Roanoke, VA Real Estate News

Last year was a bizarre year for Roanoke, VA real estate.  2015 might be the year that Roanoke Virginia Short Sales come back.    2014 saw a dip in home values in Roanoke Virginia, which means that many struggling home owners could find themselves under water.  Regardless of this, I had a strong year selling Roanoke Virginia Short Sales.  If you have a Roanoke Home that needs to be a Short Sold, email me and I will help you get your home in Roanoke sold.  If you are looking for a Roanoke VA Short Sale, call me or email and I will help. I am a full service real estate professional, with vast experience helping the underwater home seller in the Roanoke, VA area.  Call or email today!  You can also visit me on the web at http://bruce.damongettier.com 01/04/2015

New construction for sale in Vinton VA--Victoria Meadows New Construction!    There are just a few builders still actually building in this economy and they have tailored their product to the current slow down.  One such company is Fralin Companies.  We represent Fralin Companies and their subdivision Victoira Meadows in Vinton Virginia located adjacent to the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Victoria Meadows is located in just outside of Vinton Virginia on the other side of the Blue Ridge Parkway about a minute from US 24.  Victoria Meadows Subdivision starts at an amazing $164,950 for a brand new home...and in Roanoke County VA!  In this economy it is amazing that any home is less than $165,000 none the less a brand new home in a new home community.   Fralin Companies has been building new homes ... 07/06/2012

Southwest Roanoke County Real Estate, zip code 24018.  Southwest County Roanoke is probably the most popular buying destination for Roanoke Virginia Home buyers.  Southwest Roanoke County is more commonly identified as zip code 24018 for people looking for real estate West of US 220 and South of Salem Virginia.    SW Roanoke County has several things going for it but the major draw for Southwest Roanoke is the School Systems.  Roanoke County Schools are desirable as a whole but many home buyers have a special desire for the schools in SW Roanoke County VA.  The two high schools are Cave Spring High School and Hidden Valley High School.   All of Southwest Roanoke County was served by Cave Spring High School until 2002 when Hidden Valley High School opened in August.  Now Southwest Roanok... 07/01/2012

Stonehenge and Ruxton of Roanoke Townhome Community.  Stonehenge and Ruxton of Roanoke Townhomes are more commonly referred to as simply Stonehenge Townhomes.  Stonehenge Townhomes are a bit larger and a bit more expensive than The Forest Townhomes or Woods Crossing Townhomes, both in Roanoke County and just minutes away.  Stonehenge is located just off of Chapparral and less than half a mile from Electric Road in Southwest Roanoke County VA.    Stonehenge was built in the 80's and is comprised of townhomes of differing styles and sizes.  Some units have garages, some do not.  Stonehenge Townhomes with garages sell for a higher sales price than those without even though the gross building square footage is the same.  Stonehenge and Ruxton of Roanoke Townhomes have more of a neighborhood... 06/30/2012

The Forest Townhomes in SW Roanoke County VA is mainly comprised of one street, Morning Dove Road, located just one block from Chapparral Drive.  The Forest Townhomes is part of The Forest POA which is comprised of both Townhomes and Condos.  The two entities share a common pool but other than that they remain relatively separate. The Forest Townhomes are located within 1 mile of Woods Crossing Townhomes, Stonehenge Townhomes and Ruxton of Roanoke Townhomes. When pulling onto Morning Dove Road there are 10 building, five on each side of the road. The Townhomes on the right hand side are all 3 level units with 2 bedrooms on the upper level.  The kitchen, half bath, living room, dining area and a large closet are located on the main level.  The lower level is sometimes finished, sometimes... 06/30/2012

Roanoke VA Townhomes for sale in Woods Crossing. Woods Crossing in SW Roanoke County is one of Roanoke County Virginia's most popular Townhome Communities. Woods Crossing is comprised of both 2 level and 3 level Townhomes nestled in a forest style setting on Starkey Road just a couple of hundred yards from the intersection of Starkey and Buck Run. Woods Crossing Townhomes is within 1 mile of The Forest Townhomes, Stonehenge Townhomes and Ruxton of Roanoke Townhomes. The 2 level Townhomes are 2 bedroom 1.5 bath units with the laundry on the entry level along with the kitchen and living room.  Most units have a bar/pass through separating the kitchen from the dining area/living room.  The sliding glass door leads to a small deck on the rear of the homes.  Exterior storage s... 06/30/2012

How do you pick your home inspector in Roanoke VA?  Many people use the inspector that the REALTOR suggests.  Sometimes this is good and sometimes it isn't.  I have heard various different descriptions of home inspectors over the years but the one that sticks in my mind more than any is, "I use him all the time, don't worry....he never finds anything".  This is what an agent said to me about the inspector who was doing the inspection on one of my listings! You are the consumer, generally you are the one paying for the inspection.  Usually this will be your last time to have anything to say about the condition of the house prior to moving in. I would highly suggest that you call and interview the home inspector prior to picking one to do the job.  I would NOT SUGGEST YOU PICK YOUR HOME I... 05/28/2012

Great Way to Find Roanoke Virgina Real Estate Listings! The one question I get asked more and more by potential home buyes in Roanoke Virginia is where can I find listings.  All of our real estate listings can be found on my IDX link.  Potential Roanoke Virginia Home Buyers looking to buy a Roanoke VA foreclosed home can find all of the Foreclosed Roanoke Virginia Real Estate Listings on my IDX link. Potential Roanoke Virginia Home Buyers looking to buy a Roanoke VA short sale home can find all of the Short Sale Roanoke Virginia Real Estate Listings on my IDX link. Potential Roanoke Virginia Home Buyers looking to buy a Roanoke VA REO home can find all of the REO Roanoke Virginia Real Estate Listings on my IDX link. Potential Roanoke Virginia Home Buyers looking to buy a HUD Foreclosed ... 05/24/2012

Smith Mountain Lake is a community quick to recognize and support national heroes. Later this month, the Freedom Alliance organization will host a “Salute to Our Heroes” retreat at SML. The program will give wounded servicemen an opportunity to participate in outdoor activities, sports and therapeutic gatherings while taking in the beautiful lake scenery. The retreat will bring participants together for camaraderie-building opportunities such as fishing, shooting and archery. The lake setting will provide the serenity and privacy every good retreat requires, along with engaging water fun.  Several locations around the lake make it a perfect place for group getaways such as “Salute to Our Heroes.” With spacious and private park-like areas, convenient eateries, plentiful rental homes and ... 05/18/2012

Roanoke VA Investors paying Cash for Houses!  I have several investors willing and able to pay cash for houses in Roanoke VA.  Many people do not have time to wait for a sale.  For these people who don't want to wait for lengthy sales processes, multiple inspections and costly repairs, an investor such as mine can really be the solution.   If you or someone you know needs to sell their Roanoke Virginia Home fast for cash, call me asap.Cash for Roanoke Virginia Homes quick and easy.  Whether you are trying to settle a Roanoke Virginia Estate, avoid a Roanoke Virginia Foreclosure or avoid costly repairs.....I can get your home sold quickly to a cash buyer.  Call or email today! 10/18/2011

Hello again AR nation.  Just another week, and another learning experience.  I'm currently working with a client to get them into their new home.  I love the whole experience of doing this.  However, it seems every home I sell brings a new set of hurdles to overcome. A little back story...We signed the contract on a home about 4 weeks ago.  As is standard practice with most all agents now, I included a pre-qual letter with the offer.  After a little back and forth, we agree on the final price, and begin the loan process.  I'm sure we are all well aware that banks are very tight on giving loans right now, and you just never know what will happen. Having said that, the only real issue I've had with the loan process, is that I was never informed that the initial loan was denied.  I know th... 07/29/2011

I've struggled for quite a while before writing this blog. Honestly, I'm just not too sure how it will come out, so I'll just start writing, and see what happens. I recently changed brokers, and I know it happens every day. I was just not expecting the reaction that I have received from my former broker. I guess I was just hoping for a little more professionalism from a business owner. I have had a couple of questions about tying up loose ends since I left, and I get no response. Is this normal?!? I don't feel like I left under bad circumstances. I simply could not afford to pay the monthly fee to the franchise. I was hoping to go full time soon, but with the arrival of my third daughter, it just was not an option. I was simply not selling enough to have the additional expense every mon... 07/20/2011

On Thursday, I ratafied another contract. Now, I will gladly admit, that I don't do a ton of business. As many of you know, I also work a "day job" for insurance purposes. I have been a realtor for about a year now, so I guess I'm still considered "new" to the field, but I still love the process, the education (for me as well as my clients), and the feeling of satisfaction that I get when I know I have done the best possible job for my clients. The latest one was actually officially ratified on the couples anniversary...I mean how cool is that!! What other profession can you have to give a memory like that! I think this one feels as good, if not better than my first sale. I feel more knowlegable in the information that I was able to give to my clients. I was able to ride solo, without h... 07/09/2011

This has been a wild and crazy year for Roanoke Virginia Real Estate.  2011 might well be the year of the Roanoke Virginia Short Sale or Roanoke Virginia Foreclosure Sale.  It seems that most of the houses sold this year in Roanoke are either Short Sales or Foreclosed Homes.  Our team is actually having an incredible year selling both Roanoke Short Sales and Roanoke Foreclosed homes. If you have a Roanoke Home that needs to be a Short Sale, email us and we will help you get your house sold.  If you are looking for a Roanoke VA Foreclosure, call or email us and we will be happy to help you out. We are full time real estate agents, selling multiple homes every month!  When you list or buy through our team you get full time results, as we are full time, full service real estate professiona... 07/05/2011

First of all, let me give a huge thank you to all the open house advice I received. Rest assured that I will put it to good use, and let everyone know how it works. All the ideas also got the wheels turning with some of my own ideas, that I will test and gladly pass along if they work. On the home front, we finally closed on the HUD house today, and the clients are very excited to get started working on their new home. I haven't sold a lot of homes, but I still love the feeling when it finally closes, and the client is happy. That point leads me to this point, and that is why I do this. People ask me why I would want to get into the real estate business in this economy. The answer is simple...sort of. I purchased a home in 2007 (I know, I know), and yes, I got way more than I bargained ... 05/31/2011

Ok. Let me preface this by saying thank you to everyone involved in this process from the selling agent, to the title company, to my lending officer, and most of all to my client. I am currently in what seems like has been an endless delay to close a HUD property. The house is a very good purchase for my client, and everything she hoped to get in her new home. I will leave the name of the company (not the local agent, but the company who is representing HUD) out of the conversation, because it is not important. We initially signed the contract in late March, hoping to have a 45 day close. Immediately out of the gate, I was told that the above mentioned, nameless company and their closing company, were not speeking to each other due to some contract dispute. So, I patiently waited and st... 05/25/2011

It amazes me how many people want to buy a house and don't pay particular attention to the financing part of the equation.  You would think that if a buyer trusted a real estate agent to represent them in some of their largest financial decisions of their life, they might heed their advice when it comes to lenders but often this is not the case.  Personally, I will not work with buyers who work with  internet lenders.  Why?  The answer is simple, I want to get paid for my work and in my experience these deals do not close more often than not. Another thing that amazes me is when a buyer wants to use a family friend for a lender that has NO EXPERIENCE WITH THE TYPE OF LOAN THEY NEED!  Recently we had a situation with a buyer who insisted in using a family friend who clearly has no clue w... 05/25/2011

Are you looking for a Roanoke Short Sale Real Estate Agent or a Roanoke Real Estate Agent who will try to do a Short Sale? There is a difference!  I see many agents attempt to do a short sale, some are successful while most are not.  Having a successful Roanoke Virginia Short Sale takes a lot more than putting a sign in the yard, putting it in the Multiple Listing Service and hoping it closes.  Roanoke VA Short Sales take a lot of time, patience, effort and paperwork.  Countless hours are spent on the phone working the file with the bank, negotiating for a closing.  Most Roanoke Virginia Short Sales fail the day they are listed simply because of lack of preparation.  A successful Roanoke Virginia Short Sale Listing requires the Seller, Listing Agent, Buyer and Buyer Agent, work together... 05/14/2011

When working a Roanoke area short sale, you would think that life is made simple when you have the same bank working on the short sale on both the 1st and 2nd mortgage.....but you would be WRONG! This Roanoke Virginia Short Sale has had a contract on it since September 6, 2010.  It has been scheduled for foreclosure 3 separate times during that time period and we have successfully stopped every foreclosure attempt.  So, with all of this hard work on my part, the extreme amount of patience that the buyer has exhibited, the stress and anxiety of the seller, you would think that we would be getting somewhere with Wells Fargo Short sale Departments (Wells Fargo and Wells Fargo Equity Departments). Well, Wells Fargo refuses to pay Wells Fargo Equity Department 10% towards the 2nd mortgage an... 03/23/2011

I know it's been a while since I've last updated the AR family.  First off, I'm still loving the Droid, and still researching how to make an ap of my own.  Not a big computer geek, so some of the software language gets a little lost in translation with me.  Thanks to everyone who is sharing their knowledge, and gaining a little bit from what little I have learned so far.  Your comments have been a big help in my resarch.  On that note, I've been told that the Realtor.com ap is hugely useful for all of us Droid users.  I've just downloaded it to my phone, so I'll let you know, as always. On the baby front,  I'm (well my wife is) having another girl!!  Before you ask, no I'm not going to try for a boy.  Three little mouths to feed is plenty, and we are definately done with having babies a... 03/04/2011