As someone who has moved all around the world with the military the first few days after the PCS orders arrive the questions about housing, schools and shopping can lead to sleepless nights and the big question “where are we going to live?”

If the orders in your hand mean you are heading to the Pentagon then let me welcome you to the neighborhood! Most military personal headed to the base often choose to live in Northern Virginia close to public transportation and the famous "slug" lines.  Whether you are going to buy or rent there are plenty of neighborhood options for you to choose from. The first thing you need to do is check the 2008 BAH rates for the Pentagon. Pentagon rates fall in the Washington District (DC053) and you can use zip code 22152 as an example.

If you are thinking of buying a home, the current Northern Virginia market provides you the chance to find a good value on a home closer to the the Pentagon in Alexandria and Fairfax County.  Many military personal are dusting off their VA Certificate of Eligibility (remember that green certificate) and checking with local lenders about the options available to use their VA loans. If buying is the plans make sure you have talked to a lender prior to making your house hunting trip. Knowing what monthly payment you are comfortable with is important for looking at homes in neighborhoods that meet your price criteria.

Once you have determined your price range you have the option to start your search on-line to get an idea of the type of homes that are within your price range.  There are a number of neighborhoods in Northern Virginia that have always been popular with military families stationed at the Pentagon including Kingstowne, Lorton and Farilington. If you have school age children starting with information on local schools through the Fairfax County or Alexandria City sites or the Great Schools website will also assist you in determining the right neighborhood for your family.

The best way to get to know the area is to call on a Realtor® who not only has been through the stress of numerous military moves but is a native of the area. I’ve lived through the best and worst military moves and know how to help your family learn about Northern Virginia and find a neighborhood that you will want to call home while stationed at the Pentagon. 

My military relocation network is at your fingertips through my on-line resources, on the phone and in person. Don’t lose sleep over your orders. I’m here to help you with a smooth transition!

Related Posts:
Tour of Northern Virginia Neighborhoods
Moving to Fort Belvoir
Military Relocation to Northern Virginia
Should I Buy a Northern Virginia Home in 2008

© Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As an Associate Broker with RE/MAX Allegiance in Northern Virginia and native of the area I can assist you whether you are buying, selling or renting a home anywhere in Northern Virginia. For more information about the area or my services you can check VaRealEstateTalk or my Northern Virginia website.

Search all homes available in the Northern Virginia area.

As someone who has moved all around the world with the military the first few days after the PCS orders arrive the questions about housing, schools and shopping can lead to sleepless nights and the big question “where are we going to live?”

If the orders in your hand mean you are heading to Fort Belvoir then let me welcome you to the neighborhood! Most military personal headed to the base often choose to live in either Fairfax or Prince William County and whether you are going to buy or rent there are plenty of neighborhood options for you to choose from. The first thing you need to do is check the 2008 BAH rates for Fort Belvoir. Fort Belvoir rates fall in the Washington District (DC053) under zip code 22206.

If you are thinking of buying a home, the current Northern Virginia market provides you the chance to find a good value on a home closer to the main gates of Fort Belvoir. Many military personal are dusting off their VA Certificate of Eligibility (remember that green certificate) and checking with local lenders about the options available to use their VA loans.  If buying is the plans make sure you have talked to a lender prior to making your house hunting trip. Knowing what monthly payment you are comfortable with is important for looking at homes in neighborhoods that meet your price criteria.

Once you have determined your price range you have the option to start your search on-line to get an idea of the type of homes that are within your price range. There are a number of neighborhoods in Northern Virginia that have always been popular with military families stationed at Fort Belvoir including Kingstowne, Lorton and Westridge. If you have school age children starting with information on local schools through the Fairfax County or Prince William County sites or the Great Schools website will also assist you in determining the right neighborhood for your family.

The best way to get to know the area is to call on a Realtor® who not only has been through the stress of numerous military moves but is a native of the area. I’ve lived through the best and worst military moves and know how to help your family learn about Northern Virginia and find a neighborhood that you will want to call home while stationed at Fort Belvoir. My military relocation network is at your fingertips through my on-line resources, on the phone and in person. Don’t lose sleep over your orders. I’m here to help you with a smooth transition!

© Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As an Associate Broker with RE/MAX Allegiance in Northern Virginia and native of the area I can assist you whether you are buying, selling or renting a home anywhere in Northern Virginia. For more information about the area or my services you can check VaRealEstateTalk or my Northern Virginia website.

Search all homes available in the Northern Virginia area.

One of the nice things about living in Northern Virginia are the variety of neighborhoods, activities and historic places there are to visit.

This year my blog has traveled throughout Alexandria, Arlington, Farifax and Prince William Counties introducing you to some of what Northern Virginia has to offer. As 2007 draws to a close it seemed a good time to go back and gather some of these posts in one place for you to look through again.

Whether you are a native to the area, just learning your way around or planning on relocating to Northern Virginia next year you may find some familiar places or some that are new. Enjoy a brief look at a few of my favorite places from 2007.

Strolling the Avenue in Del Ray

People Who Live in Glass Houses-Hollin Hills

A Whistle Stop Tour of Northern Virginia

Star Trek Meets Dewey Decimal-Shirlington Library

Taking in a Breath of Fresh Air-Burke Lake Park

Building a New Community on Old Prison Ground-Lorton/Laurel Hill

Historic Clifton

Historic Churches-Fairfax Station

Getting to Know Belmont Bay-Prince William County

and finally to honor our military heros:

Moments of Silence During the Holiday Season

 
I hope you have a great end to 2007 and the New Year finds you stopping by to check out more travels along the Northern Virginia highways and byways.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As an Associate Broker with RE/MAX Allegiance in Northern Virginia and native of the area I can assist you whether you are buying, selling or renting a home anywhere in Northern Virginia. For more information about the area or my services you can check VaRealEstateTalk or my Northern Virginia website.

Search all homes available in the Northern Virginia area.

We all know that real estate is local.  What is happening in Northern Virginia is not the same as Detroit Michigan or Phoenix Arizona.  How we work with our buyers and sellers in our market areas reflects what is happening in those areas.

However it is also interesting to step outside of our normal business to take a look at real estate in other parts of the world.  This week I've been in the UK and have been doing some research on the market, how homes are bought and sold and the differences or similarities to the Northern Virginia market.  In my last post the London headlines were calling their current market the "Worst Ever for Buyers" today was a chance to talk to "estate agents" to discuss how buyers find houses for sale and how they list homes.

First the concept of "buyer agency" is non-existent in the UK.  The only way to see a home is to call the listing company and make an appointment. Since there is no concept of a centralized listing service, buyers do the footwork to find properties on their own.  If the agency has a website they can search there or in the newspaper.   If you want to see the house next door that may be listed with another company you need to call them.  Agents from one company can not show the listings from another company.  Since there is no one looking out directly for the buyer then all offers and negotiations go through the listing company.   All offers are done verbally until everyone comes to agreement.

Once the agreement is reached the buyers hire a lawyer who will write up their offer.  The buyers can have a survey, somewhat like a home inspection but without the in-depth look at the systems of the house and if there are any issues that need to be negotiated they go back to the listing agent.  If a change is agreed upon the lawyer adds that to the contract and signatures are exchanged.

Buyers do not determine the closing date.  What we call "coinciding" settlements  for buyers in the UK are called the "chain".  If you are in the middle of the chain when you close will be determined by when all of the other settlements take place.  It could be in a month or it could be in three.  If one settlement in the "chain" fails then your settlement and the house that you were planning on buying may end up being taken off the market.

The other interesting part of this process is the concept of "exclusive right to sell" which is common in Northern Virginia.  In the UK a seller can sign as many listing agreements as they wish in order to get their home sold.  Since there is no centralized listing service it is actually to their benefit to do this.  There home will be seen in the various windows (where the buyers passing by might see them) and on different agency websites.  It isn't unusual to see two for sale signs in front of a home.

So for a buyer in Northern Virginia the benefits of being represented by a buyers agent are obvious.  Not only will it save you time in trying to find homes listed on multiple sites but you have someone who is looking out for your interests during the entire transaction. Talking with new homeowners in London about how our process works everyone of them said "I wish I had someone who was working for me when I bought my flat."  For sellers having a centralized listing service (MLS) obviously provides the highest level of exposure to the most buyers and their agents.  Couple this with an agent who also uses multiple streams of marketing to get your home noticed and you are far ahead of your counterparts in the UK.

it is obvious that for buyers and sellers in Northern Virginia we have come a long way from the day of office listing books.  I'm glad I have the options to offer both my buyers and sellers far more services than agents in the UK can.  It was an interesting conversation and I think all of us learned a lot about how our counterparts across the pond go about the business of buying and selling homes.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 

As an Associate Broker with RE/MAX Allegiance in Northern Virginia and native of the area I can assist you whether you are buying, selling or renting a home anywhere in Northern Virginia. For more information about the area or my services you can check VaRealEstateTalk or my Northern Virginia website.

Search all homes available in the Northern Virginia area.

Often misunderstood and overlooked by Northern Virginia homebuyers are the loan programs offered by the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA). Why?

One reason is that for years the only way to get a VHDA loan was to deal directly with a loan counselor in Richmond. The program required certain items which normally convey with a house in Northern Virginia such as a stove and refrigerator be separated out from the sales price of the house. The paperwork was a nightmare and as a result many agents wouldn’t even suggest it is an option for a first time homebuyer.

Now those barriers have been removed and in many cases you can walk in to your bank or local mortgage company and they will be able to help you. The paperwork has been streamlined and you can even go on-line to the VHDA website and fill out the Quick Start questionnaire to determine what VHDA program might be right for you.

VHDA programs have also been expanded and now repeat buyers are eligible for financing as well as first time homebuyers. For first time home buyers there are income limits depending on the size of your family and a loan limit of $408,000. Depending on your credit score the typical fixed rate 30 year rate is often lower than what you can get through a “traditional” program. For first time home buyers with a higher income or previous homeowners VHDA also offers Flexible Alternative Programs that give another set of options including ZERO down payment options.

If you are considering buying a home in the Northern Virginia area next year and exploring your financing options then check out the options that the VHDA offers. If you need assistance give me a call at 703-346-2213 and I will be happy to refer you to a mortgage consultant who can talk through all of the options available to put a new home in your future. 

The following are some examples of homes available which meet the loan limits for first time VHDA home buyers.  

Example homes under $400,000 in Prince William County

Example homes under $400,000 in Fairfax County

To search for more homes in other areas in Northern Virignia 

For more information on buying a home in Northern Virginia 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________

As an Associate Broker with RE/MAX Allegiance in Northern Virginia and native of the area I can assist you whether you are buying, selling or renting a home anywhere in Northern Virginia. For more information about the area or my services you can check VaRealEstateTalk or my Northern Virginia website.

Search all homes available in the Northern Virginia area.

Ask the residents of Burke Centre and they can tell you.  In 1950 the farming community of Burke was the proposed site for Dulles Airport and due to the efforts of the few families that lived in the area at the time the airport plan was derailed and moved to Chantilly where Dulles Airport is today. Even though they fought and won the battle not to build the airport most of the farm homes and land had been purchased and condemned by the government leaving the area virtually deserted.

The area of Burke can trace it's history the same way as most of Fairfax County, by land grant through Lord Fairfax. When distribution of land parcels began in the 1700’s Lord Fairfax gave one parcel to the Ward family. Until this year the original Ward home was used as the Woods Community Center in Burke. Ward’s daughter married Silas Burke who was the plantation manager. Silas Burke worked to become the highest ranking public official in the county and brought the Orange and Alexandria railroad station to the area. Burke Station  as it was originally called played a prominent role in the civil war in the area.  At some point the "Station" was dropped from the name and Burke became the commonly used name for the entire area.

After the Dulles Airport proposal was killed the area of Burke began to develop. Part of the land that had been condemned was turned over to the newly created Fairfax County Park Authority and became Burke Lake Park. You can still find remnants of Burke Centre’s history throughout the area. The Silas Burke House built in 1824, Mulberry Hill built in 1790 and Brimstone Hill are a few of the older homes you will still find standing.

The homes that make up the area known as Burke Centre were built on a 1700 acre parcel of land and with the strong Burke Centre Conservancy retain a great connection with nature. Thirty miles of bike paths, six ponds, a lake residents and five community centers owners can find nature and activities right outside their doors. Terra Centre Elementary School was one of the first earth sheltered schools built in the area and the roof is still used today by students as their athletic field.

Burke Centre Map

With over 5800 homes divided into five distinct neighborhoods: Landing, Woods, Oaks, Commons and Ponds; Burke Centre is one of the largest planned communities in Fairfax County. With the Burke Station VRE, Metro Bus transportation and major highways close by Burke Centre is a popular location for Northern Virginia homeowners who work in DC. Since the first homes were built in Burke in 1976 the area has also been popular with military families stationed at Ft.Belvoir, the Pentagon and Military District of Washington installations.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As an Associate Broker with RE/MAX Allegiance in Northern Virginia and native of the area I can assist you whether you are buying, selling or renting a home anywhere in Northern Virginia. For more information about the area or my services you can check VaRealEstateTalk or my Northern Virginia website.

Search all homes available in the Northern Virginia area.

Not to worry. Once the surprise of your latest set of orders is over, it’s time to get started figuring out where you want to live in Northern Virginia. One of the nice things about this area is the variety of neighborhoods, home styles and price ranges available. There are traditional neighborhoods that have always been popular with military families and in the last few years plenty of new construction that has expanded the options even further.

As a native of the area and having lived all over the US and world as a military spouse, I know a lot about relocating to and from this area and what it takes to make it happen smoothly. One of the first things most families with PCS orders to Northern Virginia do is schedule the initial house hunting trip. With the internet, digital photos and virtual tours the stress of these trips has been greatly reduced.

Working with an agent familiar with the area and your needs, you can narrow down your choices before you ever leave home. Instead of spending days trapped in the car looking at homes you can focus on the houses that really interest you and spend more time learning about the other benefits of the Northern Virginia area. I’ve actually helped military families who were not able to make a house hunting trip find a home to rent “sight unseen.”

You can use this handy BAH chart with 2008 rates to help you determine your allowance for Northern Virginia.  

No matter whether you are headed to an assignment at the Military District of Washington, Pentagon, Fort Belvoir or Quantico finding your next home doesn’t have to be a logistical nightmare. If you have orders and are looking for an agent experienced with military relocation and who will go the extra mile with your move to Northern Virginia give me a call at 703-346-2213.

As an Associate Broker with RE/MAX Allegiance in Northern Virginia and native of the area I can assist you whether you are buying, selling or renting a home anywhere in Northern Virginia. For more information about the area or my services you can check VaRealEstateTalk or my Northern Virginia website.

Search all homes available in the Northern Virginia area.

During the holiday season it is easy to become overwhelmed.  With the music, decorations, shopping, crowds and business it can make us cranky and short tempered.  You can see it everywhere with pushing, shoving in stores and fighting for parking spaces. 

For our family this is the time of year that we relish the moments of silence.  Sometimes it is a walk; even on a rainy day and others it is taking time to honor our fallen hero’s, the members of the armed forces who have given so much to protect our country.  At this time of year a walk through the memorials in DC and Arlington National Cemetery can put so many things in perspective. 

For whatever reason and no matter what country the visitors are from when people begin the walk through the memorials in our area you can feel the change.  Where there was a noisy and boisterous group of students there is now a quiet group studying the plaques on the wall.  Where they were tourists with their cameras clicking away there is a quiet group with cameras shuttered.  Where there are families who have lost loved ones kneeling by a headstone or touching a name on the wall, those walking by bow their heads to join them in a moment of silence.

It is these moments of silence that make the holiday season take on a new meaning.  It is taking time from the hustle and bustle of what goes on around us to remember those who gave their lives so that we can celebrate our holidays.  Not everyone has the opportunity to join the thousands who come to Washington DC to walk through the memorials or Arlington National Cemetery during the holidays but everyone who does relishes those moments of silence to put their lives in perspective.

No matter where you are this holiday season take some time to create your moment of silence for yourself.  No matter what you choose to do, whether it is to take a long bath, sit in front of the fireplace or walk through the memorials in your area, don’t let the stress of the holidays make you lose sight of how lucky we are.  And when you have your moment of silence please say thank-you to all of the servicemen and women who sacrifice everyday for our country.

Thanks to Margaret and Larry Woda for their beautiful post Santa’s Helpers Lay Christmas Wreaths at Arlington National Cemetery.  

Today’s church is not quite as old as the others in the previous articles in the series but it is a beautiful church with a long history in Old Town Alexandria. Not as famous as its neighbor Christ Church the Washington Street Church has its place in Alexandria history as well.

The cornerstone for the Washington Street Church was laid in September 1850. However, the history of the church actually began almost 40 years before when a split erupted in the Methodist Church over the issue of slavery occurred. The church split into two factions, just as the country did, a North Group and a South Group. Prior to the split the congregation was meeting in the Trinity Church built in1803. When the congregation split a bitter battle for the church property ensued and finally the original site church was awarded to the North (Trinty)Group and the South Group formed the Washington Street Church right across the street. 

During the Civil War the church was taken over by Union troops and used as both a hospital and a stable causing considerable damage to the interior of the building. After the war the church underwent renovations to make it useable again and the congregation returned in 1865. The small church cemetery has headstones of a number of soldiers and congregation members who died during the war years.

The most amazing features in the church today are the incredible stained glass windows. The windows teamed with the Gothic architecture of the original church (newer editions to the building came in the 1950’s) the amazing organ and olden wood pews make this church worth stopping to see why looking at other historic sites in Old Town Alexandria.

Often misunderstood and overlooked by Northern Virginia homebuyers are the loan programs offered by the Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA). Why?

One reason is that for years the only way to get a VHDA loan was to deal directly with a loan counselor in Richmond. The program required certain items which normally convey with a house in Northern Virginia such as a stove and refrigerator be separated out from the sales price of the house. The paperwork was a nightmare and as a result many agents wouldn’t even suggest it is an option for a first time homebuyer.

Now those barriers have been removed and in many cases you can walk in to your bank or local mortgage company and they will be able to help you. The paperwork has been streamlined and you can even go on-line to the VHDA website and fill out the Quick Start questionnaire to determine what VHDA program might be right for you.

If you are considering buying a home in the Northern Virginia area next year and exploring your financing options then check out the options that the VHDA offers. If you need assistance give me a call at 703-346-2213 and I will be happy to refer you to a mortgage consultant who can talk through all of the options available to put a new home in your future. 

The following are some examples of homes available which meet the loan limits for first time VHDA home buyers.  

Example homes under $400,000 in Prince William County

Example homes under $400,000 in Fairfax County

To search for more homes in other areas in Northern Virignia 

For more information on buying a home in Northern Virginia 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

As an Associate Broker with RE/MAX Allegiance in Northern Virginia and native of the area I can assist you whether you are buying, selling or renting a home anywhere in Northern Virginia. For more information about the area or my services you can check VaRealEstateTalk or my Northern Virginia website.

Search all homes available in the Northern Virginia area.