McGlothlin Properties - Real Estate Agents Working For You

We are an Independent Brokerage and our office is located in Nokesville, Virginia:

12914 Fitzwater Drive Unit C
Nokesville, VA 20181

703-447-6800 phone
703-940-0494 fax
Website: http://www.DCNova.com

Our professional network consists of experienced REO Real Estate agents, loan officers, a full time administrative assistant, closing coordinator, bookkeeper, property preservationist, and a construction consultant.

Broker and Founder of McGlothlin Properties

Real Estate Agent since 2000

Experience:
Traditional Sales, Foreclosures/REO, Short sales, Commercial Sales

Robert founded McGlothlin Properties with one goal in mind: Finding a better way to service his clients. Owning his own brokerage gives him the freedom and resources to better systematize the selling and buying processes, venture into new and expanding technology, and to be more available to his clients. These benefits he passes on to you by simplifying and thoroughly explaining his procedures, utilizing the best programs and web-based software to make the real estate experience easier and smoother, and having a physical location open 7 days a week including many national holidays.

Robert intently listens to all of your concerns and suggestions and works with you to make sure you are happy with the final result. His mantra is to get it sold quickly and for the right price. With Robert on your side there is no need to worry about selling or buying a home. Robert connects with only the best in the industry and has worked hard to build a powerful network of qualified professionals who go above and beyond for their clients.

Robert gets the job done right the first time!

Virginia Licensed Admin Assistant

Jason Shriner handles all the paperwork and phone calls in the background so Robert can focus on you and your transaction. He handles scheduling inspections like your home inspection and termite inspection.

Jason is also a notary public which allows him to notarize your paperwork at your convenience. If you have paperwork you need notarized for the transaction he can come to you so you don't have to come into the office!

2,697 Northern Virginia properties listed in 2010 expired. McGlothlin Properties had 0 expired listings in 2010.

Properties sold in Northern Virginia spent an average of 52 days on the market in 2010. McGlothlin Properties' listings average 12 days on the market.

On average in 2010, properties listed with McGlothlin Properties closed 100.65% of the original list price. One property closed 113% of the original list price.

How does McGlothlin Properties quickly accomplish so much more than the average realtor?

More Experience
Better Communication
Superior Marketing Techniques
A Hard Working Professional Team of Associates

According to the National Association of Realtors, 80% of the public felt their agent did a poor job communicating with them.

We here at McGlothlin Properties guarantee that we will communicate with you.

We Guarantee...

...We will provide feedback to you within 48 hours

...We will call you weekly to discuss feedback, showing traffic, market activity, and price adjustments with regards to positioning your home on the market.

...We will be available to receive your calls between 10:00 am and 5:00 pm Monday through Saturday

...We will return all phone calls promptly and answer E-mails even more quickly

...That you will be kept informed via E-mail regarding new homes that come on the market to compete with yours, as well as recent sales around you

...You will visually see any brochures and Internet marketing to see how your home is being marketed

...We will hand deliver any correspondence that is of urgent nature if electronic delivery is unavailable

...We will update agents and brokers in the area about your home

...That buyers will have information on your home available 24/7 via our 800# home hotline and on our website www.DCNova.com

...That your home will have brochures available on your sign at all times

McGlothlin Properties works hard to utilize technology to make your transaction smoother, more efficient, and easier. Check out all the different technologies McGlothlin Properties uses to help your transaction! The best part? All these technologies are included for free when you hire us to help you sell your home! Be sure to click the links to see examples of how we use the technology!


Electronic Lockboxes with Sentrilock
Gone are the days of combination lockboxes. Electronic lockboxes are more secure than combination lockboxes since only licensed realtors and specific contractors (like termite inspectors and appraisers) have access to them. It also makes showings easier since showing agents don't have to ask for a combination before showing - although we always ask that showing agents call us first to give us a heads up! Sentrilock is great at keeping track of showings as well. The next day after a showing we get an e-mail that logs all of the people who have accessed the lockbox which allows us to contact all agents who showed the property for feedback - even if they didn't call us first or leave a business card.

MRIS and the MLS
MLS stands for the multiple listing service which is basically a catalog of all listings for sale available online. Only real estate agents have access to the MLS though the public can browse the listings using homesdatabase.com. MRIS is the regional MLS provider. By entering your property into the MLS, your property becomes instantly available to any licensed agent. In addition, MRIS sends out your listing to major real estate websites such as trulia.com and zillow.com.


Realbird, Facebook, and Craigslist
In addition to the MLS we also enter your property into Realbird, another popular real estate website. Realbird is great for listings as it also syndicates your property to other popular real estate websites. Realbird also creates a clean user friendly webpage for your property that contains all the information for your property in one place - including description, map, photos, and video tour.

Realbird works seamlessly with social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. In fact you can easy and effortlessly help promote your property by "liking" your property. Once you like the property Facebook blasts it to your wall where you friends will see it. They can then also like your property and then it gets put on their wall as well. This viral marketing helps you find a buyer even in an unlikely place. It also helps make your property look more desirable and look like it has a lot of interest.

Realbird also helps us create a beautiful and attractive Craigslist ad that links to your Realbird property page. Craigslist is one the top places buyers go to begin their home search.


YouTube
If pictures are worth a thousand words then videos are worth millions of words. Ordinary agents will only take pictures of your property that don't really tell your property's story. By utilizing video tours we can help buyers get a better idea of your home's floor plan, how spacious rooms are, and how beautiful your yard looks. Video tours are especially great for people who are out of state who can't personally visit the property yet and for buyers first beginning their home search. Once your video is uploaded to YouTube it is then embedded into your Realbird property webpage and your DCNova.com blog post.


DCNova.com
In addition to popular real estate websites like MRIS and Realbird we also write a post on our Northern Virginia dedicated real estate blog. Our blog contains information about our brokerage, our listings, restaurants and activities in the area, and provides resources for all sides of a real estate transaction. Every time we blog about a property it gets automatically sent to our Facebook fanpage as well as our agents' personal Facebook walls. This helps increase your exposure on social networking and helps reach a wide range buyers - including our friends!


QR Codes
Realbird also generates a QR code which is a special barcode designed for web enabled smartphones. By scanning the QR code, buyers are instantly taken to your Realbird property page. We put your QR code on all of your marketing and place the code on your property. That way if buyers without an agent come by your property they can find more information about the property, find who your agent is, and view photos and your video tour. Mobile browsing is becoming a powerful force in today's market and it's important to have an agent who understands and embraces it.


Google maps
Not just for directions anymore! Google maps help us market your property by making the area more desirable! We place your property on the Google map and then highlight restaurants, shopping, and commuter routes around your property. By highlighting hidden restaurant gems, how close your property is to great shopping, and showing how easy it is to access major commuter routes your property is that much more desirable! Plus being able to see it on a map rather than reading about it in a description is very powerful.


Zipforms
Real estate can be a very complex business. As if keeping multiple transactions organized wasn't hard enough, legal matters can pose a serious threat to your sale. Zipforms, as well as our many years of combined real estate experience, helps us keep your transaction organized while following up-to-date legal guidelines. Zipforms is an online library of all the forms, supplied by the local realtor association, necessary for completing a real estate transaction. Using zipforms, we can type in information so it is easy to read avoiding confusion. Zipforms also allows us to keep all your documentation organized in one place online making it easy to locate your paperwork from wherever we are. Most importantly, as legislative and judicial decisions impact the real estate industry the forms in Zipforms are automatically updated to reflect those decisions. This ensures that your transaction are always represented by the most current and legally compliant forms.


Docusign
Docusign is a web-based application that allows you to review and sign documentation over the Internet. By using Docusign you have the control to review the documents relating to your transaction at your leisure and sign them whenever you want wherever you want provided you have Internet access. Docusign is great for signing time sensitive addendums as well as routine addendums, like closing extensions, when organizing a whole meeting to just sign one document is inconvenient. Our clients love the convenience and ease of Docusign. Docusign follows strict guidelines set forth by the federal government and each e-signature is as powerful as your pen and paper signature. Read more about their policies here.

In today's market in order to close quickly it's important to make the transaction as smooth as possible. The best way to do this is to take a proactive approach using the Smart Move system.

Have a home inspector check your house
Buyers hire home inspectors to check your house during the transaction. If any issues arise you'll have to address them or potentially lose the contract. Knowing what's wrong with your house prior to an offer gives you a chance to make repairs to pass the buyer's home inspection allowing you to close sooner.

Get a termite inspection
Termite inspections are also very common. Get checked for termites now and treat them now - you'll go to closing that much sooner.

Have your home tested for radon
If your home has a basement, many buyers will get a radon test. Properties with high levels of radon have a pump installed in the basement. Take care of this before you have a contract and you'll close sooner.

Have your home appraised
Real estate agents use comparables to help price your home but an appraisal is a much more rigorous and thorough process. Buyers who are using financing will have an appraisal done - and if their appraisal comes in lower than the contract price you may have to drop the price. By having an appraisal performed you can make sure your home is listed at the right price.

Home staging, cleaning, and repair and upgrade bids
Three of the biggest complaints buyers have when looking at homes are "The home is small (no storage)," "Too many repairs," and "The home is outdated." These complaints directly affect buyer interest and buyers' offers. Home staging and professional cleaning help get your home in prime showing condition. Have contractors come up with bids for minor repairs that you know exist and several popular upgrades. Buyers will see these bids and know how much it costs instead of guessing.

We'll check your title
We will check your home's title and see if there are any issues that can prevent your transaction from closing. By addressing them now you can prevent the frustration of finding issues days before closing.

Once we've completed the above steps McGlothlin Properties will put together a Smart Move Certified Packet which includes the above reports as well as local information available during showings for buyers. Knowing that these things are taken care of ahead of time is attractive to many buyers!

Click here for even more information on the Smart Move Certification System!

Selling your property and moving to a new home is stressful enough as it is. After a long month of searching for a new home the last thing you want to hear is that your current property hasn't sold - which may mean that you won't be able to close on your new home.

My team is so confident that the McGlothlin Properties system truly and honestly works that we will risk our paychecks all for you. If our system fails to get your home sold within 39 days you owe us 0% commission and we will continue listing it at no cost to you for an additional 159 days to make sure it gets sold.

Ask a McGlothlin Properties licensed agent today how you can qualify your listing with our Home Sale Guarantee program. Restrictions and conditions apply.

Leave!
Our experience shows that buyers prefer to view properties when the owner is away. Dialogue between the agent and client is less constrained when the owner is not present.

Secure pets
If you have pets make sure they're detained during the showing for their safety and the safety of others.

Clean every room
Piles of clothes (dirty or not), unmade beds, and clutter will make the house look dirty and small and large boxes or excessive home décor can give the impression there is no storage space in the house. Make sure to clear as many appliances from the kitchen as possible.

Remove as much clutter as possible
The only thing that should touch the floor is furniture. Remove baskets, luggage, and unnecessary decorations. The more floor space a buyer can see, the bigger the room will appear.

Repaint your walls a neutral shade or white
Buyers constantly complain about not like a room color and many aren't interested in having to paint a room before moving in. Another area buyers complain about is carpets, especially with loud colors.

Stage your home
Think Pottery Barn. Visit model homes, furniture show rooms, and stores to get decorating tips. Watch HGTV for simple styling tips that cost you little to no money and are easily to implement. Start packing your stuff up now - you're going to move anyway. Remember that less stuff is always more.

Turn on all the lights
A brighter home is a friendlier home and makes the rooms look more spacious. Open all the curtains and blinds, night or day, and remove anything blocking the windows' views.

Make the kitchen spotless
Our experience shows that kitchens are a big selling point for your home. Wipe all the counters, deep clean your stove and oven, and make your appliances shine. Make the kitchen smell clean and fresh by taking out the garbage and lighting a candle, boiling a cinnamon stick on the stove, or baking chocolate chip cookies.

Straighten and clean your bathroom
Replace washcloths and towels with fresh, fancy linens and wipe all counters. Air the bathroom out if someone just took a shower. Make your bathroom resemble the bathroom you would want overnight guests, like in-laws or family friends, to use. Bleach discolored grout to really give your bathroom a fresh and clean feel.

Fireplaces are a great selling point
Have them cleaned and remove anything in front of them.

Cleaning the house, staging your home, removing clutter and excess décor and appliances (including closets, attic, basement, and garage), and making small repairs will make the buyer think, "I could move right in!"

Even though the real estate market has been pretty rough lately there are a lot of questions people have about it. What does it mean? How did we get here? How can we get out? We'll explore every aspect of the current real estate market that may relate to you and we'll spell it all out for you. Despite the way the market is, your home is still your most important investment and we're here to give you as much knowledge as possible to protect it.

Remember to speak to an attorney or accountant before making any decisions as each individual's situation is unique. This article is meant to provide information - not to replace a professional's advice.

What does underwater mean? Am I underwater?

Underwater is simply a term to refer to anybody who owes MORE on their mortgage than their home is currently worth. Underwater doesn't necessarily mean that you're distressed or that you are in a bad situation. All it means is that if you try to sell your home you will most likely get less than what you owe on your mortgage.

There are a couple of different values for your home. One is assessed value. This value is what your local government assigns to your property in order for them to tax you. Assessed value has very little bearing on your property's market value. In fact, the assessed value of your home is usually lower than the value of your home when the economy is doing well and higher than the value of your home when the economy is doing poorly. This is because it takes a long time for an assessment to change. You can list your property for whatever amount you want, but an assessment takes a little more effort and planning on the behalf of the government.

Market value is how much your home is worth if it were listed today. Market value is typically determined by using comparables (homes that are most similar to your property) that are currently listed or that have sold recently. Properties that have sold recently tell you how much people are paying for homes in your area right now - whether it's perceived worth on buyer's behalf or if that's what a seller is willing to take for their home. Market price on the other hand is what somebody actually pays for your home. Market value and market price could be the same number or they can be different. Remember that in any market, the buyer determines the price of your home so it's important to list your property at a price that agrees with your buyers' mindsets.

What does it mean to be distressed? Am I distressed?

Distressed is a termed coined by the industry to identify people who are having trouble paying their mortgage (and other bills) because of a hardship. Distressed in it of itself is a subjective term. What you determine to be a distressed situation may not be seen as a distressed situation to the bank.

Lenders typically see hardships as uncontrollable situations that reduce your income or negatively affect your ability to pay. Losing your job, quitting your job to be a stay-at-home parent for a new baby, illness, and natural disasters are examples of hardships that banks recognize. Having a baby and high credit card debt are not typically enough for a bank to recognize a hardship and award you a loan modification, a short sale agreement, or re-finance to extend the terms of your loan. Every bank is different and if you have multiple hardships occurring at the same time the bank will usually be more willing to work with you. The important step to take is to contact your bank and find out what your options are. Not knowing is probably the worse situation you can be in.

If I am underwater and in a distressed situation but I want to stay in my home, what are my options?

The first thing you should determine is if you can stay in your home and continue to afford living there. Also consider how much you make per month and how much you have in savings. The bank will ask to see everything related to expenses and income. If the bank determines that you can continue to afford your payments they will most likely reject any request for a short sale and other foreclosure solution options. If you can continue living where you are your home will eventually gain value again and you will continue to work towards gaining equity in your home.

If you are already behind on your payments you may have received a letter from your lender stating that you are in default and that the total amount of your mortgage is due along with any late fees. However, being in default and foreclosure are not the same thing. While you are in default you still have options to delay the foreclosure and eventually resolve it without going to foreclosure.

Reinstatement
One solution is reinstatement. This is a very costly solution as it requires you to pay all of your late fees and the total amount of the mortgage owed up to date. This basically gets you back into the same position as you were before you stopped making payments (or full payments). This is a viable solution if you are no longer in a distressed situation, but for most homeowners this is not a possible solution.

Forbearance
The next solution is called forbearance also known as a repayment plan. You work with your lender to increase your mortgage payments to cover back payments owed. It's similar to reinstatement in that you're paying what you owe up to date but you get to pay it over time. However, lenders qualify you for forbearance - basically it's up to the bank whether you can go on a repayment plan. Of course, because it increases your mortgage payment this is also only a viable solution if you're no longer in a distressed situation.

Mortgage or Loan Modification
Mortgage or loan modification is a possible solution. When a loan is modified it usually reduces some part of the loan (interest rate, principal balance, term, or a combination) to lower the monthly payment resulting in a more affordable mortgage. While this may sound like an attractive solution, you should be aware that most loan modifications are not approved even with the government regulation and assistance from programs like HAMP (Home Affordable Mortgage Program). HAMP was intended to lower mortgage payments for 7-8 million homeowners but only around 500,000 homeowners actually got a loan modification (as of March 2011 - according to the national taxpayers union).

Finally, since loan modifications are at the lender's discretion (meaning the lender has to approve it) you may not qualify for it. Be very careful about going on a "trial basis" for your loan modification. Some lenders will let you try the loan modification for a few months. While you are TRYING it you are actually making payments BELOW your actual mortgage - remember the loan modification is NOT PERMANENT while you are on the trial period.

If the loan modification is denied, then not only do you owe the difference of the payments during each of the payments made during the trial period, but your credit could also be damaged because it is seen as your payments were late, missed, or insufficient. This is especially important for individuals whose credit has not yet been damaged or who aren't behind on their payments yet. If you decide to go on a trial basis loan modification make sure you get from the lender a signed document stating that if the modification does not go through they will not report it to the credit bureaus as late or missed payments. If they say yes and provide signed documentation then your credit should be safe. If they say no, then you have a pretty good idea of what you can expect from the loan modification trial period.

Refinance
Refinancing is a popular solution as it allows you to completely change your mortgage. Technically speaking, refinancing replaces your debt obligation with a new one with different terms. Refinance can be a very viable solution if you have multiple loans out on your house - such as a home mortgage and a home equity loan. By consolidating the loans, you end up with one payment, which is hopefully less than the sum of the two individual payments.

Since refinancing is just like getting a loan you are required to qualify for it, which means you need a decent credit score and your home has to appraise - which may not be possible if your home is underwater. Be sure to ask the lender for what value your home has to appraise in order to qualify for a refinance. Once you have that figure you can ask a real estate agent to provide a free CMA (comparative market anaylsis) for your home or a list of all properties listed and sold in the past 3-6 months in your neighborhood. That way you have a pretty good idea if you will qualify for the refinance before paying for the appraisal. Refinancing may require non-refundable fees and charges upfront to begin the process making this solution expensive - especially if you are already in a distressed situation. If you don't have sufficient equity in your home, your home is underwater, or if you've refinanced recently then refinancing may not be a viable solution.

Click here for even more information on underwater and distressed situations and foreclosure alternatives!

Considering doing a short sale?

We at the McGlothlin Properties team are experienced at short sales. We've worked with several banks including Bank of America, Wells Fargo, One West Bank, Chase, Suntrust, HSBC, Citi Financial, and American Home Mortgage. We understand the short sale process and are prepared to walk you through the whole way. Call us today at 703.447.6800 to ask us about a short sale or read below some common questions concerning short sales:

What is a short sale?

A short sale is when you list and sell your house for less than what you owe on your house - that includes mortgages and home equity loans.

When and why should I do a short sale?

Short sales can be done at any time but most banks will only agree to allow a short sale when you have some financial burden that makes it almost impossible to pay your mortgage. You should also consider doing a short sale when a foreclosure is looming. When you start a short sale, it halts the foreclosure process. This means that the bank will not foreclose on your house.

Short sales are also an effective way to prevent a detrimental impact on your credit. Be aware that there IS negative effect on your credit (it's estimated about 300 points) but the effect on your credit is less than having a foreclosure on your credit. Also, a short sale will allow you to obtain a government backed mortgage in around 24 months while a foreclosure will prevent you from obtaining that same loan for around 4 years.

How long does a short sale take?

It's estimated that the process takes approximately 4 to 6 months. This includes listing the property, receiving a contract and ratifying it, sending the paperwork to the bank, and getting the banks approval. Working with the bank is where the bulk of the time is spent. Being prepared in advanced with the necessary paperwork is essential to make your short sale go through quickly and smoothly.

Why do banks agree to short sales when they can just foreclose?

Banks are in the business of selling loans, not owning homes. The more homes they own the more they have to pay in miscellaneous costs like utilities, HOA/condo fees, maintenance, and taxes. The faster they can get rid of the bad loan the better. Foreclosure processes are also very time consuming and expensive. In most cases the time, loss of money, and headaches that come from doing a foreclosure is always more than if they agree to a short sale. In the case of a short sale the owner still pays the miscellaneous costs and brings a buyer to the table. It saves the bank time and money.

Click here for even more answers to your short sale questions!