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DC
METRO REAL ESTATE
Serving
the Real Estate needs of the communities of
Manassas, Bristow, Haymarket, Warrenton, Gainesville
and Culpeper in Northern Virginia
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Dave
Scardina
Broker
/ Owner
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703-829-SOLD
866-909-0900
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Search for Bristow Condo News / Tips for Buyers and SellersBitten 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.
Buying Bristow Below Market
While the perfect Bristow option at the right price might come on the market within a couple of weeks, don’t expect that kind of time frame. You must be prepared to wait months for right property, and the Bristow is no exception. Remember, most sellers tend to ask MORE than their property is worth, not less so bargains don’t pop up every day. Often times, homes that are on the market for too long a period of time will come down in price as the homeowners get tired of having their house for sale but unless the seller is really pressed, home prices tend to come down is small increments unless there is an unfortunate circumstance that might cause the homeowner to price the Bristow under market for the specific purpose of getting a fast sale.
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.
Rent or Buy Bristow
In the early years of your Bristow mortgage, nearly all of every monthly payment is interest. This means you are only paying off a tiny bit of the loan principal, but it is good news in terms of tax savings.
The monthly payment for a $100,000, 30-year, 8% mortgage on your Bristow would be about $734. In the first year of your mortgage, $7,970 of your $8,805 payment or 91% would be deductible as mortgage interest. Even in the tenth year, almost 81% of your payments would be deductible. What this is worth to you depends on your tax bracket but this tax savings built into the home-buying equation is why you can afford to make higher mortgage payments than your current rent payments without squeezing your budget. There is no similar tax subsidy for renters.
The Benefits of Selling Bristow
As you know, you are allowed to sell your Bristow principal residence once every two years and exclude up to $250,000 ($500,000 for a married couple) of the gain of the sale on your Federal income tax. Please note: This is not a once in a lifetime tax savings and you don’t have to be any certain age or buy a more expensive property. If you meet the two-year residence test you can sell your principal residence every two years if you are so inclined and the market cooperates. But this tax saving does not affect rental property unless you convert the rental to your personal residence, live in it for two years and then sell it.
Bristow SAVINGS
Everyone wants to buy the home of their dreams at the lowest possible price. Here is a tip for making the best Bristow buying decision. Make sure you know the actual real estate values in the area or areas where you plan to buy so that when you come across a home priced below market, you will know it.
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