to experience the District’s best restaurants at Read more [...]

January 6, 2014 Are we edging closer to a “Normal Market? Not really, we are still in the “Seller Zone”! Look at the chart below - prices are still rising in Lorton with the average sold price up 20% over Dec. 2013.  Prices will continue to climb at a steady rate as long as interest rates and inventory remain low. In the third quarter of 2013 there was an increase in new listings coming on the market but sold prices did not reduce. Why, you ask? Because inventory is still historically low.  There are 9,758 homes in Gainesville and only 87 are actively looking for a buyer.  That’s less than .01% of homes in active status, very low inventory indeed! Is there any good news for buyers - absolutely! The Read more [...]

December 23, 2013 There is so much to do in Frederick that it is hard to know where to begin. Civil war battlefields, parks, museums, wineries, zoos, minor league ballgames, historic sites, antique shops, farm markets and more. Visit old town Frederick and experience a day of shopping, browsing and eating.  The unique shops offer merchandise not found in the malls and big name stores and the wonderful eating establishments rival any 5 star restaurants. In fact, the restaurant Volt is a 5 star restaurant written up in many magazines as a top rated place to dine with a Top Chef runner-up at the helm. Spend a Saturday at one of the wineries in the area and you might just find that special wine you have always Read more [...]

December 18, 2013 Just think! The sold dollar volume has gone up 16.91% from a short year ago. All indications say our housing market continues to increase while days on market decrease. With interest rates hovering around 4.5% , it's a great day to be buying a home. If you've been listening to the recent news commentaries about our housing market, you've heard we are out of the recession, interest rates WILL rise next year and housing prices will continue to rise as well. So…if interest rates are low and home prices are at their lowest price this year, why not take advantage of the market today? It's not too late to buy yourself a home for Christmas!  Call us.   November 2013 November 2012 October Read more [...]

December 16, 2013 Are we edging closer to a “Normal Market?  Not really, we are still in the “Seller Zone”! Prices will continue to climb at a steady rate as long as interest rates and inventory remain low. In the third quarter of 2013 there was an increase in new listings coming on the market but sold prices did not reduce. Why, you ask? Because inventory is still historically low. It gets even better for sellers, in November, the number of new listings dropped 14% compared to November 2012. This is the first significant drop in inventory since December 2012. Very good news for sellers! There are 10,777 homes in Gainesville and only 91 are actively looking for a buyer. That’s less than .01% of homes Read more [...]

December 9, 2013 Caroline County is an affordable area within easy commute of both the Fredericksburg and Richmond areas. An assortment of homes, from lakeside properties to new planned communities, make this area attractive choice for many buyers. The median home price in the county increased by 52.73% over last year at this time, and is up 6.7% from September. There were fewer homes on the market, another  indicator that lack of inventory helped boost prices. The largest sector of purchasers paid cash for their homes, but all other financing options are represented as well. If you’re thinking of buying or selling soon, consider jumping into the market early in 2014! Statistic Values YoY MoM Total Read more [...]

December 2, 2013 The Leesburg Market continues into the second year of strong growth, following a huge drop in average sales price influenced by the distressed sales of foreclosures and short sales. The overall year over year increase in sales price is up 14%, outpacing Loudoun County at 6%. Closed units remain strong at 11% year over year outpacing Loudoun County which remained steady. October 2012 October 2013 % change Avg. Sales Price $388,708 $444,381 14% Avg. DOM 70 63 -10% Total Unit Sales 92 104 11% Active listings 340 354 4% Pending Sales 194 159 -18%  Northern Virginia continues to enjoy the low inventories, even though interest rates have moved up slightly above the historic lows Read more [...]

November 25, 2013 Over the past two months there has been a 70% increase of new inventory available to buyers in the City of Manassas. Is it something sellers should be concerned about? Absolutely not!  There are 14,053 homes in the City and as of Halloween night, only 87 are actively looking for a buyer.  That’s .0062% of homes in active status, very low inventory indeed! The graph below shows the amount of active listings over the last 5 years. The blue line represents new listings that came on the market. As you can see, active listing inventory has been pretty steady since 2009 with small peaks and valleys. Buyer interest, prices and interest rates are expected to rise again next year so we highly Read more [...]