Okay, we got a problem!

Although every home buyer wants a home inspection, there really isn’t any set criteria to help them know what to expect.

If you are a home buyer, an inspection typically takes place after a contract has been accepted or ratified by you and the seller. There will be a set contingency period when you will hire a professional home inspector to make a visual inspection of the major systems in the house. It is an example of home-schooling because most buyers learn more in three hours than they ever would otherwise.

Your home inspector should provide you with a complete, written report of the systems that he was able to get a look at. It should note how old appliances are, give you an idea on the condition of the home, and make recommendations for repairs or future replacements. Remember, a home inspection can’t possibly catch everything, but keep in mind that you are hiring a “trained eye” who looks critically at homes every day.

I always recommend a couple of good inspectors, but you can easily Google local home inspectors or look on Angie’s List or Yelp. Online reviews are good but you’ll need to contact them and ask a very specific question.

Skipping the photos is a risky shortcut

My easy tip for home buyers: ask your potential inspector if his report will  include digital photos?

It is going to be essential for Northern Virginia home buyers to have thorough reports that provide good documentation including digital photos in their home inspection reports. In my opinion, the new NVAR Regional Sales Contract is going to put greater emphasis on home inspections.

Even if you aren’t working with me, please make sure your home inspector uses a digital camera.

If you are just starting the process of finding a home to buy then check out my Home Buyer Tips , or you send me an e-mail at doug@dougfrancis.com to discuss your plans.

Yes, graded 1 to 10

Are home buyers obsessed with school ratings on real estate web sites?

In 2011 they are!

Most real estate sites now have data on local schools and show ratings from 1-10 on the overall performance (test results) and then give summaries and some parent comments on actual experiences. Take a look at the FranklyMLS site links or Redfin pages for information from GreatSchools.org (which does seem to have plenty of advertising).

Living in Vienna Virginia, my personal experience has been with Fairfax Schools but some of my clients have had children go to Arlington Schools, Falls Church City Schools and Alexandria City Schools with really great results.

If you really want to do your “due diligence” on a particular school so that you can be truly confident that you are buying a home in the best possible neighborhood, then please use these ratings as guides and then check out the school yourself. Fairfax Schools all have web sites now (as every school must have these days) so go and check them out. Investigate the PTA link which probably has after school info or planned events for the year.

Here are my home buyer tips regarding schools:

• Check out the individual school web sites
• Drive by the schools and look at the buildings and location,
• Give a call to the office, and then set up an appointment with the Principal (only 15 minutes)
• Look at PTA activities and events planned on their web site (if they have one)
• Pick out two or three schools and then focus your home search on those communities

So plan to do a little more work than just requiring that the school must have an 8 or above rating because your experience will only be as good as your involvement in your child’s experience.

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Yes, the "First Showing" is Online

When a home buyer decides to look at a home again, agents will call this a “second showing”. Sometimes a third or fourth showing might be needed before a home buyer makes the decision to write up an offer, but it is important for you (Mr./Ms. Home Seller) to understand the new “first showing” concept.

There was a time when real estate agents would ask their clients to describe what they were looking for in a house. Okay, we still ask those questions because we know that everyone isn’t looking for the same exact home to buy. The idea is to get an idea of their style, hot button items or total turn offs. People can typically describe their turn offs without hesitating, but divulging their “likes” to their agent is a challenge. It really isn’t until people see things that they can form a clear picture.

These are the Vienna homes we want to see!

Today’s Home Buyers are totally different because they have already seen most of the houses in the area while sitting in their current home drinking coffee (or tea). Checking out homes online is the new national pastime taking place wherever people can surf the Internet.

Today’s first showing of a house is taking place online, and homes with poor photos suffer and those listings with few or no photos get totally ignored by the majority of the active buyers. So if you are one of today’s home sellers, then know that the buyers who are walking in your door are on their second showing.

My strategy for selling a home in Northern Virginia takes into account what I hear from buyers currently active in the market. If they all were screaming for videos rather than easily skimmed photos then I would probably take videos.

But really, would you sit through a 15 minute video tour? Let me know your thoughts on that…

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There is a stoplight where the W&OD Trail crosses Rt. 123 in Vienna, VA

Northern Virginia home sellers need to understand how current home buyers are searching and finding their next home. In fact, anyone preparing their home to sell can achieve a lot over the next month or two to get their house prepared for those “picky buyers” who will emerge from the “holiday season trance” come 12:01 a.m. on 1/1/11.

My recent blog post on the use of technology including QR Codes (Quick Response) and Smartphone Apps generated some interesting discussions from believers and non believers. Understanding today’s real estate consumer is a challenge because behaviors can change quickly and meeting their expectations is the key to success. And today’s home buyers are starting their searches online at home (or work) but are also doing home searches on the fly using Google driven Android phones, Apple iPhones or iPads.

Northern Virginia home buyers are using the Smartphone apps

Yes, the condo did sell for 99% of the list price to a buyer who found the property online, looked through the clear photos and then called his agent. It was his agent who put together the 26 page NVAR Sales Contract including a Home Inspection Contingency and FHA Addendum. Like I have mentioned before, finding a home is the easy part thanks to the Internet and the search apps out there, but the next step of completing the offer, inspections, appraisal, mortgage, cost estimates and final closing is where having experienced real estate agent adds value.

Here are some tips for Northern Virginia home sellers preparing for the market:

• Use the winter months to complete major projects (at least 30 days)
• Understand the importance of the online photos
• Try a home search online yourself, then load a free app on your Smartphone
• Consult with me as early as possible to develop a plan of action

Most home buyers know the drill of what works online and what isn’t. In my opinion, most Vienna VA real estate buyers aren’t sitting through poor quality YouTube videos where some Realtor is sauntering through a house making off-the-cuff comments like “these are great hardwood floors” and then “this is a great kitchen upgrade”. Or are you? I bet you will look at 30 creative photos but not a 5 minute YouTube clip… Oprah’s house is the exception.

If I was planning to sell my home then I would be paying attention, let’s talk today.

See an interesting mention at Huffington Post in “Around the Web” of this post! (yes, I think it’s cool)

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This little exercise helped me see that my blog is unique, and not like the other 99,000 real estate web sites that simply give you a gateway to the MLS home-search info. Yes, you can search for homes here (see the Search Real Estate page) using two excellent home search tools if you want, but, I was doing something more. Much more.

dougfrancis.com covers my day-to-day real estate business

I discovered a subtle theme here that I really liked. This little blog covered the day-to-day, street level, gritty local Vienna VA real estate action that I have experienced in a rather challenging market. And the goal of most posts is to give readers insight into what my real estate clients were going through getting a mortgage, understanding their home inspection, comparing Zestimates with reality or negotiating traffic.

I didn’t start this post just to toot my own horn, but to encourage readers or other bloggers to take a minute and read a little. Writing about the real estate business is easy because there is virtually an endless supply of material that other home sellers or home buyers can appreciate when they are faced by similar situations. It challenging, but there is a lot of fun in it!

What do you think?

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The consequences may cost you your Earnest Money Deposit and more.

Really, the main purpose of writing my blog is to inform my real estate clients in Northern Virginia about issues that will impact them selling a home, buying a home, getting a mortgage, having a home inspection or removing an oil tank. Yes, getting mentioned on a big-time web site like MSN.com is a thrill, but also indicates to me that I am on the right track giving advice that is informative. What do you think?

If you are planning to buy or sell a home in Northern Virginia, please read through the buyer or seller tip sections and then give me a ring so we can discuss your plans.

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• Saw this on MSN Money today (mytotalmoneymakeover.com)

My Home Staging Consultant who I hire suggested adding the rug to anchor the foyer rather than bare floors

You would think that Northern Virginia Real Estate agents would get it by now, but I am still seeing some really bad house photos being posted online. It is a trend that a lot of agents across the country poke fun at, and even have blogs of the worst photos seen in their MLS.

Anyone who is looking for a home to buy is starting out on the Internet while sitting at home or at work (yes, we know). Doing online research like moving to Vienna, or Vienna Real Estate Listings is done easily from a living room in San Diego, California. So it seems obvious to me to get house photos right from the get-go and put as many photos of the highest quality into the MLS or a linking site like Google’s Picassa or Flickr.

The MLS site is the obvious place to start because it feeds consumer real estate sites like Trulia, Redfin and Zillow. Yup, those photos taken by me are disseminated by the almighty MRIS which is Northern Virginia’s MLS. So 30 photos definitely get popped in here for fast syndication.

The McLean and Vienna VA real estate markets are highly competitive so having quality, staged photos should be 50% of your home’s marketing strategy. (this tip is obvious to home buyers)

Here are my tips for better real estate photography:

• If you are unsatisfied with your photos, then hire a professional
• Use a digital camera with a wide angle lens built into the camera
• I update my camera on a regular basis, read more at my FAQs page
• Take plenty of shots (50-100) and then pick and choose on your computer
• Do not use a fish-eye lens because the photos just look too weird
• STAGE your photos by turning on lights, hiding garbage cans etc.
• If the sun isn’t out, then come back later for another cover shot
• Keep in mind that the buyer who is boarding a plane to house-hunt will only have time to see five homes in McLean, and will pick one to buy.
• Don’t be afraid to change the photos… if there was snow on the ground the first time and it is now May, take some new photos then upload them!

Having clear photos is an absolute must, #1 priority for me when I list a property. Why? Because  home buyers wanting to see Mclean or Vienna homes for sale or Vienna Real Estate Listings have their iPhone or Droid real estate apps running all the time showing photos, photos and more photos.

Having poor quality real estate photos is a real no, no!

Leave a comment about any bad photos you have seen recently.

Image by stevendepolo via Flickr

Real estate buyers have the option of having an agent work with them during the home buying experience. A “Buyer’s Agent” has an obligation to pursue the interests of the buyer finding suitable homes that fit their financial capability (budget), find homes with a good location, keep information confidential, and most importantly present any written offers on homes that are deemed, “OK”.

And ultimately handing you the house keys.

In real estate, the written offer is essential

The Regional Real Estate Sales Contract used in Northern Virginia by Realtors has been refined and reviewed by committees, lawyers and the court over the years. The Contract includes all the consumer protections that are available, and the Virginia Jurisdictional Addendum adds additional language regarding home in Home Owner Associations or are Condominiums Rules, Fees, or Amenities.

Putting together an offer requires a level of skill especially when the real estate market is active. Yes, being sloppy will sink your offer quickly when you are up against someone offering the exact same amount of money to a home seller. Not including a pre-approval letter from a familiar mortgage lender or demanding a response on a brand new house listing may also tip the scale in the wrong direction.

Finding the right house is the easy part, really!

This year has had its share of unique experiences where the deal could have fallen apart if I had not handled properly. There was the case where the other agent had a fit when my client stalled signing Form 100 two weeks before closing (it settled on time), or the  agent who did not return calls on a 365 day-old listing (which I eventually sold for over $1.5 million), or the law firm who collected past due mortgage payments but did not send it to the mortgage lender (closing was delayed, but it closed), or the extremely low appraisal that triggered a new set of negotiations (the seller reduced the price).

Home Buying Mistakes will cost you

So hearing from some buyers recently that “they were not going to work with an agent” gave me a shock. It seems that, with all the home buyer tips and information out there including blogs like this, that buying a home in Northern Virginia appears pretty easy. But the reality is once they have found the house… you know, the one they have been looking to find for the past two years, that they are unable to successfully make an offer.

This buyer strategy seems to focus on dealing directly with the seller’s listing agent, throwing caution to the wind that they will be treated fairly, and assuming the real estate agent is going to give a better deal since they won’t be splitting the commission. Here is my insider tip: that real estate strategy may work on a house that’s been for sale since last summer, but it is not going to work on the house listed last Thursday and has home buyers crawling all over it.

Hey, if you want to spend the next year going to open houses and getting e-mails from Realtors then that is your choice. But you need to know that I have helped many people buy their dream home in a time efficient, cost effective home buying system giving organized home buying tips and professional guidance that get the deal done. Really, finding the right home is the easy part!

I’m open to reading your experiences of keeping the deal together, or finding the house and having it sold before you heard back from the seller’s agent. Go ahead, leave a comment.

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The kids in Fairfax County, VA didn’t have school for almost two weeks and were stuck at home building snow forts, sledding down typically busy streets, and developing cases of cabin-fever.

Here is a window showing me, Doug Francis, at home dodging the snow.

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Image via Wikipedia

If you are looking to buy or sell a home, I’m sure you have used  Google to do most of your research. In a recent conversation with a REALTOR colleague in Falls Church, Virginia, she shared how home buyers walking into her Sunday open-house already knowing the tax assessment, local school scores, neighborhood comparables and much more. They were well versed in the subject matter (buying a home in that neighborhood) and had brought their A-game. Agents love buyers who are willing to make decisions quickly because our real estate market remains one of the most active in the country.

Home sellers have always reviewed recent comps…

now home buyers are getting well prepped

This change is good and going to get better. But there is something all the Google-ing can’t answer, and that is where a talented agent is going to shine. Knowing the Walkability Score, the school test scores, the Zestimate or the impact the power lines may have will not help understand the true motivations of the decision makers.

Here are some of my musings as I drive through the Wendover Community in Vienna, VA along Lawyers Road between Vienna and Reston.

Please contact me if you are interested in confidentially discussing your home buying options. Many of my clients are senior level technology people, established professionals, and transferees from around the country.

My e-mail address is doug@dougfrancis.com

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