When the going gets tough, the tough need to get good.

The pessimism in the market can be overwhelming at times and for some, it is an easy theory to buy into. As we know, when something is easy it isn’t always the right choice or alternative. We must be selective in many areas of our life as result of all we hear and read.

Be selective in what you believe. People are buying and selling houses in our market – get creative, get in front of people, and get sales. Be selective in what you read, listen to on the radio, and watch on TV – it’s been said before and will be said again, negativity sells. Be selective with your acquaintances – hang around with positive, upbeat, results oriented, successful people. Avoid negative, pessimistic, followers. Find a leader who inspires and motivates you to get you through the tough times or become one yourself! Be selective in your activities – learn, train, teach, network, read (good stuff), and have a servant mentality to help others achieve their goals. Be selective in who is in your client base. People tend to know people similar to them – define your ideal client and go out and find as many as you can. Be selective in your actions – have a selfless service mentality, exercise courage in tough times and have the commitment necessary to get the job done well. Be selective in your thoughts – be positive in how you respond to situations that arise in your daily routine. You have a choice in every situation to optimistic or pessimistic – the right selection is to be positive.

Determine what sets you apart from your competition, add value to everyone you encounter, get engaged, become focused, be dynamic, be exceptional, and become an asset to all those you meet and you will continue to be a success or become one by default!

Everything's for Sale!

Check this out – earlier this week a car dealership in Ohio was offering two cars for the price of one. If you bought a car, the second one was $1! Consumer prices dropped 1% in October – a new record! Gas prices are down nearly 50% from their highs this summer. Housing prices have dropped in some areas over 50% - what a deal. Stock prices are down and the Dow Industrial Average is as well making now a great time to get into the stock market. On top of all this, a local restaurant offered me 50% off the purchase of gift cards earlier this week. Go to a mall and you will see sale signs everywhere and it’s not even the holiday season yet!There are bargains and values out there – the time is now to capitalize on them!

So what does mean? In a nutshell, now is the time to invest – especially in houses! Prices in Northern Virginia are at 2001 levels. It has been said, you make money when you buy, not when you sell. What did Warren Buffet do to earn his billions? He bought when others weren’t and waited. Patient money will take you far in today’s real estate market. It is one of the safest ways to build your financial portfolio while enjoying the home at the same time.

If you are concerned about values declining more, I ask you to analyze the situation further and have a longer term perspective on your thought process. As we know, you can never time any market. So let’s consider the following questions to help you rationalize your decision. Are you looking to make the property a home? Are the schools highly rated? Does the yard offer what you or your family desires? Is the location convenient to work, commuter routes, shopping, and your daily activities? Are the amenities offered by the community the ones you desire? Is there value in the home relative to what else is available in the market? If so, pull the trigger and start packing! Opportunities like the ones today has to offer very rarely come around – don’t miss out! Take the advice of your trusted RE/MAX Gateway real estate professional and get moving!

Very Cool!

RE/MAX Gateway Agents,

Congratulations on your success! We continue to shine in this perceived slow market! Kate recently ran numbers from the RE/MAX website and we came out with excellent marks in my opinion. Through the end of August, the Chantilly office ranked second out of all offices in the Central Atlantic Region in total transactions. We had 650 transactions through this time period. The top office had 928 transactions but they have 113 agents. We had 60 during this time frame. They have nearly twice as many agents with less than 50% more transactions - they average 8.2 transactions per agent. Our average was an outstanding 10.83. In offices with more than 17 agents, we were number 1 in transactions per agent! Way to go team!

In a nutshell, we are kicking butt! Keep up the good work – continue doing what you are doing to keep us on top. We are excited about your success!

Now, go sell something – again!!

From Bad News to Good....only you can change it!

There is a saying that states “bad news travels fast”. As we know in nature, what goes up must come down. Combining these two scenarios, we can conclude that “good news travels slowly”.

We at RE/MAX Gateway are living in the real world of real estate. We see the market improving, prices stabilizing, inventory dropping, multiple contracts in many different price ranges, rates declining (but only temporarily), plenty of financing options, and seeing realistic sellers doing what it takes to get their homes sold. Why isn’t anyone out there listening? Sometimes I find myself asking, if a tree falls in the woods, does it make any sound?

In addition, we hear that all real estate is local. Well, we have some belief that people will have to start listening. The Federal government is slated to pump billions of dollars into the National Economy. Where is the government that is doing this located? Uh, just across the Potomac River. Where are companies located that will benefit from this cash infusion? Uh, Northern Virginia! What kind of companies will benefit from the stimulus package? A few that come to my mind are banks, government contractors, and locally, commercial real estate brokerages. When these markets improve, so will their service provider’s businesses. In theory this would be a pretty good scenario for us if it comes to fruition.

The media’s opinion is beginning to change – slowly. Imbedded in papers, newsletters, and conversations we are beginning to see what we have been saying for a while now. The Washington Business Journal, Kiplinger Letter and people we speak with regularly are saying it – The Washington real estate market is the place to be! We were one of the first markets to crash so we are one of the first to rebound.

You can get busy believing or you can keep waiting – waiting for the media to put the rebound on the front page – waiting for news channels to lead their telecast with the rebound - waiting for clients to tell you they should come off the fence – waiting for a paycheck to come in every two weeks because you won’t be in real estate when this happens. Successful people don’t wait, they go get it! Get it? Got it? Good!

Is it up or is it down?

Sometimes you get lucky…just after last month’s market update, the sales of existing homes went up 5.5% for September, and the highest level in 11 months.  It just goes to show that the media is typically 3 months behind in market stats when dealing with real estate. What caused this surge? Anxious sellers were willing to work more with buyers, low interest rates, the increase in loan amounts for Fannie, Freddie, FHA and VA loans up to $729,750 coupled with low down payments and no down payments in the FHA and VA loan categories. Plus the added bonus of the $7,500 tax credit for first time home buyers.

Right now, I am standing upright and not lying on my back which could have been one of the results of my market update last month.  Inventory levels are staying relatively stable, contracts continue to come in at a steady pace and we continue to see rates decline making now an ideal time to buy or sell real estate.

As we head into the holiday season and with the winter months ahead of us, we should experience a slow down.  It is typical to see this seasonal adjustment this time of year.  However, that being said, it is possible to see a potential boost to sales as we close out the year.  The new loan limits for FHA loans are being adjusted downward to $625,000 on January 1st of 2009.  If people are looking to buy a home at the current higher limit of $729,750, they need to do so and settle prior to the end of the year which could result in a slight jump in sales. We shall see.

For up to date information about the real estate market, feel free contact one of our educated, experienced agents who serve the Washington Metropolitan Area at www.gateway2realestate.com.

Its not scary!

Unlike the Halloween that just passed, the real estate market is not as scary as the media makes it out to be. We have had more closings this year in the Northern Virginia area than we did during the same period of time this time last year. What is true is the market is falling down which is a result of the election, the seasonality of real estate and to a lesser extent the rescue package, but the Northern Virginia real estate market is healthy.

Our team of professionals are always read y to give you the right advice when buying or selling. Always feel free to call.