Haymarket Real Estate Guide / Help for Buyers and Sellers

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

Haymarket Real Estate Guide / Help for Buyers and Sellers

Haymarket HOME BUYING PITFALLS TO AVOID


Sellers usually rely on sales of Haymarket homes of comparable value to determine a fair and realistic price to set for their home but many sellers feel their home is worth much more and price their home accordingly. Buyers must also be tuned into sales for comparable homes in Haymarket in order to judge the price of any home that is under consideration.

Being “House Poor” gets to be “Old New” real fast. A large and beautiful home with little or no furniture tends to be empty and cold. A life where almost every dime of income goes to the support of the Haymarket house wears thin very quickly and is a frequent cause of family stress. Pushing yourself right up to your limit leaves you highly exposed when the inevitable changes to the national or your personal economy occurs.

Haymarket Real Estate Cycles


One problem with attempting to time your purchase to the business cycle is that even experts have problems accurately predicting the future economy. Even when they can, the Haymarket market does not necessarily move in tandem with the stock market or the economy as a whole. Haymarket is a unique situation.

When the economy is doing well, interest rates are generally higher. The result is that fewer people can afford houses, and Haymarket is no exception. When the economy slows down, interest rates fall, the "affordability index" moves up and more people can afford houses. The Haymarket market will take the lead.


Haymarket: Art and Science


Buying a piece of Haymarket real estate is a science but buying your Haymarket home is an art. The science part involves getting the legal and financial parts down while the art is finding the Haymarket property that you’ll be happy with.

The total universe of possibilities within the universe of Haymarket real estate is quite diverse but narrowing your search ahead of time will help keep things in perspective.

In general there are two phases to any Haymarket real estate search. In the first phase, you get a feel for the different areas and an idea of what is being offered at what price. In the second phase, you search for the Haymarket real estate that meets all or most of your specifications.


Building Haymarket Home Equity


A popular question from prospective Haymarket homebuyers relates to building home equity. Buyers like to estimate how much a home may increase in value based upon past appreciation. One of the many advantages of home ownership is that appreciation is based on the home’s market value rather than on the actual dollar amount invested or the down payment so that a $100,000.00 home that appreciates 5% is now worth $105,000.00, especially in Haymarket.

With a typical 30-year loan, most of your monthly payment goes toward interest payments with only small amounts going to the principle in the early years. Only half the principle is repaid in the first 23 years of the loan. You can build Haymarket home equity faster by choosing a 15-year loan instead of a 30-year loan.

Buying a Haymarket Fixer-Upper


Finding the right Haymarket fixer upper often involves finding a seller who is in financial difficulty and wants to sell in order to protect their credit or to avoid foreclosure. Various government agencies such as VA, HUD, IRS and others offer homes in foreclosure for sale and these homes can make excellent fixer-uppers. Bank owned properties known as REOs, real estate owned, offer good opportunities since financial institutions want to eliminate their real estate holdings by selling foreclosures quickly.

Join my network of Haymarket buyers looking for specific types of properties. Call or Email me today.


What Makes Haymarket Sell?


People often ask me when is the best time to sell my Haymarket? I usually reply that if you want to get the best price for your home, it is wise to give yourself as much time as possible to sell it. However peak selling seasons vary in different areas of the country, and Haymarket is no exception, and weather has a lot to do with an area’s peak season. For example, late spring and early fall are the prime listing seasons in many areas because houses tend to show better in those months than they do in the heat of summer. Having said that, houses sell in every season in areas where there is a demand. By demand, I mean a significant number of prospective buyers moving to the area for a variety of reasons.