Last weekend the Washington, DC area experieced a horrific storm. It was a wind storm with up to 70 MPH gusts that caused incredible amounts of damage. There were many who were greatly affected, including one of our clients who was set to settle their home in Oakton, VA. In the video below you'll see the aftermath of what a series of strong winds can do to a tree, a home, and a contract.

If you are purchasing a home and financing it with a mortgage, the bank will require an appraisal of the property to determine its market value. The dollar amount the bank will lend you is based on the appraised value of the house rather than the agreed upon purchase price between the buyer and the seller.

Escrow. In the buying and selling process, you'll come across this word on multiple occasions. What is escrow? What does it mean, and how does it relate to the real estate transaction? Read on to find out more.

One of the questions frequently asked when buying a home is “do I really need to have a survey done?” Join Helen Dankos from RGS Title Group as she explains why a land survey is important to you.

We had a home for which we got a fantastic price. In fact, compared to the comps in the neighborhood it sold for $75-$80 thousand above the other listings! Our clients absolutely loved us. We sold the house in 8 days, and the location and the condition definitely warranted the demand and the interest. We have a system at the Eric Stewart Group.

There was an incident these last couple of weeks that we’d like to bring to the attention of our readers involving cyber security. Here's a cautionary tale where, even though you do everything right, sometimes you're still at risk.

I had a house listed on the MLS priced at $600,000 that was not selling. The sellers had vacated the property, and we had lots of traffic through, but nobody was making an offer. My client and I sat down and looked at what had happened. A couple of homes had sold around us that settled, which showed us that the market actually was around $570,000 for the property.

I recently held an open house for a contemporary home at the last minute, posting it online on Sunday morning only two hours before it started. I usually discourage people about open houses because they attract neighbors and suspects more often than prospects. Most open houses are only responsible for 1% of all home sales. That is why I generally preach against them.

Remember the old saying, “the early bird gets the worm”? Well, it’s true in many respects. When it comes to getting tickets for a concert, when you’re first in line, you get the best access to seats, right? If there’s a sale on Black Friday and there’s only a certain number of TVs being sold for a dollar, you can purchase one if you’re the early bird. Taking advantage of this basic economic philosophy in the sale of real estate works the same way it does in retail, or other parts of our lives – it applies to just about anything. The key is to bring your home to the marketplace at a time when the demand is at its greatest and the supply is at its lowest.