Harrisonburg Real Estate Guru

Buying a Home- An Investment or A Place to Live?

Harrisonburg Real Estate Guru - News and Commentary You Can Use

Buying a home?  Well… why are you buying a home?  Are you buying a home to sell at a huge profit in a few years?  Not so fast! 

You should be buying a home to live in and to enjoy with friends and family and hope that one day it will be worth more someday.  A home is a utilitarian product and should not be viewed as a short term investment vehicle.  However, the people of America were deceived into believing that real estate was much like the stock market, or other financial markets, where you could buy and sell, over and over, (churning) and make some good money.  Like the dot-com boom, and other similar financial booms, there is always a bust.  Unfortunately today we are experiencing the bust in real estate.  Easy money and loose credit created an environment where many speculated and some made money but an awful lot of people were left holding nothing but the bag.  Such is nearly always the case in these “gold rushes”. 

Location, location, location it is said, is the most important aspect or attribute of real estate. Well our area has watched much of our market remain nearly unchanged because of our location and because of the conservative nature of its population.  This is not an insignificant thing to be considered if you are thinking of relocating or retiring soon. 

The long and short is that the Harrisonburg-Rockingham County area is a great place to live, and if you are considering a move, I’d love to speak to you.  

Barry Suttles – Realtor 

540-246-5666 mobile anytime 

Kline May Realty

Willow Ridge – Harrisonburg’s Hidden Jewel

Harrisonburg Real Estate Guru

Where’s this beautiful community that everybody’s talking about….Willow Ridge?   Willow Ridge is tucked back in an enclave all it’s own in Harrisonburg, right off Pleasant Hill Road.

Georgeous Home at Willow Ridge - Barry Suttles - Realtor

There is something you’ll notice, a certain something that you realize, when you pass through this community. It must be the subtle ambience or the feel of security, the quality of life that people experience in this place that sets it apart.  From the streetlights and sidewalks, to the architecture, to the very people who choose to live here, it is different at Willow Ridge.  Maybe it is the fact that this community was inspired by a woman who is the builder/developer of Willow Ridge?  Maybe it is because there is a real sense of community and closeness that is unique here? No matter what is is, it is palitable and waiting for you at Willow Ridge.

Housing is Getting More and More Affordable

Fixed 30 year Interest Rates at 4%???

Who would have thought that we would see interst rates so low?  Certainly I did not.  I refinanced my home several years ago as I watched the rates slump to 5%. I locked in my rate and slyly grinned, “We’ll never see interest rates this low again”, I thought to myself.

Well believe it, or not, we are seeing what I sincerely believe are the lowest rates we will see.  Couple that with slightly lower home prices in our area and add in the $8000 tax credit for first time buyers and you get an affordability index that is hard to beat.  People who thought they could not afford a home are now in the game because of these factors.  That is the good news, but here’s the bad. 

Purchasers are now required to have more money down in many cases and your credit score must be good……really really good to get the best rates.  It makes sense.

If you are confused about these things, don’t be alarmed.  I can help.  I have been working with buyers and sellers for years and I can make your experience a great one.  I am a full service agent and I believe that hard work will result in happy clients.  Call me and we can chat. 

Barry Suttles – Realtor

540-437-3671

Real Estate In Harrisonburg Virginia

Battling the Effects of the Doom and Gloom Media Every night on the news, it is the same thing; the real estate market is horrible. The economy is tanking and Global Warming is killing the polar bears.  We hear things like, “housing starts are at an all time low”, and “more foreclosures were reported today”. If aliens (the space kind) were listening to the media in this country they would believe we were ready for them to totally dominate us!  Everything here is in chaos and no one knows how to fix it. The media in this country are mainly interested in ratings, and reporting that the economy and the real estate market is bad is good for them. The only thing better would be a story about an unfaithful presidential candidate.  Chicken Little said ”the sky is falling”!

Fortunately, like politics, all real estate is local. Here in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley and particularly in and around Harrisonburg Virginia, the market is not sinking like the Titanic.  On the contrary, we are seeing constructions starts everywhere.  We have an incredible new “green” hospital RMH going up along with wonderful communities like Preston Lake, Willow Ridge, and more. Come back to this blog often and I will share with you all of the wonderful reasons that I say that “Harrisonburg is Virginia’s best kept secret”. 

  Barry Suttles – Realtor Call me 540-437-3671

540-246-5666 anytime mobile