New Listing: 42546 Longacre Drive

Preferred Realty Partners is proud to present an absolutely stunning Ryan Homes Courtland Model in South Riding's Cedar Hunt. Enjoy over 5000 finished square feet of living area!

The Gourmet Kitchen features upgrades including an extended island, morning room, granite countertops, and stainless steel appliances.

The 4-foot Family Room Bump-out gives plenty of space to relax with friends and family.

Upstairs you'll find a luxurious Master Suite complete with Sitting Room, Tray Ceilings, and Walk-in Closet.

Who wouldn't love this sumptuous Master Bath with soaking tub and separate shower?

The second bedroom has an Ensuite Bathroom.

Whimsical bedrooms 3 and 4 share a bright hall bath with a double vanity.

The lower level is brilliantly designed to include a Theatre Room with custom lighting.

The Wet Bar features heated tile floors and a walk-out exit to the spacious yard.

You'll find the 5th Bedroom and full bath with heated tile floors in the basement.

This gorgeous property backs to trees and has a large deck that's perfect for summer cook-outs.

Are you or someone you know moving to Chantilly VA this year? We’d love to help. Contact Preferred Realty Partners today to see this home and any others on the market in Chantilly VA.

New Home for Sale in the Ridings at Blue Spring

25767 Rawley Springs Drive, Chantilly VA

Classic Brick Exterior with a 2-car garage

Live in luxury at the Ridings at Blue Spring!  Preferred Realty Partners of Keller Williams Realty has just listed this amazing brick-front home that has over 5,000 square feet of finished space. The classic exterior includes a 2-car garage and beautiful landscaping. The neighborhood is quiet and there is no through traffic on the street. You can have peace and quiet in this home!

Dramatic open floor plan with upgraded moldings has hardwoods and new wall-to-wall carpeting throughout. The main level includes a library, living and dining area, family room, half bath, and the gourmet kitchen. 

Living and Dining Space with Gleaming Hardwood Floor

The living and dining space features shining hardwood floors, large windows, and elegant paneling in both rooms.

Elegant Family Room with Gas Fireplace

Gourmet Kitchen has New Granite Counters

Master Suite with Sitting area and 2-sided Fireplace

The gas fireplace is the heart of the spacious family room. Located off the kitchen, this is a perfect place to gather with friends and family.

Cook, bake, and entertain in this kitchen! New granite countertops are draw the eye, and the updated stainless steel appliances and ceramic floors complete the look. 

Massive Walk-out Basement with New Carpet

The huge master suite features tray ceilings, a sitting area, a walk-in closet, and a 2-sided gas fireplace. The master bathroom has a double vanity, large jacuzzi tub, and a separate glass shower.

A fully-finished lower level includes a 5th bedroom and 4th full bathroom. Walk out from the basement to the patio in your fully fenced backyard. This home has it all!

This is one of the many homes that Preferred Realty Partners of Keller Williams has for sale. Contact us today for more information about this property or to sell your home in Chantilly VA. 

Home Prices are up!

I found this interesting article on Yahoo News today and I thought Virginia home owners might be interested in it. In summary it says that prices are up in many metropolitan areas and existing homes available for sale are at a 10 year low.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/home-prices-increase-most-major-140227717.html

This is great news if you have a home to sell, we've seen similar trends of prices moving up in many local areas especially closer to the beltway. And coupled with historically low interest rates it makes now a great time to buy! If you happen to be in the market.

Rates are still CRAZY LOW!

We've been watching interest rates for a while now, and so far they are still at historical lows. If you own a home and you're not upside down in value, this is a great time to refinance!

If you're looking to buy, don't wait! These rates won't last forever and if your credit is good you can afford a lot more home at 3.31% than you can at 4.5%.

See this article from Inman News for more information.
http://www.inman.com/news/2012/11/21/give-thanks-if-you-qualify-record-low-mortgage-rates

A Storm's A Comin'

Folks, If you're in the Northern Virginia area, or anywhere in the affected area of Hurricane Sandy, I hope you've evacuated if you were urged to and that you'll stay inside and off the roads. It looks like we're really in for it. Be safe, tie down anything that's not tied down, and get a good book to read (and some candles, just in case).

Everyone stay safe!

Halloween Events!

Hello Northern Virginia! Are you looking for fun things to do this Halloween?
Here's a fantastic link to some fun things to do in the greater Northern Virginia, Maryland DC area!
http://dc.about.com/od/childrensactivities/a/Halloween.htm

Some of my personal favorites:
http://airandspace.si.edu/airandscare/

Pumpkin Patches (Virginia is on page 2)

Corn Mazes

Ghost Tours in Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland.

How are you getting ready for  Halloween?

New Listings

Hello World!
Last week was a little bananas, we had 3 new listings hit the market in NOVA, plus two for our Northern Kentucky/Cincinnati Team. Things have been busy and that's the way we like it!

Here is an appetizer of information on our new listings, along with a link to more information should you find yourself curious:

Ashburn - 42882 Nashua Street, Ashburn 3 Bedroom Brick TH $340,000

Sure I could post another photo of the front of this townhome, but I thought you'd like to see the bright cheery living room instead. This townhouse is bright and welcoming, with a spacious deck and a private two-car driveway in the back. No more shoveling out your parking space just so the neighbor can steal it!


South Riding - 25406 Upper Clubhouse Drive 3 Bedroom Garage TH  $329,000

I chose this photo to represent this listing because, well  you know how most townhomes look into a neighbor's backyard? Do you see all that wide-open space? That's common area. All the way back to the trees. Sure there are other townhomes nearby, but how many townhouse lots give you this much room to breathe? We're very excited about this townhouse! Click the link above for full details or to email us for more information.


And finally our Alexandria Listing on Sacramento Mews...which was under contract in just a few days, and we're so excited we had to mention it!!

This Weekend in Washington D.C.

Happy Friday! Congratulations on making it through another weekend. I'd like to congratulate our clients who's buyer closed on their Herndon Townhome yesterday! (There was a lender delay...but it all worked out in the end).

Next week we have new homes going on the market, so watch this blog for updates! Or email us, we'd love a personal note. Or, if you're shy you can always use this link to keep an eye on our listings in "stealth mode". Just remember to reach out if you have any questions. We are here to help!

If you haven't yet made plans for this weekend here are a few interesting things to check out:

The Bluemont Fair is this weekendwith  music, food, arts & crafts vendors, Antiques Roadshow-esque appraisals, beautiful historic buildings, Pickle making & Pie Baking contests and Wine Tasting. The official website is a bit "text heavy" so use these alternatives if you just want directions & admission info:
http://www.visitloudoun.org/Events/43rd-Annual-Bluemont-Fair
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Bluemont-Fair/95123025349

Celebrate the Harvest is ends this weekend in Middleburg
Restaurants will include local meats, cheeses, produce and wines which are sure to be fantastic.

For more Loudoun County events use this link here

In Fairfax - the 10th Annual KORUS festival meets at Bull Run Park to celebrate Korean Culture. Displays of music, dance, food and other stage performances. A fantastic cultural enrichment experience for the whole family!

 If' you're looking for a deal, the DC Big Flea Market is this weekend at the Dulles Expo Center.

Taste of Falls Church is FREE! Live entertainment, ridse, crafters, businesses and much more!

The 150th Anniversary of the Battle of Antietam in Maryland
If you're a history buff and up for a bit of a drive this could be a fun event. There will be a re-enactment, music, food, tours, hikes, children's activities, living history, memorial ceremonies and guest lecturers.

If nothing here tickles your fancy...there are a whole slew of other options here!

Please note, none of the events listed on these links are hosted or financed by Preferred Realty Partners, so they do not necessarily reflect the interests or opinions of our team, our management or our Brokerage. We have no control over the content or operation of these linked sites.
We just thought it might save you some time to have these links on one page.

Have a great weekend!

Japanese Beetles

Japanese Beetles are a common summer pest in Northern Virginia. Last year our Fourth of July outing was plagued with them dive-bombing our heads. This summer, because of the dry winter and hot spring we are expected to have quite a lot of insects.

I found this article this week and thought it might be helpful if you have a Japanese Beetle Problem.


There is another article here.


And an organic solution here.

Stormpocalypse 2012

Welcome to Monday!
Our area was struck Friday night by a band of high intensity storms called a Derecho. There was a quick report about it on the news, but not much emphasis of it's intensity. We were cozied up in our house watching TV when a text from my brother-in-law (who watches the weather as a hobby, God love him!) came through saying "a storm with 80mph winds is coming. You've got about 30 minutes". We rushed outside to take the plants in pots off the railing and put down the umbrella.

When the storm hit it was incredible. A wall of wind slammed into the house with such intensity it could have been alive. It was truly amazing how fierce the storm sounded. The power flickered and went out and I went upstairs to make sure the kids were ok. After finding flashlights and lanterns and waiting for the storm to pass, we all settled in to sleep.

In the morning, with no power, no coffee and no hair-dryers we were a bit out of sorts. But grateful to not find any damage to our roof or siding. About 5 houses down from us a guy lost half a tree. He is still clearing it today. We can't tell from the photo if it dented the van, or if it was braced enough by the house to spare it.

This was one of the hottest weekends on record, I think at the hottest it got to 85 in the house. I found that if I sat still it was bearable. In spite of the minor discomfort I couldn't help but think how fortunate we are. There are people who have no air conditioning ever, who's only shelter is a park bench. We managed to find ice (which was no easy task this weekend), we had plenty of cold drinks, and we were forced to unplug a bit from our usual addictions and spend time with each other. All in all, it wasn't a bad weekend.

Our power stayed off from about 10:30 Friday night till 4:30 Sunday afternoon. I checked the Dominion outage feed about every 30 minutes, driving around to recharge my phone and get into some air conditioning when I needed to. At first count Saturday Morning I believe about 460K of Dominion's 832K Northern Virginia customers were without power. By this morning they were down to 162K without power. I want to thank Dominion for restoring power as quickly as they did. Our house was somewhere in the 240K range, I hope those lower in the line have power by nightfall.

After two days with no power, my husband got stir crazy and drove around Herndon, VA taking photos of the damage. Here are a few of the things he saw. Some of these trees are pretty amazing!

Do you have a Stormpocalypse or power-outage story? I'm curious to see just how many were affected by this outage.

Here's an interesting link to more photos of the damage from all over the east coast

What's in a Rental?

Our office lists properties for rent for private owners. Often the potential tenants are confused about how the process works because they are used to renting from an apartment complex. Here are a few things that I tell prospective tenants to help keep it all straight:

Apartment Buildings

• An apartment complex typically charges a lower security deposit. They have a staff of maintenance people, so if a tenant leaves the place a mess they can have it fixed quickly and easily by their own staff.
• Apartment complexes typically own a building with 50 or more units and charge enough in rent that a percentage of occupancy covers their expenses and mortgage. This means they can afford to carry a certain number of vacant units in any given month.

Private Owner

• A private owner often charges 1 month's rent for security deposit. If a tenant leaves the carpets or walls a mess, they have to hire someone to fix it or make the time to fix it themselves.
•  Private owners are responsible for the mortgage, whether they have a tenant or not.

Of course there are a number of other considerations, but these are the key ones that come to mind.

I'm posting this in honor of our Rental listing on Cheyenne Way in Haymarket that goes active in the MLS today. Two levels, 2 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. Fenced yard with deck. Updated kitchen! If you have any questions about Cheyenne Way...please contact us!

Chantilly Single Family Home

We have a gorgeous Single Family Home for sale in Chantilly in the Bridle Ridge community.

The sellers have just replaced the carpet with new top-of-the line neutral carpet, additional features include hardwood floors, security system, deck, hot-tub with privacy screen, finished lower level and a ton of other amenities! Here are a few photos, for the virtual tour and more information click this link.

Weekend Events in Virginia

If you're a late planner like me, chances are you may have no plans yet for Memorial Day Weekend. Here are a few suggestions that may help you:


The National Memorial Day Concert - Washington, D.C. May 27th

Viva Vienna - Vienna, VA May 26th, 27th and 28th

The Virginia Renaissance Faire in Spotsylvania - Weekends May 12th through June 10th.

The Delaplane Strawberry Festival in Delaplane - May 26th and 27th

National College Dance Festival - the Kennedy Center

Or of course, you can always visit a local winery....Virginia Wine

Whatever you do, have a fantastic weekend!

Northern Virginia High School Rankings

If you are thinking about moving to (or within) Northern Virginia, it's possible the Schools are important to you. I saw an article in the news today that I wanted to share with you courtesy of the Washington Post Local. The Headline reads: "Stone Bridge High School ranked 10th best in Virginia." (Click the link for Washington Post article).

Wow! 10th in the whole State? That's pretty spectacular! Congratulations to the teachers, students and staff at Stone Bridge HS! According to this article they also placed 178th nationally, and earned a gold medal for the student's college readiness. The article from US News showing the rankings can be found here.

Other local schools placing high in national rankings according to this article, include:

• #2 -  Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology in Alexandria, VA
• #19 - George Mason High School in Falls Church
• #55 - George C. Marshall High School in Falls Church
• #85 - McLean High School in McLean, VA
• #88 - James W. Robinson Jr Secondary School in Fairfax, Virginia
• #98 Langley High School in McLean, Virginia
• #122 - W.T. Woodson High School in Fairfax, VA
• #129 - James Madison High School in Vienna, Virginia
• #165 - Oakton High School in Vienna, Virginia
• #178 - Stone Bridge High School in Ashburn, VA
• #193 - Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, Virginia
• #207 - West Springfield High School in Springfield, VA
• #249 - Fairfax High School in Fairfax, Virginia

I'd like to point out that Chantilly High School ranked 15 in the state, and Westfield High School ranked 16. This means that 15 of the top 20 schools in the entire state are located in our own Northern Virginia area. Congratulations to Virginia Educators! We appreciate all you do for our children and our future!

Happy Mother's Day

We would like to take a moment today to honor the Woman who gave us life, who cared for us when we were small. The person we can count on for anything, anytime we need her. Whether it's advice on how to remove a tick or the recipe for "that thing gram used to make that I loved so much as a kid".

Mothers are a seemingly tireless force in the world, the unseen warriors defending their children against bullying, boo-boos and relationships gone awry. Our Mothers believe in us when we are too frightened to, they swell with pride at our achievements, weep with us over our sorrows, and celebrate our joys. And they do it with all the human imperfections that make them perfectly unique.

For all the sleepless nights, all the times you stayed home with a sick child instead of doing something else. All the worry, all the heartache, stress and love and joy and exasperation.

Moms, we thank you for all that you sacrificed so that we could become who we are today.

Paul Joseph McCarty Benefit for the Parnell Family

Early this May the community of South Riding Virginia has some fantastic events going on, for an amazing cause. It is always heartening to see a community pull together to take care of one of their own.

The family chosen as the recipient of these events has a remarkable story. Sara Brown-Parnell is a single mother of four. She has fought Renal Cell Carcinoma (kidney cancer), thyroid cancer, seizures, and had both her kidney and thyroid removed. In October 2011 Sara learned that cancer had spread to her other kidney and had metastasized to the brain and lungs. Sara is undergoing chemotherapy and radiation all while trying to maintain her household and support her children. As you can imagine the medical costs alone are quite high.

This year the Parnell Family has been chosen as the recipient of the Paul Joseph McCarty Benefit. Golf Tournament on Monday May 14th 2012 at South Riding Golf Club. Events will be Saturday May 12th at Freedom High School and Monday May 14th.  See the full itinerary here


For more information about the Cormac Finn McCarty foundation, please click this link

DISCLAIMER
Our Real Estate team, it's owners partners and management and our Brokerage Keller Williams Realty are in no way affiliated with the Cormac Finn McCarty Foundation. We receive no compensation monetary or otherwise for posting this on our blog. 

We do however feel good about reaching out to help a local family in need.

Cinco de Mayo weekend in NoVA

There are more than a few exciting events happening this weekend in Northern Virginia that you may or may not have heard about. Here is a small sampling of  some events that sound very interesting for folks all over the Virginia, Maryland & DC area. Click on the links for more information.

1. Super Moon Saturday May 5th - The moon will be at it's closest point to the earth, producing what sounds like a glorious show
2. Virginia Gold Cup Races - A Fauquier County Tradition
3. Cinco De Mayo Running of the Chihuahuas - Chihuahuas y cervesas
4. Flower Mart at the National Cathedral - Flowers for sale, rides, food, vendors and much more!
5. National Harbor Wine & Food Festival - advance tickets closed, buy at the door!

This is by no means a comprehensive listing, but we are excited to share it anyway. As my Star Wars loving husband would say "May the 4th be with you".

It's Termite Season Again!

Hello Folks!
Yesterday I was sitting in my office looking out the window when I suddenly noticed a ridiculous number of what looked like ants with wings. That was when I realized, it's Termite Swarming season again! Termites are an insidious force that can do some serious damage to your home, and you may not even notice until they've been there for years. If you own a home in Northern VA keep an eye out for these little guys when the weather gets warm. If you see them, call your local pest control professionals right away before they have time to get into your walls.

Photo courtesy of www.bugmasters.com serving Southern California

 Now you may be thinking, "that's great but how do I know that they are termites and not ants?" Well here is a handy graphic to help you make that determination.

This photo is courtesy of all seasons pests serving St. Louis, MO

I was grateful to two very adorable birds yesterday afternoon who had quite a feast of termite swarmers right outside my window. Unfortunately, I didn't think to take a photo until the little fellas were eaten.

The Day the Earth Stood Still

On April 17, 2012, an otherwise fairly ordinary day, many of us had the opportunity to witness an extraordinary event. The arrival of the space shuttle Discovery. In Northern Virginia, this was a pretty big deal. Many people took time off from work for a chance to witness the flyover. Students at area schools stood out in the schoolyard hoping to see the flight. The folks at NASA arranged for Discovery and it's ferry aircraft to fly over some local neighborhoods. I like to think they did this to share the love of space exploration with everyone within view.

For a few brief moments the whole world stood still. People got out of their cars and stood along VA 28, a highway located close to Dulles International Airport, to see the shuttle come in for a landing. My brother-in-law Kevin & and his wife Erin shot this video:



I love the way an event like this brings people of all ages and backgrounds together. I'm told that people in offices all over the Washington D.C. area stopped what they were doing to watch the flyover from their windows. For a few moments, we were all connected in universal fascination.

I hope you were able to witness the flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery. According to NASA, the shuttle Enterprise is scheduled to leave Dulles for JFK on April 27th. Hopefully if you missed Discovery's flight, you can see Enterprise on the way out tomorrow...assuming the weather is nice.

For more photos of the preparations for the flight of Space Shuttle Discovery, see this article here.

Are Short Sales a better Deal?

Honestly? The answer is "maybe".
A short sale can be a fantastic deal. Some are in need of repairs, and some are in beautiful condition. The important thing to remember is just because a home is a short-sale, that doesn't mean the bank(s) will take ANY offer, even if the Seller will. Take for example this fabulous townhouse we have listed for sale in Chantilly Virginia.

This three bedroom two bath townhouse is currently listed for $355K, a great price on this size townhouse in South Riding. The issue? It's a short-sale which means any buyer who submits an offer has to understand that there will be a negotiation period of at least 3, possibly 6 months to obtain approval from both the first and second trust. They also need to understand that just because the Seller agrees to the terms of their offer, doesn't mean the bank is required to.

We have already received several calls from agents asking if they could offer $20K below list price, one with a cash buyer who was certain that would make all the difference to the bank. Any contract on a short-sale home is subject to third party approval, and the 3rd party doesn't see Cash as any more appealing than an FHA loan or a VA loan. Truthfully, the bank/investor couldn't care less where your money is coming from. They care about two things.

First - they want  to mitigate their losses. This means THEY WILL NOT TAKE JUST ANY OFFER THAT YOU PUT IN FRONT OF THEM. They are going to do the research. Before they agree to accept your offer they will have a local realtor or appraiser who is a neutral third party give them a value for the property. Let's face it, they're losing a LOT of money. Often in the 100 thousands. In many cases recently the bank actually comes back and asks the buyer for MORE than they originally offered.

Second - they care that you aren't doing anything fraudulent. They don't want you to buy the house for your cousin or your sister and let them rent it back from you at a lower cost because well, frankly that's unethical. They will likely require you to sign a statement saying that you are not in any way related to or affiliated with the Seller and that you do not intend to let them remain in the property after settlement.

This doesn't mean that you can't negotiate. But if you are a short-sale buyer, be cautious about looking at the top of your price range because you could end up waiting for 6 months only to find out that they will sell the property to you, but only if you are willing to pay another $15K that you may not have. So if the listing agent tells you you need to be "committed" to this offer and you need to be "reasonable with the market value" they aren't trying to gouge you, they're just trying to avoid months of stress for themselves, their seller and you that ends up being fruitless.