Tips for Buying Bristow Homes

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

Tips for Buying Bristow Homes

Finding a Buyer for Your Bristow Home


Once your Bristow home is ready to show, your agent will list the property in the MLS or Multiple listing Service. Most homes are sold as a direct result of their listing in the MLS, which today also means the home will get extensive Internet exposure. Other ways that your agent will use to find buyers include advertising in newspapers and magazines, holding open house and signage.

Bristow Homeownsers Insurance


Bundle your Bristow insurance policies. Some companies that sell homeowners, auto and liability coverage will take 5 to 15% off your premium if you buy two or more policies from them.

Reduce Your Risk. Find out from your insurance company what steps you can take to make your Bristow more resistant to natural disasters. If you live in an older home, look into modernizing your heating, plumbing and electrical systems to reduce the risk of fire and water damage.


Bristow Home Improvement


In a recent study, a midrange bathroom renovation paid off with an average 102% return on investment and an upscale bathroom renovation recouped 93% of its cost. A midrange kitchen renovation recouped 91% of its cost on average, and an upscale kitchen recouped 85%. A minor kitchen-remodeling job returned 99% of its cost. There are numbers that apply to Bristow.

Proper maintenance and annual upkeep of your Bristow home may be the most important improvements of all. Clean the gutters to protect the exterior from water damage. Trim shrubs. Check for termites. Keep track of annual checkups -- and use that as a selling point. Annual maintenance pays back handsomely when you sell. And before the house goes up for sale, experts recommend a fresh coat of paint.

Bristow Home Buying Pitfalls


Buying your Bristow home whether you are a first time buyer or an ‘Old Pro’ involves legal, financial and emotional considerations. The more you know about the most common buyer mistakes in Bristow, the more likely you are to avoid them.

Make sure that when you put in an offer on any Bristow home that you have spent time narrowing down just what you are looking for. When the sellers accept your offer, you are involved in a binding contract that could cost you your deposit and other damages should you decide to back out. The opposite scenario, waiting for the 100 % perfect home can be an exercise in futility. With the thousands of variables available in housing, including location, style, size, amenities and condition, perfection is almost always an unreasonable goal.


Green Remodeling Your Bristow


Energy conservation. The average Bristow today uses systems for heating, ventilation and air conditioning, and most homes are not built as efficiently as they could be, resulting in high energy consumption. The U.S. Department of Energy believes if current buildings were green-improved, they would use $20 billion less in energy per year. Bristow green remodeling puts a strong emphasis on making homes as efficient as possible with modifications such as energy-efficient appliances and thermostats that can be programmed at different temperatures for different times of the day.

What Makes Bristow Sell?


The Condition affects its salability and possibly price. Bristow that is in move-in condition will usually sell for a higher price than a home that suffers from deferred maintenance.

The Home’s Accessibility refers to just that. Is the Bristow accessible to shopping and local transportation? For some this would be a necessity and for others, the more remote the better.

Marketing Exposure refers to how Bristow is advertised. Today the Internet is a fantastic way to market a home but it is still true that the best service a listing agent can do for sellers is to promote the home heavily with local brokers and agents. The Internet and other advertising certainly help, but it is still true that in most cases it is the agent that sells the home by making sure the right buyers know about it.