Archive for April, 2008
Aaron Cohen Visits Quantico
April 28th, 2008 categories: Quantico MCB Happenings
Meet author Aaron Cohen on May 7th at the Quantico Exchange. The author will be signing copies of his new book, “Brotherhood of Warriors.” He will be at the Main Exchange at 1100 hours.
The following is a small biography on Mr. Cohen from Harper Collins:
“Aaron Cohen grew up in Beverly Hills, California. After spending three years in one of Israel’s “black ops” units, Sayeret Duvdevan, he returned home and founded IMS Security, a consulting firm that specializes in protecting politicians, business executives, Hollywood actors, and rock stars, and offers counterterrorism training to the United States military, to local and state police departments, and to various SWAT units around the country. He lives in Los Angeles. “
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Caveat Emptor - AKA - Buyer Beware When Buying a Home!
April 26th, 2008 categories: Real Estate News
In the Commonwealth of Virginia ”CAVEAT EMPTOR” - from the Latin : “Buyer Beware”, applies when buying a home. It is up to the buyer to make sure he is getting what he paid for. In Virginia all agents are deemed to work for the seller, whether the agent knows the seller or not. This can easily be changed if the buyer chooses to do so. This is commonly done through a “buyer/broker” agreement, or the “Exclusive Right to Represent Buyer” agreement.The first questions most buyers have is: “How much is this going to cost me?” Well, most real estate brokers will not charge anything extra, as typically commissions are paid by the seller. The next question is: “How does it benefit me?” - The exclusive buyer representation makes a particular brokerage firm and its agent just that, the buyer’s legal representative in the purchase of the property sought. This is a two way street, at least in the Northern Virginia contracts. The agent agrees to represent the buyer exclusively, but by the same token the purchaser agrees to work with that agent alone. This actually makes good sense, since the agent is committing herself to promoting the purchaser’s best interest and perform different tasks for the purchaser. Below is an excerpt from the buyer representation agreement used in the Northern Virginia area that describes an agent’s duties to the purchaser.
“BROKER’S DUTIES. The Broker and Sales Associate shall promote the interests of the Buyer by:
A) Performing the terms of this agreement;
B) Seeking a property at a price and terms acceptable to the buyer;
C) Presenting in a timely manner all written offers and counteroffers to and from the Buyer;
D) Disclosing to the Buyer all materials facts related to the property or concerning the transaction of which they have actual knowledge.
E) Accounting for in a timely manner for all money and property received in which the Buyer has or may have an interest.”
The agreement also mentions the fact that amongst other things, the broker shall maintain the confidentiality all financial and personal matters, plus any other matters the buyer identifies as confidential. The broker will also practice ordinary care, comply with all applicable laws and regulations and treat the sellers fairly.
I think having this agreement in place makes both parties feel better about the relationship. There is a commitment from the agent to diligently work for the buyer, and the agent knows the buyer will not be visiting other Realtors for their services. Since this is a commission based business, the agent feels better about knowing that their hard work will pay off at the end of the transaction. This also makes it easier for the purchaser, having one person as their resource to all the transaction related needs and as he builds a relationship with a particular agent, trust is also built. Trust in knowing the agent understands the needs and desires of the purchaser, that the agent will handle all matters related to the transaction with care, and that the agent is truly looking out the for the purchaser. Having this agreement in place also frees the agent to provide a wealth of information to the buyer that he cannot provide otherwise.
There are many duties that a buyer’s agent performs, and a buyer should rest assured that having a competent agent looking our for his interests and rights will make the home buying process a lot less stressful, a lot smoother and a lot simpler. Buyer agency - it’s a no brainer!
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A Porch With A View
April 8th, 2008 categories: Local News
It’s that time in Washington, the Cherry Blossom Festival is here. Thousands of people flock to D.C. every year to see the Tidal Basin cherry blossoms in all their glory. I’m fortunate, I have a beautiful view from my very front porch of a Yoshino cherry tree. It blooms at the same time as the Tidal Basin trees, so I get a small glimpse of what, multiplied many times over, is going on a little further 
up the road. We managed to visit D.C. last Thursday, it just happened to be the day the blossoms peaked. Even though we arrived before ten in the morning, there were quite a few people strolling around the Basin, including groups of students and tourists from other parts of the world. The views really are spectacular with all the trees in bloom. The many activities planned for the day had not begun yet, but we were happy to stroll about without huge crowds. If you have not visited the festival before, it is not too late. Festivities will take place until this coming weekend. You are still in time to take in a Cherry Blossom Lantern Walk with a Park Ranger, the 20th Annual George Washington Invitational Regata, the Sakura Matsuri - Japanese Street Festival, and the long standing Parade of the Natinal Cherry Blossom Festival. Events go on throughout the week as well as on the weekend, so get on out to D.C. and take in some of the views and great events!
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Can it Be True? No Real Tax Hike?
April 5th, 2008 categories: Real Estate News
It seems Stafford county supervisors have agreed to advertise a “modified, equalized rate”. Taxes in Stafford were supposed to go up from 70 cents to 89.8 cents per $100 for assessed value. Even with the large drop in this year’s reassessment values, the average property owner would have seen a tax hike of about $206. If the new
rate of 84 cents is approved then the average property owner’s bill will only go up $17. That’s great news for most people, but the county administrator is not so thrilled. He wants the board to reconsider the rate, since it will leave the county $9 million short next year.
The supervisors have asked county staff to find further cuts - leaving public satefy departments and school funding intact. Board member are willing to forgo this year’s pay raises and suggest that no new hires me made and some positions go unfilled. Some supervisors believe the level of services will be adversely affected. I’m actually very curious to find out if we, the county residents, will really notice a difference in services with a “budget shortfall”. Maybe that’s navie to say, but will it just mean longer lines at the any of the county offices? Or will it be a lot more significant? I guess only time will tell.
In the meantime, Spotsylvania county, with its much higher assessments this year, will see a 6 cent real estate tax increase to 62 cents. Fredericksburg will see a 5 cent increase to 58 cents. Maybe by next assessment cycle the real estate market will be doing a lot better and the pinch won’t be so bad!
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North Stafford Hits the Big Time!
April 2nd, 2008 categories: Local News
At least that’s what it felt like to most of us who live in the area when the new Best Buy store opened at Stafford Marketplace. The store opened on March 7th, 2008. And even though it might not be quite as large as the others in surrounding areas, it’s great not to have to drive up or down the road to Potomac Mills or Central Park!
I spoke with the shift manager on a recent evening and she told me that Best Buy did not anticipate the amounts of customers the store has been experiencing. I thought she must be joking, seeing all the major stores go into Central Park in Fredericksburg. There are over 120,000 people who live in the county, and a large concentration is on the Rte 610 corridor, so it surprised me to hear that they were expecting it to be much slower in this new store. In response to the high traffic the store has experienced, Best Buy is going outside their budget for the store to hire more employees. That was good to hear, since I had just waited over twenty minutes to speak to someone ab
out a cell phone and finally had to give up. Nevertheless, I’m glad they are here, giving us one less reason to travel on I-95!
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