Are you relocating to Northern Virginia this year?   The Northern Virginia area offers it all.  With nearby employment centers in Washington DC and the Dulles Techonology Corridor the Northern Virginia area attracts new business and employees every year.  With the huge expansion of Fort Belvoir as part of the Base Realignment and Closure Act (BRAC 05) we are expecting even more relocatees in 2011.

If you find yourself moving to the Northern Virginia give Cindy Jones and CJ Realty Group a call.  We understand the stress of a move, whether is't just around the corner or across the globe.

Tucked in the Westridge Community in Prince William County is Westridge Elementary School. This week the school was awarded the honor of "Schools of Excellence" by the Prince William County School District.

"Schools of Excellence criteria were adjusted this year to reflect the continuous improvement of our schools"

This is the eighth time that Westridge Elementary School has received the award. The school has also been awarded the Governors VIP Award for Educational Excellence, one of only three in Prince William County, VA.

Check out the Westridge Elementary School site to learn more about the school.

If you are interested in exploring the Westridge Community give Cindy Jones and CJ Realty Group a call at 703-346-2213.

If you haven't been stationed in Northern Virginia before one of the first things that you want to become familiar with are all the different commuting options available. Depending on the neighborhood you may have the option for an express bus, a metro ride, VRE or slug line. Many who "slug" in the morning take a bus home in the evening, so you are not stuck with just one choice of how to come and go.

Once you have an idea of your West Springfield commuting options then we can take a closer look at some of the Fairfax County neighborhoods that have always been popular with military and civilian personnel. This tour takes you down Old Keene Mill Road one of the main throughfares in Springfield.

One of those neighborhoods is the tree lined neighborhood of Cardinal Forest located in West Springfield. With well maintained homes spread out on large lots, the ability to walk to Accotink Park and express Metro bus (18G) service to the Pentagon this area has been a prime location since it was built in the late 1960's.

Just around the corner is the townhouse community of Charlestown. Built to reflect Colonial Williamsburg the all brick homes are well maintained by the homeowners and the association. The HOA is responsible for all of the exterior maintenance of the homes, including a three year paint cycle for trim, brick courtyard walls, roofs, front yard mowing and trash removal.

Just as with Cardinal Forest you can walk to all of the same recreation, shopping and commuting options. The largest model town houses the Concord and Hermatage have 2500 square feet of living space on three levels.

The final stop on this tour down Keene Mill Road is the neighborhood of Orange Hunt Estates. Orange Hunt also is on a direct bus line to the Pentagon and is only minutes away from one of the major slug lines and connector bus points in the area. Just like Cardinal Forest the homes in Orange Hunt Estates sit on large tree lined lots and have been maintained well over the years by the owners.

The new NGA facility in Springfield is within 5 miles of all of these neighborhoods and Fort Belvoir is under 10 miles away.  These neighborhoods are part of the West Springfield HS Pyramid. 

So if you are looking for affordable neighborhoods in Fairfax County with loads of commuting options to the Fort Belvoir, NGA or the Pentagon or other military bases in the area, consider these terrific neighborhoods.  If your orders bring you to Northern Virginia this year give Cindy Jones and CJ Realty Group a call at 703-346-2213. If buying is not in your plans. Don't worry our team is happy to help you find a place to rent in any of these or other Northern Virginia neighborhoods as well.

As you know from reading my posts the Department of Defense Homeonwers Assistance Program (DoD HAP) is a hot topic for me.  Trying to sort out rumors from facts means a good deal of research.

One of the current hot topics is whether the recently published updates to the Federal Registry includes the official extension of the PCS order date to September 30, 2012.  The current registry is ambiguous leaving it to the discretion of Secretary of Defense based on available funding.  While researching the legislation related to the date change I came across H.R. 6272.

The bill was introduced by Gabby Giffords on September 29, 2010 and ended up in on the cutting room floor in the subcommittee for Military Personnel on October 20, 2010.  I never made the connection between the tragic events in Tucson and the support Ms. Giffords support of the DoD HAP program until this weekend.  Hopefully she will be able to return to Congress and continue her support of our military families in our country in the not to distance future.

Though HR 6272 did not make it out of committee there are still other bills, including the recently introduced H.R. 237 to ammend the HAP timeline, by Gerry Connolly of Virginia, that are still in review by Congressional Committees.  If you are a military family who is currently eligible for the Department of Defense HAP program and need assistance in selling your home in Northern Virginia give a call at 703-346-2213.  Let my success in closing home for military families in our area work for you.  Meanwhile I'll continue to research the proposed changes to the program and bring you updates to help sort out fact from fiction.

Once again I get to start the new week with a few chuckles from the MLS.  I wonder if these are the same agents that post multiple photos of bathroom toliets with the seats up.  Oh who cares, enjoy the comedy that is the MLS and have a great evening.

On more than one occassion I've tried to show properties where the sidewalks or driveways weren't cleared.  Just this past week after one of our ice incidents here in Northern Virginia I pulled into the crunchy driveway of a property, took one look at the sidewalk and told my clients no way. 

If you live where snow and ice are a problem during the winter months either shovel, hire someone to shovel or put the house on a temp off status until it clears.  It's not worth the consequences.

One of the keys to being a successful listing agent is learning when to say NO.  As much as we would like to help every seller there are times when unrealistic expectations in our current market makes us have to walk away from a listing.  It's tough but every listing costs us money and time and a smart business person knows how to maximize both.

No I wasn't really alone.  The buyers and their agent were there and the settlement attorney was too.  However my clients weren't.  Oh don't worry they had already signed their paperwork and everything was set to close.  I've been asked a few times over the past year by clients I am representing at Department of Defense Homeowner Assistance Sales (HAP) will you go to settlement for us?  The answer is always YES.

In this case it was the 7th settlement in the last year where I never met the sellers face to face.  They left Northern Virginia over a year ago and their home was rented.  My interaction was via phone, text and email.  Documents were signed electronically and the final settlement documents were sent FedEx from the settlement attorney.  The check from the government arrived directly from Savannah Regional Office.

I'm surprised to learn there are agents in Northern Virginia who don't bother to show up for settlement.  I can't imagine not being able to say thank-you to the buyer's agent and congratulation the buyer's on their new home.  I've just signed two new listing agreements where the sellers aren't here.  When the day comes for their settlement I'll be at the settlement table all by myself again.  It's all in a day's work.

Today JP Morgan Chase is paying out $2 Million Dollars to military families in regards to improper foreclosures and violating interest rate limits covered under the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act.  It is a reminder that if you are a military family facing foreclosure to make sure you understand your rights.

If you have a VA loan and are having issues with your lender call your regional office or the Department of Veterans Affairs for assistance.

Cindy,

We have upcoming orders to the Pentagon and are trying to decide whether to rent or buy.  We know we are on a three year assignment but don't know if it will be extended. Based on my husband's MOS we aren't sure whether he might be deployed during our stay.  What are your thoughts on us buying versus renting during our time in DC?

Look forward to hearing back from you.

Kathy

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Kathy,

A few years ago many military families making the move to the Pentagon or any of the installations in the DC area made the decision to purchase a home when their orders arrived. With quick appreciation and fast sales it made the choice easy.   Now trying to make the choice between buying and renting is harder.

VA loans make buying a home in Northern Virginia with no money down a snap. With lower prices military members can buy more house today than they could before. With sellers often making a contribution to the closing costs up to the allowable VA limits it gets even easier to keep your money in your savings. But is it the right choice?

Since this is your first tour our area and if you you know you are coming back then buying a home might make sense.  You could use your home as a rental during your absense.   Understanding the costs associated with owning a rental property including maintenance, management fees and tax implications are a big consideration.  If you know your current tour is three years, you have to weigh the risks of breaking even or even a loss when you go to sell. There are tax benefits to owning your own home but do they outweigh the concerns you may have when you go to sell?

Finding a rental can take as much time as finding a home to buy. The more flexible you are in what you are looking for will be helpful. If you focus on only one type of home or only one school district then you will need to understand that your choices may be limited. If you own a pet or two the available homes shrinks even further. None of this is insurmountable it just means that you need to be realistic.

Before you decide which is the right choice for you, talk to your financial advisor and a mortgage professional to understand how buying or renting will impact you.  I'd be glad to provide you a list of mortgage professionals to talk with if you aren't already working with one.  Whatever choice you make I'll be glad to assist with finding a home to buy or rent.  Feel free to call me to talk more about your questions and about the type of home that would suit your needs. 

Regards,

Cindy