Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Better than expected July home sales Northern Virginia

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.

Ingrid Myers Northern Virginia Real Estate Market on Fox 5 News with Melanie Alnwick

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.

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Wednesday, August 13, 2008

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

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.

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Wednesday, June 11, 2008

Northern Virginia Gang Activity - is it near your home?

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.

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Sunday, June 01, 2008

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

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...

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Saturday, May 10, 2008

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


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.

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Spring Activity is Up in Northern Virginia

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.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Northern Virginia Real Estate Services

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!

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Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Northern Virginia Foreclosures and Prince William Foreclosures

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.

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