Whitney Minnich Real Estate and Community Updates

For the fourth consecutive month, pending home sales were on the rise, with contract signings climbing to the highest level since May 2006, according to the National Association of REALTORS®​ Pending Home Sales Index. All four major regions of the U.S. posted increases last month, with the largest gains in the Northeast and the Midwest. If you've been thinking about selling your home it's a great time to start the process. Contact me today, 571-970-7195 or whitney@whitneyminnich.com. Proof That Buyer Demand Is Strong DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2015 For the fourth consecutive month, pending home sales were on the rise, with contract signings climbing to the highest level since May 2006, according to the National Association of REALTORS®' Pending Home Sales Index. All four major regions of the U.S. posted increases last month, with the largest gains in the Northeast and the Midwest. The index, a forward-looking indicator based on contract signings, s...

Help spread the word! Check out the  Hurricane Preparedness Social Media Plan  (PDF) for more information. Download the  Tropical Cyclone Preparedness Guide  (PDF) or keep reading below for more information. But remember, this is only a guide. The first and most important thing anyone should do when facing a hurricane threat is to use common sense. OVERVIEW HURRICANE HAZARDS FORECAST PREPARE ACT Basics Storm Surge Winds Inland Flooding Forecast Process Get A Plan! Take Action Sunday 24 May '15 YouTube EN ES Audio EN ES Monday 25 May '15 YouTube EN ES Audio EN ES Tuesday 26 May '15 YouTube EN ES Audio EN ES Wednesday 27 May '15 YouTube EN ES Audio EN ES Thursday 28 May '15 YouTube EN ES Audio EN ES Friday 29 May '15 YouTube EN ES Audio EN ES Saturday 30 May '15 YouTube EN ES Audio EN ES It only takes one  storm to change your life and community. Tropical cyclones are among nature's most powerful and destructive phenomena. If...

Remove Stains From Walls Before You Paint By:  Pat Curry Painting instructions often warn: Remove stains from walls before painting. But they never say how. Any  cleaning  rookie can wipe off dust and cobwebs. But it takes a cleaning pro to scour grease stains, watermarks, and kids’ crayon and ink wall art. Dirt and Grime Dirt and grime are part of everyday life. The oil from your hands gets onto walls,  cabinets , doors, and door frames. A Mr. Clean Magic Eraser ($3 for 4 pads) easily cuts through these stains. Wet the sponge and rub gently to avoid taking bits of paint off with the stain. Or try this: Mix 1 cup ammonia, 1/2 cup white distilled or apple cider vinegar, and 1/4 cup baking soda with one gallon of warm water. Wipe the solution over walls with a sponge or cloth, and rinse with clear water. The solution won’t dull the painted finish or leave streaks. Grease Grease is an occupational hazard of cooking; it covers cabinets and walls...

You'll always find something fun to do in Fairfax County parks, and the Park Authority's Discovery Trial Map is your guide! The journey features 12 distinctive sites that give students age 17 and younger the chance to discover each site's unique features. Visit eight or more sites and get a prize package to more summer fun and get entered in a drawing for one of three bicycles! The prize package valued at $75 includes 1 free admission for: mini-golf, carousel, train, tour boat, pedal boat, camping, wagon ride, RECenters and boat rental. Offer valid thru September 1, 2015.  Maps will be available at Libraries, Community Centers and at any staffed Park Authority location beginning June 1. Click here for all the information and to enter your stamp codes.

8 DIY projects to add curb appeal for under $50 By  Abby Hayes May 22, 2015 11:59 am Looking to  sell your home ? Or maybe you just want to feel proud of the place as you swing in the driveway each evening? Either way, you can add some serious curb appeal without making a huge financial investment. For less than $50, you can make your home more attractive with these eight DIY projects. 1. Paint the front door. If your front door is a boring gray or brown — or blends into the facade of your home — it’s time to glam it up. Bright blue and red are both great options for a front door. Keep it classy, but choose a color that will coordinate with — and still stand out against — your home’s facade. Cost: $25 for a gallon of paint, plus a few hours of your time. 2. Upgrade your house numbers. House numbers are a practical necessity, but they can also be a statement. You can pick up large metal house numbers for around $5 each. Or you can buy wooden numbers from a c...

Owners Place High Value on Good Yards DAILY REAL ESTATE NEWS | THURSDAY, MAY 21, 2015 Don't underestimate the importance of a beautiful yard to home owners and their neighbors. 84 percent of adults say that the quality of a home's landscape and yard would affect their decision on whether to purchase a home or not, according to a new survey of more than 2,000 adults conducted by the National Association of Landscape Professionals. The majority of Americans want to live amid nice landscaping. The survey found that 91 percent of Americans believe it is important to live in close proximity to trees, grass, or nice landscaping. Midwesterners are the most likely to rate the importance of landscaping the highest (at 94%), followed by the West (89%) and Northeast (87%). "Across the board, the survey reveals that Americans deeply value surrounding natural elements and yards where they can spend time outside their homes," according to the National Association of Land...

Just another reason not to wait to purchase a home: "...if the economy continues to improve as I expect, I think it will be appropriate at some point this year to take the initial step to raise the federal funds rate target and begin the process of normalizing monetary policy." - Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen YELLEN: Rate hikes are coming this year Myles UDland - MAY 22, 2015, 1:01 PM Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen said it will be appropriate for the Fed to raise rates at some point this year.  Yellen's comments were delivered on Friday before the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce.   Here's the key peel from Yellen's speech: Given this economic outlook and the attendant uncertainty, how is monetary policy likely to evolve over the next few years? Because of the substantial lags in the effects of monetary policy on the economy, we must make policy in a forward-looking manner. Delaying action to tighten monetary policy until employm...

Don't Get Thrown by Doc Overhaul Timely closings will require advance planning under new compliance rules. MAY 2015 | BY  ROBERT FREEDMAN August 1 will be a big day for real estate professionals because that's when two new closing forms—a Loan Estimate and a Closing Disclosure—will replace the three forms you're used to working with: the HUD-1 Settlement Statement, the Good Faith Estimate, and the Truth-in-Lending disclosure form. The purpose of the new forms, which were created by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau with input from consumers and industry groups, including the National Association of REALTORS®, is to consolidate information and make it simpler for consumers to compare how close their costs are to what was originally estimated by the lender. The first page of the new Loan Estimate and the new Closing Disclosure are formatted in exactly the same way, so you and your clients can easily compare costs and note any changes. Expect refinements to t...

It's almost summer and only going to get hotter! If your AC isn't working, here are some common air conditioning warning signs, likely causes, and fixes.

Powder Rooms That Make a Statement by  Melissa Tracey  on May 18, 2015 More home owners are turning to the powder room to make a dramatic statement and packing in a lot of design into these often small spaces, according to the  2015 Houzz Bathroom Trends Study , a survey of more than 3,000 home owners about their bathroom remodeling plans. Nearly two thirds of powder rooms are less than 40 square feet, but home owners are finding they can still make these spaces attention-getting, whether with a trendy sink or flashy wallpaper. Home owners report that their powder room renovations are mostly driven by the desire to do cosmetic touches, and therefore, home owners are finding affordable, do-it-yourself upgrades to spice up the space. Most home owners say they want to upgrade their powder room because they want the design to make a bolder statement – a more popular response among home owners than for any other bathroom in the house, the survey finds. The powder...