After having reviewed our postings for the past few months, we decided to give you a different snapshot of the housing market in Fredericksburg, VA.
In August 2009 there were 29 new listings during the month. In 2010 there were 43 new listings announcing homes for sale in Fredericksbug Virginia.
There were 15 closed sales during August in both 2009 and 2010. What a coincidence.
Of the 15 closed sales in August 2010, ten (10) were normal sales (not foreclosures or short sales).
One short sale closed and four foreclosures sold.
In August 2009 there were 127 single family homes on the market and in 2010 that number was 118. This is a decrease of 7.1% which is not really significant.
An interesting figure that pops up is that the median sales price in August 2010 was $282,000. That is an increase of 22.6% over August 2009.
However, that increase in median sales price may be influenced by the decrease (-5.4%) in the Percent of Original List Price Received at Sale.
It is truly a very mercurial real estate market we have here in Fredericksburg, VA.
You may call us at (540) 368-3900 or email us FBurgRealty@gmail.com for additional help in getting information about buying or selling a home in Fredericksburg VA
I thought it might be a good idea to let you see the July 2010 real estate market statistics for Spotsylvania County. Bear in mind that the statistics for the Fredericksburg area (City of Fredericksburg, Spotsylvania County, Stafford County, King George County, and Caroline County) were not something to rave about.
Selling a home in Spotsylvania county right now could be a problem. Reason being that there are so many short sales and foreclosures that have sold for less than true market value. My advice to many people to whom I have sold a home, is to wait out this market before placing their homes on the market. I really believe that time will heal this deflated market but the question remains when? Homes for sale in Spotsylvania County are many. Unfortunately, not many are “arms length” transactions.
As mentioned in one of our previous blogs, we have discovered a new website that provides us with information about real estate sales in the Fredericksburg Virginia area.
Beginning this month we are going to share those statistics with you in the hopes that we will entice you to call us or email us for more information on either buying or selling a home in Fredericksburg Virginia.
Remember that our area of expertise is the City of Fredericksburg Virginia, Spotsylvania County Virginia, Stafford County Virginia, King George County Virginia, and Caroline County Virginia. We are ready to assist you in providing you information on each of those jurisdictions.
A GREAT WAY TO LOOK AT THE FREDERICKSBURG REAL ESTATE MARKET
The Fredericksburg Areas Association of Realtors (FAAR) uses the Metropolitan Regional Information Services (MRIS) as our multiple listing service (MLS).
One of the services recently added for our members is RBI (Real Estate Business Information) data concerning the real estate market for several areas in our coverage area. The reports I use deal with information about home sales in the Fredericksburg area; this includes homes for sale in Fredericksburg, Stafford County, Spotsylvania County, King George County, Rappahannock County, Madison County, Orange County, Culpeper County, and Caroline County.
In one of our earlier tips we advised you agains following prospective purchasers around your home or giving them a guided tour. Give that you have done that, you should do this . . .
Talk to them before you let them leave the home. Thank them for coming and ask them if they are willing to share any comments about your home that would help you get the home sold. Sometimes they do not want to insult you and they will be reluctant to give any feedback. Accept that this may happen and don’t be too “pushy” to get feedback.
Be polite and thank them again and ask them if they would like you to contact them if anyone else shows interest in your home. If they are interested they will probably answer with a “Yes.”
Good luck!
By the way, if you are considering having a Fredericksburg Virgina real estate agent assist you in selling your home, please contact us at (540) 368-3900 or by email at
FBurgRealty@gmail.com
If your home is in a pretty setting (e.g. nice backyard, beautiful home to the front of your, lovely garden seen from a side window) take advantage of the situation. By the same token, if you have a window on the side of your home that looks out on the neighbors air conditioner, play it down.
If you have a lovely garden with many beautiful flowers that are not now blooming, take pictures of them and place them on a table in your home. If your flowers are blooming, bring some into the home. Clean up your yard, take out any dead plants or flowers, re-mulch your flowerbeds, and trim your hedges.
Open the shades if the view from a window is pleasing. If it is not pleasing, close the shades.
Be sure to turn off your TV while people are visiting; people will be distracted by it.
Be sure to turn on all the lights if it is a dark or dreary day.
Hope these few hints will help you.
If you are thinking about selling your home in either Fredericksburg Virginia, Stafford County Virginia, Spotsylvania County Virginia, King George County Virginia or Caroline County Virginia please give us a call at (540) 368-3900 or contact us at fburgrealty@gmail.com
If you would like information about homes for sale in any of those areas, we can provide you information on them too.
Yes, I know you have heard it before “Burn some candles.” “Put some potpourri on the stove.” “Bake some cookies.”
My advice is to forget all of that! Unless, however, you want to leave some fresh cookies out on the kitchen counter for the prospective buyers to enjoy while they are viewing your home.
Prospective buyers, and the real estate agent(s) that may (or may not) be with them are onto the other scents suggestions. Most suspect that you are trying to mask the smell of something. Pet odors are particularly offensive to some people and they suspect there may be issues with urine on the carpeting when there is an overpowering smell of air cleaner. Mildew is often the culprit that is trying to be masked. Tobacco smoke smell turns off more people than you think. Perhaps airing out your home (if you have smoked in it) real well will help but, too frequently, the odor is in the carpeting, stuffed furniture, and on the walls. You may have to repaint and professionally clean the furniture and carpeting if the smell is strong.
My advice: forget the candles and other devices that really don’t do a good job in taking out the smells you want to get rid of.
In the month of June 2010 there were 458 homes sold in Fredericksburg Virginia, Stafford County Virginia, Spotsylvania County Virginia, King George County Virginia, and Caroline County Virginia.
Of those 458 104 were foreclosures and 76 were short sales.
Foreclosures and short sales accounted for 39.3% of the total sales.
One could interpret this to mean that the foreclosure and short sale market is declining and the “normal” sales are increasing and, therefore, the market is getting healthy again.
Hopefully, this is the case since I have many former clients who would like to sell their current home and move on to another. Personally, I think it may be a bit soon to conclude that the market has improved; this is one month of decrease in the number of foreclosures and short sales sold in our area. Improvement yes, a positive indicator for the months ahead? Not yet.
We will continue to monitor this in the months to come; keep returning to see the reports.
Bad things can happen when you don’t lock up your guns. Ask any panda or anyone who comes into your home under the guise of being a potential buyer.
Our last blog dealt with locking up any medicine you had. This one warns you about locking up any weapons you may have in your home. What more can we say.
I’d bet there would be more people coming into your home that could use an expensive weapon more than they could (or perhaps a better word would be “want”) some prescription medicines for their own use.
I think that this advice applies equally to those living in the City of Fredericksburg Virginia, Stafford County, or Spotsylvania County. Those living in the rural areas of those counties as well as those in Caroline County and King George County have just as much reason to heed this tip as do those in the more urban areas.
Oftentime gun owners who do not have children are prone to forget they have one in the bedroom closet that a stranger to their home might be able to steal without being noticed. Naturally, this applies more to a handgun than it does to a Gatling Gun (amazing how the panda knows how to hold one).
I’m not kidding here folks. Just recently someone was sent to jail for stealing drugs from someone’s home in Stafford County Virginia while they were looking at it while it was for sale.
Furthermore, it was found out during the investigation, that the thief had made a habit of stealing drugs from many homes that were on the market. Not an isolated incident.
In truth, this is also good advice for those who have employed a real estate agent to sell their home for them. Common sense tells us that the person intent on stealing anything from your home can do so without you even noticing.
Years ago, there was a family in Prince William County that visited open houses on weekends. While the “father” and “mother” were engaging the real estate agent, the “child” opened the medicine cabinets and emptied the contents into a purse she was carrying. It mattered not what the drugs were. They word sort them out later. By the time the loss was recognized, the family was long gone.
RSS
