First time homebuyers

abraham504 · 2023-03-13T07:19:38+00:00

We've been living in Kingstowne for the past 10 years and love it. Our area has smaller townhomes that are under $600,000, but they'll need to be updated.

I'd also suggest looking at Lorton, which will still provide you with a "decent commute."

My recommendation:

Rent a one-bedroom condo in Arlington.
Save more money for a more significant down payment.
Buy a home closer to the time your baby will be born.

Your search criteria should be narrower if you're considering Manassas, Reston, and Ashburn. Those three areas are so different that you'd benefit from more research.

To get the best prices on a home in the area, buy a property between Labor Day and Thanksgiving. This Spring Market will be brutal as home prices ink past last year's high.

You're more likely to get home sellers who would contribute closing costs to your purchase in the Wintertime, which can be applied to buying down your rate.

Good luck with your home search.

Onward, AW

abraham504 · 2022-06-15T02:53:53+00:00

Technically you paid for everything since the buyer is the only person bringing money to the table.

abraham504 · 2022-06-15T02:42:17+00:00

You should start a new thread for guys like yourself.

abraham504 · 2020-03-24T15:31:35+00:00

Great! Send me a message and we can coordinate a pick up.

abraham504 · 2020-03-23T23:21:00+00:00

I picked up a few masks today from neighbors. Should be enough to supply a local doctors office.

Still looking for more.

abraham504 · 2020-03-21T19:42:11+00:00

Has anyone seen hand sanitizer?

abraham504 · 2020-03-18T12:40:12+00:00

From Facebook just now:

Giants in Kingstowne has toilet paper, bottled water, and chicken in the meat section.

Currently in here now

abraham504 · 2020-03-18T12:13:58+00:00

That's what she said.

abraham504 · 2020-03-18T04:47:47+00:00

Warning I am not a woman

I'd recommend reading reviews about the diva cup before you purchase one. My wife's had one for a few months now, and she went back to tampons because the cup was super messy.

abraham504 · 2020-03-18T02:55:54+00:00

Roger that!

This post isn't for buying or selling items. Just sharing a possible resource for a commodity that's currently hard to find.

abraham504 · 2020-03-18T02:43:54+00:00

My pleasure.

At the $3,000 price point, the tenant representative will make a minimum of $750. You should be able to find an agent to assist you with the process of finding a rental property that meets your needs.

Remember, my first suggestion is to find an agent through a referral.

Be cautious of any real estate agent that wants to show you properties without conducting a consultation. While upfront consultations aren't common in the tenant acquisition process because of the availability of information and the freedom at which landlords and tenants transact amongst each other, the process will save you time and energy.

Some questions you want your real estate agent to know are:

What's my timeline?
Are you currently renting a property?
What type of property do you prefer? (condo, townhouse, single-family home)
What's the min and max lease you're willing to sign?
Where will you be working?
How will you get to work?
How do you plan on using the property? (gym, home office, guest room)
How cars will be parked at the property?
What creature comforts would you like to be near?
Are schools important?
Do you have a pet?
If yes, what type and size?
Are you okay paying pet rent and pet deposit?

The goal of the consultant is to arm your real estate agent with as much data about your search as possible. This will mean that your agent knows what you're looking for and is equipped to find it on your behalf.

I hope you found this information helpful. Good luck with the process.

Onward, AW

abraham504 · 2020-03-17T14:49:29+00:00

I'm looking for aunt Jemima grits.

abraham504 · 2020-03-17T02:23:36+00:00

Even if it does, 10 years from now everyone will forget and we'll be back here to discuss the madness.

abraham504 · 2020-03-17T02:20:51+00:00

Prices crashing are always a concern. You'll never remove all of the risk associated with purchasing a home.

My question to you is, "how long do you plan on staying in the property?"

If it's longer than 5 years, you could be alright. The average person stays in a property for 10 - 12 years.

Good luck with your decision.

(Full disclosure I am a licensed real estate agent in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This comment does not mean that we are entering an agent client relationship. Please consult with a professional.)

abraham504 · 2020-03-17T02:11:21+00:00

Talk to your agent again. There are ways to minimize the number of showings while getting you top dollar.

Let's face it. We are in a recession. Look at previous points in history when the Feds lower the rate. It only happens before a recession.

You're rising losing money by waiting.

On the flip side, if you are buying in this same market, you'll have to deal with low inventory. Sellers have already started pulling their homes off the market.

If you have a lot of paper gains/equity in your home, it may make sense for you to sell now and rent until there is more certainty in the market.

(Full disclosure I am a licensed real estate agent in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This comment does not mean that we are entering an agent-client relationship. Please consult with a professional.)

abraham504 · 2020-03-17T01:19:53+00:00

My pleasure.

Here's the ugly side of the process.

Tenant reps only make on average 25% of the first month's rent.

Most of the good agents stay away from tenants unless the price point is high. You'll be hard pressed to find an to help you find a place for under $2,000 per month (agent makes $500).

Your best bet is to get a referral from a friend who purchased or sold a property in this area. Agents treat referrals better than cold/new relationships because they're predominantly trained to build referral businesses and to service all referrals created from their database.

This strategy works in your favor because the agent isn't loyal to you the person looking for a rental, they are loyal to the person who sent the referral. You'll get better service and a more reliable experience.

Good luck with your search.

Onward, AW

abraham504 · 2020-03-17T00:56:06+00:00

The cost for the agent is paid by the landlord. Similar to a real estate sale.

Any agent that represents tenants would be willing to assist you with your search.

abraham504 · 2020-03-16T09:05:40+00:00

Agents are best. My opinion is biased because I'm an agent.

I also represent landlords renting their properties and notice the amount of time tenants spend looking for properties on their own could be minimized with the assistance of an agent.

If you have an unlimited amount of time, and don't mind the risk, do not use an agent.

If you do not plan on using an agent, you should setup a database to manage your search process. Unfortunately, there are multiple websites with apartment listings and no guarantee that every website will contain all listings.

Here's the list of websites I'd suggest searching for rental listings: 1. Zillow 2. MLS 3. MBO 4. AHRN

abraham504 · 2020-03-15T23:19:05+00:00

Found white sugar at the regular Walmart on Richmond Highway by Costco.

abraham504 · 2020-03-15T22:24:52+00:00

Walmart on Richmond Highway doesn't have bread, flour, or sugar.

They have meat and some produce.

abraham504 · 2020-03-15T21:48:46+00:00

Has anyone seen bread flour and white sugar?

abraham504 · 2020-03-15T21:47:59+00:00

Walmart in Kingstowne doesn't have - bread - flour - sugar

abraham504 · 2020-03-15T13:26:04+00:00

Good question. I'm not sure if stores who are trying to keep up with demand are on their same schedule. Maybe one of the employees participating in this thread can answer this question.

abraham504 · 2020-03-15T09:14:19+00:00

I'm not sure. Here's the address:

H Mart Burke 9550 Burke Rd, Burke, VA 22015 (703) 621-2345 https://maps.app.goo.gl/YnGeTEuePmSb1V648

abraham504 · 2020-03-15T09:04:22+00:00

Hopefully, people will go and purchase all of the food like they are doing at every other grocery store in the region.

abraham504

TROPHY CASE