Buying a Home in 2012?
January 16, 2012 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
Is buying a home one of your 2012 goals? It can be a long process, but it doesn’t have to be complicated if you do a little prep work. Get started by attending a free, no obligation first time home buyer class at Arlington Central Library on February 29 at 7:00 pm. Our first time [...]
Tips for Couples Buying Their First Home Together
December 12, 2011 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
Buying a home means starting a new phase of your life. It’s big, it can be scary, and it’s tough to make decisions. Add a second person into that mix and it can be overwhelming! Here are a few tips to get started if you and a significant other are buying your first home together: [...]
Can I make an offer now if I don’t want to settle for several months?
March 21, 2011 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
It’s a tricky thing to time a home purchase with the expiration of a lease. Often buyers ask me: Can I make an offer on a house I like now even though my lease isn’t up until later this year to minimize the overlap? Typically contract to close will be 30-60 days. There are several [...]
Cheaper to Buy Than Rent in DC Area
February 28, 2011 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
According to Trulia’s first quarter 2011 index, it is officially cheaper to buy than rent in the DC area, along with 72 other large US cities. With rent averaging $2500-3000, and an average purchase price of $400-500k, the price to rent ratio is hovering around 14. According to Inman News: “A price-to-rent ratio of 1 [...]
Proposed Elimination of Fannie, Freddie May Boost Interest Rates; FHA Insurance Premium Set to Increase
February 21, 2011 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
The administration has released a white paper saying it intends to wind down Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and severely cut back FHA’s role in mortgage funding. Though the plan could take up to seven years to execute, it would mean a dramatically privatized mortgage market and very likely higher rates. The report offers three [...]
DC $5000 First Time Home Buyer Credit Retroactively Approved for 2010 Purchases
December 21, 2010 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
Buried in Friday’s signed, sealed, and delivered Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act of 2010 was a provision retroactively approving the $5,000 tax credit for first-time home buyers in DC for 2010, and extending it through 2011 as well. Home buyers will remember that the credit, last approved as part of the [...]
Now Open For Registration: Buying an Investment Property Seminar
December 9, 2010 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
Are you thinking about adding a rental property to your investment portfolio? Wondering how to go about identifying an appropriate property and estimating cash flow? Not sure what typical expenses are for an investment property? Then attend this free informational seminar that will cover: – Identifying opportunities in the current real estate market – Finding [...]
Is the First Time Home Buyer Credit Coming Back?
August 30, 2010 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
With the precipitous 27% drop in July housing sales, the first time home buyer credit is getting renewed interest from some heavy hitters in Washington, including Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Shaun Donovan, according to The Hill. Though admitting that just one month of numbers was too little data to say whether the credit [...]
Free First Time Home Buyer Seminar in Arlington
August 26, 2010 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
Monday, September 20, 2010 from 7:00 – 8:15 Arlington Central Library 1015 N Quincy St 2nd floor meeting room Ballston (Orange Line) Though there is no cost to attend, you must contact us to register for the First Time Buyer Class since seating is limited and so that materials are available. Educating Home Buyers to Enable [...]
Is the $8000 First Time Home Buyer Tax Credit Going to Be Extended?
April 16, 2010 by Katie Wethman · Leave a Comment
Alas, my crystal ball is in the shop. But I CAN tell you the same thing I recently told the Washington Examiner about the upcoming expiration of the credit: the administration and Congress are under a lot more pressure now to control spending than they were this time last year. Last year it was all [...]
