FAQ: Closing Costs in Virginia & DC
September 1, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Many buyers are aware that they have fees related to the purchase of a new home—a rough guide is 2.5%-3% of the transaction value–but what are these fees, and are there ways to minimize them?
First, a few clarifications. Both buyers and sellers have closing costs in a transaction; the sellers’ are [...]
VA Loans Harder to Get?
August 10, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
According to the New York Times, it may be harder for veterans to get loans in today’s lending environment. V.A. loans have long been an excellent opportunity for vets to buy a home with little or even nothing down, but major lenders like Bank of America, Citigroup and JPMorgan Chase, are now refusing to offer [...]
Rental Options: Avalon Communities
July 12, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
If you’re looking to rent in the DC area, you might want to consider Avalon Communities. Avalon features a number of options throughout the Greater Capitol Area in Maryland, Virginia, and the District. Those PCSing to the Pentagon or Fort Myer would find any of the Arlington, Alexandria, or DC properties offer them an easy [...]
Zip Code Comparison Tool
July 7, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
A friend sent me this and I think it’s a pretty neat resource – there are lots of census data-driven sites out there, I know. This one has all the usual data (education, marital status, income levels, unemployment levels, occupation, demographics, etc.) but this one also has a neat comparison [...]
Home Buyer Credit Extension for Military Personnel Serving Overseas
April 7, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Even though the $8000 first time buyer credit and $6500 repeat buyer credit are about to expire April 30, 2010, members of the military serving outside the U.S. have an entire extra year to buy a principal residence and still qualify!
The IRS has stated that eligible taxpayers must buy, or enter into a binding contract [...]
What is the crime rate? How do I find a “safe” neighborhood?
March 9, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
One of the things that is frustrating to both clients and Realtors is that we are prohibited from commenting on whether or not a neighborhood is “safe” due to Fair Housing Laws. (See article “What Real Estate Agents Won’t Tell You.”) The web, however, fills that void nicely with a variety of tools, and now [...]
Where is “Northern Virginia”?
January 24, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
If you’re relocating to “Northern Virginia” (often referred to locally as “NOVA”) you may be wondering where, exactly, that is. Of course generally, we know people are referring to the northern end of the state, but just how far south and west does it include?
It depends whom you ask. For real estate statistical purposes, the [...]
Northern Virginia & DC Market Update – January 2010
January 23, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
Spring has sprung early as far as the real estate market is concerned. Buyers are out and circling, anxiously waiting for inventory to hit. I know I’m starting to sound like a broken record, but the lack of ‘good’ inventory continues to be the story in real estate circles. Check out our market [...]
Should I be looking at short sales if I’m relocating?
January 16, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
In our market, like many others around the country, you’ll find an abundance of short sales amongst the homes listed for sale. In particular you’ll find a lot in the outer suburbs, including near Fort Belvoir and Quantico. If you’re PCSing to the Washington, DC, or Northern Virginia area, should you be looking [...]
$8000 First Time Home Buyer Credit & $6500 Repeat Buyer Credit
January 16, 2010 by admin · Leave a Comment
It’s officially passed the House and Senate, and is now awaiting the President’s signature. Along with the extension of the $8000 First Time Buyer credit (now applies to any buyer under contract by April 30, 2010 and settling by June 30, 2010), there is now a new credit category: long-time residents of the [...]
Client Testimonial
December 27, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
It’s such a privilege to help clients during a transition as important as buying their first home. It’s even more delightful knowing that they appreciate my help and recommend me to friends, as is the case with Dan & Beth, a Navy couple whom I recently helped as they sought to buy their first home.
Dan [...]
What’s the cost of living in the Washington, DC, area?
December 27, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
In a word: High. You can use a calculator like this one to compare a salary in your current location to Washington, DC. As of the date of this post, here’s a sample of how various locations stack up vs Washington, DC…
Atlanta, GA – 45.3% higher in DC
Dallas, TX – 44.7% higher in DC
Denver, CO [...]
City vs County: Falls Church City, Alexandria City, and Fairfax City
December 12, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Learning a new city or county can be overwhelming enough, but to add insult to injury, here in Northern Virginia we have:
Falls Church City AND Falls Church in Fairfax County
Alexandria City AND Alexandria in Fairfax County
Fairfax City AND Fairfax County
It’s critical to know which area you’re talking about — services and schools are provided by the jurisdiction and [...]
What are the Best High Schools in Northern Virginia?
December 12, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
Several of Northern Virginia’s High Schools were recently named to US News & World Report’s “Gold Medal List” of Best High Schools in the nation!
Alexandria’s own Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology, with its application/merit-based admissions, was named #1! Serving grades 9-12, it has 1805 students and scored a perfect 100 on US [...]
What is traffic like in the Washington, DC, area?
December 6, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
In a word, terrible. Washington, DC, was recently named the second worst traffic city, right after Los Angeles. According to one study, drivers here wasted 62 hours in traffic annually.
As a result, as you might imagine, property values tend to be higher in easy commute areas, or said another way, the closer you [...]
PCSing to Virginia?
December 2, 2009 by admin · Leave a Comment
We’re currently building out this site. Contact us with information you would like to see here! Our hope is that we are able to provide you with helpful information about PCSing to the greater Washington, DC, area including the Pentagon/Navy Annex, Fort Belvoir, Fort Myer, Quantico, and other military installations. We will be adding information [...]
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