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Real Estate Horror Stories and How to Avoid Them

Working in real estate can be challenging in fact some agents face truly awful situations. The horror stories we’ve collected below can happen to any agent, so be sure to review them closely and take note of recommended ways of avoiding them.

Read more on The Ana and Melissa Team Blog to know the lists of worst real estate horror stories — and how to avoid them.

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Gifts for Design Lovers

Did you know – holiday shopping for interior design lovers can be easy? Here are the lists of the top interior design perfect gifts.

Read on at The Ana and Melissa Blog for stress-free seasonal shopping lists!

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Fun Things to do in Arlington, VA

Here are the best reasons to spend a day in Arlington while on vacation in Washington DC. Located on the Potomac River, it is home to some of the most beautiful memorials and parks.

Visit The Ana and Melissa Team for the complete list of fun things to do in Arlington, VA

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Cool Places to Visit in Old Town Alexandria

Here are some of the most interesting, unique, and photogenic places to see in Old Town Alexandria. You can reach all of these places with a short walk around the downtown area.

Visit The Ana and Melissa Team for the complete list of the most Instagrammable places in Alexandria.

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Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad

Just want to share this delicious recipe with one of our all time favorite, Cilantro Lime Pasta Salad. It’s super easy to make & perfect for the Holiday season!

Visit The Ana and Melissa Team to know more about the recipe.

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Thinking about Selling your Home in 2022

As the saying goes - time flies. 2022 is right around the corner when it feels like we just turned the page to 2021.

If you're thinking about selling your home during the next spring market, then it's time to get started. Analysts are expecting another busy real estate market, so if you're going to buy or sell in the next six months to a year, now is the time to start making your game plan.

To learn more about the steps to sell in 2022. Visit The Ana and Melissa Blog

We are your Realtors - We Guarantee to Listen, Advise and Advocate for You! Call: 703.772.3526 Email: AnaandMelissa@gmail.com

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Amazing Things to Do in Washington DC

Washington DC is one of the most dynamic and exciting cities in the United States. Fall in love with these lists of the best attractions, landmarks, and activities in Washington DC.

Know more of the lists by visiting The Ana and Melissa Team Blog

We are your Realtors - We Guarantee to Listen, Advise and Advocate for You!

Give us a call at 703.772.3526

Email us at AnaandMelissa@gmail.com

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Sold in Shaw District | Washington DC

We are so happy to help our buyer find his dream home. We can also do the same for you. We cared for our clients and your best interest is our top priority. We are willing to go on as many tours as needed to find you the right home.

To learn more on how we can help you find your dream home? Visit The Ana and Melissa Team

We are your Realtors - We Guarantee to Listen, Advise and Advocate for You!

Give us a call at 703.772.3526

Email us at AnaandMelissa@gmail.com

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Alexandria Area Home Sets Real Estate Record

Look what just sold on the Potomac -- this beautiful home previously owned by the CEO of Lockheed Martin.

An Alexandria home called River View Estate, on East Boulevard Drive that was listed for $60 million sold for $48 million in a cash transaction in late October. The home set a new record in the DC metro area for the most expensive home sold. River View Estate sits on 16+ acres along the Potomac River.

Thinking of selling? Now is the right time while inventory is still low. There are plenty of buyers on the market, but experts are predicting more people will sell within the next year, meaning there is going to be more competition.

The good news? If you work with experienced agents (like us!), we can help you navigate the market.  Call or email us if you have any questions or if you'd like to set up a complimentary consultation.

We are your Realtors - We Guarantee to Listen, Advise and Advocate for You! Give us a call at 703.772.3526. Email us at AnaandMelissa@gmail.com. Visit our website at www.anaandmelissa.com

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3 Big VA Loan Benefits for 2021

Despite the challenges of COVID-19, veteran home buying had a big year in 2020. The VA loan program backed a record of 1.2 million loans.

The good news is that VA loans offer plenty of advantages for veterans looking to purchase or refinance this year, too.

Here's a closer look at three big ones.

1. $0 Down Amid Rising Home Prices

During the early stages of the pandemic, the housing market retrenched a bit before skyrocketing. A combination of low mortgage rates and low housing inventory caused home prices to soar but qualified VA buyers can purchase a home with $0 down.

Regardless of the home price, if you have your full entitlement, you will not need to pay a down payment. No down payment gives you flexibility as a homebuyer since you won't need to worry about draining your bank account amid rising home prices.

2. Low Interest Rates

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage last year was 3.11%, according to Freddie Mac. VA loans have had the lowest average fixed rate on the market for six years running. Veterans using the VA loan benefit have access to the lowest average rates available.

3. Expanded Eligibility for National Guard

This year, even more veterans will be able to take advantage of this hard-earned benefit. National Guard members activated under Title 32 orders become eligible for a VA loan after serving 90 days, 30 of which must be consecutive.

This retroactive change could help countless Guard members suddenly become eligible for what is arguably the most powerful mortgage product on the market today.

Take the Next Step The Ana and Melissa Team can help you become homeowners with VA loans. We make sure that each buyer is provided with expert advice and assistance when it comes to home buying process.

We are your Realtors - We Guarantee to Listen, Advise and Advocate for You! Give us a call at 703.772.3526 Email us at AnaandMelissa@gmail.com Visit our website at www.anaandmelissa.com

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Building and Renting Single Family Homes is Top Performing Investment

As inventory remains low in the DC area and the cost of purchasing becomes exorbitant, investors are realizing that renting single-family homes is the future's best investment.

Click here to read more about this article.

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Wonder Walls: How to Transform Your Space with Colorful Geometrics, Graphic Lettering, and Other Fabulous Paint Techniques

AnaandMelissa@gmail.com

Paint or wallpaper.  It seems the decorating world goes back and forth. between neutrals and color.  Now the big trend is earth tones, wallpaper in fun spaces like bathrooms and laundry rooms.  But have you ever thought of painting your space with cool geometric designs or murals?  Check out this book "Wonder Walls"  by Phoebe  Cornog.

Wallpaper may be desirable, but it can be expensive, difficult to install, and damaging to the wall upon removal. Street art and graffiti might seem unattainable, but everyone has an interior wall they can paint. Wall painting offers a way to achieve these modern design effects in the home, and it can be accessible to everyone — even those who don’t consider themselves artists. This bright and colorful book from the creators of Pandr Design Co. features DIY how-to wall painting techniques that will help readers discover the possibilities of paint and see their walls as their canvas.

Authors Phoebe Cornog and Roxy Prima take readers through wall preparation and paint selection and then teach how to achieve different techniques step by step, from marbling to sponging to geometric design to lettering and more. They address tips, tricks, and troubleshooting and help readers customize their home — without breaking a sweat or breaking the bank. For fans of interior design or anyone seeking to bring color into their home and make their space unique, this book will spark the imagination, feed creativity, and deliver the confidence to do it yourself.

Go to The Ana and Melissa Team Blog to read the full article. We are your Realtors - We Guarantee to Listen, Advise and Advocate for You! Give us a call at 703.772.3526 Email us at AnaandMelissa@gmail.com

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Great Things to Do in Vienna Virginia: Advice from a Local

The Ana and Melissa Team has a great condo for sale in Vienna, Virginia, a great small town just outside of DC, and Tyson's Corner that has a vibrant shopping and restaurant on its main street.  Explore what Vienna has to offer..

1. Meadowlark Botanical Gardens

Meadowlark Botanical Gardens is truly a hidden gem of the Washington DC region and a must-visit for nature lovers. This beautiful park in Vienna Virginia is one of our favorite places for an adventure with young children or a multi-generational outing. When the flowers are blooming, or fall foliage colors the trees, it’s perfect for a romantic stroll too.

2. Washington and Old Dominion Trail

The Washington and Old Dominion Trail is a 44-mile long, rails-to-trails bike path that follows an historic railroad line. The stretch of trail from Hunter Mill Road to downtown Vienna is a very scenic place to walk, bike, or rollerblade. Once you reach the Vienna Virginia town boundary, the trail gets busier and frequent road crossings require extra caution. Stop at the historic train station to check out a vintage red caboose and admire the large Vienna mural.

3. Caboose Brewing Company

Virginia is home to a vibrant craft beer scene, filled with interesting breweries and Beer Trails. Vienna Virginia is lucky to have Caboose Brewing Company  in the downtown area. Caboose is both brewery and restaurant. They serve a wonderful line-up of brews and delicious, locally sourced food. Caboose Brewing Company is right next to the bike trail, a few blocks north of Church Street at the end of an industrial road. They are open Monday to Thursday, 4:00 to 11:00 pm, with longer hours on the weekends (Friday 12-12, Saturday 11-12, Sunday 11-10.

4. Downtown Vienna Dining

When all this exploring makes you hungry, you have a LOT of choices for where to eat. Our favorite casual places to eat in downtown Vienna Virginia include Taco Bamba, Sweetleaf Cafe, and Pure Pasty. For sit-down dining we suggest Pazzo Pomodoro, Natta Thai, Maple Ave, and Bazin’s on Church.

5. Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts

Enjoy music on a much larger scale at the only national park dedicated to live entertainment. Wolf Trap National Park is an indoor/outdoor venue hosting major musical acts and theater throughout the year. During the colder months, acts are housed indoors at the Barns at Wolf Trap. From May to December, the entertainment takes over the 7,000-seat Filene Center and the children’s-oriented Theater in the Woods. The Filene Center offers a combination of covered and lawn seating that is especially fun on a beautiful evening. Wolf Trap hosts a few very popular free events every year. Kick off the summer season at the annual Wolf Trap Summer Blast-off, featuring fireworks, and music by the President’s Own Marine Band. Finish the season at the annual Holiday Sing-along in early December.

Small towns like Vienna are one of the things we love most about living in Northern Virginia. There is always something new to explore, or a favorite restaurant or brewery calling us back. We hope our favorite things to do in Vienna Virginia inspire a visit. Vienna makes a fun day trip destination in the Washington DC area.

If you're ready to make a move, now is the right time! We are your Realtors - We Guarantee to Listen, Advise and Advocate for You! Give us a call at 703.772.3526 Email us at AnaandMelissa@gmail.com

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JUST LISTED: 2791 CENTERBORO DR #386 | VIENNA VA 22181

Great new listing in the Marquis condominium community and just across the street from the Vienna Metro station.

This two-bedroom two-bath unit boasts a wonderful open floor plan with a kitchen that includes a center island, an office nook, and a wonderful outdoor patio that overlooks the community courtyard.

The building amenities are expansive! There is a clubhouse with a fitness center, golf simulator, theater room, and meeting room. For spring and summer, a large community pool and courtyards for outdoor grilling. Across the street, you find a wonderful trail for a 3 miles jog or walk.

$399,000 | 2 bedrooms | 2 bathrooms For more information, give us a call at 703.772.3526 Email us at AnaandMelissa@gmail.com www.2791CenterboroDr#386.com

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Zillow Quits Home-Flipping Business, Cites Inability to Forecast Prices

Termination of ‘ibuying’ comes after the company said it was halting new home purchases for the rest of 2021.

Real-estate firm Zillow Group Inc. is exiting from the home-flipping business, saying Tuesday that its algorithmic+ model to buy and sell homes rapidly doesn’t work as planned. The firm’s termination of its tech-enabled home-flipping business, known as "iBuying," follows Zillow’s announcement about two weeks ago that it was halting all new home purchases for the rest of the year. At the time, Zillow pointed to labor and supply shortages for its inability to renovate and flip houses fast enough.

In a statement Tuesday, Chief Executive Rich Barton said Zillow had failed to predict the pace of home-price appreciation accurately, marking an end to a venture the company once said could generate $20 billion a year. Instead, the company said it now plans to cut 25% of its workforce.

ZILLOW STOCK DROPS AS COMPANY PUTS HOMEBUYING ON HOLD Zillow and other tech-powered house flippers, known as iBuyers, purchase homes, renovate them and then try to sell them quickly, making money on transaction fees and home-price appreciation. Zillow used an algorithm to make home price estimates, called the "Zestimate," and determine what it would pay home sellers.

Ultralow mortgage-interest rates and a need for more space to work from home have driven robust home-buying demand in the past year and a half. Prices have climbed sharply in almost every corner of the U.S.

In recent months, sky-high prices have forced out some buyers, and the market has shown signs of cooling off, as many economists expected. The median existing-home sales price rose 13.3% in September from a year earlier—still unusually robust, though down from 23.6% year-over-year price growth in May, according to the National Association of Realtors.

Even this gradual tapering in price growth flummoxed Zillow’s algorithm, leading the company to pull the plug on the venture.

ZILLOW RIDES BOOMING REAL ESTATE MARKET TO 70% REVENUE GROWTH Zillow’s class C share price was down 10% on Tuesday, falling before the company announced after the market closed that it would end home flipping. Shares continued to slide in after-hours trading.

The move represents a big hit to Zillow’s top line. Home-flipping was the company’s largest source of revenue, but it has never turned a profit.

Zillow, which released earnings Tuesday, said its home-flipping business, Zillow Offers, lost $381 million last quarter, as measured by adjusted earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization. That resulted in a combined adjusted Ebitda loss of $169 million across all of Zillow.

It has an inventory of about 9,800 homes across the United States that it is currently shopping for to investors. Additionally, there are another 8,200 homes in a contract it has agreed to buy. The company expects to lose somewhere between 5% and 7% on these homes, the company said. Zillow also paid significantly more than those competitors for each home it purchased, buying homes priced $65,000 above the median on average, according to DelPrete’s analysis. By October, the company had listed 250 Phoenix homes at a median-price discount of 6.2% below what it had paid for them. DelPrete called Zillow’s price blunder a catastrophic failure.

A wider look at Zillow’s national performance by analysts at KeyBanc Capital Markets found it had listed 66% of homes at prices below what it had paid for them, with an average discount of 4.5%.

Zillow said it expects that the wind-down of its home-flipping outfit will take several quarters.

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Top 2021 Kitchen Renovation with Long-Lasting Style

Hygiene and cleanliness will be a top priority in kitchen designs this 2021 while flexibility for multiple tasks and users remains important. Many of us spent more time at home for the better part of 2020 and the ways in which we cook, entertain, work and relax in our homes changed significantly. Here are the popular finishes, fixtures, colors, and appliances in 2021 kitchen trends. 1. Warm Colors

America's decades-long love affair with cool gray tones is officially over. Beige is back, and it's bringing a warm, soothing vibe to our homes in 2021. The trio of hues includes oatmeal-colored Transcend, a warm clay color called Big Cypress, and a watery turquoise called Misty Aqua. Drawing on nature, the palette was designed to encourage mindfulness and relaxation during such a tumultuous time.

2. Organic Style

A new kitchen aesthetic is on the rise with natural, organic style skyrocketed into the top three kitchen design styles for 2021. The style relies on the same clean lines as still-popular contemporary and transitional kitchens, but with a look built on the warmth and textures of natural materials. This style celebrates the versatility of materials that are organic, nature-inspired for example wood-look flooring, and environmentally conscious, such as energy-efficient light fixtures. Today’s finishes are luxurious, sleek, modern, and fit with almost any design style and budget imaginable.

3. Touchless Faucets

Installing a new faucet is a quick and easy kitchen update many homeowners will be making in 2021. Whether it's our heightened awareness of hygiene at home or a growing demand for motion-control and hands-free faucets continues to grow in popularity than a traditional lever kitchen faucet. Another faucet on the rise is the voice-activated faucets that made an appearance on the report. This new faucet is not only more hygienic, but it can also help you be more productive in the kitchen, too. Through simple commands, you can turn the water on to wash your hands or dispense the exact amount you need for pasta or soup.

4. Large Islands

Large islands (at least 24 square feet in size) are a staple of the post-pandemic kitchen. In addition to serving as a place for food prep, cooking, and storage, the kitchen island has developed to accommodate work and studies with plenty of outlets. A table abutting the island similarly creates a versatile workspace, casual gathering place, and designated dining area.

5. Specialty Ovens

Homeowners are investing in auxiliary, specialty ovens for greater functionality as they spend more time cooking at home. For example, a convection speed oven can augment a traditional range with a flexible cooking solution that combines both traditional and microwave ovens into a single product. You can bake, broil, and microwave all with the same unit. These additional ovens also reflect homeowners’ increasing awareness of and desire for a more wellness-oriented lifestyle. Functionally, we're seeing a huge trend in ditching the microwave in exchange for a steam oven as clients become more aware of the health benefits of steam cooking.

For more information about the latest trends in Real Estate especially the Housing Market this fall. Give us a call at 703.772.3526. Or email us at AnaandMelissa@gmail.com if you'd like to set up a complimentary consultation. The good news? If you work with experienced agents (like us!), we can help you navigate the housing market. We are not just Realtors - We Guarantee to Listen, Advise and Advocate for You!

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Under Contract: 6424 10th St | Alexandria, VA 22307

Our first-time buyers are thrilled to be able to spend the holidays in their first home. Contact us - we can do the same for you.

We are not just Realtors - We Guarantee to Listen, Advise and Advocate for You! Give us a call at 703.772.3526 Email us at AnaandMelissa@gmail.com Visit our website The Ana and Melissa Team - Weichert Realtors