My Beautiful Waterfront Listing in Gloucester, VA

My First Beautiful Listing, Diana Burton co-listed it with me

Diana Burton, my colleague with IsaBell K. Horsley Real Estate, Ltd. was kind enough to share this beautiful listing with me. It is a gorgeous 3 bedroom and 4.5 bathroom brick home in Gloucester, Va, on the York River. It has gorgeous views of the river, a stunning pool also facing the water. Many upgrades in the kitchen and bedrooms. House is in immaculate condition. There is another perk site available to build a guesthouse. The owners will give credits to install bulkhead, pier and landscaping.

The lot has two waterfronts: 100' on the York River and 460' wetlands waterfront at the back of the property. Two bonus rooms could provide two extra bedrooms. The house has a 3 bedroom eco-septic system and 2-zone heat pump. For more pictures and information go to http://www.navica2.net/displays/?n=297&i=342810&k=IRWN or http://www.horsleyrealestate.com/prop976.htm or http://www.postlets.com/res/1168175 or http://www.flyinside.com/tour.php?id=27893

If you would like to preview this home, contact me anytime at raquelott@gmail,.com or (804)815-3352, Raquel Ott

My New Website www.mathewsvawaterfront.com plus some Affordable Waterfront listings available in our MLS today! Great info for Home Buyers!!!

I am excited to announce my new website at www.mathewsvawaterfront.com . I started it about a month ago, and it is going really well. It is a Real Estate website, and I am a real estate agent who happens to be a Realtor working under IsaBell K. Horsley Real Estate Ltd. .

I got my Real Estate license on Valentine's Day this year and things are still going a little slow but I am not at all discouraged, things will start to look up soon!

The town I live and work in is Mathews, in Mathews County, Va in the Northern Neck & Middle Peninsula area of Virginia. It is a quaint little town, with great people, with wonderful places to go and see. It is a very laid back rural town, but with all the amenities one would need. I would highly recommend Mathews for someone living in Richmond, Charlottesville, New Kent, West Point, Newport News, Williamsburg, Alexandria, Washington DC and most major cities in Virginia for your second home or weekend retreat. A good part of homeowners in town bought their homes here as a second home and ended up settling here. Even if you can't afford to buy a waterfront home in Mathews, VA, you can certainly qualify to buy an inland property or a home with deeded water access. You are never too far from the water in Mathews, there is always a public boat ramp or boat landing within a 5 to 10 minute drive from where you are.

There are currently 6 waterfront listings in Mathews, VA that are within my "comfortable zone" that are somewhat affordable, or below $350,000. There are two a little over that price range, for $369,000. Here are short descriptions of waterfront homes for sale in Mathews, below $370,000:

Waterfront homes in Mathews today start at $195,000 for a 3 Bedroom 2 Bath Modular home home in Horn Harbor, a fixer upper on Horn Harbor. It has a deck, a dock, and an above ground pool; it is very private, great weekend retreat or for year around living. The next one, price wise, would be a 3 Bedroom 2 Bath Ranch on the North River, on 2.5 acres that seems like a really great deal for the money, for $259,900. Can't beat those prices. The next one is a 2 story Farmhouse circa 1928 on Kirwan's Creek. 2 Bedrooms & 1 Bath on almost 3 acres! The listing price on the farmhouse is $298,500. There's another one in Port Haywood, close to that first listing (the $195,000 Modular home) listed at $310,000. It has 2 Bedrooms & 1 Bathroom, on Horn Harbor, open floor plan with vaulted ceiling, protected waterfront with a pier. There is also another one on the same road as this last listing and the first one, in Port Haywood, VA, about 6 minutes from Mathews Courthouse. The next waterfront listing in that neighborhood is listed at $319,000 it's a 2 Bedroom/2 Bath one story beach house, waterfront, on Horn Harbor, adorable little cottage with wonderful views, lots of decking, screened in porch, large rooms, docks and sunsets. Wonderful home for weekends or year around living. The next one is on Queen's Creek Cove. Listed at $339,000, it's a two bedroom/ two bathroom one and a half story Cape Cod that sits on over 2 acres! One bedroom and one bathroom are on the first floor with a den. It has a large deck and attached 2 car garage. The master bedroom is on the second floor and there is also a large bonus room over the garage. The average electric on the property is $75 a month.
A little over that price range ($0 - $350,000) are these two listings. The first one, listed at $369,000 is also on Queen's Creek, like the previous listing. It's another one and a half story Cape Cod. This one has 3 bedrooms and 2 and a half bathrooms. It was built in 2006, a brand new home. It's canal front on Queen's Creek, with 6' of water at low tide!! New home, never lived in, a dock already there! Almost an acre. The canal leads to Queen's Creek, just minutes from Gwynn's Island & Chesapeake Bay.
The next one also listed at $369,000 is another Cape Cod , two story, this time on Woodas Creek, off of the East River (hey I live on Woodas Creek too!!). It has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Sunshine and creek breezes come with this cottage's old fashioned charm, the perfect and affordable weekend retreat for busy professionals. Just outside your door enjoy family barbecues and nature at its best on the large wraparound deck. Enjoy an evening spin in the boat, parked at your dock!
And that was all the strictly waterfront listings in " my price range" in our MLS system today. There are other properties with deeded water access, or waterview that are not listed as waterfront though.

1st Week as a REAL Realtor!!

I'm back for my second post and I am glad to announce that I found a broker and am doing really well, thanks!
I finally settled with a firm, I am now IsaBell K. Horsley Real Estate, Inc.'s newest agent! I received my real estate salesperson license last week, Tuesday of last week. Yesterday I finally got all my MLS login information, and I am loving every minute of my new career! Unfortunately, the market is very slow right now. I started working as Diana Burton's assistant, until I got my license, and now that I have it, I am free to go get my own clients! It's not easy, though. I work at our local library Monday-Wednesday and Saturdays from 10-2pm, so I get to meet lots of people, and I get to give out my business card to people sometimes. I've come across at least 2 people who are also looking into getting their real estate licenses, and at least 2 whose spouses are Realtors or have just retired as a Realtor.
There's still so much to do, so much reaching out, marketing, making yourself known. Today, our firm, IsaBell Horsley Real Estate, Inc., just added my name to their website www.horsleyrealestate.com and I was told that my name will be in the paper next week, in one of their ads.
I went to show a house with Diana Burton today, we showed Ingleside, one of her multi-mil $ listings. It went pretty well. The prospects are looking for something a little less formal, a more open floor plan, open kitchen/living area and more beachy.
Last Sunday I had my first walk-ins. This extremely nice couple from New Jersey walked in, right after lunch, and they are looking into moving to Mathews, VA in the next 2 or 3 years after their daughter goes off to college. She started High School this year, I think. They are looking for a house on a large lot, maybe over 5 acres, with 2 or 3 bedrooms, doesn't have to be waterfront and their price range goes from $220,000 to $350,000. I am really excited about meeting them, and I hope to see them many times in the next 2 to 3 years.
There is a lot to be learned, so much it is overwhelming. Not only about real estate procedures, closings, listings, agreements, showings, marketing, but most importantly getting to know your neighborhood, flood zones, high and low zones, creeks and coves, and every body of water in town, neighborhoods, house styles, local history... phew, so much to know about! The county I live in is Mathews County, VA and the villages in my neighborhood are, in alphabetic order:
Bavon, Bayside, Beaverlett, Blackwater, Blakes, Bohannon, Cardinal, Cobbs Creek, Cricket Hill, Diggs, Dixie, Fitchetts, Fort Nonsense, Foster, Grimstead, Gwynn, Hallieford, Hudgins, Laban, Mathews, Mobjack, Moon, Motorun, New Point, Onemo, Peary, Port Haywood, Pribble, Redart, Retz, Ruff, Sarah, Shadow, Soles, Susan, Tabernacle, Williams and Haven Beach and Winter Harbor Haven. Some of these neighborhoods are just so small, I never really heard of them before! The ones in red are the ones I never heard of until I went to Virginia Gazetteer and found them there.
Anyhow, I am really enjoying my new career as a Realtor, and I can't wait for spring to bring me my first customers!
Raquel Ott
Realtor
IsaBell K. Horsley Real Estate
www.horsleyrealestate.com

Week 1 - Looking for a Broker/Office

This was my first week looking for a broker, and I plan on documenting this journey here on Real Town, so that maybe it can be of some if any help to other new agents out there.
I've wanted to become a Realtor for quite some time now, but only last summer, actually in May, I finally took the first step towards earning my real estate salesperson license. At first I thought I could succeed studying on my own, at home, just by reading the books, but it didn't workout that way. I couldn't concentrate, I wasn't learning anything no matter how many times I read the material. It took me 6 or 7 months until I decided to attend classroom classes. In December I went through a two week program (pre-licensing), and I took my Final Exam the week before Christmas. It took me a couple of trials, but you can keep taking the exam until you finally pass it, so after 2 hours or so of trial and error, I finally passed the exam. Two weeks later I took my PSI, in Richmond. What a day. I am really bad with directions, and I had it all written down, but I took a wrong turn in Richmond, and drove around for almost 2 hours, and with the help of my husband on the phone (he's my GPS), I finally got to PSI, and even though I was 15 minutes late, they let me take the exam anyhow. I was so distressed. That time, I still managed to pass the State but failed the National portion of the test.
I rescheduled it for the next week, first week in 2008. I had it all planned out to have it all done before the end of the year, but it didn't happen. This time I passed the PSI, and oh my god, I was so excited, I cried, and I called everyone to let them know I passed.
I waited a week or two until I finally went looking for a broker. Which brings us to this week. I had family over last week, and wanted to be able to forget all about PSI, exams, Real Estate, and just enjoy the fist week of 2008. I had been struggling with the exam for so long, studying non stop that I felt like I deserved a break.
The day after I passed the PSI, I went to company A's website, and took their Real Estate Simulator. Last week I was contacted by one of their director of career development, saying that she liked the results of my test (the online simulator), that it was above average and that she would like to meet with me. I met her on Thursday. She told me all about their wonderful training, and the benefits of working with them, and overall the interview went pretty smoothly. We met at Company A's office in Newport News, and I was introduced to their Office Broker, a really sweet guy. I scheduled an appointment/interview with him for next Thursday morning. The night before, 2 days ago, I emailed a total of 25 real estate offices in the area, letting them know that I just passed my PSI and telling them a little about myself and that I was looking for a broker. While I was meeting with Mrs. Director of Career Development at Company A's, I got 2 calls from 2 other brokers (which went straight through my voicemail).
I get in the car and listen to my messages. Broker B' with Company B is out of town in a real estate seminar but she'll have her admin call me to schedule an appointment for next week. Her admin calls me and we scheduled our interview for next Thursday, right after I meet with Broker A from Company A.
Broker C with Company C in Hayes calls me not too long after that, and says she'd like to meet me, and we scheduled an interview for yesterday right after lunch.
When I got home from that first interview with Company A, I had received 2 emails. One from a local company here in Mathews, which we'll call Company D. Broker D said he'd like to meet me for an interview, but that he was busy yesterday and throughout the weekend, but wanted to know if Monday would work for me. I emailed him back and we set up an appointment for Monday morning, before I have to be at work (I work at the local library from 9-5 Monday-Wednesday).
Another broker, Broker E, with Company E in Hayes emailed me too saying she'd like to talk to me in person. I called her back later asking what the best time would be for us to meet. We decided on yesterday (Friday) in the afternoon, right after I met with broker C, which is almost across the street from Broker E.
This morning I got an email from Company F, where Broker F says he'd be glad to talk to me about the possibilities. Company F has offices in Urbanna, White Stone, Deltaville, Mathews & Lively. They have 33 agents listed on their website. They seem to do a lot of business around here.
When I first started looking for a broker, I was really excited about going with a larger company, a franchise, but after the 3 interviews I've had so far, I think I am going to settle for a local, smaller company, that has an office here in Mathews, which is where I want to do business.
So, yesterday at 1pm I met with Broker E at Company E in Hayes. I loved their building, how homey it is, all the desks and rooms, its location and the broker herself is such a pleasure to talk to. We talked a lot, I was not handed out any programs or brochures, but I asked her if she had an Office Policy, and she promptly handed me a copy, which I'll return to her when I'm done reading it. She was very straight forward, answered any question I had. I loved talking to her, she made me feel at ease, and made me feel better about starting as a part time as opposed to full time. I was having second thoughts after meeting with broker A and being told they only hired full time employees. I left the interview with a really peaceful feeling that I would be alright, and that I don't have to starve myself to death through the first few months of my real estate journey.
Right after I left, I drove across the street to meet with Broker C. Company C is a franchise, and their office in Hayes is a really nice office. Everyone I met there was very pleasant. That office has 23 Agents, and they all have their office.
Company C, just like Company A offers an excellent training program, but their is a 1 week program and it is not mandatory. They do encourage agents to go through training though. She told me that they do not hire part time agents, but at the end of the interview she said that since I work Monday through Wednesday now, that if I could get 3 mornings off work, for a week that it might workout, since I can still get leads and meet people at my current job, that as long as I showed up for office meetings on Thursday mornings and if I could work the other days (Thursday, Friday & Saturday) that it just might work.
I would love to work for them, but even though they have a lot to offer, besides the name/franchise, there is a lot of extra cost involved. Under their "New Agent Start Up Costs" sheet are the following items:

• NAR dues $64/$48/$32/$16
• NAR Public Awareness Campaign Assessment $20
• VAR Dues (State) $90/ $67.5/ $45 / $22.5
• VAR Processing Fee (One time Fee) $15
• Capitol Replacement Fund (One Time Fee) $33
• Issues Mobilization Fund (One Time Fee) $10
• CBARAR (Dues) $120/ $90/ $60/ $30
• Realtor Member Application Fee (One Time) $50
• New Agent License (One Time) $170
• E&O Insurance $150 (fall)
• MLS Key Deposit (One time) $150
• Business Cards (First 1,000 free)
• Name Badge (first one free)
• Their Start up fee (Reimbursed on 1st Closing) $100

It all comes up to almost $1,000 Plus gas from Mathews to Hayes, and all other costs, I am not sure I could handle it just now (after Christmas and all). But overall, it seems like a great company to work for, the office is excellent, conveniently located (nor for me though, if I want to run my business in Mathews, I'd have to drive my clients all the way to Hayes to write contracts and close and all that good stuff

Well, I think I'll have to have a part II for this post, because I have stuff to do and I need to get outside enjoy the beautiful snow!!
To be continued...