Just because you might live in Great Falls doesn’t have to mean that you don’t have fight traffic on your own to get to DC. There’s a convenient Great Falls to DC shuttle service. The shuttle van picks up commuters at 7 am on Beach Mill Road and then heads east to the Lewinsville Recreational [...]
Get a GFE To Shop for a Home Loan
Finding the right loan is an important part of buying a home. The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has produced a video that reviews how to shop for a home loan with the Good Faith Estimate (GFE). Lenders and mortgage brokers are legally required to give a GFE to a borrower shortly after [...]
FHA 203(k) Renovation and Rehab Loan
The market is filled with homes listed “as is”, more commonly known as the “fixer upper.” Sometimes, these properties have fallen into disrepair and require extensive repairs just to be livable. In other situations, the owner is unable or unwilling to undertake repairs to meet a common contractual requirement that important elements of a home [...]
Buying a Home
Buying a home can be a stressful process, and getting a better understanding of the issues involved is a great way to reduce that stress. The U.S. Housing and Urban Development has produced a video to highlight some of the steps in the home buying process including: understanding your finances, determining how much home you [...]
Tips To Deal With Appraisal, Financing, Home Inspection and Title Problems
Sometimes the road to settlement can be a bumpy one. According to a Confidence Index survey by the National Association of Realtors, between 10 and 14% of pending transactions do not close. There’s another 20% that are delayed but eventually settle. Here’s a good article on how to deal with problems that might come up [...]
Arlington County First-Time Home Buyer Program
Arlington County offers a low-interest mortgage program through the Virginia Housing Development Authority. Residents can take advantage of the competitive rates subject to income and purchase limits. The County also offers down payment and closing cost assistance programs for residents making up to 80 percent of the area median income. Other requirements include a maximum [...]
FHA Changes
FHA loans have become a popular financing option for home buyers. They didn’t always enjoy their current popularity, in part because of confusion about the loans. The Federal Housing Administration does not make loans. It insures FHA approved lenders against default. FHA loan programs enable lenders to provide better rates to qualified borrowers. Read my [...]
Why You Should Care About Radon
The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) designates January as National Radon Action Month. I’ve seen real estate forms related to radon for years, but I didn’t pay attention to the science behind the forms. When I learned that radon, a radioactive gas, was the second leading cause of lung cancer, it was time to learn [...]
Get a Home Inspection To Sell Your Home
Let’s face it. The home inspection is a fundamental part of today’s real estate transaction. It’s an examination of a home from top to bottom by an independent professional. A home inspection offers a prospective home buyer valuable insights and protection about the condition of a home that the buyer has made an offer to purchase. But sellers can grab some [...]
The Appraisal Is Low
Real estate sellers today are facing something that’s more common than it was in recent years: a buyer with an appraisal that’s below the contract price. According to the National Association of Realtors, “approximately 25 percent of real estate practitioners say low appraisals have broken up deals….” It’s a nationwide phenomenon that reflects how much [...]
The Basics of Well & Septic Systems
Many of the homes in the Northern Virginia area use private well and septic systems. Overall, about 25% of the homes in the US use private septic systems, but these systems are more common in rural areas like those that surround our metro area. If you’re considering purchasing a home with a well or septic [...]






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