Braemar Property Values:  May-June 2017 (Arista Series)As I sit here, about to type the most recent Braemar Property Value Report, I realize that I completely missed Casino Night at the Braemar Clubhouse last night.  If you went, I would love to hear about, so feel free to share in the comments below.  This edition of the Braemar Property Value Report is focused on activity in the months of May and June for Arista Series homes in our neighborhood.  Arista Series homes are the large, single family homes built by Brookfield Homes.  The floor plans include the Allister, Buckingham and Canterbury. It is not at all unusual for this to happen, but during our last two month reporting period, there were no sales of any Arista homes in our neighborhood.  That's okay, because with our new and imp... 07/16/2017

Braemar Reflection Quarterly:  April-June 2017 (2nd Quarter)Hard to believe, but I was just reading about a school supply drive.  Say it isn't so!  The kids have been out of school only a month.  Summer goes by so fast.  Hope you all are enjoying every minute of it.Even though it is summer, which means we all get the opportunity to have a little more fun than usual, the job of this Braemar Real Estate remains the same.  It's my sworn duty to keep you up to date on the latest news in our neighborhood real estate market.  So today, let's talk about what happened in the second quarter with respect with Braemar Reflection homes.  Reflection homes in Braemar are semi-attached single family homes located only on Tarvie Circle in New Castle Village.  They are attached at the rear load garage.T... 07/15/2017

A flat roof must provide a way for water to go.If not, water sits, and finds any small opening it can. Since we know gravity works, if water can go down, it will.  On a flat roof surface, that means eventual destruction.This is a 17 year old EPDM roof surface.  EPDM is a synthetic rubber surface, manufactured by Firestone, and is an excellent product when installed correctly.  If it is not failure is imminent.The bubble on the edge means the glue is giving away.  The staining on the wood post trim indicates rot.  And notice how the post is sinking into the roof surface.  Can you guess why?This view shows the same post from the other side.Can you tell more of what is causing this problem?The photo was taken by my reaching around and through the guardrail stiles.I did NOT want to get onto... 07/15/2017

Braemar Piggyback Quarterly:  April-June 2017 (2nd Quarter)Do you look forward to Friday?  If you have a Monday through Friday job, I bet you do.  Of course the kids enjoying their summer vacation (likely at the Braemar pools) are probably starting to lose track of what day of the week it is.  From the eyes of this Braemar Real Estate Agent, Fridays are not a day that is distinguishable from most.  Weekends are some of the busiest times a real estate agent encounters.  Of course this Friday, I'm plugging away at my Braemar market reports.  This one is the Braemar Piggyback Quarterly.  Before we get started, let's clear up what we are talking about when we say piggyback.   Braemar Piggyback Townhouses are attached side-to-side and back-to-back.  While they do not offer back yards, they o... 07/14/2017

Braemar Patio Home Quarterly:  April-June 2017 (2nd Quarter)The three words dreaded in Bristow, VA during the summer months are hazy, hot and humid.  That's our triple threat, making you want to explore indoor activities like cooking, watching TV, or surfing the Internet.  Today we are experiencing just the double threat of hot and humid.  That darn sunshine, combined with blue skies and white puffy clouds makes you want to wander outside and then BLAM!  You wonder why the heck you stepped outside to begin with.  It's like a sauna.As a result, I'm partaking of the indoor activity of putting Braemar market report together today.  Right now, we are going to look back to the second quarter and see what happened to Braemar Patio home values.  Braemar Patio Homes are known to some as quads. ... 07/13/2017

Braemar Condo Quarterly: April-June 2017 (2nd Quarter)We are well into summer in Braemar and I am sure that folks in the condos are happy with their proximity to the Iona Sound community pool.  Of course, that is likely with the exception of swim meet mornings when parking around that pool reminds you of a big box store on Black Friday.  There are pluses and minuses to everything in life, promixity to the community pool used by the Braemar Blasters for their swim meets included.Being well into summer means that I can share the second quarter Braemar Condo Quarterly data with you now.  Let's get right to it.  There were three sales of Braemar condos between the beginning of April and end of June.  The sales are listed in detail below, and oddly, it seems having a garage is not indicative... 07/12/2017

Thermal imaging art.Thermal imaging can check a lot of things. It can be a precursor check for electrical issues.  Heating and air conditioning can be evaluated.  Roof and plumbing leaks are a given.  And the best way (the only way inside walls) to see the quality of an insulation installation or whether insulation has slipped inside walls is thermal imaging.When checking a double, tiled shower I always run the water for a while to see if the temperatures mix properly and the water is directed toward the drain.There should be no puddles in the corners!Using a thermal camera on the area, and choosing this palette, called the Rainbow palette, the water almost looks like a lava flow.And certainly the water is flowing toward the drain, seen in the lower left corner.This image is almost a wo... 07/11/2017

A Thought Before Selling Your Home For Sale By OwnerAs is the case most weekends, when I am out and about, I have the local talk radio station playing in the car.  Weekend programming on big market talk stations like the one I listen to out of Washington, DC are often talk programs, whose hosts pay for the privilege of reaching so many ears.  Not sure if these two pay for their spots, but my favorite weekend hosts are Ric Edelman and Winter Troxel.  They are the financial gurus.  Ric is general investment and financial planning.  Ric's book The Truth About Money is one every should own, and his blog by the same name is brilliant.  Winter, on the other hand, is a federal benefits expert.  While I don't have a federal pension or TSP, listening to Winter helps me understand the decisions t... 07/09/2017

When any upper level is hot insulation is almost always the reason.And why else wouldn't it be?  It could be that the air conditioning does not reach or blow hard enough into the upper level.  But that air pressure is an easy check.When air is blowing well through a register I have my client feel it so they will know when the mechanism isn't blowing properly.But going into the attic we found our answer there.Insulation was indeed the reason here!  Large areas without insulation were evident.  And along the edges of the roof the condition was the same.Thermal images of each of the photos above looked like this. The insulation all over the attic had huge gaps where there wasn’t any present.  And insulation, when it was present elsewhere, was very thin.And all along the edges of the roof, ... 07/05/2017

Should a Seller Call a Financing Contingency in Bristow-Gainesville?Whenever I network with fellow real estate agents in the market I am often amazed at how little they do to actually protect their seller clients.  Right now, I'm seeing listing agents fail their sellerswhen it comes to removing the financing contingency.  Let me tell you how our financing contingency works in Bristow-Gainesville-Haymarket.  The contract contains a number of days, usually somewhere around thirty days past the date of ratification where the financing contingency is in full force for buyers.   If the financing contingency is not called by the sellers at the end of the contingency period, it remains in the contract.  However, there is language that states that if the buyer doesn't close on settlement date f... 07/02/2017

Getting Information You Don't Want to HearWhat do old cars and beat up houses have in common?  Let me tell you, it's more than you think when it comes to weighing your options as to whether to dump money into it or ditch it the way that it is.In 2002, I bought a new Mitsubishi Montero Sport that was my first really nice car.  It had high quality leather seats and was the car of my dreams at the time.  That was before I became a Bristow Real Estate Agent and started driving buyers around to look at property.  When that happened in 2005, I quickly realized that the SUV was loud.  I hated the road noiseand came home with a headache every time I was out in it for more than an hour.  At the time, being a new agent with little income, putting upgraded tires was a big deal.  Of course, as my b... 07/01/2017

Can You Make an Offer So Low the Seller Won't Even Counter?When a buyer is looking for a home, they certainly want to save every penny they can.  Who can blame them?  In the Bristow-Gainesville marketplace, an average purchase price can be near $400,000.  That's a lot of money.  Heck, even if someone is buying an entry level property, they are looking at shelling out a minimum of $250,000.  Spending even that lower amount of money can make you feel queasy.  Can you make an offer and see if the seller will counter?  Now is not the time to go in too high if you want to save $10,000-$20,000.  If you are smart enough to have hired a buyer's agent to represent you, then your agent will run comparable, recent sales on the home like the one you are looking to purchase.  They will tell you the ... 06/29/2017

When It Comes to Buyer Home Inspection Repair Requests, Offer MoneyLet out a big sigh.  Your home is under contract and you just know that the rest is going to be smooth sailing from here.  You've taken good care of your home and the buyer's home inspector won't find anything major.  And even if the buyer asks for minor repairs, you can handle that.  Assuming that there are no lender required repairs to be made before the loan can close, I strongly suggest that you offer a buyer closing cost help in lieu of repairs.  And if they can't absorb anymore money in closing costs, have a check cut to a contractor from funds at settlement for repairs to be done AFTER closing at the direction of the buyer.  Let me give you an example why I recommend this.Just the other day, I was sitting with a s... 06/28/2017

How Important is Feedback When Listing a Home?Like most questions in real estate, the question about how important feedback is when listing a home is this--it depends.  If you looked on any real estate forum on social media in my Bristow-Gainesville-Haymarket area, you would see buyers agents not providing feedback as one of the primary complaints by listing agents.  And even last week, while attending a networking group of eight real estate agents, the session started with the moderator taking a shot at buyer's agents not giving feedback.Sellers desperately want to know what buyers that were through their home thought.  They trust and believe that the feedback given by a buyer's agent is somehow valuable.  In rare cases, it may be.  Perhaps you didn't know that a recent wind storm had ... 06/26/2017

My client asked if there was no insulation in the wall.Often during a home inspection my client follows me around when I do a thermal image sweep to check for insulation issues or roof leaks.  They like looking over my shoulder and listen to my explanation of what they are seeing.Sometimes I show them ghost footprints on the wall, but that's another story.In this house we entered a bedroom and there was a long cool spot on the wall.My client immediately asked if there was no insulation in the wall, and that was why there was the cool line from top to bottom.I said that could not be the case because it was an interior wall and it was 85F outdoors.And then I pointed out the cool line was beside the receptacle on the wall, which you can see at the bottom toward the right in the image.Knowi... 06/24/2017

In new construction the thermal barrier in the attic should be verified by an attic insulation certificate.This house is supposed to be Energy Star compliant for Virginia standards.  As such there are criteria that are to be met.  For example, windows and doors should have certain U-factors and solar heat gain coefficients.  There should be foam sealant around windows and door framing, and gaps in exterior walls.  And the insulation in the walls and ceiling should meet certain criteria.  There are more criteria.And everything is supposed to be inspected and verified by someone who insures that Energy Star criteria are met.One of the things that is to be verified is the attic insulation.The certificate is supposed to be placed in a visible location, typically near the attic access openin... 06/23/2017

Finding a Contractor You Can TrustAs a full-time Bristow, VA Real Estate Agent, I get plenty of referrals requests for general contractors.  When I come across good ones, they are often overloaded with work and don't return calls.  That's frustrating.  In my community, there are plenty of contractors , but here are some things to keep in mind. And some create more frustration than poor communication.Is the contractor licensed?  Believe it or not, there are two different types of license.  A business license, which is generated by the county in which your business is located and, as such, carries the burden to pay taxes to the county for revenue generated.   That is one where you fill out an application and pay and fee, and BAM, you are a "licensed business."  What most folks are looking... 06/22/2017

FAQ:  When Will I Get the Money From the Sale of My Bristow, VA Home?Selling a home in Virginia is not exactly like selling a home in any other state.  I often read blog posts authored by agents in California that go on and on about the many disclosures that sellers must make.  Just out of the gate, Virginia doesn't hold sellers liable to disclose much.  And some of the things sellers in Virginia have to disclose don't even affect the market areas where I do most of my business.  For instance, being in a military operations area.  Bristow is not located in one.  Nor are any of the areas I typically sell in historic districts.  So when someone has sold in California, then sell in Virginia, they are happy.  There isn't much paperwork to do when it comes to disclosure.When it comes to gett... 06/20/2017

Can you repair a leak with a handy can of miracle "spray?"Of course you know the answer.You've seen the commercials. They are incessant! A handy can of spray which will repair everything from your pipes, your roof and gutters, a kitchen counter top, and, well, you can seal a window screen so well you can use it on the bottom of your boat!Imagine!  With the miracle "spray" you can float on a window screen!Best of all, it "lasts a lifetime!"And it's so cheap! Of course calling right away will get you two cans!IT'S A MIRACLE PRODUCT!Why are the commercials so frequent, seen on every channel, and why are new commercials are made all the time each with a new, similar whatever or new colors?BECAUSE ZILLIONS OF PEOPLE ARE BUYING A PRODUCT THEY THINK WILL BE AN EASY FIX, AND CHEAPER THAN CALLIN... 06/20/2017

This is the case of FRT plywood that needs further investigation.FRT plywood (Fire Retardant Treated) came into use in the 80s when masonry firewalls between townhouses were replaced with a thick, fire-resistant drywall fire barrier wall.  This material is intended to resist or impede the spread of a fire for a prescribed period of time, about 2 hours.In addition to the fire barrier wall between the units, roofing was fitted with a special sheathing treated to resist the spread of a fire.   The wood is treated with forms of salts intended to get the sheathing to char and not burn rapidly.The plywood in this photo is different. It was covered with a layer of something, and I have never seen this before.This something was cracking and peeling in many places.Sending a photo to a couple of ... 06/15/2017