Harris Teeter just opened!
And, they're open 24 hours.
Hoadly Road Retail Center - #316
12745 Galveston Ct
Woodbridge, VA 22192
Sunday, September 9, 2007
Buyer's Agent Day
Today was the way a home search is supposed to go for my clients! Our goal: see 4-5 homes in the target area of Springfield, VA. Requirements:
Close to Metro or major road to make commuting easier,
Few steps leading into the house to make entry easier for elderly guests (and those of us who's hips just hate us ;))
Minimal fixing up to make house liveable
From the lists I sent for them to choose from, which I'd already narrowed down (no home too close to the train tracks, too loud and could potentially wake a new born) - no obvious foreclosures, etc., they narrowed the lists down even further. I spent about an hour or two last night, pulling up the information, pictures and tax records, and then mapped out our route from the center point. An hour before heading out, I called and made sure each home on our travel route would be available about the time we wanted to see them.
Off we went to see four homes on our list. The first was a bust. Obviously a foreclosure once we were on the property. The directions on the listing were inaccurate and the listing itself inaccurate. While disappointed with our first selection, off we went to the second.
And that one we ALL fell in love with. Everything they needed, a few items to fix, but all in all, even the paint schemes were liveable.
We continued on, saw a random Open House around the corner from the Lovely House, and chatted with a nice agent who was happy to show us around. Then off to the last two...which we quickly ALL crossed off the list.
Results: Keep the Lovely House on the list, make plans to see 4 homes in Alexandria, near the metro as well.
This just illustrates to me what a good agent does for a client: Preparation, understanding the market AND their needs. On average, those buyers using an agent, travel out to see actual houses only 2x, often finding the house they really love in the first trip. You just know the minute you walk in. Sure, there are things that need to be fixed, things you can overlook, but you really do just KNOW when you walk into the house.
You can find great local Virginia real estate information on Localism.com Stacia Kelly is a proud member of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network, a free online community to help real estate professionals grow their business.
