Bristow Real Estate Facts / How to Buy and Sell

DC METRO REAL ESTATE

Serving the Real Estate needs of the communities of Manassas, Bristow, Haymarket, Warrenton, Gainesville and Culpeper  in Northern Virginia


Dave Scardina  
Broker / Owner

703-829-SOLD

866-909-0900

Bristow Real Estate Facts / How to Buy and Sell

Bristow Home Improvement


Don't change the general architecture of the home, and make sure that renovations match. For example, a modern steel door doesn't belong on a ranch house built in the 1970s. Be aware of the features in Bristow.

Do it Yourself?
Be extremely confident you're capable of taking on a project before trying to do it yourself. When it comes time to sell your Bristow home, believe me buyers can and do spot all the signs of amateur work and they discount their offer accordingly.


Bristow Real Estate Contract Options


Finally, the Exclusive Agency Listing allows an agent to list and market your Bristow real estate. The agent will earn a commission if he/she or any other agent sells the property but not if the homeowner finds his/her own buyer. Very few if any agents are willing to agree to spend time, money and know-how on promoting a home without the guarantee of a commission when the home sells.

Many people imagine that the agent who lists their home begins an immediate search for likely homebuyers for Bristow but this is not always the case. The real skill of a good listing agent is her/his ability to market your home to other agents. Usually as soon as your listing agent returns to the office, your home is entered into the MLS and is now available to hundreds, maybe thousands of other agents.


Bristow Real Estate Title Insurance


Buyers in the Bristow market can be tempted to save money by foregoing a title search but the risks are heavy because title problems are many and varied. Some typical problems that title searches have uncovered include a second mortgage on a home that does not appear to have been paid off. The sellers borrowed money years ago from a parent who insisted that a second mortgage be recorded. The loan was repaid but the title wasn’t cleared. Another typical Bristow problem occurs when an owner had work done on the property but for one reason or another failed to pay the contractor in full. The contractor filed a mechanic’s lien on the property and it has never been removed. These are liens on the property and if you take title to a property without clearing these liens or encumbrances, you may be responsible them.


Bitten by the Bristow Home Improvement Bug?


Maybe, like millions of Americans, you can’t help it! You live in your Bristow home for several years and before you know it, you find yourself thinking about how the kitchen would look with new cabinets and a granite countertop. Should you start with the kitchen or would it be better to add a home office to give the family a little more room? There seems to be endless options for the creative Bristow homeowner bitten by the Home Improvement Bug. Once you get started thinking along these lines, it usually doesn’t take long before the ultimate question pops up. Is it better to improve your current home or simply sell and buy a bigger, newer or more desirable Area home? Here are some issues to help you make that all-important decision.


Bitten by the Bristow Home Improvement Bug?


Money isn’t everything however so that if the most important consideration for remaining in your Bristow home happens to be the school where your children attend or the proximity to your work or to a particularly attractive recreational opportunity then remodeling may be the best option. On the other hand, if the idea of having your Bristow house torn up for weeks at a time makes your blood run cold, it really doesn’t matter how much money you might make turning a fixer-upper into a model home. You will be far better off selling the home you have and moving to a home that better fits your needs.

Choosing Your Bristow Neighborhood


The fact is that much of the value of Bristow and real estate in general rests in its surrounding economic and social environment, which means it’s neighborhood. In addition to being located in the right neighborhood, the Bristow that you buy must not clash with its surroundings. To picture what we mean here, visualize the most expensive home you can imagine and then place it in the middle of a run down neighborhood. Not so desirable is it?

To sum up, the Bristow that you buy gets its value from a combination of the home’s location and its size, style, age and amenities. You can change the home’s size, style and amenities but you are stuck with the location.