Advocating for Private Property Rights in Northern Virginia

From taxes and building ordinances, to transportation and urban planning, NVAR Realtors® work hard to safeguard buying and selling real estate in Northern Virginia.

Through relationship building, media efforts, and ongoing advocacy, we educate elected officials to help them understand the impact of public policy and legislation on the ownership and transfer of property.

NVAR also educates the public of the latest trends, news, and issues that affect their rights to homeownership.

4 Genius Yard Upgrades Even a Klutz Can Crush

You don’t need to be the host of an extreme home makeover show to build an amazing backyard. In fact, the transformative projects below are easy enough for even the klutziest home improvement newbie to complete. Read More

Here's a Better Way to Calculate the True Rent vs. Buy Costs

By popular demand, I’m back to take a deeper dive into the math to illustrate—clearly and simply—how owning a home produces wealth over time. Read More

5 Secrets Your Contractor Doesn’t Want You to Know

You’ve asked friends to recommend great contractors, picked your favorite, checked references — and maybe even conducted an online background check on his business. So you know you’ve found a top-notch guy for your home improvement project. Read More

Help First-Time Sellers Through the Sale

First-time sellers who have never contended with buyer demands may not initially understand how neutralizing their home or adding small upgrades can make their property more competitive on the market. Read More

Should You Refinish Hardwood Floors Yourself?

Just because you can rent a sander doesn’t mean you should. Even if your friends did dub you “Jackie-Of-All-Trades” after that amazing bathroom re-do last spring, you still might not have the stuff it takes to refinish your floors. Read More

Are You Getting the Home Tax Deductions You’re Entitled To?

One of the neatest deductions itemizing homeowners can take advantage of is the mortgage interest deduction, which you claim on Schedule A. To get the mortgage interest deduction, your mortgage must be secured by your home — and your home can be a house, trailer, or boat, as long as you can sleep in it, cook in it, and it has a toilet. Read More

The Benefits of Credit Counseling for Homebuyers

Buying a home is a complicated process. It’s usually the biggest financial transaction of a person’s life, and often involves taking out a mortgage to pay for the new digs. Read More

Homeowners Oppose Proposed Transit Area Tax

Lack of notification also criticized.

Homeowners voiced concern about paying a proposed service district tax that is being proposed in Reston and outside the Town of Herndon. Read More

Home Renovations: Best design decisions and common mistakes to avoid

When you’re starting the initial discussions with prospective contractors and design teams, it’s important to be thorough. You want to feel comfortable with them, with the scope of the work and that they’re going to see the project through. Read More

Seven ways to freshen up your home

After months of hanging out indoors and staring at your four walls, you might be ready for an interior-design change but lack the budget for major projects. Luckily, freshening up your home doesn’t require a wad of cash as much as it requires a touch of creativity. Read More

Check Yourself: Home Maintenance Tasks You Need to Tackle in April

Ah spring! It took you long enough to get here, but we’re happy to see you. In fact, we’re so grateful for the slightest hint of warmer weather that we’re ready to rush outside, full of fresh energy, and take on all of those essential springtime maintenance tasks. Read More

6 Reasons to Reduce Your Home Price

Home not selling? That could happen for a number of reasons you can’t control, like a unique home layout or having one of the few homes in the neighborhood without a garage. There is one factor you can control: your home price. Read More

How to Bounce Back After Foreclosure

Philip and Denise Powell lost their home in 2011 after Philip’s hours as a pastor were cut in half and Denise was sidelined by a surgery. But they were determined to become homeowners again, so they rolled up their sleeves and got to work. Read More

Do You Really Need to Clean Your Air Ducts?

Do you really need to pay good money to have your air ducts cleaned? The short answer is “probably not.” But before you call up dad to chant “I told you so,” it’s important to understand why you probably don’t need to do it. Read More

Maximizing Your Assets in Retirement

No matter how diligent you may have been about saving for retirement, unexpected life changes and economic realities can negatively impact your retirement budget. Read More

How to Handle Your Home During Divorce

The marital home is many couples’ most valuable asset, so deciding what to do with it during divorce can be difficult. You and your soon-to-be ex have two basic options: sell the home, or one of you stays in it. Read More

How Owning or Selling a Home Affects Your Taxes

Home-related tax breaks begin as soon as you close on your new abode and last throughout your time in the house. But to maximize them, you need to follow some rules. Read More

Builder tips on designing a more functional laundry space

Experts say if a homeowner is looking to renovate a kitchen and bathroom on the main floor, the creation of a more functional laundry room might also be on that to-do list. But sometimes, ironing out a new laundry floor plan is its own job. Read More

5 Secrets To Get Sellers to Choose Your Bid in a Hot Market

Writing a heartfelt letter to the sellers of a Chicago home helped one buyer stand out in a sea of other interested parties. Read More

FHA Changes the Game For Condo Buyers and Sellers

When the bubble burst, FHA dramatically cut condo loans. But condos play an essential role for first-time buyers, creating a ripple effect for move-up buyers, home values, and local economies. Read More

5 Tricks to Rejuvenate a Run-Down Patio on a Budget

Whether you love to entertain friends or bask in the sun with a cocktail and a novel, here are five easy ways to inject new life into your little corner of nature. Read More

What to Do Next After Losing a Listing

When you lose a listing, do you ever see the seller again? Many real estate professionals quickly move on after the business is lost, forgetting all about the former client they tried to help. Do you know what that tells the seller? Read More

How Much It Costs to Keep Up with the Joneses

Jealous of your neighbors’ new master bath? Who wouldn’t be? Actually, ... — resisting the urge to keep up with the Joneses makes you the smarter neighbor. Read More

Why Can’t I Get a Tiny Home?

Small homes do exist, but not many really small ones. Most lenders, in fact, will only finance homes that are no smaller than 40 to 80 percent of the size of a comparable, nearby home. Read More

What's the House Size? No One Is Really Sure

Just how large a house really is may depend on whom you ask, The Wall Street Journal reports. That’s because appraisers, developers, builders, real estate professionals, tax assessors, and architects all measure spaces differently. Read More

Generation X Re-enters the Housing Market

The number of Generation X home buyers is increasing thanks to an improving economy, multiple years of strong job growth and a notable increase in home values. Read More

3 Sources of Odors That Offend Buyers

Your sellers may have "nose blindness." The term refers to the process of adapting to the smells around you and becoming so desensitized to them that you learn to ignore them or become less sensitive to them. Read More

Must vs. Lust: What Do You Really Need in Your New Home?

When you embark on the home-buying process, your heart is filled with all the dreams in the world. It’s really easy to get caught up in the “I have to have ___________,  so I’ll cut back somewhere else ” Read More

Not Sure How to Price Your Home? Avoid Mistakes With These Tips

Home pricing is more of a science than an art, but many homeowners price with their heartstrings instead of cold, hard data. Here’s why crunching the numbers is always the better route to an accurate home price Read More

How Much Home Can Your Lifestyle Afford?

If you’re considering purchasing a home, you’ve likely already considered how much you have available for a down payment, what an ideal mortgage payment would be, and how much home you can actually afford based on your monthly income. Read More