Whitney Minnich Real Estate and Community Updates

When you're selling your house it's important to give prospective buyers an idea on how they can use the space. If you're able to pay for a professional stager, it's always a good idea, however it's not always possible. Even on a budget there are things you can do to stage your house. Here are the five golden rules for staging your house on a budget. 5 Golden Rules to Home Staging on a Budget

It's a great time to buy a home! If you've been thinking about buying a home, it's the perfect time to start the conversation! Contact me today at 571-970-7191 or whitney@whitneyminnich.com. Why Waiting To Buy Might Not Make Sense   The KCM Crew ,  March 31, 2015 Whether you are a first time or a move-up buyer, there are two factors that will impact the amount of house you can afford in your price range: home prices & mortgage rates. Let’s look at what the experts are predicting over the next twelve months for these two areas: PRICES Over 100 economists, real estate experts and investment & market strategists were recently  polled  as a part of the  Home Price Expectation Survey . They were asked to project where home prices are headed. The average value appreciation projected over the next twelve-month period is approximately 4.4%. MORTGAGE INTEREST RATES In the latest  Economic & Housing Market Outlook  from  Freddie Mac , they predict t

Just another sign that it's a great time to purchase a home. If you've been thinking about buying a home, it's the perfect time to start the conversation! Contact me today at 571-970-7191 or whitney@whitneyminnich.com. Mortgage Rates Drop Even Lower This Week DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS  | FRIDAY, MARCH 27, 2015 For the second consecutive week, mortgage rates continued to fall, with the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage still well below 4 percent and 15-year rates dipping below 3 percent, Freddie Mac reports in its weekly mortgage market survey. "Low mortgage rates are a welcome sign for those in the market to buy a home this spring season and will help to support homebuyer affordability," says Len Kiefer, deputy chief economist at Freddie Mac. Freddie Mac reports the following national averages with mortgage rates for the week ending March 26: 30-year fixed-rate mortgages: averaged 3.69 percent, with an average 0.6 point, dropping from last week's 3.78 percent

With low rates and inventory going up, it's a great time to buy. Contact me today, 571-970-7195 or whitney@whitneyminnich.com, to learn how you can start the home buying process. Low Mortgage Rates Drive Loan Demand Surge DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2015 Mortgage application volume soared 9.5 percent last week as mortgage rates took a dip to the lowest levels since February, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. Mortgage applications for refinancings for the week ending March 20 rose 12 percent week over week, and are up 35 percent over levels from a year ago. Applications for home purchases, viewed as a leading gauge of future home sales, increased 5 percent, moving 3 percent higher than year-ago levels, the MBA reports. "Low mortgage rates and more importantly continued improvements in the job market are the likely drivers behind this increase, " says Michael Fratantoni, chief economist for the MBA. The MBA reports that the 30-

We had such a wonderful Home Buyer Seminar on Saturday -  thank you to everyone who was able to attend! If you weren't able to make it and would like a complimentary personal consultation, contact me at 571-970-7195 or whitney@whitneyminnich.com.

Just Listed! Just completed total renovation 4 bedroom, 2.5 bath home situated on a 1/2 acre lot in the beautiful Tauxemont community. Everything is brand new.  New roof including rafters and joists. All new electrical, plumbing, and siding. Fantastic redesigned kitchen that includes stainless steel appliances, granite counter tops, and a large island. It opens to the light filled living room with cathedral ceilings and wood burning fireplace. Large private master suite with walk-in closet and french doors that access the back deck. Master bath with double sinks and dual headed 4x6 walk-in shower. New separate laundry room. Added half bath. Gleaming hardwood floors throughout.

Buying a home is an exciting experience, but the process can be hard to navigate. This FREE and no obligation seminar will help walk you through the buying process. Local experts will provide information and be available to answer your questions. If you've been thinking about purchasing a home, you don't want to miss this FREE seminar! Saturday, March 21, 2015   10:30 am to 12 noon Lunch will be provided Residence Inn South Carlyle 2345 Mill Road, Alexandria Every attendee will receive a voucher for a FREE appraisal* *conditions apply, up to $450 value "When we decided it was the right time to buy a home, we had no idea where to start. This seminar was exactly what we needed - the experts walked us through the home-buying process and answered all of our questions. Shortly after, we bought our very first home! We highly recommend attending the seminar if you are considering purchasing a home, it is a great first step."  -Asim & Saadia

How to Protect Your Home From Severe Cold By: Gwen Moran The right tools and pre-winter maintenance will ensure that your home and your family are safe from cold-weather threats. Homeowners in cold-weather climates, such as the Northeast, Midwest, and mountain areas, face icy conditions, blizzards, and other cold-weather storms. Beyond requiring a quick trip to the convenience store for milk and bread, snow, ice, freezing rain, and extreme cold can threaten your home’s structure and your safety. Therefore, it’s important to take measures and invest in the resources you’ll need to deal effectively with winter’s challenges before it gets into full swing. Understand the Threats Blizzards: Storms with heavy winds and large amounts of snow accumulation can cause roof or other structural damage and leave you isolated. Ice storms and ice dams: Ice storms coat structures, trees, power lines, cars, roads — and virtually everything else — with ice. As the ice melts, large chunks can

Cleaning Tips to Keep Listings Sharp DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2015 One of the most common pain points for sellers is the last-minute showing. It's bad enough that they have to ensure that they’re ready to vacate their home at a potential buyer’s whim. The need to keep their living space clean at pretty much all times is also a stressor. Houselogic compiled these maintenance tips to help you and your clients keep a home cleaner for longer periods at a stretch, reducing the last-minute scramble to get a listing ready to show. Get the humidity right  to help banish dust. Too much moisture in the air an ideal environment for dust mites, while an overly-dry space causes static electricity (which attracts dust and makes it harder to remove). The sweet spot is a humidity level between 40 and 50 percent. Keep soap scum off glass surfaces  using rain repellant. After cleaning the bathroom, coat glass shower doors and walls with a rain-repellant product m

Buying a home is an exciting experience, but the process can be hard to navigate. This FREE and no obligation seminar will help walk you through the buying process. Local experts will provide information and be available to answer your questions. If you've been thinking about purchasing a home, you don't want to miss this FREE seminar! Saturday, March 21, 2015   10:30 am to 12 noon Lunch will be provided Residence Inn South Carlyle 2345 Mill Road, Alexandria Every attendee will receive a voucher for a FREE appraisal* *conditions apply, up to $450 value "When we decided it was the right time to buy a home, we had no idea where to start. This seminar was exactly what we needed - the experts walked us through the home-buying process and answered all of our questions. Shortly after, we bought our very first home! We highly recommend attending the seminar if you are considering purchasing a home, it is a great first step."  -Asim & Saadia

Current buyer demand is actually 3 times greater than that of January 2014. If you've been thinking about ‪‎selling your ‪‎house, now is a great time to start the conversation! Contact me today to get a free market analysis - 571-970-7195 or whitney@whitneyminnich.com . Home Sales are NOT Collapsing! The National Association of REALTORS (NAR) just released their Existing Home Sales report and some have taken the results and ran with headlines like: “Existing home sales collapse in January despite low mortgage rates”. Let’s take a closer look at what the report really shows. There is a seasonality to home sales that happens every year, with a decline in January, (as shown in the graph below.) But in reality 200,000 more homes (3.2%) sold this January over last January. The demand for housing hasn’t been a challenge. Current buyer demand, as shown in the graph below, is actually 3x greater than that of January 2014. NAR’s Chief Economist, Lawrence Yun points to the