Alexandria Live Music Week

150 Shows. 34 Venues. 10 Days. 1 Celebration.

Bacon Brothers will be one of the kick off bands
for Alexandria Live Music Week. They will be playing
 at The Birchmere on the 16, 17 and 18th of July. 

The first ever Alexandria Live Music Week is coming July 10 -19th. Are you going? Count me in.

Music types are ranging from jazz to bluegrass, folk rock and country. Our newest restaurant to enter the Alexandria waterfront food scene (Blackwall Hitch) is hosting 10 of the performances. Other venues including Birchmere music hall, Murphy's Grand Irish Pub, Daniel O'Connell's, the Old Town Farmers Market, Virtue Feed & Grain and St. Elmo's Coffee Pub plus more.

Oh, I did mention 1 Celebration... Alexandria Live Music Week will include the Birthday Celebration of Alexandria on July 11th. Alexandria's 266th birthday will be celebrated with fireworks and the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra playing at Oronoco Bay Park at 7pm.

All tickets and costs for the events are determined by the particular venue. 

Venues are in various locations throughout Alexandria.

To find more information visit: www.LiveMusicWeek.com or go to www.AlexandriaLive.com

www.PatrickDeLeonibus.com

How you get your home sold and knowing you sold it for the highest possible price with the best terms!

Just because a given real estate market has quick moving inventory does not mean you can just list your home and sell it. Well you can try, and most people do but don't you want to maximize your profits and know you sold it with the best terms?

It seems like when the market heats up owners will tend to tell their agent to list the house. Then without providing the proper attention to the property it sells. Yes it sold but did it sell for the highest possible price with the best terms? This is a question you should not be asking yourself when you get that contract in hand.

You still need to stage your home... or simplify it.

I am not telling you to pay a stager. Many homes will have the essentials but may need to eliminate certain pieces of furniture or items. This process may not require you to hire someone and you could tackle it yourself. However most agents now will cover some or all of the cost to have a stager come out and consult with you. It is an important conversation to have. 

You still need to market the property for maximum exposure.
It is still important to market your home the same way you would if the market was slow. Marketing and Photography does help increase the potential number of offers and the final sales figure. Buyers shop with their eyes now more than ever so that first picture counts.

You still need to price it right. 
Do not get greedy it will only hurt your end sales price. If you list high many buyers will just ignore your home and move on to the next and you will find yourself chasing the market as your home sits on the market. Just like staging many real estate agents will also have appraisers provide numbers on the projected value of your home.

You still need to make sure your landscaping is top notch.
Landscaping is important but not the most important tool to selling your home. It is important to consult with a landscape specialist if you have concerns about your outdoor space. However many times most yards can just use a clean up. There is no need to dump exorbitant amounts of money into your homes landscaping just before you list. Do what's necessary!

Make sure your home is getting the proper attention and avoid cutting corners to maximize your profits.

www.PatrickDeLeonibus.com
443.223.8340

Example of twilight photography

Old Town Metro Bus Garage is up For Sale, $19,600,000 minimum bid!

600 N Royal Street is now up For Sale. The Old Town bus garage in the North end of Old Town is owned by WMATA (METRO). The property contains an entire city block located just two blocks from the Potomac River.

The long awaited offer for sale of this property is not just a straight sale. There is a bidding period and some guidelines to follow for redevelopment of the 2 acre site. The bidding is now open and closes July 17th 2015. On July 17th the top three bids will be selected and they will be asked to submit best and final offers. If you are looking to bid the minimum bid price will be $19,600,000... So you better come in higher. Here is the link for the invitation of bids, Invitation of Bids Packet. In this packet you will also find design guidelines for redevelopment and suggested use. This redevelopment will benefit the North end of Old Town if completed properly and to the standards outlined. Happy Bidding!

WMATA photo

Have you checked out the new website? PatrickDeLeonibus.com

(ListingDC.com, ListingAlexandria.com & ListingAnnapolis.com)

I am excited to announce the new website at PatrickDeLeonibus.com. Since the weather has been so nasty lately I decided to completely redesign the website to incorporate all of our new properties and headlines in one spot. You can visit the site to link to my recently popular blog REstateTrends and also go here to find a little more information about me and my growth in the industry. 

If you are like everyone else you probably can't spell or say my last name from memory... Don't worry! This is why I have created particular URL's pointing to the site. ListingDC.com, ListingAlexandria.com, and ListingAnnapolis.com all redirect to the site. Have a look around and tell me what you think.

www.PatrickDeLeonibus.com

A busy spring ahead of us! I'm telling you how to compete with the other buyers and sellers!

From the activity we have seen this winter we are bound to have a busy spring. Recently lower interest rates coupled with easing in lending. It is now easier and more affordable to get into a new home. Whether you are buying or selling it is important to talk about your needs earlier than later in order to position your purchase or sale correctly. 

Selling:

If you plan on selling in the spring you want to start getting your home ready now and talk to me about what needs to be prepared. It will be all about timing this spring. Do not wait around until the Spring inventory hits. You want to be one of the first on the market since there are already a lot of buyers looking. Remember these three points: Photography, Strategic Marketing and Staging. Photography gets people in your home, Marketing gets the correct people in your home, and Staging keeps the correct people coming back to view your home. I am not saying to hire a stager just create a neutral feel and make your home look like a hotel. If you follow these points as well as appropriate pricing your home will sell and sell quick.

Buying:

If you are purchasing you can still find great deals now and when the spring inventory arrives. Just like sellers you will want to be prepared and understand what you are looking for. Right now I am unable to predict if the amount of inventory coming on will exceed the amount of buyers. If this does happen we will not have a frenzy and multiple offer situation. If we do not meet the demand for buyers you can plan on making competitive offers. So how do you make a competitive offer to avoid competing for a home? It is important to be paired with an agent that understands the market. You will also want to make sure you are pre qualified with a letter in hand before you go out to look as well as a neighborhood/area defined. A majority of the buyers throughout this last year have been indecisive(kicking tires) and have no defined area of interest. When you have a defined area you are able to pull the trigger on a house before your competition. Why? Well because you understand what it takes to purchase in the given neighborhood. 

www.ListingDC.com