There just aren't enough words that can ever describe the view of the Cherry Blossoms in Washington DC when they are in bloom. It feels like walking under huge mounds of cotton candy. The air is sweet with the smell of the blossoms and the waves of pink seem to go on for ever.  Mark your calendars now for March 27 to April 11, 2010 for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival.  Peak bloom dates for 2010 are projected to be April 3rd and 4th.  However it is to early for the National Park Service to give a 100% accurate projections on the official peak bloom days.

Top off the beautiful trees with the views of the Jefferson Memorial and the Washington Monument and you have the best of both nature and history in front of your eyes. It doesn't matter where you are from or where you may be going; everyone smiles, photos are taken and picnics are shared.

The history of the Cherry Trees in Washington DC go back to 1912 when the then First Lady and the wife of the Japanese Ambassador planted the first two trees on the north side of the Tidal Basin. In all Japan sent over 3000 trees which were planted mostly around the Tidal Basin with others in Hains Point and on the grounds of the Washington Monument. Today the city has over 3700 Cherry trees that provide the show that thousands of people from around the world come to see once a year.

Taking a few hours every year to enjoy the sight of the trees and join the throngs of people reminds me of how great living in this city can be. With everything Washington DC offers we often forget in our busy lives to take in the beauty of the day. So mark your calendars now to make sure you don't miss the spectacular display that the National Cherry Blossoms provide to the Nations Capitol.  You will be glad you did!

Are you thinking about buying a home in the Lake Ridge community in Prince William County VA?  With great community ammenities, proximity to shopping and award winning schools, buyers considering Lake Ridge have a lot to enjoy.

Enjoy this quick tour of Lake Ridge and then check out our web page dedicated to Lake Ridge with full details of homes for sale, commuting options, schools and recreation.






if buying a home in Lake Ridge or other surrounding communities in Prince William County is in your future give Cindy Jones a call at 703-346-2213 to talk about your options.  No hassle, no pressure just straight talk about whether today's real estate market is the right time for you to buy a new home.

A sure sign of spring in Northern Virginia is the steady stream of PCS orders military families are receiving to head to their new duty station.  So far this year military families I am working with are heading around the world including Okinawa, Hawaii, Thailand and the more “usual” spots of FL, GA, SC and OH.

This year’s PCS orders bring a different level of stress than in former times.  Families who purchased a home when they arrived 4 or 5 years ago now are faced with a home that has lost value.  Deciding whether to sell or rent their home becomes a difficult decision.

For military families who purchased (or contracted to buy) their home prior to July 1, 2006 the Department of Defense Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP) is one solution that can help.  Designed to help offset the costs and loss associated with selling your Northern Virginia home in a down market the program is working well to help ease the pain of selling.

The program does have requirements and guidelines to follow including filling out the application available on the USACE website, a ratified contract and a loss of value of at least 10%.  In our area there has been no problem in meeting the loss in value criteria.  Homes MUST be sold for fair market value, no accepting low ball offers and due to a limitation of funding the deadline for PCS orders is now September 2010.

The best news would be if Congress authorized additional funding to change the dates associated with the HAP program.  However in the meantime any military member with PCS orders leaving the Northern Virginia area and selling their home needs to start the process.  With the huge influx of applications the real estate specialists in Savannah (supporting the Northern Virginia Region) are slammed with files.

If you are considering selling your home and using the DoD HAP program give me a call at 703-346-2213 to set up a time to talk through your situation.   I’ve successfully settled five transactions in 2010 and have more in process.  I understand the processing guidelines and have the latest updates from the Savannah office.    Let’s see if the HAP program can help you sell your Northern Virginia home.

Don't let the piles of snow on the ground keep you from checking out this new listing in the Kings Park neighborhood of Springfield VA. 

Listed at $430,000 this home will offer your family plenty of space to spread out. Take a peek and then give me a call at 703-346-2213 to take your personal tour.

If you live in the Woodbridge VA area head to the Stonebridge Shopping Center and get ready for a fresh food treat at Zoes Kitchen.

Despite the worst winter in Northern Virginia history I headed out to Zoes Kitchen on opening day to get a taste of their take on Mediterranean food and was not disappointed.  First off the staff was ready to answer any question I had about the menu and when I asked about their hummus they quickly gave me a sample to try.  Just the right amount of Tahini and served with warm pita bread.  Don’t miss it!

After studying the menu, which includes sandwiches, soups, salads and hot entrees, I settled on the chicken rollups with two sides.  It was delivered to my table and I was not disappointed.  The no-mayo potato salad reminded me of my mom’s and is a nice change from the usual overly moist potato salad you usually get as a side at other restaurants.

Recently I have been on the run quite a bit around dinner time preparing new listings in the Woodbridge area, so this weekend I made another quick stop and ordered the Chicken Kabobs with rice pilaf and Greek Salad to go.  Again not a disappointment and the take out containers were recyclable.  YEA!

Besides serving food in the restaurant Zoes Kitchen also caters.  The catering sales rep, Brittany Marthaller is a delight to talk with. If you are tired of the same old sandwich trays from the big box store then you need to give her a call a 703-580-4408.

Within walking distance of the Potomac Club neighborhood, only a few blocks from INOVA Potomac Hospital and with easy access off of Neabsco Mills Rd I’m going to bet that Zoes Kitchen will keep their brightly colored tables full. 

Check it out.

Zoes Kitchen
14901 Potomac Town Place
Woodbridge, VA 22191
11am-9pm Sunday - Thursday
11am-9:30pm Friday & Saturday

It isn't hard to figure out what the developer of the first Kings Park was planning when they laid out the plan for the community and the homes. With one look at the street names Thames, Victoria, Trafalgar and Cromwell among others you might think you have made a trip back to England. Then when you add the names of the five original models; King, Queen, Princess, Duke and Duchess, you realize absolutely there is a royal connection!

Our family bought our very first home in Kings Park in 1981. Having just returned from five years overseas we were anxious to settle down for awhile and having grown up in Springfield it was an easy choice to make the original Kings Park the place to buy our first "real home." We were attracted to the neighborhood due to the mature trees, green space parks, community pools and easy commuting to our jobs. With the gentle slope of our 1/3 acre lot we were able to set up a zip line between the top of the back yard and the back fence which became a neighborhood hangout for the under 5 age group!

Since the neighborhood was first built over 40 years ago it has been popular with military families looking for easy access to the Pentagon or Fort Belvoir. Children attend schools in the Lake Braddock School Pyramid and both Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason University are close by. Public bus transportation, a VRE station and slug lines are easy to get to from anywhere in the neighborhood. Homeowners can walk to the Kings Park Shopping Center and even the Kings Park Library branch of the Fairfax County Library System.

When you want to take a break you walk or ride your bike through two different "back" entrances to Lake Accotink or for anyone who likes the challenge of dirt biking the nearby trails through Wakefield Park are considered some of the best in the area. Wakefield Park is also the location for the Audrey Moore Recreation Center where you will find an indoor pool and popular fitness center. During the summer Lake Accotink Park hosts free Friday night summertime concerts which are an absolute hit with everyone. Music ranges through swing, jazz, pop and rock. If you haven't seen your neighbors for a few days chances are you will find them there with a picnic basket and folding chairs

If you are interested in learning more about Northern Virginia Relocation, local neighborhoods or things to do give the Cindy Jones team a call at 703-346-2213. No hassle, no pressure, just straight talk about whether now is the right time for you to buy a home in Kings Park or any Springfield (VA) neighborhood.

Another snow storm is headed towards Northern Virginia but you have time to check out this Port Potomac townhouse before it hits.

Offered for $299,000 this home should fly off the market.

Learn more about the Port Potomac neighborhood in Prince William County.

If you are looking for a new home in Port Potomac or any other Prince William County neighborhood then give me a call at 703-346-2213. Let's talk about what you are looking for and whether now is the time for you to buy a new home. No hassle, no pressure just straight talk about the Prince William County real estate market.

In today’s internet connected world selling a home means you can work through an entire transaction and never meet face to face.  This is the case with my most recent closing in Woodbridge VA.

The sellers, active duty military had already left the area on PCS orders when they learned of the Department of Defense Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP). They checked the qualifications for the program and realized that selling their home with the benefits provided was a better option than becoming a landlord.

They searched the internet for a Woodbridge VA agent who had experience with the HAP program and found me.  After a few phone calls and email exchanges they decided to hire me to handle the process of selling their home.  Within a few days of going on the market we had an offer and were able to execute all the necessary paperwork with electronic signatures and forward all of the information to the USACE office in Savannah.

The sellers completed their portion of the government acquisition of the property last week and the buyers have now completed their side of the transaction as well.   All of the process has been completed without ever meeting the seller’s  face to face. 

The good news with all of the technology at our fingertips today we can easily handle a transaction for our clients without the costs associated with travel.  Though meeting face to face is always fun it isn’t always practical.

If you are a military family eligible for the Department of Defense Homeowners Assistance Program (HAP) give me a call me at 703-346-2213.  Let me show you how to get your home SOLD whether you are still in Northern Virginia or living anywhere in the world. 

With the new National Geospatial-Intellegence Agency (NGA)being built on the old Fort Belvoir Engineering Proving Ground almost 6500 employees will be working in to the Springfield and Lorton area in the next few years.

For employees who will be moving to the new facility finding homes nearby will be important. Traffic in and out of NGA will be tough.  Let’s face it anytime you move a significant amount of employees from diverse locations to one place no matter how well the various government agencies plan commuting will be a pain.

Fortunately there are a number of terrific communities that provide a variety of housing prices and styles within a few miles of the NGA facility.

Here is a selection of Homes for Sale in Lorton & Springfield close to NGA to give you an idea of what is available.  If buying a home isn't in your plans that's okay too.  Our team handles rentals as well.

If you are relocating to the new NGA facility in Springfield in the near future give me a call at 703-346-2213 to talk about your housing needs.  Let me show you the variety of options available that will fit for your needs.  No hassle, no pressure just straight talk about whether buying a home in today’s market is right for you.

This Kings Park remodeled King model situated on a quiet corner lot has gone into the SOLD column. The owners a terrific military family were able to use the USACE Homeowner Assistance Program (HAP) to assist them with the sale.  They are already at their new duty station in Okinawa and we were able to coordinate all of the final required HAP paperwork electronically.

If you are a military family and qualify for the USACE HAP program give me a call at 703-346-2213.   With muliple HAP sales already closed in 2010 I have the experience you need put your home in the SOLD column as well.

IMPORTANT NOTICE:  HAP has changed the deadline for PCS orders to September 2010.  Formerly the program continued for orders until September 2012.