Take one house with closets already overflowing, throw in holiday decorations and a few deliveries from UPS and soon you have a house that is ready to explode. The holidays are a great time to put your home on a diet. A clean up of all of those items that have been sitting on the closet shelves for a year that you haven't used, clothes that you don't wear and old magazines gathering dust.

Over the years I have become acutely aware of the clean up and throw out process. With my numerous moves as a military spouse, emptying out my parents home of 45 years, downsizing and combining households, it has been a constant battle to sort out what is important and what needs to go. Along the way I've come to know my way to the local dump, Salvation Army and the phone number for various charities that will pick up larger donations. We are coming up on the 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.

When you are driving around do you ever notice the number of storage facilities that seem to be on every corner. 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 have put your house on a clutter diet.

Relocation is always stressful.  It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve made a move the minute you get the word to pack your bags you need to learn the “language” of a new area.

In Northern Virginia part of that new language is deciphering the difference between our cities and our counties.  Northern Virginia has a mixture that often leads to confusion.  For example we have:

Fairfax County and Fairfax City
Alexandria City and Alexandria (postal address) in Fairfax County
Falls Church City and Falls Church (postal address) in Fairfax County

Once you have figured that out then you need to realize that the schools may be different depending on whether you live in a city of county.  Falls Church City runs its own school district.  But if your mailing address is Falls Church it doesn’t mean your children will attend a Falls Church City school.  Using the school boundary locator provided by the various counties and cities will help you sort it all out as you look for a place to live.

Alexandria City Schools Schools
Fairfax County Schools
Falls Church City Schools

As you search through the MLS for potential places to live you will notice a code in front of all of the letters.  Each of those codes can also help you decipher where a home is located.  FA is Falls Church City, FX is Fairfax County, AX is Alexandria City and FC is Fairfax City.

Each locale may also offer a different set of services for their residents and have different tax requirements as well.  In Fairfax City for example the city offers curbside leaf pickup for residents but in Fairfax County you will need to bag and dispose of your leaves through your own trash service.  Fairfax City has it’s own CUE bus service that takes residents to the metro, George Mason University and various points in the Fairfax City area.  Fairfax County offers the Connector bus which has different bus routes that run throughout the county and Alexandria has the Dash bus which runs through Alexandria City.

When you get ready to plan your house hunting trip to Northern Virginia remember that the area has some of its own language when it comes to understanding where you might be living.  Oh and don’t forget we also have slugs which have nothing to do with slimy garden pests.

If you are relocating to Northern Virginia in 2010 give me a call at 703-346-2213.  As a native of the area and a survivor of many relocation moves,  I can help you understand our language and help you find the best home to meet your needs while living in the area.

In a real estate market where prices have declined military families with PCS orders face a difficult decision.  Do you hold on to your home and rent hoping for prices to rebound in another 3-5 years or attempt a short sale and hope that your lender will consider PCS orders a "hardship?"

There are two other options that may be available for you to consider as weill. Military families stationed at Fort Belvoir, the Pentagon, Quantico and other Military District of Washington installations who purchased a home prior to July 1, 2006 may find that Homeowner Assistance Program (HAP) may offer some relief if you have upcoming PCS orders to move.

The HAP program is aimed towards helping:

Active Duty Military Personnel with PCS orders who are upside down on their mortgage
Wounded soldiers who must relocate due to medical conditions (wounded after 9/1/2001)
Surviving Spouses (death of military member after 9/1/2001)

If you live in Northern Virginia and you are anticipating PCS orders in 2010 and you qualify for HAP, now is the time to start gathering your documents and call the HAP Field Office for our area (located in Savannah) at 800-861-8144 for additional information.

Download information on how to apply for the HAP program.

If you have a VA Loan you may be eligible for a VA Compromise Sale. In our region of Northern Virginia the VA Regional Office which will provide you with the latest updates is the Roanoke office. The VA Compromise sale does have several factors that are important to remember:

• The property must be sold for fair market value.
• The closing costs must be reasonable and customary
• The compromise sale must be less costly for the Government than foreclosure
• There must be a financial hardship on the part of the seller
• On loans that originated on or before December 31, 1989, the seller must be willing to sign a promissory note
• There must be no second liens or other liens (unless the amount is insignificant).
• The seller must first obtain a sales contract in order to be considered for the program.

To protect the seller's interest, the seller should make the sales contract contingent and/or subject to the approval of a VA compromise sale.

VA Compromise Sale Information Packet

There is an extensive list of VA approved list of Loss Mitigation Servicers available on the VA site. A VA Compromise sale does require that the VA approve the HUD-1 be reviewed and approved by the VA prior to settlement so making sure the buyers documents are in order at least 48 hours in advance is a must.

If you are stationed at Fort Belvoir, the Pentagon, Quantico or any of the Military District of Washington installations give Cindy Jones a call at 703-346-2213. Let's see if a VA Compromise Sale or the Department of Defense HAP program might help you with your future home sale.

Our family has a holiday tradition of making a gingerbread house.  Usually there are multiple people who work on the project and sometimes there is a difference on decorating style. 

This year was no exception.Two people were working on the project and just as with any building project change orders were announced on the fly. As a result the house has two different roof styles.

 

Of course we love our wonky gingerbread house as it truly reflects our right brain left brain family.    However if you are thinking of building a new home in 2010 this might not be the way you want your home to turn out.  Buying new construction is not the same as buying a resale home.  All along the way there are decisions to be made and if you aren't communicating with your builder you could end up with a home that isn't quite what you thought it would be.

Before you hit the road to visit a Northern Virginia builder give me a call at 703-346-2213 to talk about the process.  You can also read my New Home Construction Buyers Guide for more insights on the new home buying process.

14 comments • Cindy Jones-Northern Virginia Real Estate & Military Relocation Services • December 26 2009 07:13AM