Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Why should sellers sign up for a Home Warranty?

Signing up for a home warranty is a great idea for sellers for a couple very good reasons:

Preparing a home for market is a daunting task.  The showing standards in Northern Virginia are high.  After all, prices are high comparatively speaking and buyers generally don't want to do fix ups when they move in.  Plus, a property in need of repair will not command as high a price as one in mint condition. 

Even if the repairs are minimal and routine, the confidence level a buyer has in a property will be lowered if the home inspection reveals a long "to do" list.  This long list "to do" list will give the impression that the seller(s) has not kept the property well maintained.

While the seller(s) is preparing their home for sale with cleaning and decluttering tasks, a repair to the HVAC, major appliances, electrical system or plumbing systems can be taken care of by the Home Warranty company.  If the system is not repairable, the Warranty company will replace it with a system that is comparable in performance.

The Warranty is not paid for by the seller(s) until settlement of the property for sale.  This is a tremendous advantage to the seller.  Preparing a home for market can deplete the piggy bank in many respects so paying at settlement is a good deal for the seller.

The Warranty is transferred to the buyer at settlement.  This Warranty will provide peace of mind to the buyer(s) that a major expense in the first year of  home ownership will be covered by the Home Warranty company.

Long & Foster participates with two Home Warranty companies that sellers and buyers can purchase: HMS:   www.longandfosterwarranty.com

 and 2-10: 2-10.com/warranty

If you would like to sell or purchase real estate call me today, I will treat your transaction as if it were my own!

                                                            Carla Brooks
                                                 703-577-4960
                                                 brkslong@aol.com

Virginia Tidbits

The mood in Virginia at the time of the breakout of the Civil War was anxious and unsettling. Consider the scene of a grandmother presenting her grandson with an umbrella as he marched off to Bull Run:
How surreal it was for for the women, mothers, grandmothers, sisters and beau's to stand by and watch their men march off to war. Of course, the soldiers were not using unbrellas. Carrying their supply kits, arms and gear were difficult as could be. Often soldiers left behind equipment and supplies, that they really could use, out of sheer fatigue and exhaustion.


Look at these young army men posing for pictures in their Confederate Uniforms:



Many recruits did not take the raw drill seriously , yet the raw drill was very arduous to master, as one raw recruit remembered:



Mothers, sisters, grandmothers and wives put together "kits" for their men. They consisted of:
a leather or cloth pouch containing needles, pins, thread, buttons and scissors. They also supplies the troops with many edible gifts-- pies, cakes, doughnuts and jellies.
The troops marched off in solemn determination with knapsacks containing--trousers, two pairs of drawers, thick boots, stockings (4 pair), flannel shirts (4), a blouse, mirror, razors, bibles, writing utensils, reading books, canned peaches, wool and rubber blankets (In addition to their bayonets, canteens, tin cups and cartidges),

Here are a group of women on the train tracks listening for the first guns at Manassas in 1861.


There are many re-enactments of the Civil War in Virginia and Maryland throughout the summer if you would like to attend one.


If you'd like to buy or sell a home, call me today to make the most of your real estate experience.
                                                           Carla Brooks
                                                          703-577-4960
                                                         brkslong@aol.com