It should not be - and if it is then those agents are not the ones you want to work with since they care about the money more than the profession. Buyers come in all shapes and sizes. I suggest you meet with them at their office and see if your personalities match.

We would be happy to help, and I am sure others will post the same as well. Make sure that you contact the agents that you are interested in working with and create a working relationship - you have to like the people you will be spending your time with and make sure that your priorities are what their focus is.

Jimmy Mulhern

Thank you for your answers. Just one more question -- will it be more difficult for me to find a real estate agent, since I plan to buy something not very expensive?

River,

Visit GreatSchools.com. It is a good resource to gather information from parents whose children go to schools in an area as well as 3rd party evaluations. At that price point you will be looking for a condo and I want to let you know that there is a lot of competition in that range. As Don pointed out, there are many homes for sale...most are short sales...so have some patience and get a Realtor who has patience, knowledge, and the time to give you in finding this property. I know that we will be listing a property in Alexandria next week that will be priced around $265,000, so more and more property's will continue to be entering the market place even if you have trouble getting your first choice. If you would like to search the local MLS on your own, you can use our search tool at http://www.HomesInVirginia.net without having to sign in. Good luck with your search, and if you need help just ask.

Jimmy Mulhern

There are some properties available for less than $250,000 but you will have to watch out for a lot of them. Many of them are short sales are the pricing is "virtual" meaning the asking price isn't necessarily what they will sell for if they will be able to sell at all. Most the answers below don't address this. If you are looking to buy in these locations you will need a good agent who knows the areas well and can help you sift through the troublesome listings. I am that agent. Let me know if you would like to meet and discus your real estate needs further. Best of luck! Jay Lindsey, RE/MAX Preferred Properties, jay@jrlgrouponline.com, 703.255.9700

Sure. There are hundreds of them. I just did a search and there are 139 active properties for sale in Falls Church, Vienna, and McLean listed for $250,000 or less. I bumped the search up to a minimum of 2 bedrooms, and there are still 49 active listings.

Here's the link: http://matrix.mris.com/Matrix/Public/Email.aspx?ID=31792206050

Just one note, though. While as a Realtor I'm not allowed to comment on quality of schools (which school is "best," for instance), it's true that Falls Church City has a reputation for good schools. So, in fact, does most of Fairfax County, in which Falls Church, Vienna, and McLean are. However, on the one hand, do your due dilligence. There is enough variation that you should check the individual school, even in Falls Church, Vienna, or McLean, to make sure it meets your needs.

And on the flip side, there are some excellent schools (whoops--I should say that there are some schools that some parents consider to be excellent) outside of those areas. I attended Woodson High School many years ago; you might wish to check Woodson out. Also, my son just graduated from Robinson Secondary School in Fairfax. I would encourage you to at least include Robinson in your initial considerations.

Including Fairfax in your search produced 62 actives. Here they are: http://matrix.mris.com/Matrix/Public/Email.aspx?ID=31792311291

Hope that helps.