Samantha Bard - Realtor

09/11/2026

🏡 Thinking about adding an ADU to your Northern Virginia property? Virginia law is changing.

Accessory dwelling units — sometimes called in-law suites, backyard cottages, or secondary dwelling units — can create more flexibility for multigenerational living, aging parents, adult children, or additional housing.

But what does Virginia’s ADU law actually mean for homeowners in Fairfax, Loudoun, Arlington, Alexandria and the rest of Northern Virginia? And what can your local jurisdiction still regulate?

I break down what homeowners should know, what to check before making plans, and why your property’s local zoning rules still matter.

🔗 Read the full article: www.samanthabard.com/my-blog/virginia-adu-law-northern-virginia-homeowners

Virginia's SB 531 makes ADUs legal by right in 2027, but Fairfax, Arlington & Alexandria keep their own rules today. Here's what NoVA owners should know.

09/11/2026

Friday poll: open floor plan or defined, separate rooms?

Open layouts feel bigger and more social. Defined rooms give you more privacy and more places to put a couch nobody complains about. Curious where Northern Virginia lands on this one.

09/10/2026

🏡 Think your Fairfax County property tax assessment is too high? You can challenge it — but the evidence matters.

Fairfax County homeowners have two appeal opportunities each year, and the strongest cases are built around recent comparable sales, factual property errors, and documentation not simply a higher-than-expected tax bill.

A few things to know:

🔹 Administrative appeals are due April 1
🔹 Board of Equalization appeals are due June 1
🔹 Your assessed value and your home’s current market value are not necessarily the same
🔹 Recent, truly comparable sales can make a meaningful difference when evaluating whether an appeal makes sense

Before filing, start with the numbers.

Read the full guide 👇
https://www.samanthabard.com/my-blog/appeal-property-tax-assessment-fairfax-county

📞 Call/Text Direct: 703.298.2651

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09/10/2026

Vienna's Church Street doesn't get talked about as much as some of the bigger Northern Virginia downtowns, but it has a genuine small-town main street feel that's hard to manufacture.

A short walkable stretch of historic buildings, local shops, and restaurants sits just far enough from the bigger commercial corridors to feel like its own place, even though it's minutes from Tysons and the rest of Fairfax County.

If you've never wandered it slowly, it's worth a weekday evening stop.

📞 Call/Text Direct: 703.298.2651

🕵‍♂ Check out our website: http://samanthabard.com

📩 Email: [email protected]

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09/09/2026

🏡 That 3% mortgage rate might not have to disappear when the home is sold.

With a VA loan assumption, a qualified buyer may be able to take over the seller’s existing VA mortgage — including its interest rate, remaining balance and loan term.

For Northern Virginia buyers, that can mean significant monthly savings when compared with taking out a new loan at today’s rates. But there are important details to understand, including:

🔹 You don’t have to be a veteran to assume a VA loan
🔹 The buyer still has to financially qualify
🔹 The equity gap can require substantial cash or additional financing
🔹 Assumptions can take 45–120 days
🔹 VA sellers need to understand how the transaction can affect their VA entitlement

If you’re buying — or selling a home with a low-rate VA loan — it’s worth understanding whether an assumption could change the numbers.

Read more 👇
https://www.samanthabard.com/my-blog/va-loan-assumption-northern-virginia

📞 Call/Text Direct: 703.298.2651

🕵‍♂ Check out our website: http://samanthabard.com

📩 Email: [email protected]

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sam_bard/

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09/09/2026

🏢 Buying a condo in Northern Virginia? The building matters just as much as the unit.

New 2026 financing rules mean some condo communities may no longer qualify for standard conventional financing even when the buyer is well qualified.

Before you fall in love with a condo, it’s worth checking:
🔹 Is the building warrantable?
🔹 Are the reserves adequately funded?
🔹 Are there special assessments or pending litigation?
🔹 What financing options are available if it doesn’t qualify?

A little due diligence before you write the offer can save a lot of frustration later.

Read more 👇
https://www.samanthabard.com/my-blog/non-warrantable-condo-financing-northern-virginia

📞 Call/Text Direct: 703.298.2651

🕵‍♂ Check out our website: http://samanthabard.com

📩 Email: [email protected]

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sam_bard/

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09/09/2026

Selling a home you've inherited is rarely just a real estate transaction there's usually a layer of grief, memory, and family logistics wrapped around it too.

Practically speaking, it helps to understand the probate timeline early, since that often dictates when the home can actually be listed. It also helps to separate two decisions that get tangled together: what you want to do emotionally, and what makes sense financially. Those don't always point the same direction, and that's okay.

Give yourself more time than you think you'll need, and don't feel pressured to sort through everything before getting guidance on the process itself.

If you're navigating this, I'm happy to talk through it at whatever pace makes sense for you.

Send this to a homeowner who could use the reminder.

📞 Call/Text Direct: 703.298.2651

🕵‍♂ Check out our website: http://samanthabard.com /

📩 Email: [email protected]

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sam_bard/

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09/08/2026

Behind the deal: what actually happens during the inspection or due diligence period, step by step.

The inspector goes through the home top to bottom and produces a report, often dozens of pages long. The buyer's agent and buyer review it together and decide what, if anything, to ask the seller to address. Then there's a negotiation repairs, a credit, or sometimes nothing at all if the issues are minor. All of this usually happens within a tight window, which is why response time matters so much on both sides.

It looks calm from the outside. Behind the scenes, it's usually the most detail-heavy few days of the entire transaction.

What part of this process surprised you the most?

📞 Call/Text Direct: 703.298.2651

🕵‍♂ Check out our website: http://samanthabard.com

📩 Email: [email protected]

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sam_bard/

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09/08/2026

Otis and Oscar's 𝑾𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒍𝒚 𝑴𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝑼𝒑𝒅𝒂𝒕𝒆! 🐾

Hey fur-fiends! Hope you had a pawsome weekend. Time for your weekly real estate update, brought to you by 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐥𝐲, Otis and Oscar 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐬!

Here's the scoop from around 𝐍𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐕𝐢𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐚 this week: as the sun starts setting earlier, evening showings are shifting earlier too. If you're touring homes after work, it's worth booking that appointment sooner in the evening than you might have a month ago nobody wants to see a living room by phone flashlight.

📞 Call/Text Direct: 703.298.2651

🕵‍♂ Check out our website: http://samanthabard.com

📩 Email: [email protected]

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sam_bard/

👥 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamSellsNoVA

▶️ YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/