Winter Newsletter 2013

YourEcobroker December Winter 2013 Newsletter
This has been an absolutely inspiring year. It couldn’t have been this way without my amazing family, friends, clients and colleagues. Of course, I’m not selling myself short, but I want to let you all know how very much it means to me that you have allowed me to be a part of your lives, whether you bought a home with me, sold a home with me, rented, or worked through a partnership on a community project together, our relationship is very important and I could not be here if it were not for all of you. Thank you so very much for allowing me to do what I love, helping people find homes that make them happy.


How is the market in NoVa? This Winter will be telling for Northern Virginia and the DC Metro area. This year we’ve see that pendulum seller to buyer market and everything in between. These have been interesting times, for certain! Yes, we still find ourselves with low inventory and buyers are still buying…You can always Learn More with these short videos on YouTube with me, Genevieve Concannon, Your EcoBroker.

Thanks so much to the participants of the First Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest with Gen! What a creative, and awesome group you guys are! It was such a neat experience to see you all get together in your communities and make such beautiful creations and post them to my facebook page. A huge congratulations to the prize winner, Adam Segel-Moss, who wracked up 237 votes for his lovely Van Gogh-inspired pumpkin! Thanks so much to RGS Title of Arlington for helping me with the iPad mini give-away. Next year the contest will be bigger and better!


It has been a year for the seller in NoVa!
Why was it a year for the seller? With a very low inventory for most of the year, including what is called the limited release of what is called the “shadow inventory” or homes which are banked owned or foreclosure homes, there were very few properties for the large amounts of qualified buyers to purchase.This meant that the buyers, who were all well qualified were competing for the same properties, often driving the price up through escalation clauses (offering to pay more than the highest bid) and sometimes even waiving their right to an appraisal contingency. Amazing! Yes, home prices soared, and folks who had previously been “underwater” or owed more than their home was worth, were no longer in that situation.Interest rates were at all time lows and even when the rates increased, they were still historically low. Buyers were buying, sellers, well, they weren’t selling, thus driving up the cost of homes, and creating the sellers market. Those who were able to capitalize on the sale of their home, hopefully had good representation and got the best. Buyers who were trying to buy- well, likewise. Hopefully they had someone negotiating for their ultimate best bottom line and knew when to say “enough is enough.”Appraisals were an issue for a while when there were not enough comparable properties to justify the rapid increase in property values, but having a skilled realtor to navigate that on the sales side would prove a seller very beneficial…. Ahhhh, the seller’s market.

Giving Back to the Community
For the past four years, my dear friend Marina Ospina (my co-founder of Green Drinks Arlington) and I have collaborated with the wonderful women of Sweetroot Village to put Art+Pints, a wonderful holiday time benefit for the Arlington Food Assistance Center. We feature local and free-trade artists, vendors, music, food and libations to celebrate community and bring awareness to the AFAC organization. This year, we hosted the event on December 17 from 2-5pm with a dozen artists and local vendors and a silent auction and it was a wonderful success! This is an incredibly fun even that we take great pride in coordinating with our community members.A huge thanks to everyone who contributed this year, both artists, vendors, AFAC staff and the venue, P. Brennan’s Irish Pub on Columbia Pike for bringing awareness to such a great organization.Call me today to see how much money your house will sell for today in this market. Let’s talk. 512-767-3002 is my mobile!

GEN’s HOT 2013 LISTINGS SOLD:

12706 Carlsbad Ct. -SOLD at a record price in neighborhood!

21023 Timber Ridge Terrace #302- SOLD in 1 day

6601 Thackwell Way #E- SOLD in 5 days

680 Watermans Drive #303- SOLD

If you or someone you know is looking to buy or sell property in Northern Virginia, I’d love the opportunity to give you my phenomenal service! Give me a call to discuss your real estate needs, today! I couldn’t do what I do without my amazing clients. Thank you all for allowing me to do what I love. I enjoy working with each and every one of you and can’t wait to help provide the same phenomenal service to your friends, family and colleagues!

Cheers,
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