Northern Virginia Real Estate - Loudoun, Fairfax and Arlington

As a twist on the typical "Best Places To Live" surveys, CNN Money released its 2008 "Best Places to Live and Launch". The rankings rate the business friendliness of 296 Census-designated metro areas, and then identify that area's town that best combine business and pleasure for its residents. I...

When mortgage rates change rapidly, it's a fiscal challenge to shop for a home and/or home loan. Lately, mortgage rates have been especially volatile, mirroring the wild moves of the stock market. Here's how up-and-down stock markets have been in 2008: Through last week, the S&P 500 Index change...

Each month, the Commerce Department and the National Association of REALTORS release national housing data. The former's release is called the New Residential Sales report and the latter's is called the Existing Home Sales report. Both reports highlight the "median sales price", the point at whi...

Consumer Confidence fell to its lowest point in three years and anybody who watches the evening news can understand why. Each day, news programs barrage Americans with tales of economic woe and American Opinion is largely shaped by the media. After enough time, the reporting becomes a self-fulfi...

Each quarter, the Census Bureau releases the Homeowner Vacancy Rate, a housing statistic the measures the percentage of homes for sale that are vacant. A home listed for sale may be vacant for several reasons including: The home has been foreclosed and the owner has moved out The home seller mov...

HGTV catalogs the Top 15 Home Improvements For Sellers, complete with narrarated, 90-second videos and the expected return-on-investment per project. Best Return: Minor Bathroom Remodeling Worst Return: Living Room Updates Each locale in the country will get a slightly larger (or lesser) return ...

When selling a home, understanding a little bit about home buyer psychology can help you move your home more quickly. After all, what people perceive helps define how they act. A recent article from RealEstateJournal.com listed several techniques that home seller can use to attract more offers f...

When a buyer and seller reach agreement on a home sale, the buyer typically puts a small amount of money into a trust account. This up-front deposit is more commonly known as "earnest money". A sales contract's earnest money requirement will vary from contract to contract. It can be as high as 1...

When buying a home, there are two stages in the home loan approval process. Stage 1 starts when a homebuyer submits a mortgage application to his loan officer for a pre-approval. A pre-approval is a "walk-through" mortgage approval that says -- at a given purchase price and downpayment amount --...

Many homeowners are entitled to two major tax deductions -- one for annual interest paid on a home loan, and another for real estate tax bills paid to government. Calculating your approximate tax credit is basic: Add mortgage interest paid and real estate taxes paid together Find your marginal t...