DMV Real Estate | The Boeser Group | CENTURY 21 Redwood Realty

This is a great question! I'm sure it goes without saying, but it depends! When is your lease up? When are you looking to move (before next school year begins, after you sell your house out of state, right away, etc.) How flexible is your search criteria? The typical buyer(s) who is ready to buy a property will take anywhere between one and three months to find a home and close on it. Some people may take many months or even a year (or more) to find the right home. One story we love to share is about a lovely family we helped buy their first home for. They found what they thought to be their "DREAM HOUSE" during their first tour, but decided that they wanted to see more homes. That home went under contract and they kept looking for something like that one for 7 months. Over that time, property prices increased, and they kept comparing to that first home. Sometimes you find your home on day 1, other times it takes a little bit!

This depends on inventory level and your timeline! Are you needing to be in a home by the end of the month? You better hurry up, get pre-approved, and plan on seeing anywhere from 1-10 homes over a one to two day period of time. Do you have a little more time but will jump when you find the right house? Maybe you find your dream house on the first tour, or maybe you check out 20+ homes. You should never feel pressured to buy a house that doesn't meet your needs. Your real estate search should be at your pace, but also with the guidance of an experienced agent. Sometimes clients think they can wait a week to think about a house, but in reality, that home might not be on the market in a week (especially in a seller's market).

Radon tests are conducted by homeowners and by inspectors during purchases to detect how much radon exposure is present in the home. Per the CDC's website: "Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer after cigarette smoking. Radon is a radioactive gas that forms naturally when uranium, thorium, or radium, which are radioactive metals break down in rocks, soil and groundwater. People can be exposed to radon primarily from breathing radon in air that comes through cracks and gaps in buildings and homes. Because radon comes naturally from the earth, people are always exposed to it." At The Boeser Group we often recommend having a radon test conducted on properties that have a slab foundation or a subterranean foundation. Condos above the ground level may not need this. At the end of the day, this is your call and we will never tell you not to do it.

Earnest money is a deposit made to a seller that represents a buyer's good faith to buy a home. The money gives the buyer extra time to get financing and conduct the title search, property appraisal, and inspections before closing. In many ways, earnest money can be considered a deposit on a home, an escrow deposit, or good faith money. In most cases, earnest money is delivered when the sales contract or purchase agreement is signed, but it can also be attached to the offer. Once deposited, the funds are typically held in an escrow account until closing, at which time the deposit is applied to the buyer's down payment and closing costs. If you back out of the contract on legal grounds, you're entitled to receive all of your EMD back, but if you back out of the contract and are found in breach of the legal contract, the seller has a claim to your EMD (maybe a little, or maybe ALL) depending on the damages claimed by the seller.

We get this question a lot about specific neighborhoods. The good news is that we are licensed in DC, VA and MD, so we're able to help our clients no matter which market they'd like to look in! Regarding knowledge of the area... the short answer is we know MANY of the neighborhoods around the DMV from personal and professional experience. The long answer... Manavi Boeser, co-founder of the Boeser Group, grew up in Burke, VA, bought her first house in Centreville, has lived in Arlington, Falls Church and Vienna, and has family in Herndon and Leesburg. Additionally, Manavi has extended family throughout Montgomery County in Maryland. Co-founder, Scott Boeser on the other hand grew up in the Twin Cities of Minnesota and moved out to Old Town Alexandria over 10 years ago. Since moving out here, he's also lived in Del Ray, Arlington, Washington DC, Falls Church and Vienna. If you have questions about neighborhoods, just ask! If we don't know the particular community, we do the research.

At The Boeser Group, we know that real estate isn't a profession to dip your toes in. We know that from personal experience. Real estate is a 24/7 profession. We are writing and negotiating on contracts at midnight as well as 8 AM in the morning, and know that being part-time wouldn't be in our clients best interest. It takes a drive to succeed in this business, as well as more than 40 hours per week to get our clients the homes they want while being protected from start to finish. We are both full-time agents.