If you are undertaking a spruce up project on your home in Fairfax or Prince William County you may want to make the Habitat for Humanity ReStore in Alexandria or Manassas your first stop.  The Habitat ReStore offers you an opportunity to do three things at once.  The first is to support the great programs Habitat for Humanity offers to low income families to give them an opportunity to own their own home.  The money raised by the ReStores across the US provides funds to build an additional 10 homes per year.

The second benefit is the Habitat ReStore has to offer is keeping usable building supplies out of the landfill and support a more "green" building environment.  The ReStore only accepts clean reusable items which would otherwise be headed to the local dump.  Builders and contractors provide excess inventory from construction projects so not only will you find "gently" used items but you will find brand new items as well.

And the third benefit is the chance to save money on your own remodeling project.  As a landlord I have found replacement items for my rental properties that have included a pedestal sink, a new toilet and refrigerator all at 50% off what I would have paid for them at one of the local mega hardware stores.

There are Habitat ReStores across the nation so if you aren't in Fairfax or Prince William County check out this list to see if there is a store near you.  If you have a chance stop in and support Habitat for Humanity.

Hidden among all of the three level colonials in Fairfax County you will find a few pockets of Mid Century Modern homes (MCM).  One of those neighborhoods is Hollin Hills in Alexandria.   Designed over 50 years ago by architect Charles Goodwin the neighborhood was considered avant-garde at the time as it broke the traditional bounds of building in the area.   With clean lines and walls of windows the homes were designed to obscure the lines between the inside and the outside.  Originally the area was popular with Washington urbanite and now the second generation of fans of MCM are buying the homes almost as soon as they come on the market. 

Talk about being in the right place at the right time.  The developer of the Hollin Hills property, Robert Davenport purchased the land at an auction for $550 and worked in conjunction with Goodwin to lay out the plan for the community.  The 457 homes are spread out on the 225 acre wooded site and they were placed on the lots at various angles instead of lining them all facing the streets.  The simple homes are designed based on four-foot modular units so the plans could be expanded easily and with relatively little cost.  The community has maintained its original feel due in larger part to an active civic association which has applied for Historic Designation to continue to protect the area from over zealous development.

One of the homes was recently featured on a segment of HGTV and no sooner than the program aired was the home on the market and under contract.  Even though the homes were designed over 50 years ago the concept of living in harmony with nature is even more important today.  Currently there are 3 homes on the market today ranging in price from $579,000 to $749,900.  If you are a fan of mid-century modern then this is a neighborhood that you don't want to miss.

Search for your new home here!

No this isn't a commentary on waist lines but instead on the amount of stuff we seem to accumulate.  Over the last few years I have become acutely aware of the clean up and throw out process.  It started with empting my parent's home of 45 years with a double walk-up attic, then I downsized myself and finally ended up combining two households into one.  Along the way I became friends with the folks at the Fairfax County Dump, Salvation Army, 1-800-Junk, PODS and more  We are coming up on the first anniversary of the last purge and have made a pact that anything in a box, except holiday decorations and true family heirlooms, must be tossed.  If we didn't need it for a year then we can live without it forever.

With this deadline looming I started noticing the number of climate controlled mega storage facility all around the area.  Within shouting distance of my office in Burke there are three.  Every time I drive down another industrial road I see at least another two.  So where has the need come for all of us to hoard so much stuff?

When my parents were growing up during the depression everything had a use and reuse.  So for the most part I understood their desire to hold on to things that could some day be put to another use.  We had a family joke about the never ending supply of boxes, bags and twist ties that could be found at our house.  In fact there is still one small gift box that has been passed from family member to family member at Christmas for 25 years.  We all anxiously await our turn to receive it and guard it carefully until the following year.  But I digress.

In today's "throw away" society it seems a bit odd that there should be so much of a need for storage facilities.  What is lurking behind all of those locked containers?   Is it stuff we really need or is it easier just to tuck it away instead of dealing with it?  How much money is being spent every year to store things that really should be headed to the dump or donated to a favorite charity?  Could you have a vacation with the money instead?

Need some help getting started on the de-cluttering?  It is over-whelming I can admit it!  So here are a few ideas that helped get me started on the stuff purging:

• Pick a room-doesn't matter where you start
• Set a timeframe-only work on the room a couple of hours at a time
• Sort through it-look at it once and decide if it is a keep, toss or donate
• Don't reminisce-high school is long over, the faded corsages have got to go
• Keep the space organized-have trash bags and plastic bins handy so that you aren't surrounded by piles
• Repeat the process on the next room-move on the next day or next weekend to another space.
• Reward yourself-trust me after you have made a run to the dump you want a reward

So take a look around and decide what you really need and what is ready to go.  You might be surprised how good it feels to not have all of the stuff cluttering up your life.  And don't try to pass it off on your kids.  It will only come back to you when they decide to move! 

I stopped by yesterday to say hello to clients who bought new construction in the community of River Falls in Prince William County earlier this year.  This upscale community is located just off of the Prince William Parkway in Woodbridge.  The community is built around the Old Hickory Golf Course with a club house that looks like you have driven up to a southern plantation. 

My clients like the other amenities the community offers as well.  Spread out over 280 acres besides golf the community features pools, tennis & basketball courts and plenty of walking paths giving them their choice of activities.  With its proximity to the Potomac Nationals Stadium they have been able to enjoy many evening of minor league baseball with their families.  Commuting to DC is not a problem with multiple options including the Belmont Bay VRE station, Omni Bus, Slug lines and easy access to I-95.

Resale homes are currently priced between $749,900-$1,500,000.  Basheer and Edgemore a local award winning builder is still completing construction on the final homes they sold this year and has the two luxury models available for sale.  If you are looking for an opportunity to purchase a home that is poised to be a great value for the long term then consider the community of River Falls.

To see other great homes in the Woodbridge are check out:

Woodbridge Home Search

If you would like a personal tour of the great homes currently for sale in River Falls just give me a call.

Fairfax County has been recognized by the Center for Digital Government and the National Association of Counties as one of the top digital counties in the US. Counties based on their population were judged on 100 different measurements including services delivery, county governance and technology infrastructure. For counties with a population of over 500,000 Fairfax County was ranked 4^th in the nation and this is the third time the county has been in the top 5.

With 24/7 access to critical information the county has eliminated citizens worrying about not being able to make it to a government facility during traditional business hours. Using a combination of IVR (interactive voice response), web services and kiosks citizens can get information of a wide variety of services. An example of the services that are available include paying county personal property taxes (due Oct 5^th), apply for employment, check on county building permits, register for Parks and Recreation classes, look up real estate sales information and reserve library books. With the local cable TV Channel you can also watch tapes of supervisors meetings, learn more about Fairfax County Parks and get emergency information.

Other local counties recognized in their population categories and included Montgomery County & Anne Arundel County in MD, Arlington, Loudoun and Prince William County, VA.

Center Executive Director, Cathilea Robinett added, "America's counties continue to make astonishing strides each year in their use of technology. In doing so, they greatly improve services to their citizens and make even better use of government's precious resources. Congratulations to all the winners!"