The Goodhart Report

Art & Fashion in Old Town, Alexandria

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 20:00:00 +0000

Click on the following link to see a video from washingtonpost.com on how art & fashion mix in Old Town, Alexandria!

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/artsandliving/scene-in/index.html

Dinner & Wine for $35

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:48:00 +0000

701 Restaurant has a great dinner special starting at 5:30 pm until closing, Monday through Friday and 5 pm until closing Saturday and Sunday, guests can choose any 2 courses off the Lounge tasting menu along with 2 wine pairings from the featured list for just $35 per person (tax and gratuity not included). Guests can select any appetizer and entrée or entrée and dessert from the tasting menu. Items include the seared scallops with cauliflower puree, pine nuts and a balsamic reduction and fried chicken with creamy grits, collard greens, scallions and gravy.

701 Restaurant
701 Pennsylvania Ave
Washington, DC 20004
www.701restaurant.com

Cheers to Simple Changes

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 16:04:00 +0000

Simple Changes, run by one of our clients, is a Therapeutic Riding Center focused on changing lives one step at a time. We are pleased to announce that they have been named as July's beneficiary of Prince Michel's "First Dollar Program." For every $5 wine tasting enjoyed at the Prince Michel Tasting Room (1309 King Street in Old Town Alexandria), $1 will be donated to Simple Changes.

For lovers of our horses and riders or just lovers of wine, this is a wonderful way to sample Prince Michel's award-winning wines!

The tasting room is open Sunday through Wednesday from noon until 6pm and Thursday through Saturday, noon until 8pm. This benefit will take place during the entire month of July. Bring your friends, have a glass of wine and help Simple Changes!

On Thursday, July 29, Simple Changes will be double honored at the tasting room. From 5pm to 8pm, $2.50 from every $5 wine tasting will be donated to Simple Changes.

So visit often during the month of July and tell your friends and family. Enjoy the wonderful wine and know that you are helping our fantastic riders!

For more information on Simple Changes, please visit their website.

DC Restaurant Week... For Kids!

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 14:12:00 +0000

Join in the family foodie fun of DC’s newest summer culinary tradition, Washington, DC Restaurant Week for Kids. From June 20-27, dozens of restaurants throughout DC will cater to families by serving special children’s menus during lunch and early dinner seatings (between 5 PM-6:30 PM). Kids 11 and under pay their age, with purchase of adult entrée.

Designed to promote healthy eating, culinary awareness and family connections, Restaurant Week for Kids is produced by Destination DC, the official convention and tourism corporation for Washington, DC. Reserve your tables now by visiting the DC Restaurant Week Website.

Too far to Wolf Trap?

noreply@blogger.com (Margo) — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:18:00 +0000

Actually the Wolf Trap Express Bus offers roundtrip service from the West Falls Church Metro and the fare is only $3.10. The service begins 2 hours before show time and runs every 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Table to Table: The Week in Food Events

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 18:11:00 +0000

Sip free wine, celebrate ten years with chef Geoff Tracy, and put on your best attire for the Oscars of Washington restaurants. Read below from an article by Kyle Jameson, Washingtonian Magazine, Tuesday, June 1, 2010.

Tuesday, June 1

It’s been said many times that the best things in life are free. That includes free wine. Every Tuesday at the cozy upper-Georgetown French spot Bistrot Lepic, the sommelier offers guests complimentary sips of two French wines—one red, one white. The tasting runs from 6 to 8. For more information, call 202-333-0111.

Wednesday, June 2

It was a decade ago that chef Geoff Tracy opened his debut restaurant near American University. In celebration of its tenth year, Tracy is hosting a special anniversary dinner (the menu hasn’t been announced). The dinner begins at 6:30, and $50 of each $60 ticket goes to Children’s National Medical Center. For tickets and more information, call 202-237-7800 or click here.

Thursday, June 3

Robert Wiedmaier’s K Street beer haven, Brasserie Beck, is hosting a four-course dinner with Patrick Rue, founder of the Bruery. Rue is pairing some of his California-brewed beers—known for being unfiltered and unpasteurized and for having unconventional ingredients—with such dishes as pan-seared halibut with mushroom polenta; squab breast with garlic-potato purée; bison strip loin with horseradish cream; and a cheese plate. The dinner, $85 per person, begins at 7. For reservations and more, call 202-408-1717.

Friday, June 4

If you’ve missed out on tickets for Savor, the annual craft-beer festival Saturday, you can still head to ChurchKey to sip brews from Sierra Nevada with the brewery’s founder, Ken Grossman. He’ll pour barrel-aged beers and cask ales rarely seen outside Sierra Nevada’s hometown of Chico, California, and you might even score some free glassware. The happy hour begins at 4. For information and reservations, call 202-567-2576.

Saturday, June 5

There aren’t many good excuses to wear a Hawaiian shirt. But break one out for EatBar’s Beach Blanket Bash, where you can jam to surf music, knock around some beach balls, and taste your way through 25 wines. Chef Barry Koslow is cooking up such snacks as calamari ceviche with mango and chilies; caramelized-onion-and-olive focaccia; and crab fritters with rémoulade. The party, $25 per person, runs from 1 to 4. For information and reservations, call 703-778-9951.

Sunday, June 6

For local chefs, restaurateurs, and food lovers, one of the biggest nights of the year is the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington’s annual Rammy Awards. Tonight’s festivities at the Marriott Wardman Park kick off at 6 with a cocktail reception. The award ceremony is at 7, and dinner and dancing follow in the ballroom. For information and tickets, click here or call 202-331-5990.

Drink Up.

noreply@blogger.com (Margo) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 15:00:00 +0000

Do you know about the Frederick Wine Trail? Rolling hills, scenic views and vineyards! Cabernet Franc and Viogniers. Frederickwinetrail.com. And the Frederick Festival of the Arts is June 5th and 6th. Free admission and 120 artists And then there’s the York Wine Trail in Pennsylvania www.uncorkyork.com/PA.

Rehoboth Restaurant Week

noreply@blogger.com (Margo) — Mon, 31 May 2010 13:00:00 +0000

Happy Memorial Day! Head back to Rehoboth Beach June 6th through 12th for restaurant week. 20 restaurants, $20 and $30 menus.

Go Nats!

noreply@blogger.com (Margo) — Sun, 30 May 2010 14:15:00 +0000

Every Sunday home game kids ages 4 through 12 are invited to do a fun run of the bases.

Bargains!

noreply@blogger.com (Margo) — Sat, 29 May 2010 19:30:00 +0000

Groupon, a free iPhone app service.. Or mommysavers.com. When shipping, aim your iPhone camera at what you want to buy and you’ll see the competing prices at other retailers (redlaser, $1.99), and Yowza (free) which tells you comparison prices for stores within 15 miles. Clerks can just scan the results – no need to print. Coupons.com, couponmom.com, thegrocerygame.com and commonkindness.com., flamingoworldm hotcouponworld.com, techbargains.com and about.com.

Headed for the beach?

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Fri, 28 May 2010 15:11:00 +0000

Here's a new bus service. $39 one way, $70 round trip to Dewey and Rehoboth with pickups at Union Station and Dupont Circle. Reserve at 202 332 2691 or www.dc2ny.com

Taste of the Town!

noreply@blogger.com (Margo) — Thu, 27 May 2010 21:04:00 +0000

Sample food from Old Town, Alexandria restaurants at Montgomery Park Thursday, May 27th. Please visit www.oldtownnorth.org to find out more...and don't forget to let us know how it goes! Enjoy your holiday weekends.

DC Walking & Biking Tours

noreply@blogger.com (Margo) — Thu, 20 May 2010 20:59:00 +0000

This Saturday and Sunday beginning at 8:30 a.m.through late afternoon, 90 walking tours of various DC neighborhoods and 11 bike tours will take place. All the tours are free, but you must reserve a place for some of them: WalkingToursDC/com. Great chance to learn about neighborhoods you have never explored before.

Not so standard movie-date

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 21:08:00 +0000

I just came across this great article in the washingtonpost.com's going out guide. It details several movie screening locations each just as unique as the next--from museums to embassies to coffee houses, theaters and even the Library of Congress. Whether you are going with a date, a group of friends, or by yourself, you will be sure to have a good time watching a good movie in some of our city's most interesting sites.

Trendy & Unique Movie Screening Locations

Let me know how it goes!

Alexandria Restaurant Week

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 17:28:00 +0000

This week is Alexandria Restaurant Week! Please click here for more information. Please let us know how you enjoy the wonderful restaurants Alexandria has to offer. We love to hear your feedback!

Happy New Year!

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 16:36:00 +0000

The Goodhart Group would like to wish everyone a very happy and healthy 2010! Happy New Year!!!

Market Snapshots

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:26:00 +0000

The Goodhart Group is hard at work preparing to close out another successful year with $45 million sold! Please let us know if you would like a free market snapshot of the sales in your neighborhood. Just send us an e-mail at goodhartgroup@mcenearney.com and we will e-mail you a report customized for your home. Happy Holidays!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:25:00 +0000

We would love to wish all of you and your families a very happy holiday season and a happy new year too. Enjoy the snow!

Zoolights!

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:48:00 +0000

From December 18-January 2(except December 24, 25, & 31) the Washington, DC Zoo has an event called ZooLights, the National Zoo’s annual winter celebration. You will have a chance to meander through the Zoo when it is covered with thousands of sparkling environmentally-friendly lights and animated exhibits, attend special keeper talks, and enjoy live entertainment.

But that's not all. Every evening, Pepco representatives educate visitors about simple practices they can adopt in their households to save energy. The larger-than-life ZooLight displays are all constructed of LED lights that use about 90 percent less energy than traditional incandescent light bulbs.

And last but not least, visitors have the chance to see lots of animals. The Fujifilm Giant Panda Habitat, Small Mammal House, Great Ape House, Reptile Discovery Center, Think Tank, and Kids' Farm will be open every night.

The cost is $5 for members and $8 for non-members.

Tomorrow, on December 18, there is a special themed "date night" where you can meander the zoo with your date and receive a bag of kettle corn, a plush animal, a special "date night" glowing key-chain, chocolate candies, hot chocolate, several cookies and a special surprise photo.

The cost for members is $30 and $40 for nonmembers.

DC's Panda to go to China!

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:27:00 +0000

The panda bear once called Washington's most important citizen by its mayor will soon be departing the capital for a homeland he's never seen. Tai Shan, born at the National Zoo in 2005, has always been Chinese property, and zoo officials are expected to announce his imminent return to China at a press conference today, the Washington Post reports.

Click here to learn more!

Facebook

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 18:25:00 +0000

We now have a "fan-page" on facebook for The Goodhart Group! We would be honored for you to become one of our fans!

Happy Thanksgiving!

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:15:00 +0000

From our homes to yours, we would like to wish everyone a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving!

Homebuyers Tax Credit Expanded & Extended!

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:49:00 +0000

Cindy Small, CMPS, of Union Mortgage just sent us this update on the tax bill. Thank you Cindy! Please feel free to contact us sue@suegoodhart.com or contact Cindy csmall@union-mtg.com with any questions!

President Obama has just announced that he has signed the tax bill into law. Below is a little more information about the program and it is supposed to take effect on December 1, 2009. I will keep you posted as to more specifics but here is a quick overview of the changes…

Although the tax credit remains at $8,000 for home buyers that have not owned a primary residence in the last three years, it has been expanded to include a $6,500 tax credit for home buyers that have lived in their current primary residence for at least five consecutive years out of the past eight years. Under the old rules, move-up home buyers did not qualify.

Consider these three examples:

Example 1:
Jane purchased a home in 2002, lived there for 5 years as her primary home, moved out in 2007, and turned that home into a rental property. If Jane decides to buy a new primary residence today, she would qualify for the $6,500 tax credit based on the fact that she lived in the same residence as her primary home for at least five consecutive years out of the past eight.

Example 2:
Harry purchased a home in 2004, and lived there for the past 5 years as his primary home. If Harry decides to buy a new primary residence today, he would qualify for the $6,500 tax credit based on the fact that he lived in the same residence as his primary home for at least five consecutive years out of the past eight.

Example 3:
Nicole purchased a home in 2006, and lived there for the past 3 years as her primary home. If Nicole decides to buy a new primary residence today, she would not qualify for the $6,500 tax credit based on the fact that she did not live in the same residence as her primary home for at least five consecutive years out of the past eight.

The tax credit applies to homes purchased for less than $800,000 before May 1, 2010. If you sign a binding contract to purchase a home before May 1st, you would need to close on the transaction before July 1, 2010. It works kind of like a gift certificate that can be redeemed for cash. You simply file a form with the IRS right after you buy your home, and the IRS will send you a check for the full amount of your credit.

The income limitation for single tax payers went up from $75,000 under the old rules to $125,000 under the new rules. For married tax payers, the income limitation went up from $150,000 to $225,000. This means that more people will qualify for the credit – especially in parts of the country with higher costs of living such as ours.

Here is an addition regarding the change for our military folks…

There has also been an additional extension for members of our Armed Services that will be deployed or working on official business outside the U.S for at least 90 days during the period from Jan. 1, 2009 through May 1st, 2010. These purchasers will have until May 1, 2011 to ratify a contract and they must settle before July 1st, 2011. They are given an additional year to take advantage of this tax credit. Once again we want to thank them all for their service to our country!

There are many creative ways of structuring your home purchase transaction in ways that maximize the benefits of the credit. Here are a few examples:
• The credit applies to 1-4 unit homes as long as you live in one of the units as your primary residence – you could live in one unit and rent out the others
• If two unmarried individuals buy a home, and only one of the individuals qualifies for the credit based on their income or past home ownership status, the individual who qualifies for the credit can claim the full credit. (Note: In the case of married couples, both spouses must qualify for the credit.)
• The credit applies even if you have co-signers on your mortgage loan

Help put a roof over someone's head!

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:28:00 +0000

A message from our friends at Dry Home Roofing & Siding Company:

WE NEED YOUR HELP

It is that time of year again when we ask our friends, customers and peers for nominations for our annual “FREE ROOF FOR THE HOLIDAYS”. We created this program to give back to the community and will offer a free roof to a needy non-profit organization or individual.

In addition to this news letter, we send out thousands of postcards to past customers and other businesses, asking if they are aware of a needy individual or organization.

In the past: Our first roof, in 2003, went to the Falls Church Cub Scout house located in the City of Falls Church. In 2004 we installed a new roof for The Good Shepherd Alliance. They own and run a transitional home and shelter for women and children at Hebron, which can be found right outside the town of Lucketts. In 2005 the free roof was awarded to Gabriel Homes of Reston. They are a private non-profit organization that provides care to adults with developmental disabilities and assists them with everyday life activities. In 2006, Mrs. Caylor of Leesburg received the free roof for the year, for being a great patron in the community and donating her time to care for local children at the Community Church nursery. Mr. Bernie Cline, an 86 year old resident of Alexandria was 2007’s roof recipient. Bernie was referred by Roger Healy, the Project Coordinator of RPJ Housing. RPJ Housing is an affiliate for Rebuilding Together; formerly know as Christmas in April. Last year Reston Interfaith received our 6th free roof. They are a nonprofit organization with 38 years of experience serving Reston, Herndon and northwestern Fairfax County. They promote self-sufficiency through support and advocacy for those in need of food, shelter, affordable housing, quality childcare, and other services.

We love our community and appreciate the opportunity to give back. Nominations will be accepted beginning November 1st. Please fax, call or email us at DryHome Roofing to nominate that special person or organization. Each entry will be carefully evaluated and the most deserving will be awarded with a free roof during December. Again, this is where we need your help. Thank you in advance for your time.

Email: info@dryhome.com fax: 703-891-4663 phone: 703-230-7663

Great News on Tax Credit

noreply@blogger.com (Allison) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 15:46:00 +0000

Thank you to one of our clients for passing along this article on the tax credit extension from www.thehill.com

Sens announce deal to extend and expand homebuyer tax credit
By Walter Alarkon - 10/29/09 06:44 PM ET

A bipartisan group of senators announced a deal Thursday to extend the first-time homebuyer's tax credit set to expire within weeks.
Under the agreement struck by Sens. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) and Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), the credit will last until the end of April and can be applied to homes worth up to $800,000. Dodd and Isakson said that as many as 70 percent of Americans will be eligible for it.

The home credit's backers, which include Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), have said that it can help the economy recover and has already led to the jump in home sales seen around the country in recent months.

Isakson called the provision a "once-in-a-lifetime" credit that can "bring the housing market back to some sense of vitality and values."

Though the previous provision could only be used by individuals making up to $75,000 and couples making up to $150,000, the extended credit can be used by individuals with incomes of up to $125,000 and couples of up to $225,000.

The deal also provides a new $6,500 credit to homebuyers looking to move out of their current homes into more expensive ones.

The first-time homebuyer's credit was initially passed as part of the stimulus in February and was set to expire at the end of next month.

Isakson and Dodd said Democratic leaders plan to attach the proposed extension to legislation that also prolongs expiring unemployment benefits by at least 14 weeks and a tax provision known as the net operating loss carryback, which allows small businesses to write-off losses incurred during the recession.

The unemployment benefits and the carryback tax provision were both parts of the $787 billion stimulus. The package of stimulus extenders is likely to hit the Senate floor next week. The House has passed a 13-week extension of the unemployment insurance but it has yet to approve home credit and carryback extensions.

The homebuyer credit extension will cost $10.2 billion. Senate Finance Chairman Max Baucus (D-Mont.) said that the cost will be offset by delaying a tax break for U.S.-based international corporations that was scheduled to start in 2010. Instead, the new tax provision will begin in 2017, Baucus said.

The Obama administration, which had withheld support for the credit as lawmakers were negotiating a deal, expressed support for it Thursday.

"This credit has brought new families into the housing market and contributed to three consecutive months of rising home prices nationwide," said Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan in a statement. They also urged lawmakers to include provisions to prevent tax fraud.

The Senate deal does provide the Internal Revenue Service with the ability to review a home purchase as it's being processed instead of waiting until its completion.

Though lawmakers have touted it as a successful stimulus provision, economists have said that the credit isn't doing that much to boost the economy. Most of the people -- approximately 80 percent -- who have used it would have bought a home without it, said Dean Baker, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research.

"This means that we just gave these people $8,000 for nothing," Baker said.