Riverside Rd

Brick front single family home with 4 bedrooms and 2 1/2 baths.  Large bedrooms. Eat-in kitchen. Family room.  Dining room.  Living room. Walk-up basement. Deck. Fenced backyard.

Riverside Rd Alexandria

Communication

How do you communicate?

In real estate it is imperative that we communicate with lots of different people: buyers, sellers, lenders, appraisers, title companies, termite companies, other agents—the list goes on.

We communicate in person and with phones, faxes, e-mails, texts and even social media. The one constant should be “constant communication” with ALL parties.

Whenever I receive an e-mail from another party during negotiations, I always respond to it, if a response is needed. Even if it is “hey—I got it! Thanks!”

I have been in negotiations with a newer agent since Sunday. I sent over items on Monday that needed to be addressed. I didn’t hear back from him until late Wednesday afternoon. That was 2 full days of non-communication.

According to our contracts, “time is of the essence.” As days were not being counted and it was a minor item, I wasn’t too worried about the time. What I was concerned with is that this agent didn’t acknowledge or respond to ANY of the three e-mails that I sent over.

This morning I got two e-mails from the Title (settlement) company sending items over to my buyer and myself congratulating us on our contract. SURPRISE! It was nice of them to communicate this with me right away. The only problem is that we aren’t ratified! The listing agent still hasn’t answered my questions OR sent me the items in question. Miscommunication can be as frustrating as lack of communication.

I know—we are all human and forget to do things. But with this agent, this is a common occurrence. Is he doing his client any justice?

So, my question to you is: Are you doing all you can do to communicate with the people you need to be communicating with? I surely hope I am! Taking time today to reflect and to make sure I am!

Becky moving boxes

Moving! Moving! Moving!

Over the weekend I had a bittersweet experience.  My husband and I moved our oldest daughter out to her first official apartment.  (I say first official apartment because your college apartment doesn’t count.)  This is her first apartment with a roommate and paying her own way.

It was bittersweet in so many ways.  The first being that she is paying rent.  Hello—realtor Mom wants her to buy something as an investment and not rent.  Well, those of you familiar with the Northern Virginia area know that is unlikely for a 23 year old to buy in Arlington—that is unless she wins the lottery and that hasn’t happened yet.

We rented a 14 foot U-Haul for her and her roommate to share.  Thought it might be too big but wanted to err on the side of caution.  Both families are military families and have move tons—we moved 7 times in 12 years.  We can pack a truck!  That truck was packed!  It took us 3 hours to pack and 1 hour to unpack!  Then it took us 5 hours to put the Ikea furniture together!

All in all, it was a good day!  Now the other bitter sweetness sets in.  We are now empty nesters!  This isn’t the first time for that.  We did have a year where both the girls were at James Madison University together.  Although, we knew they would both be home at breaks. 

The reality now is very different!  It is still too soon to tell if I like this or not.  Check back with me in a month and I’ll let you know.

Football

Summer is my favorite season of the year! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE summer!! As much as I love summer—I dislike the winter! Since I dislike winter so much, you could assume that I don’t like the fall that much. That would be correct because it gets colder and I know what is coming next—winter!
In my opinion, there are only 2 good things about fall. They are:
FOOTBALL and APPLES
Yes, you read that correctly….. football and apples.       
“Are you ready for some football?” Was asked all over the place yesterday—I know it showed up on my facebook newsfeed a lot. I AM READY!! The NFL kicked off the season last night with a NFC match up that was fun to watch. I am anxiously waiting for Sunday and all of the other games to start!

While watching the games, you could be eating an apple, apple pie, apple fritter, apple crisp or any other apple creation you can think of! Apples are at their best in the fall. Don’t you agree? 

Basket full of apples

I know some of you will say that the color of the leaves are another great item in the fall. As I might agree the colors are BEAUTIFUL here in Virginia, the leaves are a problem. The problem is that the leaves fall off the trees. When the fall, they make a mess of my yard! I am not a lazy person, but would rather do anything else besides raking leaves!
So, while I can’t control the changing of the seasons, I can take advantage of the best things the upcoming fall season has to offer – Football and Apples! If you don’t see much of me on Sunday afternoons from now until February…it’s because I’ll be at home rooting the Redskins to victory…and taking advantage of the many varieties of apples we get at the Farmer’s Market!

Stephanie
Stephanie Wardwell
Keller Williams Realty
703-472-9633 cell

A=apples

Farmers Market

C=corn on the cob

D=Dips

E=eggplant

F=flower

G=green beans

H=herbs

I=insect control

J=jalapenos

K=kettle corn

L=lettuce

M=meat

N=nuts

O=onions

P-pumpkins

Q=quiche

Farmers Market

R=rosemary mint soap

S=squash

T=tomatoes

U=USA—made in the USA!

V=vegetables a-plenty

W=watermelon

X-eXceptional farmers market!

Y=yams

Z=zucchini

 I will be there on Sunday!  Will you?  Say hi, if you see me!!

Robin Glen Way

Harbor Side Condo

SOLD!

Buy NOW and Buy LOW!
•Home prices are back to where they were a decade ago.
•Mortgage interest rates are rock bottom.
•Housing affordability hasn’t been this good in a generation.
If you or anyone you know is interested in buying a home and seizing opportunities that can’t be beat, I can help!

Stephanie Wardwell
http://www.homes-for-sale-woodbridge.com
stephwardwell@gmail.com
703-472-9633

Greenbriar Dr Woodbridge, VA

Searching for your next home involves a lot more than just picking the right house. It also means shopping for the right loan, the right movers, the right inspector and the right contractor to do the repairs. So, how do you find the “right” resources? Call me!

Throughout my years in the business, I have made some connections with the best in their business, and am now proud to refer them to anyone who is looking for their services. Many of my clients have used these professionals in the past and have been very satisfied.