Harrisonblog

The home buying process can be a daunting task if you’ve never done it before — and sometimes even if you have! A common concern that we hear from first-timers is whether or not they are ready to buy, and how they know when to start looking once they are ready to take that next [...]

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Maybe.
It is certainly a buyer’s market, which means that home buyers have the advantage in negotiations, as well as a broad range of choices. However, since it is a difficult market for sellers, our team’s counsel to inquiring would-be buyers is that they need to be reasonably confident that they will live in the [...]

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MortgageCroc has a website that holds a plethora of information regarding mortgages and loans. It features a tip of the day, news, articles, lays out the basics of mortgages (credit scores, types of mortgages, amortization schedules, etc.), and is all-in-all a cool looking site. So if you have any questions about mortgages, feel free to [...]

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I just read this excellent and informative post by Rudy Bachraty of Trulia entitled “How to Pick the Best Real Estate Agent for You.” It gives steps to find your ideal real estate agent in your region — either online or offline.
Before your start doing your homework, I want you to envision your ideal real [...]

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This month’s REALTOR Magazine is out, and in it is a fascinating article entitled “Overcoming Buyer Reluctance.” We are regularly speaking with home buyers about their wants and needs for a new home, but many times — especially now — they are reluctant to actually go through with a transaction. This article hits the nail [...]

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The National Association of REALTORS (NAR) surveys home buyers and sellers on an annual basis, and they have published their findings for 2008. Here is a glimpse at the type of folks buying:

Married Couples: 61%
Single Women: 20%
Single Men: 10%
Unmarried Couples: 7%
Other: 2%

Compared to the past 5 surveys, first-time home buyers accounted for a larger portion [...]

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Let’s just state the obvious: the economy is in (or close to) a depression. So, how can we stay positive — especially about the real estate market — in this negative economic climate? It seems too unstable to be really confident in buying or selling, but things aren’t always what they seem.
The Wall Street Journal [...]

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The Virginia Association of REALTORS (VAR) has just published the 2008 Quarter 3 home sales statistics. See below for home sales versus 2007 3rd quarter sales in Harrisonburg and Rockingham County.
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Harrisonburg / Rockingham County 3rd Quarter 2008 Data
Q3 2008 Home Sales: 280
Q3 2007 Home Sales: 353
Percent Change: -20.7%
Q3 2008 Median Sales Price: $199,900
Q3 2007 Median [...]

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