Virginia Real Estate Journal - Prince William, Loudoun, Fairfax, Real Estate for Sale/Rent

Recent Prince William County and Northern Virginia Real Estate Special Listings!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 12:49:00 +0000

Following are some of my very special listings available right now for tour and/or sale.

Retire to North Carolina's High Country - North Carolina Mountain Land Available Now

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 00:39:00 +0000

Time to get away from the DC area altogether? Florida too hot, New York too cold?

North Carolina Mountain Land, Mountain Property & Mountain Lots are now for sale via the Laurels, "North Carolina High Country's Best Kept Secret". The Laurels offers uniquely accessible, affordable beautiful natural vistas and real estate for North Carolina retirement, retreats, vacation living, and magnificent, mountain-top custom homes.

Nowhere is the healthy living, the natural open space or the breathtaking vistas more prevalent than in the very temperate, mid-Atlantic region of the Eastern US - North Carolina's High Country. Situated among the majesty of the Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina, wildlife preserves and state parks mesh with private communities and rustic towns to produce the absolute perfect mix of outdoors recreation, natural scenery and fantastic seasonal events and activities. It's the most highly sought-after area for year-round outdoor sports and recreation, and a hotspot for private, custom dream homes of retirees, families or simply outdoor enthusiasts.

The Laurels is one of the most unique and readily available 132 acres of mountaintop estate lots available now for purchase and homebuilding. A private gated reserve of 15 equestrian and North Carolina mountain estate lots from five to ten acres, with elevations up to and exceeding 4000 feet, it includes panoramic 50 mile vistas, prolific wildlife, cascading mountain brooks and springs, and dense glens of mountain laurel and rhododendron. It's an exclusive and relaxing area surrounded by a wealth of regional activities, events, parks, resorts, spas, skiing and world class dining - The Laurels is impossibly unique yet amazingly accessible.

Painstakingly developed to offer North Carolina mountain property owners the exclusivity of a gated private park with underground utilities, estate sized lots, broad, safe asphalt roadways, state of the art erosion control planning, pre-approved four bedroom septic approvals, and thoughtful protective covenants, The Laurels sets the foundations of a close-knit and respectable community while protecting the spirit of seclusion, privacy and natural environmental protection. Read more at Washington DC Business News for more information....

Prince William, Loudoun and Northern Virginia Foreclosure Real Estate Update

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:51:00 +0000

While a majority of this year's business so far has been carried by foreclosure activity, particularly in Prince William County areas of Northern Virginia, there has been a shift developing in the availability and attractiveness (in price) of the homes available on the market.

Some may see the slowdown and "stabilization" of the Northern Virginia foreclosure market as a positive trend in the housing market - while this is true to some degree, it's mostly an inventory release slowdown driven by banks who do see opportunities to improve their returns. Major holders of foreclosed assets including Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have significantly slowed their release of foreclosures onto the Northern Virginia market, thereby driving demand up a bit among first-time buyers and investors, and therefore prices.

We don't anticipate a significant surge in prices for foreclosures; there are thousands more to be released, along with many homeowners wishing to sell still waiting on the sidelines. This means while the inventory is being somewhat artificially constrained, it nonetheless remains a large inventory and therefore still a supply-driven (with depressed pricing) market.

What does this mean to you? Don't rush to buy - choose your home or investment wisely, for long-term gains (which will eventually come); it's still a buyer's market out there, and there are many great deals to come!

For more information about the Northern Virginia, Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun or Prince William foreclosure market, contact me at http://www.ingridmyers.com.

Fall business and homeowner's tip - clean and install new home security alarm screens on your windows - let the fresh air in, but keep out unwanted quests!

Interested in moving your home or business to Loudoun County, VA? Read all about Loudoun County's business climate, community news and other information "Made in Loudoun", from Loudoun's #1 resident-owned blog, "Gateway to Loudoun"!

Looking for Waterfront Property in Southern Maryland, near PAX River NAS?

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 15:33:00 +0000

If you're in the market for waterfront property in Southern Maryland, check out this prominent Southern Maryland (PAX River area) blog for information about the local area, culture, events and businesses. Give me a call or email to arrange a consultation and/or referral regarding areas of Southern Maryland.

If you're seeking short-term rental for the PAX River Naval Air Station area, waiting for on-base housing or otherwise - here's a sample listing.

Online Web Real Estate Appraisals - Just Like Offline!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Sun, 19 Apr 2009 00:01:00 +0000

I now recommend, as a service through our business partners at KME Internet Marketing in Northern Virginia, online web real estate appraisals. This does NOT mean appraisals of your physical real estate, your "brick and mortar" business, your home or land...this means appraisal of your actual website, blog or other digital assets for buying or selling.

Sounds a bit strange, and probably not what you're typically looking for in a Realtor - but a website, especially one that helps create income, needs to be appraised, updated, maintained, staged and basically treated just like "offline" physical real estate - especially if you're getting ready to buy or sell. AND if the website is actually associated with your home or business, in fact a "virtual" extension of it.

Therefore, though you may be thinking and planning a real estate transaction in the "real world", for example buying a new home - think a bit also about your online digital assets, and whether there are also steps that need to be taken to get ready to sell, or consider a new "property". I'll suspect that if you're reading this blog, you live and work not only in your neighborhood and at your business, but online as well.

Read more about appraising websites, buying and selling online real estate...

Spring revitalization, remodeling, renovation - you and your home or business!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 15:43:00 +0000

Spring is Here!

"If I had my life to live over, I would start barefoot earlier in the spring and stay that way later in the fall. I would go to more dances. I would ride more merry-go-rounds. I would pick more daisies." By Nadine Stair

During this time of new growth and fresh starts, it's a fantastic time to organize and reinvigorate yourself. Spring home cleaning, yard and garden preparation, important document organization and tax filing, winter clothes and decoration changeovers, home repair and remodeling, window replacement and energy-efficient upgrades, personal business coaching- these are all opportunities to nurture your life into a year of fresh opportunity and success!

Both spring and fall are commonly chosen times for devoting extra attention to cleansing and renewal, though any time of year is a good time to reorganize. Spring, however, is a particularly motivating and exciting time of year to fulfill your sense of accomplishment and engage new-found initiatives.

Here's a quick list over at the Northern Virginia and Washington DC Business Blog of recommended home repair, remodeling, renovation and handyman service providers in our extended region, from Northern Virginia (Fairfax, Alexandria, Arlington, Loudoun counties) to the Piedmont areas of western Loudoun, Prince William and counties south and west. The list also includes a few other nuggets of spring revitalization resources - for you or your homeowners/home sellers!

South Florida commercial real estate tax advice - does it translate to Northern Virginia?

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 14:20:00 +0000

It turns out that the real estate investment climate "bottom" might not be so far off, especially for tax-savvy investors in commercial real estate markets...for example, now's a great time for commercial real estate investors in South Florida to leverage Florida commercial real estate tax advisors for maximizing commercial real estate tax refunds, asset recovery returns or otherwise get more value from existing commercial real estate, or brand new, "trophy" properties. While obviously it's been a very tough South Florida market - there's some ripeness in opportunity, especially through tax assessment reduction and challenge actions. For example, SVN Palm Beach (http://www.svnpalmbeach.com) is a very respected leader in this tax advisory area, especially in South Florida.

Here's some direct advice on approaching the South Florida commercial real estate market in 2009, compliments of the Sperry Van Ness Palm Beach Brokerage (Edward Kearney, CCIM, Managing Director):

He says:

"1. "Off-market" transactions: I routinely help my buy-side clients seek out assets that are not listed by retail brokerage firms. Going the extra mile in approaching principal owners on a direct basis negotiating with them on assets that are not publicly for sale pay big dividends for clients.

2. Change Market Focus: Both buyers and sellers alike are benefiting from focusing on secondary and tertiary markets where there will be less competition for assets. Many of the South Florida sub-markets have particular appeal during economic downturns.

3. Change Asset Class Focus: Be open to asset class rotation to take advantage of market opportunities as they arise. Diversification has never been more important than it is in today’s market. Look across multifamily, retail, office, industrial, hospitality, self-storage, net-leased, and raw-land asset classes.

4. Think Trophy Assets: Only a few years ago, many trophy assets were simply not affordable. Take advantage of higher vacancies, lease roll-over risks, and financing issues to acquire a trophy property at less than premium pricing.

5. Look for Joint Venture or Recapitalization Opportunities: Many of the best opportunities in today's market are not found in out-right acquisitions. Explore joint ventures that will allow you to co-invest with existing owners of assets in a fashion that will allow them to free up trapped equity or fund new developments.

6. Renegotiate with your Lenders: If your debt is non-CMBS debt, but is portfolio debt still on the balance sheet of your lender, don’t hesitate to inquire about buying the debt out at a steep discount. It is sometimes possible in today’s market to buy-out the debt for only a fraction of the outstanding loan balance. This not only improves your balance sheet and your cash flow, but it frees you up to acquire other assets.

7. Change Your Acquisition Process: Traditional acquisition time frames that were competitive 12 months ago will leave you on the outside looking in with today's bottom feeding environment. Be willing to make unsolicited offers, put up meaningful earnest money deposits and close quickly where it make sense to do so."

Why South Florida? It appears to be a bit of a bellweather in terms of a likely rebound in the very soft commercial real estate market, especially with respect to foreign investment. While South Florida isn't quite the same as the Northern Virginia/Washington DC market - it always pays for Real Estate Agents and Brokers, working with their investors and property owners, to keep an eye out on other national and international markets plus commercial real estate investment advice and methods that seem to work well, and may very well translate into opportunities and profits in our Northern Virginia and Prince William real estate market.

All Real Estate Agents/Brokers - Step up to Help Your Community Nonprofits

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 22:17:00 +0000

One way to truly help your communities, your local buyers and sellers, and the overall real estate market in your area is to help the local nonprofits. Without nonprofit, charitable organizations, communities and therefore the associated real estate markets would suffer - even more than they're suffering now, with additional hardship to come in light of the rapid drop-off in philanthropic contributions across the nation.

Here's something you can do today, to support and leverage a very unique, collaborative nonprofit fundraising mechanism that leverages the power of Internet Marketing and Social Media. This will help your community, and your business.

Choose your favorite nonprofit organization (local, national, global). Let them know you'd like to help them raise money, help their cause, and improve the community (your community, and your market).

Together, review the "Nonprofit Funding Solutions for Charitable Organizations" program, at http://www.npofs.org. This is a very quickly-growing, worldwide consortium of nonprofits, brought together under a program run by the Virginia-based Paws4People Foundation, who together leverage online Charitable Raffles to raise money (and provide many attractive cash prizes to the ever dwindling donor base!).

Sign up as a Corporate Sponsor of your nonprofit (termed a "Referral Organization", i.e. PTAs, community groups, churches, etc.) - and loads of benefits accrue:

Your nonprofit gets badly-needed legitimate cash help, fast

Donors and communities benefit

Paws4People and all the charities of the nonprofit consortium benefit, with very little overhead taken out and away from direct community support

The local market and community profile improves, as does hopefully your business

You get FREE online marketing/social media exposure for this support, and for your business

It's pretty simple and straightforward, but a brilliant concept. A PTA raffle on steroids.

Collaborative support of local communities between nonprofit organizations and local realtors/brokers. Get involved. Or just buy an online charitable raffle ticket yourself, to support and win.

Northern Virginia Energy Efficient Tax Credits for Home Renovation and Repairs

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:21:00 +0000

(From Northern Virginia and Washington DC Businesses)

A “perfect storm” is brewing for all US and Northern Virginia homeowners this spring, interested in saving money on energy costs, saving money on taxes, and promoting a healthy, clean, environmentally-friendly lifestyle for themselves and their families. On February 17, 2009, President Obama signed a stimulus bill (The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009) that made some significant changes to the energy efficiency tax credits. More Federal Tax Credits for Energy Efficiency are available for consumers and home builders, at a much higher percentage of cost (up to 30%), with very few upper limits or exceptions. Tax deductions are available as well for businesses.

The highlights are:

The tax credits that were previously effective for 2009, have been extended to 2010 as well.

The tax credit has been raised from 10% to 30%, with no upper limit through 2016 (for existing homes only).

The tax credits that were for a specific dollar amount have been converted to 30% of the cost.

The maximum credit has been raised from $500 to $1500 for the two years (2009–2010). However, some improvements such as geothermal heat pumps, solar water heaters, and solar panels are not subject to the $1,500 maximum.

The $200 cap on windows has been removed.

These tax credits convert into significant savings for consumers interested in Northern Virginia home renovations and remodeling, or consumers simply interested in lowering energy costs through use of new energy-efficient home features like vinyl windows and HVAC units, solar panels and hot water heaters, or simply additional, updated insulation, roofing or caulking projects. This is the absolute best time of year, as well, to begin planning home renovation, repair and remodeling projects that require warmer weather to implement – and require longer lead times from service providers as the spring orders increase.

Here are some very good examples I know of, of Virginia home improvement, construction or handyman firms capable of handling your energy-efficiency projects this spring.

For large, custom Northern Virginia home renovation and construction projects that include significant home energy improvements or features, Architectural Construction of McLean, VA offers services that easily provide significant return on investment, via these stimulus bill energy efficiency tax credits. Constructive Solutions of Leesburg VA offers many routine home maintenance, repair, remodeling and handyman services including installation or retrofitting home energy features to take advantage of the tax credits. Vinyl-Lite Window Factory of Lorton, VA already provides the very best and most energy-efficient Northern Virginia windows and replacement vinyl windows – acting now to order and install replacement windows takes full advantage of the tax credits, resulting in significant savings in addition to the reduced energy costs. (Don't forget to include window security screens or alarm screens for maximum security and privacy). For “Piedmont” area (including Fauquier, Clarke, Culpeper, Frederick, Spotsylvania, Stafford and Prince William counties) handyman, home repair and renovation services, Handyman Matters will quickly and efficiently replace old, energy-inefficient features of your home with new ones that take complete advantage of the new tax credits.

Contact Ingrid Myers, Prince William realtor, as well to discuss spring home renovation and remodeling plans, especially if the goal is to get a head start on the spring real estate season, fix your home up for resell, or simply find an easy and now very cost-effective way to improve the value of your home.

Northern Virginia Home Renovation - Examples from Leesburg Historic District and Great Falls

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 11:54:00 +0000

Home Sweet Home...Home Improvement is one of the smartest investments a homeowner can make - and is many times overlooked. Yes there is dust, dirt but the end result will be well worth the inconvenience. With real estate in Northern Virginia in such turmoil many are choosing to remodel and renovate Northern Virginia homes - their own homes. Give your home a ”facelift” or makeover that provides an updated or new look, while not uprooting your family to a new location (i.e. no need to move!).

Here's a truly inspiring example of a home renovation in the Leesburg Historic district and Great Falls - both the "before" and "after" pictures. The "Miles Carriage House" in Leesburg received a commendation from the Town of Leesburg for outstanding adherence to historical design standards.

Architectural Construction provides home renovation and remodeling services throughout Northern Virginia, including Fairfax, Arlington, Loudoun and Prince William counties.

Read more about Virginia Home Renovation at Dulles South Online.

Northern Virginia Real Estate Investing - It's Prime Time

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 14:34:00 +0000

Happy New Year 2009!

Prime time for Northern Virginia Real Estate Investing is here, as we enter 2009 scraping and bumping our keel on the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay watershed housing market. All the indicators and news items are there, along with solid examples here at Ingrid Myers Northern Virginia Real Estate.

Today's Washington Post article "Cash Glut Could Take Markets on a Ride" puts the scenario solidly in perspective - that "the mountain of cash...on the sidelines represent dry powder" ready to light this coming year. While the article focuses on the tremendous buildup of investor cash available to buy corporate shares in the stock market, the implications of cash available for real estate investing are clear. It's time to buy residential properties, especially for investment purposes.

Other indicators point to the Washington DC Real Estate market and Northern Virginia real estate market in particular as very strong candidates for real estate investment rebound - and we can confirm at ground-level it's begun. This article from Yahoo points to Washington DC as one of the top 5 Real Esate markets most likely to rebound the quickest, driven first by the snap-up of commercial real estate, and the residential follow-on. Part of the investment growth is International; with a weak dollar, and the Northern Virginia Dulles Airport area being such a strong, growing commercial presence as the gateway to international business and travel, foreign investment in the area is rising quickly.

Just in the past week, we've come across townhouses in the Prince William real estate market, Western Prince William real estate market, and several other properties in Fairfax and Loudoun counties that have come on the market and sold quickly, to investors, with at least 20% down. What's to appreciate, is that that pricing is considerably below market values of the past 8 years (for example an $89K townhouse and $303K single family in nice neighborhoods of Prince William county), and the transactions were very quick after listings, even with the significant downpayments. Northern Virginia foreclosures in particular are accounting for significantly-accelerating buy-up by the investor community - though the foreclosure inventory (i.e. bank-owned properties) is expected to slow as the national market stabilizes a bit and banks and homeowners are able to reach better agreements.

It's been said that the opportunities for building wealth are greatest as the markets approach their bottom - that time is rapidly approaching, from all indicators. Donald Trump said back in August "now is the best time in years to purchase real estate...especially in the next 12 months to get the best deal". While the market crash this fall stalled much investment activity, it appears to have picked up again, and fast - the "next 12 months" starts now.

Contact us today to discuss Northern Virginia real estate investing opportunities and scenarios, including farm investments, land investments, commercial real estate investments, and Maryland real estate investments.

One more thing to consider - investing in real estate isn't limited to whole-property purchases. Now is the time to plan and execute your Northern Virginia home renovation, remodeling and reconstruction plans. Many Northern Virginia home construction firms are at the bottom of their pricing cycles; add this to the dramatic uptick in expected Northern Virginia home remodeling and renovation for this Spring (outpacing and replacing new home construction activity), and now's the time to lock in low prices with your Northern Virginia home contractor for 2009 delivery of very important home renovation investments. These should range from Virginia energy-efficient replacement windows with window alarm security screens, to full-on home renovation projects. Have a Southern Maryland home renovation|construction project? Try Cherry Cove Hospitality, in Lexington Park, MD.

Happy New Year, and Happy 375th Maryland!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:57:00 +0000

I wish you and your families a very happy new year 2009 - and if you're in Maryland, also a happy 375th! Maryland celebrates its 375th year, this year - read more over at PAX River Southern Maryland Online.

Northern Virginia Window Condensation

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 16:30:00 +0000

Whether you're in a new or older home, you're likely to experience some degree of window condensation issues - especially if you've got older windows, patio doors and other glass entrances. Northern Virginia replacement windows from Vinyl-Lite Northern Virginia window factory can really help - offering Triple-Glazing options that truly improve your home's overall energy-efficiency ratios, and eliminate window condensation.

Read more here about Northern Virginia replacement window condensation improvement...

Fabulous, Custom New Bethesda Homes - Amazing Value!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 21:07:00 +0000

Here are a couple of my newest, most interesting Bethesda MD (Montgomery County) New Homes. Browse these great webpages and find out more about the Bethesda MD community altogether!

Update - no longer available

10 Best Places to Get Ahead - Northern Virginia and Southern Maryland Represent

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 17:16:00 +0000

According to this Forbes.com article, the 10 "Best Places To Get Ahead" are heavily represented by Northern Virginia (NOVA) Real Estate and Southern Maryland (SOMD) Real Estate - two of our very core areas serviced for Real Estate business.

The article details sustained job growth and median income growth since 2000, outlining "secondary economic centers" with the best growth and opportunities for those looking for jobs, great communities, and fair housing. The top 10 include:

1. Stafford County, VA (NOVA!)
2. Forsythe County, GA
3. Calvert County, MD (SOMD!)
4. Loudoun County, VA (NOVA!)
5. Charles County, MD (SOMD!)
6. Prince William County, VA (NOVA!)
7. Anne Arundel County, MD
8. Delaware County, OH
9. Sussex County, NJ
10. Williamson County, TN

Check with me for the most up to date information and news regarding Northern Virginia Real Estate and Southern Maryland Real Estate.

Check also these sites for the Best Information About Northern Virginia and Loudoun County, and the Best Information About Southern Maryland and the PAX River area.

Better than expected July home sales Northern Virginia

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 11:34:00 +0000

According to this FOX 5 Northern Virginia Real Estate News report, "There's a glimmer of hope for the housing market mess that's hit millions of Americans. Sales of existing homes did better than expected in the month of July, and experts say that's fueled in part by a hot foreclosure market" - reports Melanie Alnwick, of Fox 5's News.

One of the Northern Virginia Real Estate Market experts they spoke with was yours truly, and Lawrence Yu, Chief Economist for the National Association of Realtors.

Loudoun County First to Offer Online Local Law Enforcement Reports from Neighborhoods

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Thu, 14 Aug 2008 03:24:00 +0000

Following is a Loudoun County official announcement, from the Loudoun Sheriff's Office...

"Loudoun County, Virginia- The Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office is now offering residents the ability to find why, where and when deputies were called to their neighborhood. The agency is the first in the state of Virginia to join forces with crimereports.com to allow residents to go online and view recent crimes in their community. Residents can now access local crime incident data in near real-time on the http://www.loudoun.gov/crimereports website or by clicking on the link located on the Loudoun Sheriff’s Office website at http://www.loudoun.gov/sheriff.

“One of the goals of the agency is to inform the public regarding safety issues in their communities. As Loudoun County continues to grow, it becomes more and more difficult to reach out to every community,” said Loudoun County Sheriff Steve Simpson. “This system will help us keep the community better informed without affecting manpower. It is our opinion that a well-informed community is a safer community,” he added.

The information is presented on Google Maps where users can review up-to-date crime information for any location under the jurisdiction of the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office. Residents can also receive free e-mail crime alerts that are sent when crimes occur close to home or near any other address of interest. Users control the e-mail crime alerts they receive by specifying the address, the crime types, and the distance from the address from which they wish to receive alerts. The CrimeReports service is free to the public, allowing them easy access to neighborhood crime data in near-real time, however, it is important to understand that due to the timeliness of the reporting, investigations will not yet have been completed, and the information will be preliminary and subject to change during the course of the investigation. Crime incident data will be updated nightly by the Sheriff’s Office.

Northern Virginia Gang Activity - is it near your home?

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 22:47:00 +0000

Ever wonder whether you're moving to an area that's infested with Gangs? What is the gang situation in Northern Virginia?

Read at least about Loudoun County Gang Awareness information here, compliments of Dulles South Online.

Now's the time to replace or repair those Northern Virginia windows.

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 00:25:00 +0000

Here's a timely article, from our friends at Vinyl-Lite Northern Virginia Window Factory..

The Northern Virginia and Metropolitan Washington DC area is a region of significant temperature and weather variations, though not typically to utterly unreasonable extremes. Springtime weather may change from very hot and humid to cold and rainy in a single day, while mid-winter temperatures in the 70’s (for January!) tend to occur every few years. Therefore, your choice and options for replacement windows in Northern Virginia should take into account the rapid changes and variations of weather, without necessarily focusing solely on seasonal averages. Your new or replacement windows should assist your overall energy conservation goals by effectively separating warm from cold air at all times, whether the cold air is outside the window, or inside the home. These objectives are relevant for any kind of window, from vinyl windows to wooden, from double-hung to single-pane patio doors or enclosures, and from home windows to commercial siding.

This time of year (late spring) is an especially good time to have your Northern Virginia windows examined, repaired and/or replaced. (Note that window repair should be considered for any type of window scratch, crack, stain or other factor that would decrease the effectiveness of heat transfer or reflectivity). Long rain events occur with decreasing frequency, thunderstorms are not yet into their summer cycle, temperatures are moderate and both heating and air conditioners are likely not being utilized as much. Installing during the time will allow you to set a baseline from which your energy cost savings resulting from installation of new, energy-efficient windows can be more accurately measured over the coming years.

Energy Advantage Low-E Glass is a high performance, energy efficient window glass made with an invisible coating that blocks heat flow. It was invented by Roy Gordon, a Harvard University “Thomas Dudley Cabot Professor of Chemistry”, in the 1970’s, with full-scale manufacturing and production started in 1989 by Libbey-Owens Ford, a company with more than a century of experience making glass. Low-E glass is manufactured with a microscopically thin and transparent layer of metal or metal oxide that reflects infrared “heat” energy back into the home, greatly enhancing the thermal performance of the window. “Low-E” refers to “emissivity”, which is a measure of the ability of a surface to absorb or reflect heat. As an energy efficient glazing technology, Low Emissivity (or Low-E) glass is a poor absorber of heat.

Read more here...

PAX River - Patuxent River Naval Air Station Homes and Apartments - SOMD

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Sat, 10 May 2008 13:15:00 +0000

Searching for temporary or permanent accommodations in Southern Maryland (SOMD - Calvert and St. Mary's County, MD)? In particular, if you need real estate, rental or other housing assistance or information about the areas near "PAX NAS" (the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, in Lexington Park, MD) - we've got great information and services for you.

Patuxent River Apartments, Homes and Hotel Accommodations can be located with the help of Cherry Cove Hospitality Services of Southern Maryland. Cherry Cove offers event planning and accommodations at local hotels (in Waldorf, Solomons Island and Lexington Park), apartment rentals (at Four River Community Apartments and Indian Bridge Apartments), Business Conference and Event Services (at the J.T. Daugherty Conference Center, Lexington Park), Pax River Executive Office Suites, Storage Rentals, and all the services you need to design and build a Southern Maryland Custom or Modular Home!

Cherry Cove's Mission is to "provide distinctive quality and unparalleled service to exceed expectations with Southern Maryland hospitality, development and property management services". This mission is in fact delivered, as I've personally experienced, at all times in Calvert and St. Mary's counties, MD.

Spring Activity is Up in Northern Virginia

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Sat, 10 May 2008 12:58:00 +0000

We've not seen this level of buyer activity seeking housing and land for some time in the Northern Virginia area - combined with the Northern Virginia foreclosures "land rush" going on, the real estate business is very brisk this Spring. The pendulum seems very much to be at the bottom part of its swing, coming down over several years to begin regaining strength and momentum with respect to sales of existing housing, with some renewed activity and movement in new housing.

Therefore, while this is absolutely still a buyer's market, the market is quickly getting much more active and crowded, with prices beginning to turn the corner in some areas to favor the seller. We don't see a region-wide escape from the "bottom", however, still through most of this year - but the rebound is happening in very desirable and popular locations. It's time to buy - get out, and get your deals on.

Check out our rapidly-growing inventory of fantastic Maryland and Northern Virginia Real Estate Listings, including rentals, land, farms and business properties!

Mother's Day note to all Northern Virginia Women and Moms - if you'd like to get a fresh view and perspective into what makes Northern Virginia "tick", and begin establishing (especially if you're new to the area) some great contacts, friends and other social contacts who are likewise interested in "all things for the modern mom" - check out the Summer Issue of the I Am Modern Magazine for Moms. It's a very local publication, distributed currently to many Eastern Loudoun County retailers and family-friendly stores - very soon the Fairfax edition will be released as well.

Northern Virginia Real Estate Services

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:47:00 +0000

Here's a quick list of some of my preferred local Maryland and Northern Virginia Real Estate Service providers and information sources; everything from Northern Virginia Insurance, to Landscaping and Handyman services.

Loudoun Insurance, for Home, Life, Auto and more.

Northern Virginia Handyman and Remodeling Services - by Housedoctors of Ashburn.

Northern Virginia Landscaping, Gardening - by Growlandscapes in Falls Church.

Northern Virginia Internet Marketing (to help sell your house!) - out of South Riding.

Dulles South Online - great local resource about Loudoun County.

Cherry Cove Southern Maryland Construction, Hospitality, Conference Center - housing, rental and other resources in St. Mary's, Calvert and other Southern Maryland areas.

Northern Virginia Home Security and Alarm Screens - especially helpful for businesses!

(Just for Fun!)
San Diego Limo Events

Modern Moms of Northern Virginia, Magazine, Forum, Meetup Groups!

Northern Virginia Foreclosures and Prince William Foreclosures

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 01:08:00 +0000

Northern Virginia Foreclosures and Prince William Foreclosures
"Foreclosure" is the process where, after a buyer has failed to make the lender payments as agreed, and has been served with a notice of default, the property is sold by auction. The borrower still owns the property until the auctioneer actually says "sold", and may stop the sale at any time up until this point by paying what is owed plus applicable costs and/or interest. After the auction, if no one bids successfully on the property, the foreclosing lender (usually a bank), becomes the new owner. Property owned by the lender/bank after a foreclosure is called "Real Estate Owned".

Typically, foreclosures can be very reasonable values, with pricing at or below market value. Banks or other lenders are usually motivated to unload the property as quickly as possible, to avoid carrying costs (i.e. mortgage payments on an unoccupied dwelling). Banks will work hard with auctioneers, buyers and their representatives, including Real Estate Agents, to reach a quick and satisfactory deal.

The current difficulties in the housing market have led to a rapid increase in foreclosed properties in the Northern Virginia, DC and Maryland real estate inventories. Check my updated Northern Virginia foreclosure listings, and Greater Washington DC foreclosure properties.

Current Virginia and Maryland Real Estate Listings

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 14:33:00 +0000

Listing are current only as of the posting date of this Blog entry - Click here for more information and links to current listings

Get your Landscaping ready for Spring!

noreply@blogger.com (Kelly and Friends) — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 13:52:00 +0000

Here's a tip from our Northern Virginia Landscaping friends at Grow Landscapes, of Falls Church, VA:

To prep your home for quick sale this Spring, Virginia Landscaping planning is underway for this year's growing season - now's the time to begin surveying and planning your Spring design and cleanup activities, including Lawn Care, Mowing, Aeration, Weed Control, Maintenance, Stacked Stone & Block Retaining Walls, Flagstone, Masonry & Brick Paver Patios, tree and shrubbery plantings, perennial culling and many other elements of your VA landscaping design strategy.

Call Grow Landscapes at 703-536-0412 BEFORE the weather gets too warm!