Budget
Establishing your budget before beginning the home search in Northern Virginia is an important consideration. Some experts suggest that you can expect to pay 25% of your salary towards your mortgage. Fortunately for people living in Northern Virginia, many job centers offering high paying salaries are available. These places include the Mark Center, Inova Hospitals, USPTO, NOVA Community College, Fort Belvoir and Reston Town Center.
Size
When considering buying a home in Northern Virginia, you must answer several important questions, such as whether or not you would like roommates, or whether or not you are married or plan to start a family. The answers to these questions will help you determine whether you might prefer a 2 bedroom condo in Courthouse or a 1,000,000 home in Mount Vernon.Location and Atmosphere
Northern Virginiahas neighborhoods to suit everyone's needs. Arlington is a bustling city with all of the big-city amenities, such as businesses and shopping, and is only a short distance from DC. If you would prefer a small-town atmosphere, Woodbridge can offer this at only a short commuter from the bigger cities. Alexandria, a nice middle ground between Arlington and Woodbridge, has plenty of nightlife, restaurants, and shopping in a variety of neighborhoods like Old Town, West End, and Fairfax County.Type
Condo? Townhome? Single family home? Each has their own advantages and disadvantages. Condos can offer some amenities, like a pool, fitness center, or dry cleaner, all conveniently located in the condo community, but they come at the cost of condominium fees. Single-family homes do not have these extra costs, unless they are located within a neighborhood that has a home owner's association, but they also do not have the conveniences that a condo or townhome has to offer.Commitment
Since a mortgage is such a long term commitment, factoring in job security when preparing to purchase a home in Northern Virginia is vital. For those who end up having to leave the area, whether it is temporary or permanent, hiring a property manager is an option so that you can rent out your home and collect rent on it while you’re gone.Credit Score
The first step to buying a home in Northern Virginia is to get pre approved if you want to be considered a serious buyer. This can speed up the home buying process. Some ways to improve your credit score are to always pay your bills on time or, if you do not have credit, you can build your credit by opening a credit card, use it monthly, and pay the bill on time.“Using a real estate agent is a very good idea,” says the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). "All the details involved in home buying [and selling], particularly the financial ones, can be mind-boggling. A good professional can guide you through the entire process and make the experience much easier." Selecting the right professional is the key to a successful real estate transaction. Better than working with a simple real estate agent, you’ll want the services of a Realtor®.
What’s the Difference Between a Real Estate Agent and a Realtor?
More than two million people have earned real estate licenses but only a small percentage of these are Realtors in Northern Virginia. Realtors are members in good standing of the National Association of Realtors, their state association of Realtors and a local real estate board. Realtors are held to high standards of ethical behavior and must undergo continuing education annually to remain accredited. All agents of Nesbitt Realty are Realtors!
Our agents at Nesbitt Realty are people-pleasers. That is to say, we like making our clients happy. We enjoy saying "yes" and we like solving problems. At the same time our role as property managers requires that we maintain a strict adherence to the lease, the law and other requirements. One of the great challenges of property management is informing tenants (and sometimes landlords) the normal practices of property management in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Fortunately, because we have years of experience in the field of property management, we're able to overcome many problems by avoiding pitfalls before they become problems. Learn more about our services
Leasing a rental
Leasing a rental is a very serious decision which warrants a great deal of attention before a final decision is made. When choosing a rental property, renters in Northern Virginia have a variety of factors to consider including, but not limited to, price, size, location, amenities, length of stay, proximity to Metro, type of home (condo, townhouse, single-family, etc.). A smarter renter will consider all of their options before making a decision to ensure they are making the best possible decision. But the number of choices can be overwhelming. It's hard to know that you're not missing something. A rental agent can help you make sense of your options. Best of all a rental agent costs the renter nothing. [Learn more]The answers are here.
From time to time we update our site it takes time for the search engines to pick up on these changes. This page is designed to help you find what you seek and to explain to you a little about our site.
The "About Us" tab contains information about our company including our history, notes about the staff , contact information and driving directions. The "Guide" contains stories and descriptions about the towns, communities, subdivisions, city and counties of Northern Virginia. Under "Real Estate for ..." you can find specific information for renters, landlords, buyers and sellers. Or, under "For Sale" you can jump right into listings of property for sale in Northern VA.