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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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View Bristow Real Estate OverviewBristow-Home of Their Dreams
Ever think you would like to build your own Bristow home and have everything just the way you want it? Lots of people do and they often start by looking at land or lots for sale. With many people the idea is to buy a lot today, get it paid off or mostly paid off and then sometime in the future, contract with a custom builder for the Home of their Dreams via Bristow.
Bristow 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 Bristow market does not necessarily move in tandem with the stock market or the economy as a whole. Bristow 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 Bristow is no exception. When the economy slows down, interest rates fall, the "affordability index" moves up and more people can afford houses. The Bristow market will take the lead.
Bristow: Art and Science
Buying a piece of Bristow real estate is a science but buying your Bristow home is an art. The science part involves getting the legal and financial parts down while the art is finding the Bristow property that you’ll be happy with.
The total universe of possibilities within the universe of Bristow 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 Bristow 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 Bristow real estate that meets all or most of your specifications.
Does Your Bristow Have Curb Appeal?
Every prospective buyer who visits your Bristow home is struck by a variety of impressions regardless of whether your landscaping is eye-catching or merely so-so. Plants that overrun the walkway, trees that badly need pruning and visible suggest to the prospective buyer that this home will take a lot of landscaping maintenance and yet if your yard is well-maintained, the prospective buyer is inclined to simply admire the fact and move on. If your Bristow front porch or front door need paint, the prospective buyer is likely to notice the paint job inside and out and think about how much maintenance that will take on a yearly basis. The important message here is that things that look bad or run down call attention to all the work that needs to be done while things that are well maintained conjure up ideas of how pleasant it would be to live there.
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.
What Makes Bristow Sell?
Books have been written about this topic but to be concise, successful sale depends on six factors: Price; Terms; Location; The Home's Condition; The Home’s Accessibility and the Marketing exposure the Bristow receives.
Price is what a willing seller and a willing buyer agree on. Price is determined by the current market, which fluctuates causing home values and prices to fluctuate. Often Bristow that does not sell is over-priced for the current market. Terms can vary as well. Some owners want payment in full, some are willing to carry a second.
Location is a major consideration in pricing and desirability for Bristow. Has the neighborhood gone to pot or does it look like a street at Disneyland? Are there open spaces nearby or is the home located in the middle of commercial district?
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