By Kelly A. Shue
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Just ten miles from the heart of Washington, D.C. in Annandale, Va., Anthony and Alice Vaitekunas lived in their house for almost 42 years before deciding to move to Greenspring this past March.

“When we put our house on the market because of everything we’d heard, we thought we’d be trying to sell it for a long time,” says Anthony Vaitekunas. “We listed our house on Monday and by Thursday we were ratifying a contract. It was a very good surprise.”

Find a good real estate agent
Choosing a real estate agent who was knowledgeable of their community and neighborhood helped the Vaitekunas sell their house quickly. “We picked a great agent who gave us solid advice and some clever ideas, taking every detail of the sale into account,” says Anthony Vaitekunas. “We were able to sell our house for very close to our asking price.

“In fact, our buyer wanted to occupy the property as soon as possible. So we hired movers to pack up everything we owned. Now we are here at Greenspring and love it.”

For those living in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area, the Vaitekunas story, while inspiring, is not unique. According to MarketWatch, authored by David Howell of McEnearney Associates, Inc., “Sellers who understand that they have to price their homes in accordance with the market conditions in their own community— on a very localized basis—will still get their homes sold. A well-informed Realtor is best equipped to understand just how rapidly evolving this market is and will help buyers and sellers alike make good decisions.”

Looking forward
The real estate market may not be thriving in the same way it was two years ago. However, sellers in the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan region are well positioned to sell their houses to qualified buyers at a fair market price.