Fairfax and Loudoun Real Estate

Fairfax and Loudoun Real Estate Real Estate around our neighborhood With a science background, I bring a clear, realistic, and data-driven approach to every decision.

I use this page to share real-world insights for home buyers and sellers based on what I see, learn, and experience in the market every day. I’m a Realtor with over 22 years of experience, licensed in Virginia and Maryland, and I help clients navigate everything from straightforward transactions to complex, bank-driven situations. Much of my business comes from referrals from past clients, friends, and family, built on trust, confidentiality, and honest guidance.

🏡 If you know someone thinking about buying or selling, I’d be grateful for an introduction.

📞 Call/Text: 703-626-3327
📧 [email protected]

School Is Back. If You've Been Losing Bidding Wars All Summer, Your Window Just Opened.Come back tomorrow for my complet...
08/29/2026

School Is Back. If You've Been Losing Bidding Wars All Summer, Your Window Just Opened.

Come back tomorrow for my complete analysis and strategy for the buyers in this market.!

Monika Kumar · 703-626-3327
RealtyGeeks Team — “We Care!”
www.realtygeeks.com
Pearson Smith Realty
Equal Housing

Northern Virginia isn't one housing market — and treating it like one is how most buyers and sellers get outmaneuvered.J...
08/21/2026

Northern Virginia isn't one housing market — and treating it like one is how most buyers and sellers get outmaneuvered.

Just built a side-by-side read on 8 NoVA neighborhoods on the metrics that actually shape a housing decision. Median prices in this set range from $685K to $2.0M. Days on market range from 9 to 54. HOA burden ranges from $0 to $19K over 10 years. Same "market."

Full breakdown on the blog 👉 https://novalivingwithmkumar.substack.com/p/the-nova-trade-off-map?r=880svo&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Want a custom trade-off matrix for YOUR top 3 neighborhoods? Comment "MATRIX" or DM me — I'll build it free.

— Monika Kumar
· RealtyGeeks Team
· Pearson Smith Realty

🏡 Beautiful 3BR Townhome for Rent in Sterling, VA – $2,990/Month📍 24598 Johnson Oak Terrace, Sterling, VA 20166Looking f...
07/08/2026

🏡 Beautiful 3BR Townhome for Rent in Sterling, VA – $2,990/Month
📍 24598 Johnson Oak Terrace, Sterling, VA 20166
Looking for a spacious, move-in-ready home in Loudoun County? This beautifully maintained 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath townhome is in one of Sterling's most convenient locations—just minutes from Dulles Airport, Route 28, Route 50, the Dulles Toll Road, One Loudoun, Brambleton, shopping, restaurants, parks, and top-rated Loudoun County schools.
✨ Features You'll Love�• Bright, open floor plan with abundant natural light�• Modern kitchen with plenty of cabinet and counter space�• Spacious primary suite with private bath�• Attached garage plus additional parking�• In-unit washer & dryer�• Professionally maintained and move-in ready
💲 Rent: $2,990/month�📅 Available Immediately
Perfect for people looking for a clean, comfortable home with an easy commute to Ashburn, Reston, Herndon, Tysons, and the Dulles technology corridor.

Monika Kumar�703-626-3327�Realtygeeks Team - We Care!�www.realtygeeks.com�Pearson Smith Realty

Equal Housing

Get Real Estate Insights : Stay Informed on the Market : Receive Helpful Housing Tips�Subscribe to my newsletter : https://novalivingwithmkumar.substack.com/

📩 Message us today to schedule a private showing. Homes in this location don't stay available for long!

What "Cozy" actually means in a NoVA listing: small. Subtract 200 sqft.A few more 👇🏡 "Needs TLC" → $50K minimum. Often m...
06/29/2026

What "Cozy" actually means in a NoVA listing: small. Subtract 200 sqft.
A few more 👇
🏡 "Needs TLC" → $50K minimum. Often more.�🏡 "Solid bones" → $40K–$100K cosmetic + systems.�🏡 "Easy commute to D.C." → check at 8:15 AM on a Tuesday.�🏡 "Bring all offers" → been on market longer than they planned.�🏡 "Back on market" → contract fell through. ALWAYS ask why.
And the ones to actually trust: "Move-in ready," "Spacious," "Quiet street," "Cul-de-sac." When agents reach for those words, they usually mean them.
Listing copy isn't lying. It's optimized. Learn the vocabulary and you can pre-screen 80% of NoVA listings from your couch.
Looking at a listing in Fairfax, Loudoun, or Prince William? DM me the link. I'll send back what the copy is really telling you, the recent comps, and an honest take on whether it's worth a showing. No commitment.
(25+ phrases decoded in the full post on Substack — https://open.substack.com/pub/novalivingwithmkumar/p/how-to-read-a-nova-listing-like-an?r=880svo&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true)

—�Monika Kumar�703-626-3327�Realtygeeks Team - We Care!�www.realtygeeks.com�Pearson Smith Realty
Equal Housing

Get Real Estate Insights : Stay Informed on the Market : Receive Helpful Housing Tips�Subscribe to my newsletter : https://novalivingwithmkumar.substack.com/

You're not staging a house. You're staging a decision.Most NoVA sellers spend money on the wrong things:❌ Big kitchen re...
06/19/2026

You're not staging a house. You're staging a decision.

Most NoVA sellers spend money on the wrong things:

❌ Big kitchen reno before listing�❌ Replacing appliances that work fine�❌ Full-house furniture rental�❌ Trendy paint + gallery walls
What actually moves a NoVA home:
✅ Fresh paint, defensible neutral ($4–8K, returns 5–10x)�✅ Declutter to ~70% of normal (zero cost)�✅ Light — bulbs, lamps, every curtain open ($300 spend changes photos more than $3K of furniture)�✅ Kitchen + bath polish (NOT reno)�✅ Fresh mulch + front door ($450 total)

Every move does one thing: removes an obstacle between the buyer and the moment they say "I can see myself living here."
Listing this summer? DM me the address. I'll send back 3–5 specific prep moves for YOUR home, an honest comp-based estimate, and what you'd realistically net. No pitch.

Full breakdown on Substack · https://open.substack.com/pub/novalivingwithmkumar/p/stage-the-decision-not-the-house?r=880svo&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

—�Monika Kumar�703-626-3327�Realtygeeks Team - We Care!�www.realtygeeks.com�Pearson Smith Realty
Get Real Estate Insights : Stay Informed on the Market : Receive Helpful Housing Tips�Subscribe to my newsletter : https://novalivingwithmkumar.substack.com/

NoVA schools end June 12, 15, and 17. The 8 weeks after that are the most decisive seller's window of the entire year — ...
06/05/2026

NoVA schools end June 12, 15, and 17. The 8 weeks after that are the most decisive seller's window of the entire year — and the April 2026 data just confirmed it.
Fairfax County is averaging 101% sale-to-list — sellers got more than they asked. Loudoun's active inventory is actually down 8.5% year over year. Prince William's median moved up 1.8% in a single month. Across all three counties: 17-to-19 day median DOM, 1.6 months of supply.
Yes — mortgage rates are 6.53%. Yes — DC lost 60,000 federal jobs over 12 months. And yet, per the Richmond Fed itself, DC MSA home prices are still up 12% since 2024.
If you've been waiting on the sidelines, the data is saying the opposite of what the headlines are. Full breakdown, every figure sourced, in this week's NoVA Living with MKumar.

👉 https://open.substack.com/pub/novalivingwithmkumar/p/schools-end-in-northern-virginia?r=880svo&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Monika Kumar · 703-626-3327 RealtyGeeks Team — "We Care!"
www.realtygeeks.com
Pearson Smith Realty
Get Real Estate Insights · Stay Informed on the Market · Receive Helpful Housing Tips

Subscribe to my newsletter: https://novalivingwithmkumar.substack.com/

A 1031 exchange can save a long-held NoVA rental owner six figures in tax. The catch? It's all-or-nothing. Miss one rule...
05/27/2026

A 1031 exchange can save a long-held NoVA rental owner six figures in tax. The catch? It's all-or-nothing. Miss one rule — by a single day, by a single dollar — and the entire deferral collapses into a fully taxable sale. The investors who lose the tax break almost never lose it on purpose. They lose it on a technicality.Just published Part 2 of my 1031 series: the five rules that quietly blow up exchanges, and the timing pattern hiding inside all of them. If you own an appreciated rental in Fairfax, Loudoun, or Prince William, this is the one to read before you call a listing agent.

👉 https://open.substack.com/pub/novalivingwithmkumar/p/the-1031-exchange-rules-that-quietly?r=880svo&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

You can sell a NoVA rental and pay the IRS $0 in capital gains tax. Legally. It's called a 1031 exchange — and most inve...
05/20/2026

You can sell a NoVA rental and pay the IRS $0 in capital gains tax. Legally. It's called a 1031 exchange — and most investors who own appreciated rentals have no idea how it works.
A quick note: I'm a real estate agent, not a tax advisor. A 1031 has to be done with a Qualified Intermediary and a CPA. But here's the part I can explain — and why it matters before you ever list.
On a single mid-sized NoVA rental — bought in 2010, sold today — the capital gains tax (including the depreciation recapture most owners forget) can run ~$107,000. With a 1031 exchange, that's $0 due now. The whole amount stays invested in your next property.
The catch — and the thing that trips up almost everyone: you can't touch the money. Not even for a day. The proceeds go to a Qualified Intermediary who holds them and buys your replacement property. If the cash hits your account even briefly, the exchange is blown and the full tax is due.
Inside the swipes: how the 3-step mechanism works, the real tax math, and "swap till you drop" — the long-game strategy where the deferred tax can be erased entirely at death through stepped-up basis.
Own a NoVA investment property and thinking about selling? Send me the address. I'll send back your property's value, a rough estimate of the tax at stake, and an intro to a Qualified Intermediary — so you can find out if a 1031 fits before you list. No obligation.
This is Part 1 of 3. Part 2: the rules that trip people up.
—
Monika Kumar · 703-626-3327
RealtyGeeks Team — "We Care!"
www.realtygeeks.com · Pearson Smith Realty

Get Real Estate Insights · Stay Informed on the Market · Receive Helpful Housing Tips
Subscribe to my newsletter: https://novalivingwithmkumar.substack.com/

Last month I helped a buyer beat a higher cash offer on a Virginia home. The appraisal then came in $22K over our contra...
05/16/2026

Last month I helped a buyer beat a higher cash offer on a Virginia home. The appraisal then came in $22K over our contract price.
That deal taught me something every NoVA homeowner about to list this year should know: the highest offer doesn't always win — and the seller who picks well usually nets more than the seller who picks high.
Wrote up the four things to read in every offer this year, including how the deal actually played out:

https://open.substack.com/pub/novalivingwithmkumar/p/the-highest-offer-doesnt-always-win?r=880svo&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

Monika Kumar · 703-626-3327 RealtyGeeks Team — "We Care!"
www.realtygeeks.com
Pearson Smith Realty

Get Real Estate Insights · Stay Informed on the Market · Receive Helpful Housing Tips
Subscribe to my newsletter: https://novalivingwithmkumar.substack.com/

Listed at $545K. Won the bidding war at $555K. Closed at $543K net.Here's what most NoVA buyers don't realize: when you ...
05/15/2026

Listed at $545K. Won the bidding war at $555K. Closed at $543K net.
Here's what most NoVA buyers don't realize: when you want to buy outside your home market, the most important decision isn't the offer price. It's whether your agent finds you the right partner agent on the other end — or just hands you off to a stranger and walks away.
We did the first thing.
Our NoVA client wanted a Richmond-area home. So we partnered with Brooke Sumners in our Pearson Smith Realty Richmond Area office — same brokerage standards, same systems, same client-care philosophy — and ran the deal as one coordinated team across two markets.
Then together we wrote a balanced offer (price + escalation, no appraisal contingency, 30% down, 21-day close), won the home over a higher competing bid, and negotiated $12K back at the inspection.
Effective price: $543K — below the original list.
The math: List $545K → Won $555K → −$12K at inspection → Net $543K.
Inside the swipes: the partnership setup, the four offer levers, the inspection negotiation, and the final math.
The lesson: the partner choice precedes the price. Whether you're buying anywhere in Virginia or selling in NoVA before moving elsewhere, stay with us. We'll find the right local partner inside our brokerage and run the strategy end-to-end.
DM me or send a quick note about what you're looking for, where, and your timeline. We'll handle the rest.
—
Monika Kumar · 703-626-3327
RealtyGeeks Team — "We Care!"
www.realtygeeks.com · Pearson Smith Realty
Get Real Estate Insights · Stay Informed on the Market · Receive Helpful Housing Tips
Subscribe to my newsletter: https://novalivingwithmkumar.substack.com/

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