Under Contract After Multiple Offers in Only Six Days

Posted on January 18, 2023 by cacleland

Under Contract After Multiple Offers in Only Six Days

Bristow buyers have a strong appetite for Braemar townhouses. This end unit, garage townhouse at 10158 Pale Rose Loop hit the market on Friday, January 13th (2023) and got immediate attention. Showing requests were rolling in after only an hour on the market. In fact, I wasn’t sure it was going to make it to the Open House planned that Sunday.

While buyers were very interested, the change in their behavior was palpable. No one wanted to act immediately. The Sunday Open House was swarmed with buyers. While another agent in my office hosted it, I popped by and noticed the intense interest just by the abundance of cars not knowing where to park. The neighbors, while probably frustrated, were patient for those two hours. Still, more interest and lots of questions, but no one was ready to step up and make an offer.

Monday, the fifth day on the market, two buyers made offers. There was the possibility of two more, but those buyers were more wary. Not uncommon for buyers in this market. The media runs too many stories about the national statistics and gets buyers thinking there are a ton more homes to hit the market, or a significant decline in prices coming. The former is not necessarily going to happen anytime soon and the likelihood of the latter happening in our market this year is extremely slim. As much as buyers may not want to hear this, the rise of mortgage interest rates has not slowed down demand.

The sellers of this townhouse were very pleased to have two offers to chose from that exceeded their expectations. If all goes according to plan, which is the most probable outcome, it will close the first full week in February.

When you are ready to sell your Braemar townhouse, let’s talk about how you can lift buyer enthusiasm on your property and get the max the market will allow. Since 2005, No One Knows Braemar Better!

Chris Ann Cleland
Associate Broker, Licensed in VA
Long & Foster Real Estate
703-402-0037, ChrisAnn@LNF.com
www.SellingBraemar.com
www.UncompromisingValues.com
www.ChrisAnnCleland.com

How Long Does It Take to Sell a Braemar Townhouse in November?

Posted on November 16, 2021 by cacleland

12423 Selkirk Circle in Braemar was Under Contract in Only 5 Days

How Long Does It Take to Sell a Braemar Townhouse in November?

When I met with my seller-client last night to go over the offer she received on her townhouse at 12423 Selkirk Circle, she laughed on the way out that a friend of hers had heard about her listing in November. Apparently, my seller was given the dismal prediction by this friend that she “might sell by March.” I don’t know the last time I saw a home take four months to sell. Needless to say, her friend was not a Bristow real estate agent.

While the 2021 Bristow real estate market has slowed down considerably, we have yet to hit what are considered stable conditions. A stable real estate market exists when there is enough inventory to meet buyer demand. In other words, the market favors neither side. Sure July and August saw the decline of crazy number of offers on homes, but multiple offers were still present. Dozens of offers? Not so much. There are still more buyers than homes for sale. Buyers have just taken a deep breath and are not acting in a frenzy.

The great thing about selling at the end of the year is that only serious buyers are house hunting. And the house hunt is occurring a very emotionally charged time of year. Home for Holidays is a real phenomenom.

The townhouse at 12423 Selkirk Circle hit the market on November 11th, priced at $375,000. Some agents the seller interviewed thought that price was high. Not when you put in the work to create buyer enthusiasm. The seller did her part by making sure the home was clean and prepped, as much as possible, for market. (There was a point where she couldn’t find the right color touch up paint for some minor drywall repairs.) Luxury vinyl plank flooring was installed in the bathrooms to lift the outdated appearance given by the one sheet vinyl flooring that had been present. New carpet was installed. Repairs made like replacing the garbage disposal and fixing a leaky toilet. Then it was my turn to go in and fluff with some light staging.

While there were no multiple offers on this one, in only five days on the market the seller got a very strong offer and is delighted. It will close just before Christmas, so stay tuned for the final details. In the meantime, if the time comes to sell your Braemar home in the colder month, don’t believe the hype that spring is the only season where sellers can be successful. The year end market has more serious buyers and fewer homes for them to choose from. And with the professional marketing of a fantastic local agent like myself that has seen the magic of the year end market, you can’t lose. Get in touch with me and let’s set up a time to talk. Since 2005, No One Knows Braemar Better!

Modern Day Two Bedroom Cottage in Dunbarton–Just Sold for $350,000

Posted on January 29, 2016 by cacleland

Modern Day Two Bedroom Cottage in Dunbarton–Just Sold for $350,000

On October 15th, I had the privilege of becoming the second Listing Agent to 13243 Ormond Drive in Dunbarton. It is always an honor to be chosen as the second agent, when the sellers have had no success with a previous agent. In this case, their listing had been active for 125 days before I listed it on October 15, 2015.

When I first spoke with the Sellers, it was obvious to me that part of the problem with their not having any traffic through the home was the list price. They had been listed at $374,900, and lowered their price to $369,900. Even at that lower price, I had to show them at larger homes were selling for less than they were asking. And there was a home exactly like theirs in terms of location and floor plan that was listed for $349,900. No buyer was likely to be willing to pay $20,000 more for their home. Thankfully, the market conditions resonated with the Sellers as did my recommendations to price at a more reasonable $358,000.

Not letting the dissatisfaction of the previous agent carry over to me, I set myself apart with my service and abilities. I made multiple trips to the property to make sure the east and west facing rooms were all photographed with an abundance of light. And since the property was now vacant, I made sure to add some fluff in the form of light staging. Towels, flowers, dishes, coffee mugs all helped warm up the vacant space. Communicating with the Sellers on a regular basis, never letting them feel abandoned is another hallmark of how I do business. .And when daylight savings time came to an end and natural light was gone at 5pm, I placed white holiday lights to brighten up the otherwise dark spaces. The home welcomed anyone who couldn’t find a light switch in those dark winter evenings.

It worked! Sixty-four days after listing with me, about the half the time they had invested with their previous agent, this Dunbarton home had an offer on December 16th.

While the home most like their that has listed for $349,900 had closed recently for $340,000, the appraisal did become a point of concern. Showing what made me different than their previous agent, I met the appraiser at the property with comps and information about the property to make sure we weren’t immediately pigeon-holed as $340,000. Again, it worked.

This Patuxent III model by US Homes sold for its contracted price of $350,000 on January 29th, 2016.

If you want to avoid wasting valuable time with the wrong listing agent, give me a call for a free market analysis of your home’s specific value and make the right choice from the start.

Chris Ann Cleland, Associate Broker-Licensed in VA

Long & Foster REALTORS®, Manassas VA

703-402-0037, ChrisAnn@LNF.com

www.SellingBraemar.com, www.UncompromisingValues.com

Santa Brought This Dunbarton Home a Contract!

Posted on December 19, 2015 by cacleland

Santa Brought This Dunbarton Home a Contract!

On October 15th (2015,) I listed this Patuxent model in Dunbarton at 13243 Ormond Drive. As the second listing agent, the listing came to me with 125 accumulated days on the market. Thankfully, the Sellers understood that their list price needed adjusting after our initial discussion. While they had been listed at $369,900 with their previous listing agent, we landed on $358,000 as a reasonable asking price.

One thing I uncovered during our comparable market analysis was the average marketing time for a similiar sized home in Dunbarton, at the time, was 46 days. That gave the Sellers and I a reasonable expectation of when we could expect an offer, if we were priced right.

The market did slow down a bit, as discussion of government shutdown came and went. Meanwhile, always with a mind toward marketing, I did some preliminary staging and updated it as the listing lingered on the market.

On December 16th, after 62 days on the market, we got an offer! It was a little longer than the average, but half the time of the previously unsuccessful attempt to sell. Two days later, we were officially under contract. You’ll have to stay tuned for the final details.

Buyers don’t stop house hunting over the holidays. In fact, traffic has picked up in Bristow as the year end holidays get closer. If you are talking to an agent who writes off anything but the spring and summer selling season, you might want to talk with an agent that KNOWS the market is active year round in Bristow.

When you are ready to sell your Braemar or Dunbarton home, give me a call. No One Knows Braemar Better!

Chris Ann Cleland, Associate Broker-Licensed in VA

Long & Foster REALTORS®, Manassas VA

703-402-0037, ChrisAnn@LNF.com

www.SellingBraemar.com, www.UncompromisingValues.com

Just Listed in Braemar’s Dunbarton: Modern Day Cottage for $358,000

Posted on October 18, 2015 by cacleland

Just Listed in Braemar’s Dunbarton: Modern Day Cottage for $358,000

Did you know that Braemar has an Active Adult section of the community named Dunbarton? Well, this is a modern day two bedroom, three bathroom cottage in Dunbarton for $358,000.

Located at 13243 Ormond Drive, this Patuxent model by Patriot Homes is a crowd pleaser. A long foyer entry brings in beside the second bedroom. The bay window in this bedroom gets soaked in early morning light with its southeast exposure. A full bathroom just outside its door, but separated from the rest of the home by the staircase to the loft, makes it a great guest suite.

The Master Suite is on the other side of the staircase to the loft and has a large walk-in closet and attached full bathroom with dual sinks/vanity and a seamless shower. It’s just the right size.

Outside is the open floor plan with a soaring vaulted ceiling in the family room. From here you can see the kitchen, breakfast nook and dining area. All are open to each other.

The kitchen has more granite counter space than you will probably ever need. And the cabinet space includes a pantry with pull out shelves from top to bottom. Such a fantastic every day convenience.

One really unique feature of this home is the two sided gas fireplace. You first notice it in the family room, but step back into the sun room with its three walls of windows drenched in late afternoon light, and you see the other side. The sun room, is by far, my favorite nook of the house.

The loft overlooks the foyer on one side, and the family room on the other. It’s a very modern space with its own full bathroom. You could have a make shift guest suite up here.

Outside is a fully fenced backyard and paver patio. It is private feeling lot with a large berm just beyond the fence. The power line easement just beyond the berm means no one will ever built behind your home.

Active Adult communities have age restrictions, and Dunbarton is no exception. At least one resident in each home must be 55 or older. There are also no residents allowed below 18. The community itself has an indoor pool, billard/game room, party room and an exercise room. There’s even a putting green outside their clubhouse. All that AND they have access to all the Braemar amenities.