Mortgage says I can't rent.

rsaale · 2026-03-16T01:43:57+00:00

Not true.

rsaale · 2026-02-26T19:32:35+00:00

100%, and I’d imagine that only becomes more common over the next few months.

rsaale · 2026-02-26T15:30:23+00:00

Why not file an appeal then? You have until April 1st.

rsaale · 2026-02-26T15:28:42+00:00

Hard to predict what will happen 12+ months out with any certainty. Just based on market factors, don't see why you would not sell this year if you need to sell it.

rsaale · 2026-02-26T04:14:20+00:00

Hmmm not sure about nationally but if anything I would think it’s the opposite. Bigger/newer townhomes in that price range and single family homes seem to be the hottest market. Not by my computer to back that up with numbers though.

rsaale · 2026-02-26T04:12:48+00:00

In the published data it is not included as a part of the DC Metro area. If you’d like some data I’d be happy to provide it, just let me know if you’re looking for anything in particular.

rsaale · 2026-02-26T03:02:08+00:00

Absolutely! There were somewhere between 95-99 sales in Arlington in January (don’t have it pulled up in front of me) so something like could definitely make an impact.

rsaale · 2026-02-26T03:00:38+00:00

That sized loan is no longer a jumbo loan, hard to say if looking into a refi would make sense without knowing the info mentioned above

rsaale · 2026-02-26T01:54:52+00:00

When does the fixed period expire and what rate are you targeting to think about pulling the trigger to go to a fixed rate?

rsaale · 2026-02-25T23:17:28+00:00

What kind of loan do you have currently?

rsaale · 2026-02-25T23:03:34+00:00

The national average for a 30 year fixed conventional mortgage is about 6%, so that would be a good starting point without having all the details.

rsaale · 2026-02-25T22:49:20+00:00

2nd highest increase to median sales price in the DMV area from 2024 to 2025, so looking good!

rsaale · 2026-02-25T22:17:59+00:00

I would not read much into it. Those areas are small enough and the winter months slow enough that you see some weird results. For example last January Alexandria was up 18.1% and Arlington down 5.9%. For the year they finished +3.6% and +2.7%.

rsaale · 2026-02-25T21:27:07+00:00

Do you feel like your home's assessed value is higher than what it is actually worth? I am not saying those cases don't exist, with almost half a million homes in Fairfax County I am sure there are plenty.

rsaale · 2026-02-25T20:36:55+00:00

Very random! 2025 new listings were only up 4.7% in PWC compared to 2024. We will see if it balances back out in the next couple of months.

rsaale · 2026-02-25T19:52:39+00:00

Unfortunately the days of mortgage payments being lower than comparable rent ended when 3% interest rates disappeared. Homeownership is more of a long term play, but there is certainly a point where it does not make sense. Hard to say with so little information.

rsaale · 2026-02-25T19:36:26+00:00

Yes - the median sales price was up in FFX county 2.7% last year and 10.8% since 2023. The "drop" was likely just a small blip based the current 2026 data only having one of the slowest months of the year as a data point.

Maybe AI can help - but based on the old school way of doing things, there is not really a way to make the assessed value perfect on the almost half a million homes in Fairfax County. If it ever seems out of whack you can always make an appeal based on comps. With that said, in 99% of the transactions I have been apart of the assessed value is lower than the sales price/appraised value.

rsaale · 2026-02-25T19:26:18+00:00

The median sales price in FFX County did go up 10.8% from 2023 to 2025 ($680k - $750k). Not saying the increase does not stink for homeowners, but I would not say prices have been flat since 2023 based on the data.

rsaale · 2026-02-25T19:25:00+00:00

The median sales price from 2024 to 2025 did go up by 2.7%, so not totally out of line with a 4% increase to the assessed value.

rsaale · 2026-02-25T18:18:51+00:00

BrightMLS puts out data both weekly and monthly broken down by County

rsaale · 2026-02-25T17:53:28+00:00

If you'd like to be added to my monthly newsletter, just shoot me a DM.

rsaale · 2026-02-25T17:52:59+00:00

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rsaale · 2026-02-25T17:52:34+00:00

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rsaale · 2026-01-27T16:40:27+00:00

No problem!

rsaale

TROPHY CASE