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Alexandria, VA Real Estate News

By Karen Kruschka, - "My Experience Isn't Expensive - It's PRICELESS"
(RE/MAX Executives)
    Stratford Landing is an extremely popular subdivision in the Mount Vernon section of Fairfax County.  As you travel south on the George Washington Parkway to Mount Vernon, the entrance to Stratford Landing is the last exit on the Parkway at Little Hunting Creek. One of the attractions is that many different builders are represented in both the style, size and type of home.  There isa community membership pool that has good community support for their swim team. Fort Hunt Park is just a few minutes away. Also, the bike/jogging trail along the Potomac River and  the George Washington Memorial Parkway is well used by the homeowners.  Traffic patterns on the Parkway have not changed dramatically over the past two decades facilitating inbound travel during the rush hour.  It is also abou...
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By Brian Block, Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate
(RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President)
Presenting a brand new video:  A surprise VIP visitor wants to buy a home in Northern Virginia.  Alexandria was his hometown and he returns in 2008 to find his home is no longer his.  Who else to help him in his quest but Northern Virginia REALTOR and Associate Broker with RE/MAX Allegiance, Brian Block?  Take a peek at this entertaining, educational, and informative video about Virginia real estate.
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By Christopher Lotte, Central Ohio Real Estate Agent, 614-390-9243
(Coldwell Banker)
Alexandria, VA Subdivisions 22303 ZipcodeI have been working on a list of real estate subdivisions for Alexandria, Virginia in the 22303 Zipcode. Please let me know if I have missed any good ones....Annalane Terrace |Berkshire East |Burgundy Farm |Burgundy Manor |Burgundy Village |Elmwood |Fair Haven |Farrington Place |Fort Lyon |Fort Lyon Heights |Hickory Knoll |Hunting Creek Club Apts |Huntington |Huntington Club |Jefferson Manor |Midtown |Midtown Alexandria |Midtown Alexandria |Midtown Station Condos |Montebello |Pavilions At Huntington |Penn Daw Village |Pointe At Park Center | Also if anybody knows any good places to get a comprehensive list of subdivisions for Alexandria, Virginia or any / all cities for our Alexandria Real Estate Website, I would appreciate it...
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By Christopher Lotte, Central Ohio Real Estate Agent, 614-390-9243
(Coldwell Banker)
Alexandria, VA Subdivisions 22302 ZipcodeI have been working on a list of real estate subdivisions for Alexandria, Virginia in the 22302 Zipcode. Please let me know if I have missed any good ones....Alexandria |Beverley Estates |Beverley Hills |Bolling Brook |Bolling Brook Towers |Braddock Heights |Chapel Hill |Fairlington Towne |Kenwood Towers |Kingsgate |Maple Grove |Northampton Place |Parc East |Park Place |Parkeast |Parkfairfax |Pointe At Park C |Seminary Heights |Skyline Village |Timber Branch Park |Virginia Heights | Also if anybody knows any good places to get a comprehensive list of subdivisions for Alexandria, Virginia or any / all cities for our Alexandria Virginia Real Estate Website, I would appreciate it...
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By Christopher Lotte, Central Ohio Real Estate Agent, 614-390-9243
(Coldwell Banker)
Alexandria, VA Subdivisions 22301 ZipcodeI have been working on a list of real estate subdivisions for Alexandria, Virginia in the 22301 Zipcode. Please let me know if I have missed any good ones....Abingdon |Braddock Heights |Del Ray |Park Place |River Terrace/Del Ray |Rosemont |Rosemont Park |South Braddock Heights |Temple Park | Also if anybody knows any good places to get a comprehensive list of subdivisions for Alexandria, Virginia or any / all cities for our Alexandria VA Real Estate Website, I would appreciate it...
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By Brian Block, Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate
(RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President)
Tomorrow marks the official first day of Spring in Alexandria, Virginia.  Well, actually it's the first day of Spring everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, but for purposes of this blog, we're only concerned with Northern Virginia and Washington D.C. The next four months are typically the busiest real estate selling season in the entire year.  It's a good time to focus in and take a look at the available inventory in various price ranges.  Many more homes will likely be coming on the market in the next few weeks as the Spring market (and hopefully the weather) heats up.  As more properties come on the market, you'll likely see prices reduced on homes that have been on the market throughout the Wintertime as sellers become more anxious to get a deal.  Coupled with this week's interest r...
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By Suzanne Leedy, CRS, epro500
(McEnearney Associates)
Hi, this is new for me...so give me a break!  I am a full-time real estate professional working with buyers and sellers in the "close to DC" counties of Fairfax, Arlington, cities of Alexandria and Falls Church.  I live in the Kingstowne area and my office is in Arlington, so I get around! Regardless of what we see and hear from the media, the Northern Virginia area is less affected by the declining home market than a lot of areas of the country.  If the home is well priced and in good condition, it is selling. The price declines of the past year have begun to creep back up....and based on the latest numbers from the Northern Virginia Board of Realtors...I honestly think we have hit the bottom.  While this may not be true for condos (depending on the building/community) they too are beg...
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By Brian Block, Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate
(RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President)
Death and taxes... You've heard that one before.  How's this for adding insult to injury? Alexandria Virginia homeowners are still trying to digest the news that their homes have slipped in value.  Well, unless you've been ignoring the national, regional, and local news, or haven't crawled out of your shell in a while, you were well aware that home values in Alexandria which had skyrocketed over the past 5 or 6 years took a little hit over the last year.  It's just that it's different when you see the reality printed on a little piece of paper you received in the mail about a month ago -- the annual tax assessment.  Read about it here: You've Got Bad News & Good News -- Which Do You Want to Hear First? Seeing it in writing somehow makes it official.  Unless you are trying to sell your h...
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By Brian Block, Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate
(RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President)
First things first.  A big announcement (cue drumroll): Yesterday, I passed the Virginia Real Estate Broker's Exam!  180 hours of education in Real Estate Finance, Real Estate Appraisal, Real Estate Broker Law, and Real Estate Brokerage Management -- a full day of class every Thursday since August now completed.  Volumes and volumes of real estate knowledge now crammed into this Virginian's head.  Filing into the exam center yesterday at noon alongside candidates for General Contractor, HVAC Repair, and Journeyman Electricians, I sat in front of terminal #10 ready and rearing to go as the questions started appearing on the screen.  45 minutes allotted to the Virginia section and 105 minutes were allotted to the National portion of the exam.  As I answered question upon question, I reali...
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By Brian Block, Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate
(RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President)
It's trite but true.  March comes in like a lion but out like a lamb.  (Read more about the weather in D.C. and Northern Virginia).While you are enjoying the transition from Winter to Spring, here are some upcoming events in Northern Virginia that you might enjoy during the month of March:   Everyone loves a good parade, right?  Hot of the heels of the successful George Washington's Birthday Parade, Old Town Alexandria hosts a St. Patrick's Day Parade & Celebration on Saturday, March 1st.  Why March 1st when St. Patrick's Day isn't until the 17th?  I don't know for sure, but to participate, head down to Old Town between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and be sure to wear your green.  You might head to Murphy's on King Street or Pat Troy's Ireland's Own restaurant for lunch afterwards.     Hist...
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By Brian Block, Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate
(RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President)
Single family homes in Alexandria?  No way!  Alexandria's a condo and townhouse kinda town, you say.Yes, that's true.  Many of the homes in the City of Alexandria are spread throughout some of the large townhouse communities such as:Cameron StationStonegateThe Townes at Cameron Parke Condominiums are located throughout Alexandria:Watergate at LandmarkCarlyle TowersVarious Alexandria Condos   Yet single family homes in the City of Alexandria remain more elusive.  In fact, less than 16% of the homes currently on the market in Alexandria are single family homes.  Believe it or not, the 118 currently available detached single family homes in Alexandria are available in all price ranges from $400K up to $3.5 million.  Review the chart below for the number currently available in each price ra...
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By Brian Block, Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate
(RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President)
It was the best of times.  It was the worst of times.  So began the classic Charles Dicken novel "A Tale of Two Cities."  When a friend comes to you proclaiming that he's got some bad news and some good news, which do you want to hear first?  Is the glass half full or half empty?  In the immortal words of Guns N'Roses Poison, "every rose has its thorn, just like every night has its dawn."  And they say that every cloud has a silver lining.Okay, enough with the clichés.If you own a home in Northern Virginia (like I do), you likely received or soon will receive your Notice of 2008 Real Estate Assessment from the county or city were you live.   Bad news first:  more than likely the value of your home declined.  In the City of Alexandria, for example, residential condominiums declined an av...
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By Brian Block, Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate
(RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President)
On Eisenhower Avenue in Alexandria, centered smack dab between the blue line Van Dorn metro stop and Whole Foods Market at the gateway to Old Town Alexandria lies the popular townhouse community Townes at Cameron Parke.  This neighborhood of 230 townhouses offers stylish living with easy access to area transportation and attractions.         Whether you work in Old Town Alexandria, Washington D.C., elsewhere in Northern Virginia, or even Maryland, living at the Townes at Cameron Parke makes your commute easy.  The DART bus stops on Eisenhower Avenue right in front of the neighborhood.  Old Town is a quick and easy 2 mile drive east.  The on-ramp for the Capital Beltway, Route 495 to Tysons Corner and 95 to the Wilson Bridge and Maryland is only a mile away.  Van Dorn metro station is ju...
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By Brian Block, Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate
(RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President)
People who are selling their homes need be cognizant of the questions that buyers ask when viewing homes.  The first question on every buyer's mind is invariably:  How Long Has That House Been on the Market?  A close second and closely linked with the first question is the ever present query: Will the Sellers Come Down on the Price? Other variations of this question include:For how much do you think we can buy this house?What would the seller's accept for their home?Is there negotiating room on this one?What should our initial offer be?How low should we go?Knowing that potential buyers will ask these questions and submit low-ball offers, many Northern Virginia homeowners wishing to sell their homes continue to price their homes at above the price that the market will bear, hoping to pro...
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By Brian Block, Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate
(RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President)
Hot of the heels of finding out that Alexandria, Virginia was ranked as the Most Romantic City in the United States (just in time for Valentine's Day), I've now learned that Alexandria is a "Cool City!"  Yes, I've known for a while that Alexandria is a cool place to live with its great restaurants, exciting nightlife, historic Old Town homes, varied housing options, the Potomac River, and the new environmentally friendly T.C. Williams High School.In November 2005, the Sierra Club recognized the City of Alexandria as a "Cool City," due to its commitment of environmental sustainability and other efforts of keeping green.  According to the Sierra Club, a "Cool City" is a city that has made a commitment "to stopping global warming by signing the U.S. Mayors' Climate Protection Agreement. Be...
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By Cindy Jones, Pentagon, Fort Belvoir & Quantico Real Estate News
(Integrity Real Estate Group)
In the early 1950's two future presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford called Parkfairfax home.  My parents lived just one door down from the Nixon's in what were at the time rental apartments located in Alexandria VA.  Originally built constructed in 1941 to fulfill a housing shortage need for government employees close to Washington DC the homes today still are popular with buyers of all ages.  The originally developer of the property was the same construction company that built the Empire State building. A total of 286 buildings were built containing 720 one bedroom units, 863 two bedroom units and 101 three bedroom units.   In 1968 the buildings were sold to a new development company (200+ acre land was retained) and were remodeled with the new kitchens and in the wall AC units.  F...
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By Brian Block, Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate
(RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President)
Straddling Braddock Road in Alexandria, the community of townhouses at Stonegate is a stone's throw away from Northern Virginia Community College, Fort Ward Park & Civil War Museum, Route 7, Route 395, and everyone's favorite hamburger joint Five Guys. What many people do not know is the archaeological significance of the community.  A Washington Post article from last year, "5-in-1 Community is Still a Discovery," details that "Several uncovered "chipping clusters" and projectile points ranging from 3,500 to 1,000 B.C. led researchers to believe the site served as several temporary settlements where Native Americans would form tools from cobbles found in the streambed."  My bet is that few homeowners in this popular Alexandria neighborhood are aware of the historical significance of th...
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By Brian Block, Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate
(RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President)
What the heck does he mean by that title?  In Northern Virginia, A is not always A.  To make sense of this, you must understand that in addition to counties, Virginia also has independent cities, with separate city governments and services that are not part of any county.  Thus, the mailing address of that home you saw may say Alexandria, but it is actually within Fairfax County.  The same holds true for Falls Church versus Falls Church City and Fairfax County and Fairfax City.All of this can be quite confusing for visitors and people looking for homes in Northern Virginia.  Why does this matter?   One reason is that independent cities have their own school systems.  Do you want your children going to the new T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria?  If you live in Kingstowne or down by...
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By Brian Block, Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate
(RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President)
THE FEEDING OF ALLIGATORS CANNOT BE A POSITIVE STEP FOR OUR COMMUNITY.  WE HAVE MANY YOUNG CHILDREN AND PETS IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD.  PLEASE STOP FEEDING THE ALLIGATORS!So read the letter my parents received several years ago from the Homeowner's Association (HOA) in their Boca Raton, Florida community.  Their property backs to an artificial lake where White Egrets, Great Blue Herons, and turtles abound.  Alligators occasionally visit, but much less since their HOA took some action.My parents and I often joke about this matter-of-fact letter from their HOA, even though the reality is no laughing matter. Take a look at the letter that I received yesterday at the door of my Alexandria, Virginia condo: "Someone is either feeding the birds or dropping Cheerio Cereal off of their balcony and i...
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By Brian Block, Northern Virginia & D.C. Real Estate
(RE/MAX Allegiance, Managing Broker/Branch Vice President)
Love is in the air!  Literally. Valentine's Day lurks around the corner in just over 2 weeks.  Amazon.com just announced the Top 20 Most Romantic Cities in the U.S.A.  Guess what?  It's no surprise that the Commonwealth of Virginia tops the list with 3 cities.  After all, people around the country and the world know our state slogan "Virginia is for Lovers." Better than that, ALEXANDRIA, VIRGINIA WAS NAMED THE MOST ROMANTIC CITY IN THE COUNTRY. Alexandria beat out such places as Miami, Atlanta, San Francisco, and Austin (respectively numbers 3, 10, 15, and 18).  Neighboring Arlington, Virginia ranked #9, and Washington D.C. was #11.  Richmond, the capital of Virginia held its own for romantic inclinations at #19.  So, while people may leave their hearts in San Francisco, they obviously ...
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