According to research economist Jessica Lautz, "More than one-third of all home buyers buy a home for the desire to own. This has been the most cited reason consistently for the last several years, but it is even more true of single female buyers. Nearly half of single female buyers purchase a home because they have a desire to own a home. The second most cited reason for single female buyers in choosing to purchase a home is a change in family situation—13 percent of single female buyers purchase for this reason, compared to 9 percent of all buyers.
Court House Neighborhood in Arlington VA
"In comparison to other household types, single female buyers are more likely to have lived with parents, relatives or friends before buying their own residence, 20 percent compared to 12 percent of all buyers. Single female buyers are also more likely to rent an apartment or house before buying their own place compared to all buyers. Both previous living situations are related to the large share of single female buyers being first-time buyers."
Her research indicates: "The median age of all home buyers was 39 years old, compared to 41 for single female buyers. Among single-female buyers, 58 percent were first-time home buyers in 2009, compared to 47 percent of all home buyers. The median household income for single-women home buyers was lower than that of all other homebuyer household types. Single females reported a median household income of $47,900 in 2008 compared to $73,100 among all home buying households. This difference in household income should not be completely surprising as 68 percent of home buying households are couples – and so perhaps likely to have two income earners. The difference in median income for single women households compared to those for single men is less striking—single men typically made $53,700 in 2008. Additionally, single women households are less likely to have children living at home than couples. Results from the survey show that 22 percent of single women home buyers have children at home, while 38 percent of all home buyers have children at home."
Source NAR
Because we do business as Condo Alexandria, I'm often asked: do you only work with condos?
The answer is of course: no. Condo Alexandria works with all types of real estate in the Commonwealth of Virginia. But we do fill several niches and have expertise in a few specific areas that might be of interest to you.
brick home in Belle Haven
Condo Alexandria serves the condo market in Alexandria (mainly in the West End and Old Town), Crystal City, Pentagon City, Arlington, Fairfax County, and Kingstowne. Our focus these days is on buyers and landlords. As a buyer's agent we are well equipped to find the property that suits you needs and make the sale proceed smoothly and quickly. As property manager we take the hassle out of being a landlord. We of course have listings for sale but if the time isn't right to sell, we'll let you know and advise you of your best options.
Condo Alexandria also does business as Nesbitt Realty. In the capacity as Nesbitt Realty, we focus on homes and properties near our offices and homes.
Our agents and I have particularly good insight in Alexandria especially around Bucknell and Belle Haven, but also in Kingstowne and Old Town. These neighborhoods have condos, but they also have single family homes and town houses.
If you have questions or if I can be of service, please don't hesitate to contact me! If you need help finding properties please help yourself to our fast and free database of properties that are currently on the market. The number of listings that are available can sometimes be overwhelming, so feel free to contact me if you'd like for us to do the search.
Will Nesbitt of Condo AlexandriaWill Nesbitt is the Principal Broker of Condo Alexandria / Nesbitt Realty.
Are you searching for real property in Northern Virginia? Then you’ve come to the right place.
Condo Alexandria is Northern VA's condo expertCondo-Alexandria.com is the official site of Nesbitt Realty . Our real estate agents provide this site to help educate and assist home buyers with their real estate needs. Please don't hesitate to take advantage of our comprehensive real estate guides, real estate news, mortgage calculators, links to real estate market conditions, and wisdom from our team of skilled realtors. If you’re in the market for homes for sale or if you're seeking a condo in Northern Virginia, Condo-Alexandria.com is the real estate website for you.
Condo-Alexandria.com puts real estate listings for thousands of homes and condos for sale at your fingertips in communities across Northern Virginia. We provide focused hyperlocal information taken about communities and condo associations right here in Northern VA. We also provide listings from one of the largest MLS providers in the country. Our listings from the Multiple Regional Information System can access every single home listed for sale or rent in Northern Virgina.
We are realtors and real estate agents that care about hour clients need and we believe in sharing (not hording) information. As such, Condo-Alexandria provides the means to search by map, by community, by mls or just browse by text listings. We even provide a page where you can find condo listings and homes for rent. So whether you’re looking for Alexandria VA real estate or detailed Arlington real estate listings, look no further than Condo-Alexandria.com.
Each real estate listing provides comprehensive details about the property so you have a clear picture of what features and amenities are included. Condo-Alexandria.com goes beyond real estate listings, however, with access to real estate tools and resources such as calculators, moving guides, real estate buying tips. Our site doesn't provide information for everyone. We cater to folks who are interested in Northern Virgina, Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County, Crystal City and Kingstowne. If you are moving to Northern VA, Condo-Alexandria.com provides you with everything you need to find the perfect home for you.
Nesbitt Realty sells homes in Northern VA
Walk Score helps people find walkable places to live. Walk Score calculates the walkability of an address by locating nearby stores, restaurants, schools, parks, etc. Walk Score attempts to numerically measure how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle---not how pretty the area is for walking. If you're looking for a walkable area, check out what Condo-Alexandria.com can do:
Search by Walk Score. Now this is cool. You can decide what your minimum walkable criteria is when you search for properties.
Sort by Walk Score. If you can search by Walk Score, you should be able to sort by Walk Score too. Just click in the "sort by" box at the top of the results and choose "Walk Score, Highest First" to order the search results from highest to lowest Walk Score.
View the Walk Score in both the search results and property details. Every time you search for property you'll find out just how walkable the area is!
View the Walk Score tile. When you click on the "Walk Score" link at the top-right of the property details area, you’ll see the Walk Score tile that shows all of the amenities that are factored into the score.
We hope you'll enjoy using Walk Score as much as we enjoyed building it into our system. We're really excited to say that we’re one of the first providers of this type of functionality. We spent quite some time on the UI for this feature in order to make everyone happy.
And in case you haven't heard, Walk Score just improved its usefulness. Previous versions of Walk Score did not include public transportation. That is to say, a property next door to a metro station had no higher Walk Score than a property far from public transportation. Well, that's all changed now!
Our latest enhancement adds mass transit to the Walk Score calculations. See for yourself now.
It was the best of times; it was the worst of times ...
In many parts of the country the economy is stalled. One indication of this condition is the many short-sales and foreclosures on the market. But that means opportunity for savvy buyers. This is a tale of two buyers, Amy and Edwin. Both are buyers. Both have short-sales under contract. Both have been waiting months to go forward.
It was the age of wisdom; it was the age of foolishness ...
Short-sales often advertise ridiculously low prices. In Northern Virginia, it's not difficult to find short-sales selling for $10,000, $20,000 even $50,000 or more less than than comparable homes available for sale. This is the time of bargains, and lenders in up-side down loans are hurting. But that doesn't mean they're giving away free money in America.
It was the epoch of incredulity; it was the season of light ...
Here's a tip from one who knows: when you find a home for sale for much less than all of the comparables, you probably have not found a bargain; you've probably found a waste of time. Oh sure, you should check it out, but don't get your hopes too high. Ask your realtor for the inside story. If he or she tells you to walk away ... walk away.
It was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope ...
Short sales are not. (Short.) Homes that sell for far less than any comparable homes don't. (Sell.) Now is a great time to buy. But now more than ever, buyers need experienced realtors who will get a home ... not a contract and a hope.
it was the winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had
nothing before us, we were all going direct to heaven, we were all going direct the other way--in short, the period was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
Amy and Edwin both put in contracts for short sales. Amy is closing today on the home of her dreams. She paid more than the asking price and less than the market value. Months later, Edwin is still waiting for a decision. He has contracted at a price much lower than the assessed value. But that does not a bit of good if the bank will not sell the home. Maybe Edwin will one day buy the home of his dreams.
He lowered the window, and looked out at the rising sun. There was a ridge of ploughed land, with a plough upon it where it had been left last night when the horses were unyoked; beyond, a quiet coppice-wood, in which many leaves of burning red and golden yellow still remained upon the trees. Though the earth was cold and wet, the sky was clear, and the sun rose bright, placid, and beautiful.
This week I was in a condo selling for over a million dollars. It was a beautiful condominium home with excellent views, a state of the art kitchen and all the upgrades one might expect ... except the unit didn't have a washer and dryer.
Because my office is in River Towers, and we also serve Belle View, I often confront the question of a washer and dryer in the unit. (Neither River Towers nor Belle View has laundry in the unit.) I've talked to the older residents of River Towers about this and surprisingly many of them resist the idea of putting laundry in the unit. They like their laundry-rooms right where they are---thank you very much.
This might seem baffling to some of the younger generation, but laundry rooms have a number of distinct advantages:
community --- You get to know your neighbors in the laundry room. This creates a sense of community and you know who belongs in the secured areas and who is a stranger.
maintenance --- You don't have to worry about buying a new washer when the old one breaks down. More importantly you don't have to worry about your personal laundry flooding a neighbor's condo.
square footage --- Laundry takes up space. You have more space in your unit if you have a community laundry room
more washers --- Many folks like to wait and do an entire week of laundry at one time. If you have a laundry room you're not limited to one small washer. You have many washers available.
In a luxury community, most people don't do their own laundry anyway, so they don't care if the laundry is outside the unit. My tip to folks who are shopping for homes in Northern Virginia: don't box yourself in. If you won't consider a unit with a laundry room, you're walking past some of the best neighborhoods in Northern VA.
National trends may be continuing to decline, but in Alexandria, Arlington, and nearby parts of Northern Virginia real estate is showing two signs of a comeback. According to an MRIS Press Release: "Selling prices remain flat metro wide in the Greater Washington DC region, but the central jurisdictions---DC, Alexandria, and Arlington and Montgomery counties---continue to buck the trend."
John McClain, Senior Fellow at George Mason University's School of Public Policy, was quoted by them as saying, "Prices continue to rise in the central jurisdictions. They're in a much better price position due to their premium location."
The most dramatic is an increase in prices of home sales, but equally important is the shortening of time properties are on the market. These two combine to reduce the available inventory available to buyers. Waiting can be a shortcut to loss, so holding off in anticipation of falling prices can leave you kicking yourself for missing good deals.
A settlement company processes and records transactions such as home sales or mortgages and refinances. One such settlement company is MBH Settlement Group L.C.
Ryan Stuart of MBH tells me, "The settlement company's primary role is to insure the conveyance of clear and marketable title from the Seller to the Purchaser. Further, as a settlement service provider, the settlement company prepares documentation incident to the closing, conducts the settlement, records the deed and necessary loan documentation in the land records, and disburses all funds in accordance with the HUD-1 settlement statement."
Who do you recommend for settlement?
MBH in Alexandria VA is located on Washington St. in a historic structure in Old Town. When clients ask me for a recommendation for a title company I often suggest MBH because I've been pleased with the service at MBH.
Why did you choose MBH in the first place?
Inside MBH
I met Ryan Stuart of MBH because a fellow realtor recommended Ryan at MBH to me. Ryan Stuart is counsel to MBH and handles many closings for them. My colleague said that Ryan had "the best closings in Alexandria".
Not knowing Ryan at the time I really doubted this claim. Her endorsement was so enthusiastic, I almost wondered if she was taking a kick-back from him!
Of course, I knew she was not receiving any such payment from MBH or Ryan. It's important for consumers to understand that enticements and payments for endorsements like these are illegal in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
The colleague that recommended MBH and Ryan is a highly ethical agent who works for a reputable brokerage. I knew I had to give MBH a try.
Why do you tell your client's about MBH?
MBH is in Old Town
My brokerage makes nothing off of settlement, and so long as the transaction is smooth and professional, I personally could care less who does your title work. The client has a right to choose any company for settlement and I encourage clients to take advantage of that right.
However, most clients ask me for a suggestion when it comes time to pick a title company. I tell them the truth. The services provided by the title companies are nearly identical anywhere you go. (More on this later.) There is very little difference in pricing on title work.
What I like about MBH is that there is very little hassle dealing with them. I submit the title order to them and then forget it. But, I would expect no less from any title company. What I love about MBH is how Ryan handles a closing.
Ryan Stuart of MBH
Starting a closing with Ryan Stuart
From the time Ryan settles in to the time the last document is signed, it's obvious that that Ryan is a professional. He knows exactly where the money is going and where it's coming from and it's all spelled out on the documents.
One of the duties of a settlement agent is to explain the transaction in a way that the layman can understand the paperwork. I find that many settlement agents use industry terms that make perfect sense to myself or other real estate professionals, but Ryan goes one step further.
He breaks down the transaction using simple English that anyone can understand and this is his real value add. He doesn't get frustrated with questions, and he doesn't rush the signers. He will work with the client until there is a full understanding by all parties at the table.
settlement agent
I asked Ryan, why do property owners need title insurance.
He told me, "A title insurance policy contains a statement of the condition of ownership of real property. A title policy indemnifies you against loss or damage incurred as a result of title defects on your property. In the event of a lawsuit challenging your ownership interest, the title insurance company provides a legal defense for the policyholder and, if the suit is lost, pays all valid claims or losses insured by the policy."
For example in a recent closing, a property was sold with only the signature of one spouse. Years later, heirs or the missing spouse could come back to make a claim against the title. Title insurance protects against this kind of a claim.
When settlement is over, Jane is relieved.
It's a huge relief when all the ducks finally line up and the property is yours.
About the Author --- Will Nesbitt is the principal broker of Nesbitt Realty and maintains Condo Alexandria. Will specializes in condos, townhouses and single family residences in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax County, Crystal City, and Kingstowne. Will resides in Belle Haven Estates just outside Alexandria VA in Fairfax County.
Because my office is in River Towers, and we also serve Belle View, I often confront the question of a washer and dryer in the unit. (Neither River Towers nor Belle View has laundry in the unit.) I've talked to the older residents of River Towers about this and surprisingly many of them resist the idea of putting laundry in the unit. They like their laundry-rooms right where they are---thank you very much.
This might seem baffling to some of the younger generation, but laundry rooms have a number of distinct advantages:
