The Checklist Before You Buy

Finding a home that you can see yourself in for the next five to twenty-five years is a great feeling. Don’t let that feeling cloud your judgment and leave you with unexpected issues after the closing.
Here are a few things to consider before you buy:
1. Hire an expert to do your own home inspections and attend them if possible.
2. Evaluate possible repairs/immediate improvements. Ask the seller to repair them or include the cost into your bidding.
3. Purchase an environmental report.
4. Know all of the vital systems that connect to the house (electrical, sewage, heating, air conditioning, garbage disposal, and water.) Investigate the ins and outs of these systems.
5. Perform an energy audit. Confirm that your budget will match what your new home is going to cost on a monthly basis.
6. Examine potential neighborhoods with a 24 hour perspective. Are there any dogs howling late at night? Again be sure there are no regular surprises.
7. Do multiple practice commutes. One day is not enough time to judge the next 5+ years of driving to work. 8. Consider your furniture, electronics and appliances. Will they fit into the new home or will you need to purchase new home furnishings?
9. Know the local political landscape. Are there any issues you should know about? Make sure you understand how utilities, schools and public services are funded.
10. Research the local area to understand its economics, climate, and variables that will be part of your long-term lifestyle.

If you're considering a move, or hear that any family, friends, neighbors or colleagues are, please feel free to contact me.

Loudoun's Bed and Breakfast Tour

Have you ever wondered what the rooms look like in some of the local Bed and Breakfast Inns. This Sunday is your chance to find out. I can't wait to get a first hand look at the local B and B's and decide which ones I want to convince my husband to take me away to for our next wedding anniversary. Sunday is going to be a beautiful day and the drive around Loudoun's countryside is an added bonus to the wine and treats that are hosted out at some of the local stops. For more information click on the link below. I promise you will not be disappointed.

http://www.visitloudoun.org/events/details?id=138982

In The Land of Multiple Offers

The real estate market in Northern Virginia is busy. It's so busy that many of my clients have been competing against multiple offers. My buyers and I have run up against multiple offers on condos, townhouses and single family homes and getting that dream home just became a little more challenging. The buying power has increased and the homes priced well and in good condition are selling higher than their list price. I realize as buyers that it's a hard concept to grasp going over the list price on their offers since they are sure we haven't hit bottom yet. The point I try to explain to all my buyers is that there is no way to predict the bottom and it will have come and gone while they have been debating it.

I know that I preach that it's a perfect time to be a buyer, but it is. You get an $8000 tax credit and the ability to enjoy interest rates that are historically low. You can buy more house than ever before and you have a guarantee that you home will go up in value over the next few years.

With inflation alarms quietly sounding in the background of the Federal Reserve, we can be sure that our historically low interest rates will not be sticking around for ever. Please don't miss your opportunity to take advantage of a down market like we haven't seen in over a half of century.

Leesburg Flower and Garden Festival

Spring will arrive in Leesburg this weekend with the Annual Flower and Garden Festival. This is a wonderful event for the whole family to take part in. This is a perfect event to help you finally decide what to do about your own backyard. Please see the link below for more information.

http://www.idalee.org/parks/events/FlowerGarden/

A Great Day or Weekend Trip!

One of my favorite things to do as a child was to take long drives around the county with my parents. Loudoun county has amazing little towns and grand estates that can all be seen during a lazy afternoon drive. There are plenty of great antique shops and country stores along the way for rest stops. If you are looking for a weekend getaway than try staying at one of the local bed and breakfast inns in the area. I highly recommend The Goodstone Inn and Estate(http://www.goodstone.com/).

Loudoun's visitor website offers some suggestions of routes to take around Loudoun. Please check it out and plan a trip to see all the wonderful small town charm we have to offer.

http://www.visitloudoun.org/things-to-do/road-trip-itineraries/countryside/

Spring Time= Open Houses

The weather is suppose to be wonderful this weekend and a perfect time to check out what is on the market. Please click on link below to see what will be open this weekend.

http://matrix.mris.com/Matrix/Public/Email.aspx?ID=29390707411.

Enjoy!

8000 Reasons To Buy A House!

Home buyers can now take advantage of the $8000.00 new home buyer credit that the government is offering. The new credit applies to anyone who has not owned a principle residense in the last three years. The current credit will apply to anyone who has bought a home before 11/30/2009.

Click on the link to find more information about how the tax credit can apply to your home buying needs. http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/2009/home2.html

Traffic Reports

If you live in Loudoun, you know how hard it is to find a good traffic report. It seems like we are always forgotten in the radio and TV traffic reports. This has frustrated me for many years now and I finally found a reasonable solution. There are two websites that I can recommend to all you motorist who bang your head against the steering wheel everyday.

www.loudouncountytraffic.com- you can get automatic emails send to your phone with updates and they also share the cheapest gas information.

www.traffic.com- will allow you to set your normal commute route and will send you notifications about any traffic issues.

Happy commuting!

Eating Chocolates For A Good Cause

On February 20th, you have every reason to bring out your sweet tooth in support of The Loudoun County YMCA. All proceeds go to benefit the Building Bridges program that provides financial assistance for those who can't afford to enjoy all the wonderful programs that our YMCA has to offer.

There will be a special wine tasting featuring Tarara Wines. Please fill up on the all the chocolates and hors d'oeuvres you can handled while swinging to the music. There will be live and silent auctions at the event that are sure to bring in some extra dollars. Remember even your attendance is tax deductible!

Check out their website for all the details- www.chocolatesgalore.com.

January Market Statistics for Loudoun

There is more good news on the real estate front for Loudoun County. Our homes sales increased 31 percent from January of last year. Loudoun County closed 284 transactions this month compared to 216 in January of 2008. Our inventory is down from 3234 in January of 2008 to 2288 current active listings. The average sales price in 2008 was $431,811.00 compared to today's sales price of $328,254.00. The decline in sales prices is difficult news to share with those trying to sell right now but should serve as a reminder to all potential buyers that the time is now!

Featured Listing in Hamlets of Red Cedar

WHY BUILD NEW OR SINK $$ INTO A BANK OWNED PROP WHEN YOU CAN BUY THIS IMMACULATE HOME AT AN AMAZING PRICE! INCREDIBLE AMENITIES, 3 FULLY FIN LEVELS. GOURMET KIT W/GRANITE CNTRS & CHERRY CABS. SUNNY MORNING RM. LAUNDRY CHUTE. FIN BSMT W/EXERCISE RM, REC RM, FULL BA & 5TH BR. LUX MASTER, PRINCESS STE & 2 ADDL BRS W/J&J BA UP. BUILT IN BOOKCASES IN LIBRARY. TREX DECK & PAVER PATIO. PROF LANDSCAPING.

Want to see it for yourself...email me for an appointment.

Fighting For Loudoun Schools

The economic downturn is impacting Loudoun County Schools in a big way. The School Board meeting on Thursday had a large number of parents and teachers coming out to petition against shutting down Lincoln, Hillsboro, Middleburg and Aldie Elementary schools in order to save 2.2 million dollars for the next fiscal year. These elementary schools have been the launching point for our children's education and has allowed them to develop into great students. If we shut down these schools are children will be forced to larger class sizes and starting over in a whole new environment.



Loudoun County athletics are also on the chopping block. There is discussion for cutting all freshman sports and JV Lacrosse along with several coaching positions. Cutting the athletic programs will hurt the children who thrive in those environments. Athletics are a huge part of the high school experience and help teach our children valuable lessons of winning and losing. We should be encouraging our children to be active and be part of a organized group.



Finally, Special Education should always be important in our education system. Many people move to Loudoun for the Special Ed programs and will turn elsewhere to find a school system that will meet the needs of their children.



The School Board is forgetting that so many people move to Loudoun for the schools and by changing our standards we will have less people moving here and more people moving out because of it.



For more information check out the article in the Loudoun Times- http://loudountimes.com/news/2009/jan/16/parents-plead-school-board-spare-schools/

Dulles Metrorail Is Coming

There has been talk for years about bringing the Metro out to Western Fairfax and Loudoun County and it looks like we have a start date for phase one. The construction for phase one will begin in March of the this year and will be completed by mid summer of 2013. Phase One will bring the Metro out from East Falls Church to Wiehle Avenue in Reston. There will be four stops in the Tysons area and one at Wiehle.

The second phase that has yet to announce a start date but will bring six new stops that will include Reston Parkway, Herndon Monroe, Route 28, Dulles Airport, Route 606 and Ashburn.

The Metro is a welcome opportunity for Northern Virginia to cut down on traffic and pollution. I am sure anyone who drives down Route 7 at 7 am will appreciate an opportunity to hitch a ride on public transportation. For more information check out the following website-http://www.dullesmetro.com/.

Time To Hit The Slopes

Get away from all the hoopla in DC and hit the slopes. There are three ski resorts within 90 minutes or less of our front doors. It's cold outside and it's time to find a way to embrace it and skiing is it. If you missed out on the ski gene as I did, then check out the snow tubing. All the resorts offer ski lessons and it's never to late to give it a try. This is a great opportunity to burn up some energy and take in the cold but fresh air.

http://www.skiliberty.com/

http://www.skiwhitetail.com/

http://www.skiroundtop.com/

December Real Estate Stats For Loudoun

Loudoun Real Estate finished the year with a bang.

The County closed 389 transactions for December and that's up from 328 in 2007.

The monthly average and median sales prices remain constant from November to December but the 1 year change is huge. The county's average sales price in December 2007 was $473,366 and has dropped to $355,293 in December 2008. The county's average median price in December 2007 was $410,000 and that has dropped to $310,000 in December 2008.

There is good news with the inventory for the county. We have 2,346 active listings on the market right now and the same time last year there were 3,212 active listings. The county is at it's lowest inventory since August 2005. Bringing down the inventory is crucial for stabilizing home values.

The pending contracts are 397 which is up from 282 same time last year. This would point to a better start for the new year. There is an increase in activity which is being fueled by historically low interest rates.

The bottom line- it's a great time to buy! If you have any questions please feel free to email me at stacy@sherrywilson.com.

Free Rides To The Inauguration!

Good News for Loudoun County residents. There are free bus rides to the Inauguration throughout Loudoun County to the West Falls Church Metro station. This is the best option for getting into DC and witnessing this historic event.

• Purcellville—Departures from Franklin Park every 20 minutes between 4:05 a.m. and 6:35 a.m. Returns from West Falls Church Metro every 30 minutes between 3:00 and 8:00 p.m.

• Leesburg—Departures from 110 Catoctin Circle, S.E. every 10 minutes between 4:10 a.m. and 7:10 a.m. Returns from West Falls Church Metro every 15 minutes between 3:00 and 8:00 p.m.

• Dulles North Transit Center—Departures every 5 minutes between 4:15 a.m. and 7:05 a.m. Returns from West Falls Church Metro every 10 minutes between 3:00 and 8:00 p.m.

• Dulles South—Departures from Stone Ridge Village Center in Aldie every 20 minutes between 4:40 a.m. and 6:40 a.m. From 3:00 to 8:00 p.m., passengers may return to Dulles North from West Falls Church every 10 minutes. Shuttles from Dulles North to Dulles South will depart every 20 minutes until 8:30 p.m.

• Cascades area—Five scheduled departures from Broad Run Farms, Cascades and Lowes Island to West Falls Church between 4:39 a.m. and 8:04 a.m. Six scheduled returns between 3:10 p.m. and 7:55 p.m.

Please consult the metro website for the best stations to exit from-http://www.wmata.com/.

Remember to be safe and bring your money for the metro.