LoCo Real Estate Musings

Just a Quick Hello…

Heather Elias — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:38:56 +0000

I wanted to take a minute to post a quick update here. If it seems a little quiet around here, it’s because I spent last weeekend at the Real Estate BlogWorld conference learning lots of fantastic things that will hopefully make me a better blogger. Tomorrow I’m heading to Baltimore for a couple of days for the Virginia Association of Realtors convention, where I will attend some sessions that will help me continue my real estate education, and will be blogging along for those who couldn’t make it. You can follow me on Twitter if you want the scoop here, or read my posts on the convention’s blog here.

I will be reachable by cell phone if any of my clients should need my assistance…please don’t hesitate to call! Next week will be back to normal…

Cheers,

Heather

Posted in Heather Elias, News, Places, Real Estate

Loudoun Supervisors approve permanent ‘tall grass’ ordinance

Heather Elias — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:15:54 +0000

Looking to combat the high number of overgrown lawns in the county that have ‘sprung up’ with the high number of foreclosed homes, the Board of Supervisors approved an ordinance on September 8th that will give the county more authority to cut tall grass. It applies to homes on lots smaller than a half acre, when grass is taller than 12 inches; the county will issue a warning first, and then send out crews to mow the lawn. Owners are then billed for the work. Supervisors still need to set up a system to recoup those bills that go unpaid; they are considering including the mowing cost on the homeowner’s county tax bill.

A temporary emergency ordinance to do so had been passed by supervisors in July, and was set to expire this week, prompting their action to make the ordinance permanent.

Cheers,

Heather

Nehemiah and Ameridream Down Payment Assistance.. a reprieve?

Heather Elias — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 15:32:40 +0000

According to Inman News today, HR 6694, a bill in Congress right now that would craft a compromise to allow down payment assistance programs to continue, seems to be gaining momentum. It looks like they are considering FICO score guidelines in the compromise; the bill was presented after Congress passed HR 3221 on July 30, effectively discontinuing the programs as of October 1, 2008.

Downpayment assistance programs, including Nehemiah and Ameridream, allow home sellers to contribute funds toward the purchaser’s down payment, helping people who might otherwise not be able, to become homeowners.

I’ll be watching the progress on this closely; I’ve helped clients close on homes using these programs and feel that they can be very succesful and helpful for purchasers.

Posts that I have written regarding these programs in the past:

If you have any questions about these programs, or about homebuying in general, please email me at info@heatherelias.com or call me at 571-233-5491.

Cheers,

Heather

Loudoun Tidbits and Updates

Heather Elias — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 13:47:38 +0000

Did you notice that my blog has been a little quiet for the last week or so? The school year has begun for Loudoun County, and with it the fall youth sports season is in full swing. If you see me in the evenings playing taxi for my kiddos, please wave! Never a dull moment…

A few things of note have happened for Loudoun County in the last week:

HCA Virginia‘s Broadlands Regional Medical Center plans were given the go ahead by the Loudoun County Planning Commission. It still needs approval from the Board of Supervisors; the Planning Commission is holding a public hearing to review the application onSeptember 25th at 6 pm, at Eagle Ridge Middle School in Ashburn. You can read more here at Loudoun Extra.
The Play to Win sports facility in Ashburn on Belmont Ridge Road gained approval from the Board of Supervisors; it is expected to be completed in about a year, and will add 6 artificial outdoor fields and three interior fields on a 40 acre complex. Read more in my previous post.
Loudoun Extra now has a twitter feed, you can follow them here. (and if you are so inclined, you can follow me here!)

Cheers,

Heather

A Little Bit Here, a Little Bit There

Heather Elias — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:05:54 +0000

As an aside, I went on a listing presentation this past week. The townhome that these folks want to sell is absolutely, positively, pristine. From top to bottom. As I walked through the home with them, before we even got upstairs, I told them, “I could comfortably put a lockbox on your front door, and a sign in your yard, RIGHT NOW, and not be worried about how the house will show. It’s perfect.” And I meant it.

The reason was not necessarily the color choices on the walls (which were tasteful) or the updated kitchen appliances (which were upgrade, and very nice). The main reason was because they had maintained and updated this home over the ten years that they had owned it. They didn’t do a mad scramble two weeks before they wanted to sell it to try to get it ready. Sure, they had cleaned it well, removed personal items, and done all of the things that you do to prep right before the buyers start coming through. But you could tell that over time, all the things that you should do to keep your home tip top had been done.

The heating system had routine maintenance done. The porch on the back was enclosed, heated, and air conditioned. The kitchen cabinets had been refaced. I could go on and on. As a listing agent, this is a dream to see. You can have the confidence that there will probably be no big surprises at the home inspection, because these homeowners were taking care of the house all along. Not to mention that there wasn’t a speck of dust anywhere. Potential buyers are always happy to see a well maintained home.

Moral of the story: work on your house while you live in it. Stay on top of the little things that need doing, so that you don’t have to do them all at once later. Not only does it make your home nice while you are living in it, it makes it much easier to sell when the time comes.

Cheers,

Heather

Beazer Homes Immediate Delivery Deals in Loudoun

Heather Elias — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 14:09:05 +0000

Got a “Beazer Insider” update this week with some immediate delivery homes at very good prices!

In their townhome community at Lansdowne Town Center, they have a Vickery model, brick front, two car garage townhome for $389,990, with three bedrooms, two full baths, and two half baths; the kitchen has maple cabinets, stainless steel appliances, and hardwood floors.
In the Residences at Lansdowne Town Center (condo ownership, garage townhome style), they have an Aspen model for $324,990, with two bedrooms, two and half baths; the upper level family room has a corner fireplace and deck.
Also in the Residences is a Vail model for $349,990 that has three bedrooms, two and half baths; the kitchen is outfitted with cherry cabinets and stainless steel appliance and the unit is over 2400 square feet.
At the Residences at Brambleton, there is a Vail model for $329,990 with three bedrooms, two and a half baths; the kitchen has hardwood floors, upgraded lighting, granite counters, and stainless steel upgraded appliances.
In Village Green in Leesburg they have a Garnet model single family home on a corner lot for $499,990 with a finished recreation room in the basement.
Also in Village Green is a Chancery model two car garage townhome for $349,990 with a family room fireplace, extended morning room off the kitchen, and a cafe bar on the 3rd level.

Beazer has immediate delivery homes in other Northern Virginia communities, if you would like that information drop me an email and let me know.

If you are interested, have questions, and/or would like to take a look at any of these, please call me at 571-233-5491 or email me at info@heatherelias.com .

Cheers,

Heather

Ameridream and Nehemiah Programs May Be Eliminated

Heather Elias — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 19:22:31 +0000

Seller funded down payment assistance programs are set to be eliminated by this fall, unless Congress approves the FHA Seller-Financed Downpayment Reform and Risk-Based Pricing Authorization Act of 2008 (H.R. 6694). The Department of Housing and Urban Development apparently would rather eliminate these programs entirely than regulate them. The video above is from Ameridream, and I’m not sure if their numbers include homebuyers that used other down payment assistance programs (like Nehemiah), but the bottom line is that thousands of potential homebuyers will not be able to purchase homes if the programs are discontinued.

Please visit www.supporthomeownership.com if you would like information on the programs or to take action and send a letter to Congress showing your support of the bill.

You can read my previous posts on the Nehemiah Program here:

Nehemiah Program Explained (see first comment with an update from Scott Fournier, a lender, on the new bill in Congress)
Nehemiah and Ameridream Downpayment Assistance Programs

If you have questions, please feel free to email me at info@heatherelias.com or call me at 571-233-5491 .

Cheers,

Heather

(and thank you to Jonathan Dalton at AllPhoenixRealEstate.com for the heads up on the video)

(UPDATE: Nehemiah also has a website up to fight elimination of Downpayment Assistance Programs: www.dpagroundswell.org/ …thanks to Danilo Bogdanovic for sending me the link.)

(FURTHER UPDATE: Congress is considering a reprieve! Read HERE)

Going Dark Today to Honor Sheila Lublin

Heather Elias — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 11:38:44 +0000

Much has been written about ‘virtual communities’ and online friendships. I could write a long post and tell you how it’s very easy to develop lasting and meaningful friendships online, that carry over into ‘real life’ as well, but today is not the day for that. Earlier this week, a friend of mine, Bill Lublin, came home to find that the love of his life had passed away far too soon. Sheila Lublin will be laid to rest this morning at 10 am, and LoCoMusings is going dark today in her honor. Bill requested that his friends in the blogging world take the day to spend with their families, appreciating the blessings in our respective lives, and that is what I will be doing.

I had the distinct pleasure of spending time with Sheila twice this year; once in Washington DC and once in San Francisco. She was a wonderful, loving woman, and words can’t describe the vastness of this loss. The real estate community has set up a fund to donate to the American Cancer Society in Sheila’s memory, which can be found here. If you could, take a moment today to say a prayer for Bill and family.

Peace and love,

Heather

(image courtesy of Agent Genius)

2008 Team Joe Golf Tourney for INOVA NICU Coming Up!

Heather Elias — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 16:30:33 +0000

From Denny Petrella and the Team Joe crew:

Plans are underway for the Second Annual Team Joe Charity Golf Tournament. Last year’s inaugural tournament was a huge success, raising $25,000 that was donated to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at INOVA Fairfax Hospital for Children. We’re hoping to raise even more this year!

Joe Petrella was born 12 weeks early, and entered this world weighing only 1½ pounds. He had to fight for his life the moment he took his first breath. Joe was fortunate to have a team of doctors, specialists, and nurses waiting for him when he arrived at the NICU moments after being born. They diligently looked after him to make sure he survived those critical first few minutes, hours, and days, and never left his side for the next 104 days. These wonderful people do this for many of the high risk births from all over our region. Together, we can help them to continue to give the outstanding care to all the miracle babies who enter their doors.

The hospital will soon be breaking ground on the construction of a new NICU. As part of this project they will have a family lounge that will be inside of the NICU. This is a much needed addition to the facility in that parents will have a place to take a break, meet with doctors, and spend time with other family members… all within the walls of the NICU. We will be providing the funds for the furnishing of this room, so the more funds we raise, the more amenities we’ll be able to provide. This lounge will be called “Joe’s Room,” and with your help we’ll create a comfortable space where families can take a much needed break and spend more time closer to their baby.

We would really appreciate it if you can help us in any way possible, either by sponsoring, playing, donating prizes, volunteering, or anything else you could do to help. Please pass on this email to anyone you know who might also be interested in helping us. We know that everyone has a very hectic schedule, but we would really appreciate you taking the time to help us.

Please visit our website, www.teamjoe.org. Be sure to look at the Team Joe Golf 2007 page and all of our wonderful sponsors. Without their help, and the help of many volunteers, the tournament would have not been such a huge success. Please help us make 2008 even better!

Special offer: Register and pay by September 3rd and you will automatically be entered in a special raffle. We sold out the tournament last year, so secure your spot and register early. Entry deadline is September 26th.

The tournament is going to take place at Westpark Golf Club on Friday, October 3rd, with a 10 am shotgun start. Visit the website at www.TeamJoe.org to download the registration form or to donate. Thanks for helping support a great cause!

Cheers,

Heather

Loudoun County Info Now on CrimeReports.com

Heather Elias — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 14:22:34 +0000

Loudoun County residents can now use www.CrimeReports.com to keep track of police reports in the county. The county Sheriff’s office uploads data every night now to the map based system. You can sign up for email alerts for free; and the system shows all calls to the Sheriff’s office regardless of whether they turn into a crime report or an arrest. Calls for incidents involving sexual assault, domestic violence, or medical calls will not be displayed so as to protect the privacy of the victims.

I took a peek at it this morning; while it doesn’t provide a lot of data other than the time and type of call (with the location), it will probably eliminate those folks that call the sheriff’s office to ask why there was a cruiser in their neighborhood the night before. I always say that information is power, so any potential homebuyer could use this as a tool to compare neighborhoods well before they put in an offer on a home.

Kudos to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Department, I think this will be a useful tool!

Cheers,

Heather