According to RealtyTrac, in October, 2011 there were over 2,700 foreclosures in Fairfax county, Virginia. 1 in every 884 homes in Fairfax county received a foreclosure notice that month.

Many of these Fairfax county homeowners could of avoided foreclosure by doing a short sale instead. In almost every case of foreclosure, the homeowner has a chance at being successful at a short sale.

Below are the statistics for bank owned homes in Fairfax county. If you are looking for a great buy on a home in Fairfax county, contact us today. We are able to cut through and streamline the buying/selling process and act as your go-between. We have extensive experience with foreclosures and short sales in Fairfax county and can help you.

From 2004 through 2008, a Mannasas, VA woman conducted a “Mortgage Elimination Program” scam where she she incorrectly said that she would challenge lenders on behalf of homeowners to get the lenders to admit that they took illegal actions in reselling the loans to investors.  

The victims were asked to refinance their properties and then give 10 to 15% of the proceeds plus 12 to 18 months of mortgage payments to the perpetrator.  In return, it was promised that their loans would be eliminated.  Out of 150 victims, 0 were successful and 0 were given any money back.  In all, about $10 Million dollars were stolen from victims.

In addition to incorrectly promising to victims that they would have their loans forgiven, the homeowners were offered an opportunity to invest additional proceeds of their refinance to an “investment” with a guaranteed rate of return of 12 to 18%.  None of this money was returned. 

The person that committed this crime plead guilty to several counts of wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering and faces up to 20 years in prison and will be sentenced on May 6, 2011.

Moral of the story:

• If someone promises you something that seems to good to be true, be cautious.
• If you are a real estate professional that thinks being unethical and if you are interested in taking advantage of vulnerable people, how does a 20 year vacation from the profession sound??

You can find out ALL the details of this scam by visiting the archive of the United States Attorney’s office.

Search for Bank owned homes in Ashburn, VA, Short sale Specialist in Ashburn, Homes for Sale in Ashburn

What sells for a greater price? REO or Short Sale? According to the MRIS MLS, in the Mid-Atlantic region, Short Sales sell for more $$$$

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Here is an email that I received yesterday,

“yOU HAVE WRONG PICTURE WITH THIS LISTING i USE TO OWN 233 n (Street name Removed)…WITH POOL…..THIS PICTURE IS OUR EX NEIGHBORS HOUSE”

GreetingsVirginia offers a SuperIDX Power Search which allows our users to search for homes for sale in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC.  IDX stands for “Internet Data Exchange” and allows for us to allow users to view homes available listed by other brokers.  We do so with a RETS data agreement that we have with MRIS MLS and the agents that use MRIS have an agreement with them that allows for them to give us this permission.

While we are aggressive in our approach to marketing and selling properties, I can assure you that Dan and Traci & Consultants with Keller Williams Realty does not indeed list 74,186 properties for sale (our broker might be a bit busy reviewing that paperwork – perhaps I should buy him an extra nice gift for Christmas for his efforts)

Sometimes we even get people upset with us about their property incorrectly listed.

“All homes published and offered for sale on this website is offered “as is,” and without warranty of any kind. Every effort is done to obtain the information regarding these listings from sources that are deemed reliable. However, we cannot warrant the complete accuracy of the information on any home. Buyer shall assume all responsibility and is encouraged to obtain an independent assessment and valuation of any property before entering into a real estate transaction. All homes published for sale on this website are subject to errors, omissions, change of price, rental or other conditions, prior sale, lease or financing, or withdrawal without notice to you”

Of course we sent an email to the listing agent of the property that we were contacted about (funny thing… he never responded or acknowledge my email).

While we would love to display every single property correctly on our website, this boils down to a basic premise:  Garbage in…  Garbage out. We will continue to hold the highest of standards for our website, and if someone contacts us about an error, we will pass that inquiry along to the party that can make the updates.

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This was written by our Executive Assistant, Jennifer Mack.  Traci and I are fortunate to have Jennifer and others like her as a part of our team.   

By Jennifer Mack

When my husband was re-located to Ft Bragg, NC I was uprooted from Austin, TX where I was firmly ensconced in the tech boom of about 10 years ago.  I was working my way up the tracks at a series of dot com companies and loved all the excitment and perks that came with living in Austin at that particular time.  I was able to keep my job when we moved and worked remotely for about a year before I started feeling isolated and ready for a change.
 
I had thought often about real estate and when my husband deployed for a year in Iraq I thought it was the perfect time to take the plunge.  I signed up for classes in Raleigh and instantly fell in love with real estate.  After getting licensed I joined Donna Lloyd’s team in Fayetteville at Townsend Real Estate.  This was the best decision I could have made.  Donna poured her heart and soul into teaching me everything she knew.  I soaked it all in and we worked wonderfully as partners for 2 years before we got stationed in Colorado and had to move. 
 
Around this time we learned we were expecting and decided I would not work outside the home for the first 2 years of our daughter’s life.  Before she was born I got licensed in Colorado and was able to generate a part time income doing referrals for friends and family to real estate agents around the country.
 
After that we moved to Northern Virginia and I decided to re-enter the work force.  I was lucky enough to be introduced to Dan and Traci & Consultants and was hired as their marketing coordinator.  I love working with Dan and Traci and I love my job.  I learn so much every day.  I am given the opportunity to contribute and be a part of an amazing team with an awesome future,
 
I would encourage anyone looking for flexiblity and infinite opportunity to consider a career in real estate.  If you prove yourself you will never be without an income whether it be part time or full time, as a staff member or licensed agent.  I am so glad I entered this career and don’t ever plan to do anything else.