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20 Fredericksburg Parent and Family • June 2015 Ask the Expert Q: How long have you been in real estate? i started as a full time realtor in 2009. Due to the economic crash and housing decline, this was probably the worst time to get started in real estate. if you can make it through that mess, you can get through anything. i truly feel that i have seen it all. Q: What trends are you seeing in the current market? remember, all real estate is local. regarding the Fredericksburg real estate market, we are definitely headed in a positive direction. i see price increases at a steady rate and am seeing more multiple offer situations; interest rates are rea- sonable and the unemployment rate is low compared to the national average. We are geographically positioned near many bases (Dahlgren, Quantico, Fort Belvoir, Fort a.P. Hill) and have the Vre to help with the morning haul to higher paying jobs in Northern Virginia. i think our local market is healthy. Q: What exactly does a "buyer's market" or "seller's market" mean? if there is a lot of inventory to be sold (homes for sale) and not enough people wanting to purchase, it is a "buyer's market." meaning, as a buyer, you can negotiate better terms because you don't have as much buyer competition for property. The opposite is also true. if there are few homes on the market and a lot of buyers eager to purchase, it's a "seller's market." a sk t h e e x p e rt Are you thinking of buying or sell- ing a home in the Fredericksburg Area and are unsure of what to expect? The local housing market has been pretty unpredictable the past couple of years. Betty Westerlund from RE/MAX Allegiance has agreed to answer a few of our questions about the current real estate market. Betty Westerlund is a licensed Realtor in the Commonwealth of Virginia. From the last sev- eral years, she has been a Top Producer in the Fredericksburg real estate market and she specializes in first- time home buyers, short sales, foreclosures and invest- ment properties. iNTerVieWeD By BreNDa SaPaNGHila BETTY WESTERLUND RE/MAX Allegiance couple of years. SOLD