Belt Team CEO, Terry Belt, is a guest real estate expert on “Real Estate Radio Washington”. Stay tuned for his 2013 real estate review and 2014. We’ll post that later this week.
In the meantime, hosts Jim McQuaig & Erik Spencer talk to Terry about careers in real estate and specifically, with The Belt Team. Tune in now if you’re looking for an opportunity – and not just a job!
A. These are the topics of discussion tomorrow on Real Estate Radio Washington!
Tune in Saturday, October 20th from 10-11AM on 1260 AM WWRC to hear Belt Team Partners Mary Jane Perry, Jennifer Riddle & Krissy Cruse as they are interviewed by nationally recognized real estate & finance expert Jim McQuaig. (And if you can’t tune in, we’ll be posting the broadcast on our Belt Team You Tube channel.)
If you’re anticipating a military move into or out of the Washington D.C. area, you’ll definitely want to hear this show. Not only are these ladies experts in their fields, but Mary Jane Perry and Krissy Cruse both have active duty spouses and came to this area themselves on a military transfer. (Mary Jane is also retired United States Navy after 20 years of service.)
And if you’re a golfer – you will find out how you can play the normally “members only” course at Trump National Golf Club on Monday, October 22nd. Not only is this a spectacular course, but you can help raise money for two local charities : “Our Military Kids” and “Lift me up”. More details about the KW McLean Charity Golf Tournament can be found at www.KWMcLeanGolf.com.
Join Belt Team Partner Kevin Kleifges as guest real estate expert on Real Estate Radio Washington. Kevin has great advice for both Buyers & Sellers in today’s market and addresses the biggest mistakes he sees them making. Kevin also talks about the changes we have seen in 2012 to the Regional Contract in Northern Virginia and how this impacts today’s buyers.
And so it goes. Last week we reported that the real estate markets in Oakton & Vienna were approaching balance. But if you’ve been following our blog, you know there has been constant fluctuation back & forth. And so this week, we go back to reporting that both areas are in Seller’s Markets. Inventory in both Vienna & Oakton dropped. And the number of homes that went under contract increased from the previous week.
In just 5 weeks, the Presidential Election will (finally!) take place. What we can tell you anecdotally from our experience is that elections have a psychological impact and activity often slows down before an election as the market seems to be on the fence and holding its breath. . . . and that after an election, this deep breath is usually slowly released as people get on with their lives and pursue their dreams & goals. This is part of why we saw inventory drop last week as we notice that a number of homes have been withdrawn from the market. (Buyers – if you’re worried about low inventory – ask your Realtor if he/she is searching & reaching out to owners whose listings have expired, been withdrawn & taken temporarily off the market. Make sure you have a proactive Realtor!)
Will this happen in Election 2012? That remains to be seen. In the meantime, we asked several of our Realtor Partners how they are advising their clients. Here’s what they had to say:
Mary Jane Perry said, “Right now, people are still buying homes at historically low interest rates. And it is the “supply and demand” of our area that is dictating the price of homes, not the anticipation of who will lead in November. Why would a buyer want to wait until November or even January when there is a real possibility they can be comfortably living in their Northern VA dream home financed by a 30 year mortgage at an awesome interest rate today?”
Many people think that a change in administration would bring an immediate bump to the Northern Virginia real estate market. The fact is that our region is so large that the influx of politicos with a new administration does not have a meaningful statistical impact on the overall market. However, remember that real estate is local. This means certain local micro-markets would see a positive benefit. For example, Northern Virginia neighborhoods with good access to Capitol Hill in areas like Arlington, close-in Alexandria & close-in McLean would likely see the most increased activity.
However, it’s not just about whether a new administration comes in. It’s about the overall economy, interest rates, regulatory changes and more.
“There is no time like the present. The Northern Virginia real estate market is healthy. And that’s good for both buyers & sellers,” commented Candice Fathi, “No one can predict what will happen the day after Election Day.”
Krissy Cruse echoed that sentiment, “Regardless of which party wins the presidency, we’ll be seeing changes to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and possibly Frank-Dodd. While there are numerous scenarios of how that would affect the real estate market, we can bet for sure that things will be different. The buyers and sellers I work with feel the time is now.”
Regardless of what happens, its remains vital for buyers & sellers to work with Realtors who have their finger on the pulse of the local market they are buying or selling in. When the market psychology is unsure, as it is at election time, we often see rapid changes in market conditions. Don’t wait until you read about them in the newspaper as the traditional media often reports either a “macro-picture” versus a “micro-picture”, or what they are reporting is based on published statistics that often lag the market.
The real estate market has shifted. Join Belt Team Realtors Catharine Via, Jennifer Riddle & Pauline Knipe on Real Estate Radio Washington as they give tips and strategies for home buyers and sellers in TODAY’s market. They discuss everything from multiple contracts to escalation clauses to pricing strategies and even what’s happening in the rental market!
Realtors in Northern Virginia are a dime a dozen. Seriously. There are more than 11,000 Realtors in the Northern Virginia Board of Realtors. So, if you’re thinking about buying a home here, how do you go about finding the RIGHT REALTOR?
Tune in LIVE to Real Estate Radio Washington – WAVA 780 AM on your dial from 1-2PM today (Dec 10th) when Terry Belt will answer these and other questions.
Contact The Belt Team if you’re thinking about buying a home. We have partners who specialize in buyers only, first-time homebuyers, local buyers, relo buyers and more!
We’re proud to announce that Terry Belt, CEO of The Belt Team, has been asked to be one of the local real estate experts on the radio show Real Estate Radio Washington. A variety of topics are discussed – from how Buyers & Sellers can choose a “great” Realtor (versus a “good” or “bad” one) . . . . to pricing strategies for Sellers . . . . to mistakes you don’t want to make when selling your home & more.
If you’re thinking of buying or selling a home and want a GREAT Realtor to represent you, Contact The Belt Team . It would be a pleasure for OUR family to help YOUR family make a successful move!
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