Insider’s View

Dear Property Owners, The entire real estate world is doing you a disservice. Sincerely, Past Sales The real estate industry is designed in a way that values a home based off of the sale of other homes in the area that are deemed ‘similar.’ Determining what is similar is mostly based on proximity to water, acreage, location, amenities as ...
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Like many communities along the Chesapeake Bay, the history of Mathews County is rich in maritime tradition. From naval engagements during the Revolutionary War to shipbuilding during the early 19th century, the residents of Mathews have had a lasting relationship with the sea... The arrival of World War II was no different. During the 20th century, it was common ...
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Technology has become an inescapable part of our society. Whether that is a good or bad thing is arguable, but when it comes to real estate especially, technology can be an extremely helpful tool. A computer’s ability to identify trends within massive amounts of data is invaluable. And although the predictive capabilities of a computer are impressive, it is ...
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If you ask a realtor to describe what they do, you will most likely hear something along the lines of... ‘We turn dreams into reality’ ‘We help buyers and sellers transact properties’ ‘We bring people together to find solutions’ ‘We market real estate’ And while any combination of these may be true, they don’t quite get to the core ...
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When you hear someone say ‘evolution,’ typically the first words that come to mind are ‘growth’ and ‘improvement.’ Everything in the natural world evolves, as do more abstract or artificial things. Essentially, we are surrounded by evolution. In real estate, we most often see these stages of growth within our buyers as they go through the journey of purchasing ...
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Mary, Mary, quite contrary, How does your [oyster] garden grow? Why Oysters? Oysters are the Chesapeake Bay’s natural filter. Along with trapping food and nutrients in their gills, they also catch suspended sediments and chemicals that are in the water. Just one acre of oysters can filter over 140 million gallons of water per hour and remove 3,000 lbs ...
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Every agent has seen it before: a client walks through the front door into a home and is all of a sudden completely disengaged. You can see it on their face and in their body language — your client is NOT buying this home. This can be even more frustrating when you know the home fulfills all of their ...
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If you’re an avid fisher (or wish to become one), you have come to the right place. The Chesapeake Bay has a rich offering of sport and recreational fishing opportunities. Some of the most popular species to look out for include drum, sea bass, rockfish, flounder, spot, speckled trout, croaker, and bluefish. Like most places, you cannot simply head ...
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So you want to buy a new home, but you also need to sell your house, and you don’t want to move twice… or settle for a home that you’re not crazy about. We understand. Where to Start We get this spiel all of the time, and I promise — we really do understand. As the market continues to ...
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Visiting the Chesapeake Bay and not trying any seafood is like going to a burger joint and ordering grilled kale — you’re missing out! Because there are so many different areas to visit, it can be difficult to figure out where to go in each county to get the most bang for your buck. We’ve been taste testing the ...
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The ultimate appeal of any property is that it is unique. From the design of the house itself, to the size, shape and topography of the lot upon which it rests, no two homes are the same. And while in urban lots tend to be more similar, we find the opposite to be true in the Bay region. Know ...
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Led by cousins Ryan and Travis Croxton, Rappahannock Oyster Company set out in 2001 to resurrect the native Bay oyster just after the Chesapeake had recorded its lowest oyster harvest in history. Their family’s century-old oyster leases were about to expire with the state, and they had to make a game-time decision. Ryan and Travis chose to renew the ...
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In real estate, almost every conversation centers around price. And although the price of a property does carry significant weight, remember that it is only one piece of the pie when making a good deal. There are numerous other factors that can turn a good deal into a really great one. Deciding Between Price or Terms There are two ...
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For many pet owners, going on vacation isn’t the same without bringing along your furry companion. Whether you enjoy running wildlife trails, doing some window shopping, or simply relaxing on a dock together, the Chesapeake Bay region has plenty of pawfect activities for both you and Fido (or Spot, or Mr. Snuggles, or Dr. Perfect!) If you plan to ...
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So you want to know how to find the greatest deals on the market? Follow our lead... Use All of the Tools Arguably the greatest feature MLS offers is the power to combine search fields. And in the hands of an experienced agent, the results are pretty remarkable. It’s like giving an artist the best set of supplies or ...
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Mathews County, known as the ‘Pearl of the Chesapeake,’ has become a hotspot for artists and art-enthusiasts alike. There are several art galleries and studios in the area where visitors can make their own work or browse the local creations. Bay School Community Arts Center offers a variety of workshops from mommy-and-me classes and beginner wheel throwing to acrylic ...
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What comes to mind when you hear the word ‘currency’? Do you think of coins? Gold bricks? Dollar bills raining around you? Currency is nothing more than a medium of exchange in the form of coins and banknotes. Although we typically associate currency with cash, we know that it can take on many different forms. Time, labor, risk and ...
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What makes a home valuable? This is the most subjective question that can be asked of anyone in the real estate industry and one that I am personally always happy to answer. Obviously the answer is ‘it depends,’ but what really matters is understanding what it depends on. And the answer to that will vary across buyers and homes ...
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As real estate agents, a major part of our job consists of going into houses and being asked to pass my opinion. I get asked about water depth and number of bedrooms and anchorage and flood zones and location and elevation and acreage and porches and utilities and — well just about anything you can imagine. Every single person ...
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For many, building a second home on the water is the stuff of dreams. Owning a second home offers a sense of stability, accomplishment and arrival… and owning a brand-spanking new second home, even more so. The moment a builder hands you your set of keys and you walk through your door into your house for the first time ...
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Did you recently buy a Chesapeake Bay home? Are you renovating one you’ve had for years? Maybe you just want to give your backyard a makeover… Whatever it is you’re looking for, our Bay Properties Pinterest boards are here to help! From DIY projects and Bay-inspired recipes to home decor and outdoor inspiration, we’re taking note of the trends ...
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Are you serious about searching? If you are, then a Client Portal is the absolute best way to search. The Client Portal allows you see the exact same information that the agents do -- and at exactly the same time! Gone are the time lags between a new listing hits the market and it (sometimes) appears on Zillow. Gone ...
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We all remember having to do homework. It’s boring, it’s tedious … and there always seems to be something better you could be doing. BUT it is also one of the most important responsibilities you have as a student, and surprisingly it is completely applicable to the home buying process … even in ways that many homebuyers don’t fully ...
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The Inside Scoop on Real Estate Search Google ‘Real Estate Search’ and what do you see? When I did, I got 600,000,000 results. That's right -- SIX HUNDRED MILLION. Zillow, Trulia, Realtor.com, MLS.com (which is NOT MLS, by the way), Homefinder, Craigslist, Movoto – all of these sites offer some form of real estate search. And when you layer ...
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Taking the first steps towards buying a Bay property can be intimidating for many people. Maybe you aren’t familiar with the area, or maybe you’re having trouble choosing between Mobjack Bay and the Rappahannock River. Maybe you just don’t even know what you’re looking for yet. For whatever reason, you have no idea where to start, and we are ...
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I am still working on it. Maybe someday I will get it to work, but as for now, I have to rely on my sense of what the future holds in order to take advantage of today. We have talked (and written) a lot about how markets differ and how the conditions that exist in one market may not ...
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Home buyers often ask what a house they are looking at is assessed for. While this can be valuable information it should not be used to judge the market value of a property. An appraisal is a very thorough, detailed analysis of a property's market value while the value assessed for tax purposes is merely that, a value analysis ...
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When looking for waterfront property it is important to know about and understand "tides." All bodies of water, bays, rivers and creeks are subject to the tide producing forces of the sun and moon. There are two complete tide cycles (high and low) during 24 hours. From its lowest point the water rises gradually for about six hours, until ...
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The current Wolf Trap Lighthouse has been a part of the Bay since 1894. In 1821 the original Wolf Trap Light vessel was placed at the shoal which derived its name when during the colonial period "Their Majesties Hyred Ship Wolfe" ran aground in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay, off of which is now Horn Harbor in Mathews ...
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So what does a gal from The Bronx discover in the Northern Neck? That you can learn to sail and even be awarded a Sailor of the Year trophy. That you can catch a citation trout while fishing from a kayak. That you can fill your belly with freshly caught crabs and your own farmed oysters. That you are ...
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