Common Home Inspection Items

The goal of market preparation in selling your home is to take care of all the repair items before your home goes "live" on the market.  The buyers will have confidence in the home that is well maintained.  Lots of repair items (even if very minor) will give the impression that the seller did not maintain the home.

Very Common Home Inspection items are as follows:

Loose toilet (it is not securely tightened to the floor)

Anti-tilt bracket not installed on the kitchen range (make sure the contractor installs this bracket)

hot or reverse electrical outlets (one can test outlets by purchasing an outlet tester at any local hardware store)
No GFI's near sinks in kitchen and bathrooms (the GFI protects the homeowner against electrical
surges, they run around $12 per GFI unit)

No safety loop on the dishwasher discharge water line (this loop prevents dirty water from back-flushing into the dishwasher)

windows that do not open (very often painted shut-use box cutter to loosen)

leaking faucets, leaking toilets
doors that do not latch

crumbling or brittle roof shingles

moisture in the basement foundation (use dehumidifier April through October to cut down on moisture in the basement)

clogged or slow to drain sinks

Call me for a complete list of home inspection items that you can troubleshoot before your home goes on the market.  Having a "pre-inspection" is a good idea as well.  Be aware that some inspectors are more diligent than others.  Not every home inspection report will detail the same items.

If you would like to buy or sell a home, call me today.  I am here to help.

Thank you

Carla Brooks

703-577-4960

brkslong@aol.com

PS photos are a courtesy of free digital photos

How difficult is it to be approved for a mortgage?

I noticed an interesting article on the KCM Blog this morning.  It is an article from the Los Angeles Times regarding the availability of mortgages.  You can read it here.

After the mortgage debt crisis, the loan standards were drastically tightened.  The pendulum swung from the far left to the far right.  Lets hope it lands somewhere in the reasonable, practical middle.

Have a nice day and call me if you would like to buy or sell a home.  I will treat your transaction as if it were my own!

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

PS photo is a courtesy of free digital photos                                             

Silver Line Update

I started my blog around the time the construction for the Silver Line Metro began.  I wanted to name the blog after the Silver Line Metro yet the name was already taken.  That is how I ended up with the Silver Lyne.

Originally, the Silver Line was scheduled to open in 2013.  Construction delays, cost overruns and so forth have moved the Opening Day further and further into 2014.  It is believed that the Silver Line Metro will open sometime in July 2014.  For a complete history of the Silver Line Metro Construction project, wikipedia has a nice recap of the timeline of events here.

It is an exciting time for the Tysons Corner area and sure to bring many changes to the lives of citizens who live here.

If you would like to buy or sell a home in the Tysons Corner area, call me today.  I will treat your transaction as if it were my own.  Thank you.

Carla Brooks

703-577-4960

brkslong@aol.com

Best Long-Term Invesment

The real estate market has improved steadily and slowly since the peak years of 2005-2006.  For years, real estate fell behind gold, stocks and bonds as the long term investment of choice.  Understandably so,  with the mortgage debt crisis threatening the financial stability of the country and housing values plummeting in the short term.

The KCM blog breaks down a survey on investment strategy with results by age group and percentage in an interesting post today which can be found : here  The survey shows that real estate is once again the preferred top long term investment of choice.

Luckily, there is a plethora of capital in the DC area.  Bank sales, foreclosures and short sales are rapidly snatched up by investors and home seekers.  That is not to say that there are not challenges in the real estate market in Northern Virginia.  Some properties, bought at the height of the market in 2005-2006, are not yet selling for their former peak prices.  The values are getting closer to peak pricing with each passing year.

For more information on the Northern Virginia real estate market call me today.  I can assist you in selling and/or buying a home and provide the guidance necessary to make informed decisions.

Thank you for visiting the Silver Lyne blog,

Carla Brooks

brkslong@aol.com

703-577-4960

PS Picture is a courtesy of free digital photos

Carpe Diem!

                                                  Enjoy the splashes of color!

Call me if you would like to buy or sell a home, or have a real estate question.  I am here to help.

                                                                       Thank you,

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

Excellent Contrast Colors

Looking for some versatile paint color Inspiration?

The following colors have been utilized by designers to coordinate entire homes:

One way to test a color that you are not sure of is to cut some large squares of poster board and paint the color onto the board.  By holding this painted board up in the room, one can get a better sense of how the room & furniture will coordinate with the color.

Grecian Green is a very soothing and very neutral color.  Love this color with leather furniture!

Ceylon Ivory coordinates well with organic colors like light olive, earthy greens, and muted shades, used on ceilings, walls and trim;

This picture does not portray the true shade of Vanilla Ice Cream.  It is a wonderful, sunny, happy neutral...a very warm welcome in any room! 

Interactive Cream is a light capturing neutral, a very versatile paint color;

For a drastic change in any room, bring in a pop of color with a bold jewel tone like Blue Lake;

This color has orange in it, forever happy!  Pair this color with blue for a french country look or with grey for a trendier look or keep it as a very happy neutral.

Wheat Grass is spring and summer wrapped into one color. Pair Wheat Grass with reds, oranges, or corals or soften with greys and whites.

Stratton Blue is part of the Historic Color Collection, a timeless color.  Pair with White Dove trim to complete the look.  This color goes well with pinks, roses and corals.  Pair Stratton Blue with Chocolate and creams for quiet eloquence.

I must confess, I painted my family room at least 5 times until I found the shade that best suited not only the room, but the entire home.  A pre-painted color board really helps.  Most paint stores offer sample paint colors for around $7.  The availability of this paint sample makes painting a board super easy.  If the sample doesn't work, move onto another shade! 

Thank you for visiting the Silver Lyne, I really appreciate you stopping by...

I am here to help so call me today with your real estate questions,

Carla Brooks

703-577-4960

brkslong@aol.com

LinkedIn

   Networking is a large part of the real estate industry and therefore a large part of my job.  LinkedIn is a wonderful resource I have been enjoying over the last several years.  More and More business professionals are joining LinkedIn.  The wealth of information is enormous and its right at our fingertips!

Here is an article that I found today that is sure to be a pep talk for anyone in the walk of life:

Neil Steggal, Director, FAICD

The synopsis is:  

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” – President Calvin Coolidge

In order to achieve complicated or difficult goals, persistence is the most significant factor. There are lessons to be learnt from the successful, persistent leaders in all walks of life who have overcome enormous obstacles.

1. Hold Firm to your vision: Even when others tell you it’s foolish or unachievable.
2. Train Your Mind to focus on your vision: This doesn’t mean be blind to issues but don’t allow the problems distract you from the objective.
3. Grow Stronger: Constantly improve your skills and knowledge, constantly question and analyse especially after failure
4. Change: Be prepared to change 180 degrees if you are wrong, accept your failures
5. Be Reliable: Be there, be seen trying, be consistent, and demonstrate that even small steps are still results delivered and failures lessons learnt on the journey..
6. Complete the Task: Finishing the job requires the courage to hold your vision, an ability to think through and overcome obstacles and to persist when others would walk
7. Never Ever, Ever, Give Up: Keep at it despite the obstacles, despite negative comment, despite the odds

Enjoy your day and thank you for stopping by the Silver Lyne.

Call me today to discuss your real estate plans, I am here to help.

                                                 Carla Brooks

                                           brkslong@aol.com

                                                703-577-4960