|
Skiing/Snowboarding/Tubing Massanutten resort is probably best known for being a ski resort. While resorts like Snowshoe and Wintergreen may get more snowfall, the convenience of Massanutten is unparalleled for Harrisonburg and surrounding residents. The ski resort boasts an impressive elevation of 2,922 ft. It has 7 lifts and 14 runs, including two terrain parks. The resort also has outdoor lights installed, making night skiing an enjoyable possibility. If you’ve never tried skiing or snowboarding, but are up for the challenge, you’ll be happy to hear that Massanutten is now a Terrain Based Learning (TBL) resort! By shaping snow features to naturally control speed and body position, it’s easier than ever to get out there and conquer the slopes! If winter tubing is more your speed, Massanutten also has an impressive snow tubing hill. The tubing hill has up to 16 lanes, each 900’ in length with a drop of 120 feet. It is a great option for all ages. There are two conveyor belts ensuring short lines. So next winter, be sure to hit the slopes! This blog is part of a Massanutten Blog Series. Massanutten Official Snow Sports Page
0 Comments
One of the best aspects of living in Harrisonburg and the surrounding areas is the availability of recreational activities outdoors. While there are a plethora of hikes, mountain biking trails, golf courses, and some skiing options, there is one place that has them all: Massanutten Resort. Located 14 miles from downtown Harrisonburg, this resort is ideal for Harrisonburg families, students, or adventure pursuers. This series explores in depth the variety of activities that Massanutten offers all year round, for all ages.
This series incorporates five of the most common and exciting experiences one can enjoy at Massanutten resort. These activities are Winter Sports, Mountain Biking, The Massanutten WaterPark, Golf, and The Adventure Park. It is important to note that Massanutten resort is open to the public. A common misconception is that the resort is only available for Massanutten homeowners, but this is not the case. Refer to links below for more information. Finally, this series is by no means all encompassing. Due to times sake we focused on several of their largest attractions. Links below will become active as posts are published. Blog Series: Winter Sports Water Park Mountain Biking Family Adventure Park Golf All info for series obtained from Massanutten Resorts Official Website, visit Resort Home link Here The Northend Greenway is an exciting project that will add value to the Harrisonburg Area. The Northend Greenway is projected to be a 2.5 mile shared use path when fully completed. It will enable northern Harrisonburg residents to access a variety of places including Eastern Mennonite University, Virginia Mennonite Retirement Community, residential neighborhoods, community centers, areas of downtown, and more.
In the Fall of 2013, the City of Harrisonburg was awarded $600,000 by the Virginia Department of Transportation Revenue Sharing Funds and the City Council matched it with local funds for a total of $1.2 million to fund the Northend Greenway Project. Phase I of the Northend Greenway is underway. It is expected to be completed at the end of July and officially open to the public in the very near future. Phase I will be approximately 0.6 miles long, starting near the railroad tracks at Mount Clinton Pike and ending at Suter Street. Blacks Run, which is adjacent to the path, will also undergo restoration in conjunction with the construction of Phase I. Momentum Earthworks is the contracted company tasked with the construction of Phase I. Scheduling and funding for Phase II has not been finalized although significant steps have been taken. The second phase will continue from Suter St. and run through the north part of downtown, ending at the intersection of Main and Johnson. Phase II is likely to be constructed largely by non profits, community members, and volunteers. The Shenandoah Valley Bicycle Coalition is largely spearheading the community build days and other events in relation to the Greenway. Compared to most other months this year, June was an extremely active month for home sales. However, this is expected as the summer is the busiest season for real estate sales. Sales in June this year (136) were slower than the last 3 years. Additionally, the number of homes on the market is the lowest it has been in June the last 6 years (267). This resulted in the mid year number of homes sold (625) to be 4.43% lower than last year. Although home sales have been slightly slower, the median sales price of homes continues to climb. The median sales price this June was 240,000, 9,500 more than the previous year. Median days on the market continues to drop for the month of June, albeit just by one day from last year (22 to 21). The market very much remains a sellers market.
 Red Wing Music Festival is arguably the best annual local music festival in the greater Harrisonburg area. For annual attenders, the wait is nearly over. The festival kicks off its three day extravaganza tomorrow. The first show starts at noon! For those of you unfamiliar with the festival, Red Wing is a great local music festival held at Natural Chimneys in Mt. Solon Virginia. They have a superb lineup this year including such headliners as: The Wood Brothers, Mandolin Orange, The Steel Wheels, Mipso, Judy Chops, and many many more. Unfortunately, at this time most of the tickets are sold out, however, Sunday day passes are still available, as well as kids, and teens 3 day passes. Visit https://www.redwingroots.com/ for more information concerning the full lineup, tickets, camping and amenities, food vendors, volunteer opportunities, outdoor activities, and much more.
For last minute band cramming, or to get a sense of the style of alternative music played at the festival, feel free to take a listen to the playlists listed below via spotify. open.spotify.com/playlist/2fUhqB1Nl7nbKsvwXZpNvy?si=_iGHJA9yS3KT6CkYIuwOlg open.spotify.com/playlist/3f513xEu76KoYiDN7YAW14?si=b4tEkg2HQdWHC607UZKtKA  The Market Report for Virginia Realtors showed an increase in home sales for the month of May compared to last year. This is the first increase in 8 consecutive months. Prior to this month, sales activity has been flat or declining compared to last year. The increase in May was largely the result of several specific areas experiencing significant growth throughout the state. The area with the most growth throughout all of Virginia compared to last year was right here in the Valley! There were 708 sales in the Valley in May, which is 104 more than last year, equating to an increase of 17%. Hampton Roads and Central Virginia were the other two regions that experienced significant growth.
The median sales price of homes increased approximately 5% throughout the state, rising to 309,900. This is an estimated increase of 15,000. As in the valley, the state’s median price has risen largely due to the low number of active listings. Low inventory levels continues to drive the price of homes upwards and the number of days on the market down. The average days of homes on the market statewide is 47 days, 3 days less than a year ago. Fewer homes were listed at the end of May than a year ago. Roughly 55,090 homes were listed statewide, about 5,800 less than last year, representing a reduction of 10 percent. Info obtained from: May 2019 Virginia Realtors Home Sales Report.  There are a plethora of misconceptions and myths concerning real estate agents in our society today. While these do hold true for some unethical agents, these myths are incorrect and not reflective of the business practices we employ here at Harrisonburg Homeowner.
Agents will do or say anything to make a sale. While there are some agents that make the sale of the home their utmost, and singular goal, that is not our intention here at Harrisonburg Homeowner. Reputation, and client satisfaction is far more important to us than ensuring the sale of the home by any means necessary. In a small town like Harrisonburg, building a reputation for honesty, transparency, and ethical practices, is far more important for organic growth of a business than one commission check and a disgruntled client. If we do not feel that an offer is in the best interest for you we will let you know, although the ultimate decision is always up to you, the client. You want to go with the agent that offers the lowest commission. To save the most money from the sale of a home, wouldn’t you want to go with the agent that charges the least? In short, no. You get what you pay for. If an agent is able to charge that little for their commission it is likely because they will do the bare minimum to sell your home. They will push the sale through by any means possible and may skirt marketing, accurate comparables, adequate home inspections, or employ other unethical tactics. With all of the costs of marketing, client interaction, showings, and more, top agents earn their commission. Go with the agent that offers the best listing price. There are certain agents that attempt to entice clients by offering a listing price far above market predictions. They do this in order to ensure that the client signs a brokerage agreement with them. Even though these agents know they likely will not be able to sell the home, they now represent the client for the timeframe set forth in the brokerage agreement. Eventually the client will become frustrated by the lack of offers and lower the listing price to what it should have been initially. And in the end, these unethical agents still get a commission even though they steered the client wrong in the beginning. It is far better to go with an agent that will be able to show you comparables, and explain how they came to their conclusion for their listing price. This will likely result in your home being on the market for a shorter period of time and you should receive more offers. FSBOs (For Sale By Owner) will save you money. A lot of people think that they are capable of selling their home without a real estate agent. For some, this may be true; however, most people simply do not have the time and the resources to adequately see a sale through. They don’t have access to a vast network of other agents, they don’t have access to the MLS, they are unsure of effective marketing practices, and they are unfamiliar with writing contracts. For most people, the purchase or sale of a house is the largest financial decision of their lives, do you really want to wing it? This could result in you being sued, or taken advantage of which may end up costing you more financially, and certainly more emotionally, than if you had hired an ethical real estate agent from the start. Agents should tell you about crime, school, and ethnic makeup of neighborhoods you are interested in. Due to federal fair housing laws, agents are not allowed to discuss certain classes with their clients. This prevents the agent from being allowed to discuss things related to these protected classes like neighborhood racial and religious makeup, crime statistics, and even information about the school district. What the agent can do is point you in the right direction so that you can research these statistics and facts individually. Resources. https://www.maxrealestateexposure.com/home-selling-myths/ https://www.thebalance.com/top-myths-about-real-estate-agents-1798897 https://www.rochesterrealestateblog.com/top-10-real-estate-myths-debunked/ May continued to show similar trends to previous years. As in 2018, the median days on the market is in the high 20s. This shows that inventory is very low so houses are going under contract quickly. The number of homes sold in May was strong, with 2017 being the only other year in recent years to have surpassed 2019. Year to date home sales is comparable to previous years showing that the market is not slowing even though the number of homes for sale is lower than any of the previous years at 277. So while there may not be as many houses on the market, homes are still being sold and they are being sold quickly. May was an excellent month for sellers.
 The truth about open houses.
There is a longstanding myth within the real estate profession that hosting open houses is one of the key steps to selling your home. This notion stems from the fact that back in the day, the importance of open houses was much more established. Before the power of the internet, open houses were one of the only means for an agent to market your home. Today, online marketing, private showings, and networking from your agent, all prove to be much more beneficial in selling a home than open houses. If you won’t take my word for it, just look at the statistics. According to the National Association of Realtors, only approximately 2% of homes are sold directly as a result of an open house. Why are open houses still so popular? If only 2% of sales are coming directly from open houses, why are they still around? It basically boils down to two reasons. The primary reason for a realtor to host an open house is because they can find prospective clients. This is a common marketing tactic that most agents have performed at some point in their career. However, as a seller, this is not ideal. Your agent is acting mainly for their own self-interest instead of yours. The second reason why most agents host open houses is to appease the client. Many clients still believe open houses are one of the best marketing tools to sell a home. Agents want their clients to be satisfied with their performance so they agree to host an open house; however, the agent’s time may have been spent better by marketing online and connecting with other realtors. Other things to consider for open houses. Many people that attend open houses are not serious about buying the home. These people may simply be curious for various reasons. A neighbor may want to see how you live, or a prospective seller may want to see how you are staging your home so that they can imitate or stage their own house in a more appealing way. Buyers that are serious about finding a home contact an agent they trust and that agent finds them listings. Most of the time the agent takes the potential buyers to view those listings through private showings, not through open houses. In general, people working directly with an agent in this manner are much more likely to have financing established and will be serious about making an offer. There are also risks to your livelihood when doing an open house. Essentially strangers are entering your home. While your agent will likely try their best to be present with every prospect, if your open house is quite popular your agent will not be able to supervise everyone. There have been instances of burglary related to open houses. Additionally, if you want to keep the fact that you are moving private (like if you have not notified your work) open houses would be one of the least private methods of advertising your home.  Whether you are a parent, babysitter, friend, or relative, if you are having small children in your home it is incredibly important to make sure you are fostering a safe environment. Childproofing a home is often overlooked or forgotten simply because we as adults do not think of all the potential hazards in a home. From laundry detergent, to sharp corners, there are dozens of potentially dangerous situations a child can get into if the right precautions are not taken. Below is a list that highlights the most common and essential ways to childproof a home. If you have further questions or concerns feel free to reach out to Mattias to discuss these.
|
Categories
All
|
RSS Feed
|
Funkhouser Real Estate Group: 401 University Boulevard, Harrisonburg, VA 22801 540-434-2400 ©2019 Funkhouser Real Estate Group. Privacy Policy All rights reserved.
Licensed in the Commonwealth of Virginia