Open House Weekend!

It's the weekend!!! And what does that mean? Open houses!!! We have some great properties to show you this weekend, including two PRICE REDUCTIONS in some really desirable neighborhoods.


Saturday 2 pm - 4 pm

820 Gillfield Dr.
Petersburg
$99,490

Seller to pay closing costs and 1-year home warranty with acceptable offer! Lovely updated ranch now available, move in ready, in Petersburg! This gorgeous 3 bedroom, 1 and a half bath home, has been updated and includes top quality features. The eat-in kitchen boasts beautiful new floors, new backsplash, updated counter tops, new whirlpool appliances, a movable island and offers plenty of storage and counter space. Other upgrades include a new hot water heater, all new vinyl siding, new gutters, new shutters, laminate floors and carpet, thermal windows, new doors, a new outside HVAC unit, new hardware throughout, updated bathrooms including cultured marble in the master, new ceiling fans, and so much more! To top off all of the exquisite details inside, the existing mature landscaping compliments the interior upgrades. Also, the oversized driveway with fresh gravel and plenty of parking combined with the large, partially fenced back yard make this home perfect for entertaining.



3328 Walmsley Blvd.
Richmond
$99,950

Seller to assist with closing costs and home warranty with an acceptable offer! Welcome to 3328 Walmsley, located at the corner of Walmsley and Angus St. Relax on the front porch and enjoy the freshly landscaped yard. Inside the home, you will find two bedrooms with ceiling fans, and an updated bathroom, a kitchen with appliances including a stainless steel refrigerator and eat-in space, formal dining room, living room, and laundry/mud room with washer and dryer. Kitchen, full bath, and laundry/mud room all have new laminate flooring. New fixtures, new hardware, and fresh paint add to the recently completed work. Home is pre-wired for an alarm system and offers a large yard with full privacy fence surrounding the entire lot.

Sunday 2pm - 4 pm



604 N 22nd St.
Richmond
$289,000

PRICE REDUCTION!
Located in Historic Churchil, this beautiful home has over 1500 in square feet with an English basement under the home which could be converted to a living space if finished. Entering this home you will notice gorgeous details to include a lovely staircase, crown molding and unique light fixtures. The formal living room has beautiful hardwood flooring, an elegant chandelier light fixture and crown molding throughout which opens into the spacious formal dining room. The kitchen has so much character with a charming brick wall, pendant and recessed lighting, lots of cabinetry and window views to the backyard. Downstairs you will also find a full bathroom with double door entry. Upstairs you will find 2 spacious bedrooms with sitting areas, great closet space and lots of natural lighting with several windows throughout! Upstairs is complete with a 2nd full bathroom. The kitchen has direct access to the backyard with a great amount of yard space and privacy for family gatherings. This home is just what you are looking for; close to shopping, award winning restaurants, and entertainment, including walking distance to Walk to Libby Hill Park!


7059 Senn Way
Mechanicsville
$168,500

PRICE REDUCTION!

Seller to pay $2, 500 towards closing costs and a 1-year home warranty with acceptable offer! Turn-key renovation in sought after Mechanicsville! Enjoy the recently opened living space that allows great flow. All new flooring continues from the entrance to the living room, the dining area, and into the custom kitchen with all new cabinets and counters, stainless steel appliances including refrigerator, bar area with seating, and lots of storage space. Lower level has laundra area, bedroom, full bath, and large area great for a den, playroom or office. Upstairs has three other bedrooms and second full bath. All new paint interior and exterior, new heat pump/central air, new flooring throughout including carpet in bedrooms and extra sturdy laminate with warranty in common areas. New appliances, new hot water heater, all new hardware, fixtures, new ceiling fans in all bedrooms and living space, and custom landscaping make this house ready for you to walk in and enjoy! Come see it today!

520 Colonial Ave.

Colonial Heights

$134,900

Newly renovated cape in the City of Colonial Heights. This custom home offers two bedrooms downstairs and a large master suite upstairs. There are new fixtures and chandeliers throughout, new exterior and interior paint, new hardwood floors downstairs, new Stainmaster carpet in master suite, and imported tile in both full bathrooms and the kitchen. Kitchen also includes glass tile back splash, new cabinets, all stainless steel appliances, and a solid maple bar top with seating for 4. Purchase this home and you can pick out your own stainless refrigerator and stove! The master suite upstairs boasts a large walk in closet with double sinks in the master bath and a large tiled walk-in shower with glass, ceramic tile and natural stone with accent tile. New insulated storm windows throughout home. New hot water heater and roof is less than 2 years old. Walking outside you will find a covered patio and a fenced backyard. Area on the right side of the house is perfect for a garage or driveway. Come see the unique and stunning finishes in this home today!

1919 Glenhurst Ct.

North Chesterfield

$225,000

Do not miss out on this four bedroom, two and a half bath home with a large great room, dining room and eat-in kitchen! Located at the top of the cul-de-sac with the rear yard backing up to woods for the perfect amount of privacy. The detached storage shed does convey and the garage is the perfect size to store all your tools, vehicle and so much more! Convenient location near multiple interstate access points, shopping, dining and other supporting amenities.  Seller is installing a refrigerator which will convey with the washer/dryer too!

2016 Outlook for Homebuyers

For first time home buyers, the market is primed and ready in 2016.  However, just like last year, mortgage rates are rising along with home prices.  While both aren’t expected to go up as rapidly as they did last year, new lending guidelines can make it harder to obtain certain loans for first time buyers.  So, during this time of year take extra care when filing your taxes if you plan on purchasing a home loan and strike while the iron is hot.  Don’t wait for rising prices to get into your new home!

An article from Daily Finance explains just how things are expected to change and how they might affect you. 

5 Things to Know About Buying a Home in 2016

The new year looks like it's shaping up to provide first-time buyers with the opportunity to enter into the housing market. Interest rates are still hovering around record lows, so there's some time left to snag a great deal. If you're planning on taking the plunge into homeownership in 2016, here are some key points to keep in the back of your mind before you begin the process.

1. Home Prices Are Expected to Even Out

Home prices have been on a steady upward climb over the past few years. But they're on track to level off in 2016. That's both good news and bad news for buyers, depending on what your financial situation looks like.

Home values are projected to increase by just 2.6% over the next year, according to Zillow. While that represents a slowdown from last year, values are still rising at a faster pace than wages. That means some lower income buyers may be shut out of the market if they can't afford to take on a mortgage.

2. Mortgage Rates May Go Up

A rise in the federal funds rate was seen as inevitable and the Federal Reserve finally moved forward with a rate hike at the end of 2015. For buyers, that move may signal the end of historically low mortgage rates, but it's not a reason to panic. It's likely that interest rates will climb up slightly but for the majority of buyers, it's not likely to be an obstacle to home affordability. Again, the buyers who stand to be affected the most are the ones who are on the lower end of the income scale.

3. FHA Loans Will Be Cheaper

FHA loans are a popular choice among first-time homebuyers because they make it possible to get a mortgage with as little as 3.5% down and a minimum credit score of 580. The only catch is that buyers who go this route are stuck paying an annual mortgage insurance premium (and an upfront mortgage insurance premium) on top of their regular loan payment.

The good news for 2016 is that the cost of the premiums are coming down. Last year, the Federal Housing Administration made a move to reduce the annual premium rate from 1.35% to 0.85%. For buyers who have their eye on an FHA loan, that represents a pretty substantial amount of savings when calculating their mortgage costs.

4. But Getting an FHA Loan May Be More Difficult

The FHA Handbook for 2015-16 introduced some new guidelines for lenders that may affect which buyers qualify for a loan. Some of the things covered in the updated rules include new documentation rules for gifted down payments and changes to the treatment of student loans when calculating debt-to-income ratios. Borrowers who have a high debt-to-income ratio and authorized users who are carrying credit card debt may find getting approved for a loan more challenging.

5. Buying Will Be Better Than Renting in Some Cities

The rental market has exploded in the last few years and rental rates have reached astronomical highs. That upward trend is expected to continue into 2016, and according to RealtyTrac, owning a home will be more affordable than renting in 58% of all U.S. housing markets. A spike in rental rates may push more buyers into the market, leading to increased competition over available homes.

Final Word

Even if you're planning to postpone buying a home until later in the year, it's not too early to start preparing for it. It's a good idea to start improving your credit, paying down debt and beefing up your down payment to make yourself as attractive as possible to lenders once you're ready to get a loan.

For the full article, written by Rebecca Lake, click here.

Image from Realtor.com

8 Ways to Boost Your Home Value

Straight from ConsumerReports.org are these great tips on where to put money into your home.  Not every home is perfect because it matches the lifestyle of the owner before you. It’s also ideal for many buyers to move into a place that could use a few improvements.  Making updates yourself potentially means a bigger return on your investment when you decide to sell.  The somewhat lengthy Consumer Reports article outlines trends in the Real Estate Market that favor the biggest home buying group in the country— millennials.  I have attempted to concentrate the reasons why each improvement is considered valuable as well as include the article’s awesome “Value-Added Buzzwords”  because when you’re listing a property, these things really do get more foot traffic for your home!  So when considering whether or not to purchase a home that needs renovations, getting ready to sell, or just updating the space to fit your needs, here are the best improvements to make when trying to get the highest return on your investment.

Kitchen. 

It’s the heart of the home.   It’s where everyone gathers at the end of a get-together, over the holidays, and where you take your everyday meals.  It's also where the big money goes into appliances.  It’s especially popular to have a “modern/updated kitchen" when trying to attract millennials, according to Consumer Reports.  If you are planning to stay a while, any investment can prove worthwhile, however, if you are updating to sell, small tweaks can get the job done. Just adding new kitchen cabinets, modern hardware and a fresh coat of paint can create a cohesive look.  

Buzzwords:

Stainless steel

Quartz countertops.

Multi-Functional Floor Plans.

Also known as, an open floor plan.  Lots of people work from home these days, or prefer different types of entertaining.  An expanded kitchen with a larger island could be preferred over a formal dining room, or a home office instead of an extra family room.  Adding square footage to the downstairs by moving your laundry to the upstairs is becoming increasingly popular as well. According to Consumer Reports, finishing the basement is a great way to add usable square footage to your home.

Buzzwords:

Flex room

Mother-in-law apartment

Upstairs laundry room

Energy Efficiency.

This is true for homebuyers across the board, not just millennials.  If there is a way to lower living costs, take advantage of the savings in the long run by buying energy efficient appliances.  Updating windows, insulation, and your water heating appliances, while not especially adding curb appeal, seriously increases the desirability of your home.

Buzzwords:

High-efficiency windows

LED lights

Low-Maintenance Living.

The way of life these days is more about making things simple.  While wall-to-wall carpeting may seem luxurious, to today’s busy homeowner, it’s just extra work.  A lot of new, first-time homebuyers are looking for move-in ready homes where they can live comfortably and entertain without having to worry about getting their home in order.  This includes things from hardwood floors to central air, which eliminates switching window units seasonally.  It also includes bigger ticket items like roofing.  Replacing a roof is a huge undertaking, and buying a home knowing you’ll have to replace it soon could be a hassle new homeowners don’t want to deal with.

Buzzwords:

Updated systems

New roof

Hardwood floors

Multi-Generational Living.

We start saving for retirement as soon as we can, when making renovations, why not build for retirement as well?  Forward thinking renovators are ditching steep staircases for aging-related improvements, making it easier to navigate the hallways no matter how old you are.  Seniors are among the biggest home buying markets as well, with very little options to choose from when it comes to living comfortably.  

Buzzwords:

Walk-in shower

Master on the main floor

Comfort-height toilets

Paint! 

Not only does it look fresh, but it protects your home.  Giving high-traffic areas like the kitchen and bathroom a new coat can make your space look as fresh and clean as the day you moved in.  Which is especially important if you’re planning on showing it to potential buyers.  If there are scratches from pets or stray soccer balls, they need to be taken care of.

Buzzwords:

Neutral color scheme

High-quality paints

Curb Appeal.

While adding a deck or patio doesn’t technically add square footage to your home, it certainly does expand your seating options.  Entertaining outdoors, or taking your morning coffee al fresco is something millennials value more than previous generations.  A simple fire pit can do the trick as well as easily cared for landscaping is a no brainer.

Buzzwords:

Curb appeal

Water-smart yard

Smart Home.

DON’T build in your sound system, DON’T buy trendy technology because you will lose the money you put into it.  Technology improves on a daily basis and what is hot one year might be old news the next.  However, automated features on your home like a programmable thermostat and remotely operated home functions such as lights, locks and security systems really pay off for the generation that grew up with smartphones.  These features also relate to saving money on energy costs.

Buzzwords:

Programmable thermostat

Whole-house generator

Hopefully, some of this advice has motivated you toward a great new project on your home.  Check out the rest of the article here, because it’s full of even more valuable information as well as great statistics and facts on how and why these features are a smart investment.

Grant Funds are Back!

Charity of the Month - Henrico PAL

My Charity of the Month for January will be the Henrico Police Athletic League (PAL)!  This is a non-profit organization run by volunteers to provide educational, athletic and social programs to foster positive relationships between officers and youth.  They offer summer camps, mentorship, and even have basketball, dance and chess teams!  This is a cause that’s close to me because my dad was the Sheriff of Mathews County for many years.  This is a great organization that provides a great service to the community.  Started in 2007, it is still young and growing and we will be happy to donate $100 from each sale that closes in the month of January!

Open Houses!

We are holding 5 open houses this weekend! Come by and check out these properties.

Saturday 2 pm - 4 pm, Sunday 2 pm - 4 pm

820 S Gillfield Dr. Petersburg

JUST REDUCED! Seller to pay closing costs and 1-year home warranty with acceptable offer! Lovely updated ranch now available, move in ready, in Petersburg! This gorgeous 3 bedroom, 1 and a half bath home, has been updated and includes top quality features. The eat in kitchen boasts beautiful new floors, new backsplash, updated counter tops, new whirlpool appliances, a movable island and offers plenty of storage and counter space. Other upgrades include a new hot water heater, all new vinyl siding, new gutters, new shutters, laminate floors and carpet, thermal windows, new doors, a new outside HVAC unit, new hardware throughout, updated bathrooms including cultured marble in the master, new ceiling fans, and so much more! To top off all of the exquisite details inside, the existing mature landscaping compliments the interior upgrades. Also, the oversized driveway with fresh gravel and plenty of parking combined with the large, partially fenced back yard make this home perfect for entertaining.

Saturday 2 pm - 4 pm

1014 Fairfax, Richmond

JUST REDUCED! Seller to provide closing cost assistance AND 1 year Home Warranty with acceptable offer!!!! Maintenance-free 3BR cape with hardwood floors throughout. Downstairs has cozy living room with wood-burning fireplace, formal dining room, kitchen w/ stainless gas stove with convection cooking, and a 1st floor bedroom with half bath. Screened-in side porch offers a tranquil escape and has space for table and chairs. Second floor has master with walk-in closet, third bedroom, and full bathroom with tile. Unfinished basement offers lots of storage and has laundry area with washer and dryer. Large, flat rear yard has been cleared and has off-street parking available. With new roof and new furnace in late 2012, this home is priced to sell!

Sunday 2 pm - 4 pm

604 N. 22nd St., Richmond

JUST REDUCED! Welcome to 604 N. 22nd in the Historic Churchill! This beautiful home has over 1500 in square feet with an English basement under the home which could be converted to a living space if finished. Entering this home you will notice gorgeous details to include a lovely staircase, crown molding and unique light fixtures. The formal living room has beautiful hardwood flooring, an elegant chandelier light fixture and crown molding throughout which opens into the spacious formal dining room. The kitchen has so much character with a charming brick wall, pendant and recessed lighting, lots of cabinetry and window views to the backyard. Downstairs you will also find a full bathroom with double door entry. Upstairs you will find 2 spacious bedrooms with sitting areas, great closet space and lots of natural lighting with several windows throughout! Upstairs is complete with a 2nd full bathroom. The kitchen has direct access to the backyard with a great amount of yard space and privacy for family gatherings. This home is just what you are looking for; close to shopping, award winning restaurants, and entertainment, including walking distance to Walk to Libby Hill Park!

Sunday 1 pm - 3 pm

1919 Glenhurst Ct, Chesterfield

Do not miss out on this four bedroom, two and a half bath home with a large great room, dining room and eat-in kitchen! Located at the top of the cul-de-sac with the rear yard backing up to woods for the perfect amount of privacy. The detached storage shed does convey and the garage is the perfect size to store all your tools, vehicle and so much more! Convenient location near multiple interstate access points, shopping, dining and other supporting amenities.

Saturday 2 pm - 4 pm

13940 Cypress Dr, Lanexa

Welcome to 13940 Cypress Dr in Lanexa County. This home would be a perfect get away home or a great starter home. Great for an investor looking to flip or use as a rental. It is structurally sound and with a little cosmetic updates this home would look like new. New laminate floor in the kitchen and new furnace last year. This home is just one block from the beautiful Chickahominy River where you can enjoy fishing, swimming, and just relaxing by the water when you purchase this home.

Good Samaritan Gifts of Hope

Here are some of the families receiving their Gifts of Hope on Christmas Eve!