Northern Virginia is a part of the National Capital Region it is home to some of the most educated, affluent and particular buyers in the nation. Everyday we help people relocate in and out of Northern Virginia as well as help locals advance their real estate goals. If you’re shopping for a home in Northern Virginia, you will find our Buyer’s Guide to Northern Virginia Real Estate is a great resource for understanding the area and for seeking out the perfect real estate match for your tastes and budget.
If you need any help with a specific search please don’t hesitate to call us at (703)765-0300.
[Learn more about how we help buyers in Northern VA]
Pentagon City is one of many urban villages in Arlington County.Arlington is an urban county of about 26 square miles located directly across the Potomac River from Washington DC. Arlington is nationally known for the serenity of Arlington National Cemetery, but is locally known as a center of urban living in Northern Virginia.
More about Arlington VA
Arlington's central location in the Washington DC metropolitan area, its ease of access by car and public transportation, and its highly skilled labor force have attracted an increasingly varied residential and commercial mix. Arlington's planners have focused on a smart design which focuses neighborhoods with the highest density along the Orange Line of the Metro. Some of Arlington's most upscale high-rises and sought after addresses are within a block or two of a Metro station.
But as you work away from the metro, high-rises give way to townhomes and then older neighborhoods like Lyon Park feature stately older single family residences on tree-lined streets.
Arlington has a number of prominent urban villages such as Rosslyn and Crystal City on the metro and Shirlington just off I-395. Arlington County is home to the Pentagon, Fort Myer and lies in very close proximity to numerous employment centers.
[ Read more about the neighborhoods of Arlington VA ]
Arlington is at the center of the Washington DC Metro Region.
Will Nesbitt, Principal Broker
Searching for a home is becoming easier every day with more access to web sites across the country Realtor.com is the king of real estate listings. There are real estate company sites such as nesbittrealty.com where you can access the local affiliates and all their listings in Northern Virginia. Or a little back door play is to go to the state board of realtors where they list all the local realtor boards and the local MLS sites.
1.nesbittrealty.com – The number 1 real estate web site. Has easy access to its real estate listings around the world. The “maps” "coverage areas" "find your perfect home" "just listed" "featured properties" website allows you to enter in your criteria and will notify you of any updates or new listing you can select to have the emails sent daily or weekly. Nesbitt Realty's system is state of the art in high tech features when you request information on any of their listings your request goes one stop and then directly to the agent’s phone who listed the home. During normal business hours you should get a return call within minutes with all the up to date information directly from the listing agent. No other real estate company or lead source has anything that approaches this system.Continue reading
Julie Nesbitt ready for Winter
As a veteran home inspector has told me about this subject, I’m still surprised by how often people make preventable and costly mistakes when choosing a potential home to buy. Here we’ll attempt to give potential homebuyers some ideas and guidelines to evaluate potential homes from a layman’s perspective. Hopefully we can prevent some unpleasant surprises after you’ve signed a purchase agreement.
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Del Ray is in Alexandria
Welcome to the Del Ray home buying market in Alexandria VA! This is an exciting time to be purchasing a home, with an array of new homes coming onto the market these is some excellent value to be found. All it takes is a little time and effort in looking and you can find your dream home for a dream price. But you should always be a smart buyer. There are those out there that will take advantage of someone who is eager to buy so, if you do your homework; the deals will follow.
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The most important investment you will ever make is probably the purchase of a home. Finding the right home in Arlington can be challenging but that's why Nesbitt Realty is here.Continue reading
kitchen in Huntington duplex
We аll wаnt tо find оur drеаm hоmе аnd wе thіnk іt іѕ easy. However, аftеr dоіng thе ѕеаrсh bу оurѕеlvеѕ, we ѕlоwlу bесоmе fruѕtrаtеd аnd tіrеd. When this hарреnѕ, wе ѕеttlе fоr ѕоmеthіng less. Finding thе rіght home fоr uѕ ѕhоuld nоt bе that difficult. Thеrе are simple wауѕ tо find them. First, wе need tо set criteria. Aftеr thаt, we lооk for іt ѕуѕtеmаtісаllу whіlе соnѕіdеrіng thе іmроrtаnt factors іn сhооѕіng a hоuѕе.
Sеttіng thе criteria
In order tо fіnd the right hоmе fоr уоu, уоu ѕhоuld knоw whаt уоu are lооkіng for. Fіrѕt, whаt dо уоu need? If уоu have сhіldrеn, you nееd your home tо bе child frіеndlу. It ѕhоuld nоt have ѕhаrр edges. Thеrе ѕhоuld bе mіnіmаl glаѕѕеѕ as wеll. The еnvіrоnmеnt оf thе hоuѕе ѕhоuld bе ѕаfе fоr the kids. If уоu аrе someone whо works аt hоmе, уоu nееd a ԛuіеt рlасе fоr your hоmе оffісе. It ѕhоuld bе реасеful so thаt уоu саn concentrate оn thе thіngѕ you nееd tо do.
Aftеr lіѕtіng уоur needs, уоu can ѕtаrt соntеmрlаtіng on whаt you want. Dо уоu lоvе tо cook? If уоu do, уоu mіght wаnt to hаvе a nісе аnd ѕрасіоuѕ kіtсhеn. Yоu рrоbаblу wаnt a wоndеrful gаrdеn оr a pool аѕ wеll. Lіѕt thе luxury уоu wаnt tо еnjоу at home and dесіdе whісh of thеm іѕ іmроrtаnt tо уоu.
Finding уоur іdеаl hоmеThe condos at Midtown Alexandria Station are located at the Huntington Metro Station.
It іѕ еаѕу tо fіnd thе home оnсе you hаvе identified whаt уоu nееd and wаnt. First, it wоuld bе best tо hаvе a real еѕtаtе аgеnt. An agent is a bіg help. Hе hаѕ access tо thе MLS аnd саn present уоu hоmеѕ thаt meet уоur сrіtеrіа. Addіtіоnаllу, hе саn gіvе you hоnеѕt оріnіоnѕ about thе real еѕtаtе рrосеѕѕеѕ. Hоwеvеr, it іѕ аlѕо роѕѕіblе tо find уоur іdеаl hоmе оn уоur оwn. Cоnѕіdеr these ѕtерѕ to hеlр уоu оut.
Whаt іѕ your budgеt? It is іmроrtаnt that уоu knоw how muсh уоu саn аffоrd. Go tо уоur lеndеr first аnd check hоw muсh уоu will bе able tо bоrrоw. It is important thаt уоu knоw thе price range оf thе рrореrtу уоu can аffоrd as it can bе vеrу dіѕарроіntіng to fіnd уоur drеаm hоmе, only tо find оut thаt you саnnоt afford іt.
Where dо уоu want to lіvе? Lосаtіоn іѕ vеrу important, whісh is why you hаvе tо decide where you wаnt tо lіvе first. If уоu wаnt tо stay in a сеrtаіn community, drive аrоund thе different nеіghbоrhооdѕ. Yоu саn аlѕо dо a rеѕеаrсh оnlіnе.
Onсе уоu hаvе dесіdеd where уоu want tо lіvе, ѕtаrt looking fоr thе property that fіtѕ your criteria. There are several sites оnlіnе thаt уоu can visit. Yоu саn tуре іt іn ѕеаrсh еngіnеѕ. Include thе сіtу аnd ѕtаtе where уоu wаnt to live whеn ѕеаrсhіng tо hаvе more соmрrеhеnѕіvе rеѕultѕ.
Stone cottage with porch and dormers
Looking fоr a hоmе ѕhоuld nоt bе dіffісult аѕ lоng аѕ уоu knоw what you want. Bеfоrе уоu jumр into уоur саr аnd drіvе аrоund thе vаrіоuѕ nеіghbоrhооdѕ, ѕресіfу уоur needs and wants fіrѕt. Yоu саn also visit online sites. Dоіng this wіll save you tіmе аnd mоnеу.
Do you know the difference between equitable title and legal title?
Equitable title is conveyed to the buyer when the seller signs the offer to purchase. A ratified sales contract creates equitable title. After closing and accepting the deed, the buyer receives legal title.
Equitable title does not carry all the rights, privileges and duties of legal title, but equitable title is not without implication. If a buyer has equitable title in a property, the seller cannot contract to sell the property to another buyer. The equitable title protects the buyer's interests in this regard, but does not obligate the buyer to pay taxes or maintenance on the property.
What is the Virginia Condominium Act?
If you own a condo in Virginia, or if you're thinking of buying a condominium in the Commonwealth of Virginia, it might be a good idea to glance at the Virginia Condominium Act. This act describes the terms of ownership and limitations and requirements of condo associations. It also describes the unique attributes of condominium…
Everything built by man requires some maintenance at some point. Even so-called maintenance-free homes require some attention. So when making the transition from renting to buying, one aspect of home ownership that must be considered carefully is maintenance. Renters enjoy few advantages over buyers, but one benefit of renting is that in most cases renters…
Real estate contracts sometimes come with contingencies. This is a part of the contract that states certain conditions or timelines are met or the seller or buyer can void the contract. The conditions or timelines can be any that both parties agree on and are put within the contract. Contingencies usually last for a specified period.…
Pending home sales increased again in March, affirming that a surge of home sales is unfolding for the spring home buying season, according to the National Association of REALTORS®.
Gambrel roof in Waynwood
The Pending Home Sales Index, a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in March, rose 5.3 percent to 102.9 from 97.7 in February, and is 21.1 percent above March 2009 when it was 85.0; this follows an 8.3 percent increase in February. The data reflects contracts and not closings, which usually occur with a lag time of one or two months.
Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said favorable affordability conditions have been working with the tax credit. “Clearly the home buyer tax credit has helped stabilize the market. In the months immediately following the expiration of the tax credit, we expect measurably lower sales,” he said. “Later in the second half of the year, and into 2011, home sales will likely become self-sustaining if the economy can add jobs at a respectable pace, and from a return of buyer demand as they see home values stabilizing.”
Regional Numbers
* The PHSI in the Northeast declined 3.3 percent to 75.1 in March, but remains 27.2 percent higher than March 2009.
* In the Midwest the index increased 1.2 percent to 98.9 and is 18.5 percent above a year ago.
* Pending home sales in the South jumped 12.7 percent to an index of 121.2, which is 28.3 percent higher than March 2009.
* In the West the index rose 1.9 percent to 99.9 and is 8.8 percent above a year ago.
“Another encouraging sign is the improvement in the availability for jumbo and second-home mortgages,” Yun said. “As bank balance sheets strengthen, it is just a matter of time before lending of non-government-backed mortgages steadily opens up.”
Source: NAR
It's a waste of time and energy to look at homes that are outside of the budget, so prequalification is the first step for any home buyer. If you choose to work with Nesbitt Realty here are many of the steps that we'll be taking on the road to home ownership.
Julie Nesbitt is an Accredited Buyer's Agent and Top Producing agent. Put her experience to work for you.
Tour properties --- We'll take a top level tour of some of the properties that are in your budget. This gives the client something concrete and real to think about so that you can decide whether this home ownership thing is for you or not. It also gives us a chance to see which properties most interest you so that we can rely upon our experience to identify communities and properties you may have overlooked.
Revisiting --- We'll revisit those communities that hold the greatest interest and look at everything available in those communities.
A few more choices --- If none of these really feel right, we'll find a few more to consider and continue with the search.
Make an offer --- When we've found the property that stirs the soul, fits the budget and feels right, your agent will prepare an offer. At that time we'll collect earnest money.
The earnest money is evidence that the seller is serious about the purchase and is held in escrow until the sale is completed. We'll submit a preapproval letter, a copy of the earnest money deposit and the signed offer for the seller to consider.
Negotiations --- Sometimes there is a difference between the asking price and the selling price. The selling price is determined by negotiation. We'll pass drafts of the contract back and forth until the buyer and seller have agreed on all terms.
Loan processing --- Your loan officer will then collect additional documentation from the you and from your agent. This documentation will serve the purpose of proving the representations made in the loan application process. The buyer will produce pay stubs, bank statements etc. The loan office and agent will also order an appraisal as required by all lenders.
Settlement --- Settlement is the word used to describe the actual transfer of ownership. We'll settle on the property in a timely fashion on an agreed upon date. Settlement will occur at a title company's office and a settlement agent will ensure that funds are present as is marketable title.
Ownership --- Here's where the fun begins ... as does the responsibility of home ownership.
What styles of homes do buyers prefer in {Location_Name}?
A recent Realtor.com® survey of more than 1,000 home shoppers found that architectural preferences differ by generations. Older buyers prefer ranch-style homes while millennials prefer contemporary and colonial homes, with only six percent of millennials favoring ranch homes.
We get results fast and we'd love to help you. Nesbitt Realty is licensed in Virginia and we serve buyers, sellers, renters and landlords in Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church and parts of Prince William County.
Every person is an individual and as such we all have different wants and needs. This applies to all aspects of our lives but can be particularly frustrating when trying to find a home. In the rental market one size does not fit all and finding the perfect property can be a challenge.
Adding to the challenge is the fact that occupancy rates and rents in desirable areas can be high and it is often difficult to find a property that suits both your budget and your requirements. Even in areas where there are more available properties it might still be difficult to find something that ticks all the boxes. [Read more about rental agents]
Would you like to have roommates? Do you have a wife and plan to start a family? These are questions to consider before taking the step towards home ownership. Depending on your circumstances you might prefer a 2 bedroom condo in Courthouse, instead of a 1,000,000 home in Mount Vernon.
Location and Atmosphere
Northern Virginia has a vast array of neighborhoods. For example, Arlington has a bustling metropolitan scene that is just a few metro stops away from DC. On the opposite end of the spectrum, there is Woodbridge, which is a quieter small town type of area, which attracts commuters. Alexandria is a nice middle ground in between the two aforementioned neighborhoods. Alexandria has plenty of nightlife, restaurants, and shopping in a variety of neighborhoods like Old Town, West End, and Fairfax County.
Type
Condo? Townhome? Single family home? Each of these homes has their own advantages and disadvantages. Condos are nice because some include amenities, like a pool, fitness center, or dry cleaner, all conveniently located in the condo community. Some may prefer a home, because there aren’t any condominium fees.
Commitment
The Consultation Room at Nesbitt Realty
A mortgage is a long term commitment. It is important to factor in job security when preparing to purchase a home. For those who end up having to leave the area, whether it is temporary or permanent, there is the option of hiring a property manager so that you can rent out your home and collect rent on it while you’re gone.
Credit Score
To be considered a serious buyer, the first step to buying a home is to get pre approved. Getting pre approved can speed up the home buying process. One way to improve your credit score is to always pay your bills on time. Another way to build your credit is to open a credit card and use it monthly and pay it on time.
How much you can 
