OK, if you're going to move out to the country you need to be aware of a few things. One, we have spiders. Two, we have snakes. Three, we have great houses. I do get tickled when clients come out to the country, buy a home with a little land and then they're shocked when they see a snake or a spider. Snakes and spiders come with the property at no extra charge. I was out with a couple last weekend and they saw a snake. They didn't mind. They realize that snakes come with the country. Today, I was preparing a property for a showing tomorrow and I saw the largest spider I think I've ever seen. He/she/it was huge. Fortunately, I'm not afraid of spiders, but if I was, he may have sent me over the edge. Come on out to the country and buy a great home, but realize that sometimes snakes and sp... 06/06/2014

540-327-2813 Homes For Sale in Winchester VA | Beth Paisley | Realtor | Long and Foster Webber   Find local Frederick County Virginia, Winchester VA School Information.  Click Here!   06/05/2014

View Mike Cooper's Market Videos 06/05/2014

It's graduation time, and students all over the United States will be walking the final leg of one of their greatest accomplishments.  But, it's really only the end of the beginning.  School, whether it is high school or college is really a time of incubation.  During that time, material, much like breakfast, lunch and dinner is fed to students.  They can choose to consume it, or they can skip a meal here and there, but regardless, the meals are on the table.  The amount of nutrition derived from those meals will be determined by the nutritional content of the offerings.  Not all food is worthy to be consumed.  Our national obesity challenge is evidence that there is a lot of low quality nutrition out there.  Those who recognize that and choose to seek out more nutritious food groups fe... 06/02/2014

A lot of my clients are in that struggle between renting versus buying. They've rented for years and they're comfortable with the ease of it, but they also know they are throwing their money away. With home-ownership, they have to take over all the expenses and maintenance of a new home. That sounds daunting to some. What should they do? I found an excellent rent versus buy calculator to help you make that decision. It factors in more than just the monthly rent vs the monthly payment. Take a look and see if renting or buying is in your best interest. Should I rent versus buy calculator 05/30/2014

Happy Memorial Day from a grateful nation.  I never come upon this day without thinking about the great cost of our freedom.  When you travel abroad, you soon learn that the United States is unique in so many ways.  Our uniqueness is the result of the great freedom we enjoy.  Our freedom gives us the ability to create, to invent, to do and to dream, to write and to speak, to debate and to disagree.  It gives us the choice to live where we chose, to work in a job we seek after and to spend our money on things we determine and desire.  It is a freedom with few restrictions, but it carries great responsibility.  This freedom, that is so freely given to everyone born on our shores, is not free.  It has costs many of our brave sons and daughters the ultimate price.  They willingly sacrificed... 05/25/2014

Sellers, don't wait too long to lower the price on your home. If you wait until your property is stigmatized to lower the price, it still might not sell at the new price. The best thing a seller can do is list the property at a good price, make it easy to show, always have it ready to show and don't put roadblocks in the path of buyers. I turned down a listing a couple months ago because the seller wanted to list at an unreasonable price. Of course, he found an agent who was willing to list at his price. Today, two months later, he lowered the price to my suggested list price. Does that mean it will finally sell? Not at all. The problem with listing too high and then keeping it too high is that time clouds people's vision. A property that sits on the market endlessly becomes stigmatized... 05/21/2014

Low housing inventory is a home sellers dream, but when inventory goes up it can change the balance in favor of buyers. The Winchester, VA real estate inventory is up. Winchester / Frederick County, VA currently has 658 available properties on the market. Those listings come in a variety of housing types and styles. For instance: The Winchester / Frederick County, VA real estate market has a wide variety of property types, but colonials rule. Colonial properties out number any other category, and part of that is likely because our historical setting in northern Virginia. George Washington's office is in Winchester. Daniel Morgan, a Revolutionary War hero was a local resident, and many other significant historical sites and people are a part of the Shenandoah Valley.  Winchester, VA was ... 05/21/2014

This past week a gentleman contacted me wondering why my picture and contact information showed up on his Zillow FSBO. I explained to him how agents market on Zillow and a few other sites and I think he finally got it. In the process of our conversation, he told me about his house and the asking price. The price didn't seem too far off. I told him I had been working with a client who has looked at a dozen homes in that area, but he hasn't settled on one yet. He has actually lost out on the ones he wanted because he hesitated just a tad too long. That's when he brought up that he would love for me to bring him by, and of course that brought up compensation. I asked what he would offer a buyer's agent if he/she brought a buyer. He said, "We'll work that out." In an email later he brought ... 05/19/2014

Sellers always ask me what they can do to make their home more attractive to a buyer, and I appreciate that. There are some basic things sellers can do to increase the price, or to at least get the most for their homes. There are also things that may not bring a huge benefit. Before taking on any project intended to boost the selling price of a home a seller needs to know both sides of this issue. What not to do: A swimming pool is unlikely to boost your home price. It may, but in my experience, it can limit the number of potential buyers. Pools are work. I know, I have one. They can be expensive if something goes wrong, and some people just don't want one, period. On the other hand, a smaller number of people would love a pool. That would have been my wife many years ago, and here I am... 05/13/2014

They were busy until late last night, but the Bicycle Outfitters team, family and friends pulled it off. They're open! I was in the shop around 7:30 pm on Friday night, and there was a lot of work to do, but boy did they accomplish a lot before midnight. The shop is stocked with every conceivable bicycle, bicycle part, bicycle accessory and food supplement for the rider on the go. There is clothing for mountain bikers and road bikers. They have shoes, helmets, pedals, tubes, tires, bottle cages, bike computers, and just about anything a bicycle enthusiast could want. It's truly a bicycle candy story that delivers. Mark Werner, Dave Ballinger and Doug Graham (the store manager) have worked tirelessly to get the new store up and running. I bet these guys never saw themselves on their knee... 04/19/2014

Winchester Real Estate Stats and Trends for the week of May 19th, 2014: Winchester Real Estate Stats and Trends for the week of May 19th, 2014: homes priced around $250,250 compared to $256,774 the previous week, showing a decrease of less than -3%.  For Monday, May 19th, the current national mortgage rate for a 30 year fixed mortgage is 4.16%; the 15 year fixed rate is at 3.22%. For a loan larger than conventional conforming loans, or 'jumbo' loan, the 30 year rate is 4.82%, while the 15 year jumbo rate currently is at 4.03%. You can calculate your mortgage rate with our mortgage calculators.  Get local info and homes for sale in Winchester VA. View active real estate listings for different types of properties including new homes, houses for sale, foreclosures, short sales, and price r... 04/17/2014

So, even if it doesn't appraise, he won't drop the price? Correct. I have great buyer who is diligently looking for a home. She found one yesterday that she fell in love with, so she made a very reasonable offer. I use that term "reasonable offer" because what seems reasonable to a buyer, may not be reasonable to a seller.  It's not always that the seller is trying to make a few extra dollars, or that he/she is greedy. It might mean that he/she simply can't drop the price to meet a certain number. Let me give you a for instance. In this case, we have some numbers. I would never look at a property until I know what the tax assessment is and what the buyer paid for it an when. As and investor, those numbers are important, and I always look after my clients like an investor. I want them to... 04/10/2014

OK, Winchester, I have some inside information for you. There is another bicycle store coming to Winchester. Yes, a third bicycle shop, and you ask, "Do we really need a third bike shop?" What kind of question is that? Of course we need a third bike shop. As a two wheel geek, I love the idea of more bikes, riding gear and competition in the biking community.  How did I come by this inside information? My electrical contracting company is doing the wiring for the new store. Bicycle Outfitters will be the latest addition to the local bike enthusiast's carbon fiber candy stores. Bicycle Outfitters was established in 1988 as a sales and service bike store. They currently have stores in Leesburg, VA and Brambleton, VA. They carry a great line of bikes for riders of all levels. Their bike lin... 03/24/2014

Seller's, if there is a remote chance your home will need to go into a short sale, investigate early, keep your file for submission ready continuously and act quickly when you know. That's the advice a client of mine ignored for the first 4 months I had his house listed. He desperately needed to sell his home. It was a wonderful home. Under the right conditions, it should sell easily and quickly. When I activated his listing, he called me within the hour to say he wanted to raise the price. I had done extensive research showing where it was most likely to sell. He knew his new price was out of range of the comps and I explained that with the inventory in his neighborhood it would likely sit, and it did. For months, I pleaded with him to go with a short sale because his house was never g... 03/23/2014

Easter is fast approaching, and it got me to thinking about being a Christian and being in business. One thing I don't do is I don't use my Christian faith as a marketing tool, and here's why. I've been a Christian since 1977. In those years, I've played a lot of ministry roles. I've pastored, I've traveled and taught, and I've worked in some of the worst prisons in America. On more than on occasion, my personal safety has been in jeopardy, but I went into those situations voluntarily, because I believe in the gospel, and I believe that a God who calls me can also protect me.  I've also ventured into foreign fields. In some of those instances, new dangers presented themselves. I've been chased through the streets of a former Soviet city by the local militia bent on beating and robbing m... 03/20/2014

Buyers, skip the pre-qualification letter and go straight to the pre-approval letter. A pre- qualification letter is the minimum you will need to put a contract on a house, but you would be wise to skip that process altogether and sit with a lender and get pre-approved for a loan. In the post-2008 real estate meltdown, home-sellers and banks selling foreclosures and short sales want to know that you're truly qualified to buy a property before they agree to accept your offer. There is no reason to take a property off the active market if the buyer isn't actually qualified to buy it.  A pre-qualification is likely your lender's first contact with you. During that conversation, the lender will make an assessment of your buying power through a series of questions. Based upon what you tell h... 02/24/2014

When I work with a client, whether it's a buyer or seller, there are certain promises that I can make that I never deviate from. Real estate, like any profession, has its high points and its low points. There are companies and agents who operate like true pros throughout the entire process, and there are those who are looking for a fast check for a limited amount of work. I believe that second group is the minority, but they get a lot of attention when they abuse their clients, and that makes all of us look bad. When I work with a client, I can promise: I will always be honest. That means, if I think a lowball offer doesn't stand a chance of succeeding, I will tell you. I will still write the contract if you insist, but I will caution you before it's submitted. I will also tell you what... 02/22/2014

If you've read my blog, you know that I've spent time in the Ukraine teaching in a college. Each trip was more enjoyable and more eye opening. On an early trip, I met with the church leaders of the largest Baptist church in Zaporozhye.  During that meeting, one of the older (60-70+) church elders said, "We are very concerned about your country. We see it drifting toward communism, and that worries us. We want an American style goverment, but we know there is a good chance that our current season of freedom will only last 10 years, maybe a little more, maybe a little less. We really don't know how long freedom will last in our country. Nothing is ever guaranteed. Please protect it in your country."  The events in the Ukraine today may be the dark cloud he envisioned descending over his b... 02/21/2014

It's your house, but you can't move in. That is probably what my clients from yesterday's closing are thinking today. Our closing, which was scheduled for today, was going to be snowed out. So, the wonderful team who worked this deal scrambled yesterday to take care of all of the document signings.  The walk-through, transfer of keys, document signings, removal of lock-boxes and signs were all done pre-blizzard, and then the snow came. The wonderful family that bought the house has not sold their current property yet, so they aren't homeless, but in other circumstances, that surely could have been the case. I'd like to offer a special thanks to Apple Federal Credit Union for getting their paperwork done early enough to facilitate an early closing. A huge kudos to my friend, Derf Vondy, ... 02/13/2014