There is a lot of home remodeling going on in Northern Virginia and elsewhere. By some estimates there may be over $125 billion spent this quarter in home remod projects.  Yes, that is an incredible number. You want to be real careful if you are doing this to get your home ready to sell. Not all renovations are created equal.  Some may not be "worth it", according to Remodeling Magazine's 2011 Cost vs Value report. The real kicker is that some projects should never be started -- they may cause your home to be difficult or impossible to sell. One quick example is installing a new toilet that requires the discharge pipes to run along the living room ceiling.  Re-engineer that or forget it. An article on CNNMoney.com mentions several others projects you should never do: Don't add a 4th/5th... 03/01/2011

If you have been looking at North Carolina's Outer Banks for real estate investment,  part-time or full-time living, or a second home for future retirement,  this series on "The Communities of the Outer Banks" will add to your knowledge of OBX real estate and lifestyle. This video describes real estate investment possibilities in Roanoke Island and the town of Manteo, along with giving you a sense of the lifestyle in these communities. If you have an interest in other parts of the Outer Banks, check out our  Video Series of Outer Banks communities. In our brief profiles of Outer Banks communities, we take you on location to talk about the distinctive features of these locations with special emphasis on helping  real estate investors interested in OBX property. Also, if you are seriousl... 02/05/2011

  Ted: I may want to sell my house in the Brookfield neighborhood of Chantilly VA 20151 in the months ahead. It's an awesome community, but it looks like I will be relocating to Huntsville AL.  I was wondering if you could post a monthly report that will show homes that have sold here the last 3 months? I want to see what is happening with the sales trend in the neighborhood. Also, before you do that could you post a link to show me what homes are currently for sale in Brookfield as well as those that are under contract?         Steve: Happy to do so Ted. This report shows the 7 homes for sale in Brookfield and the 3 under contract as of January 25, 2011: Homes For Sale in Brookfield, Chantilly  VA 20151   The following report shows those 8 homes that have sold in Brookfield in the last... 01/25/2011

    Welcome to the Pleasant Valley January 2011 home sales report. Stop in monthly to see what homes are available and follow the trend by checking out what has sold as well. If you have not seen this fine community, visit the photo tour in the post below.       Pleasant Valley offers single family homes on large lots, a community pool and tennis. Coveniently located just off route 50 in Chantilly, it is close to Dulles Airport, Route 28 and the major employment centers of Herndon, Fairfax, Reston and all the Chantilly Business Parks.     This report shows the 3 homes for sale and the 3 under contract as of January 25, 2011  Homes For Sale in Pleasant Valley   The following report shows those 10 homes that have sold in Pleasant Valley in the last 6 months: Homes Sold in Pleasant Valley ... 01/25/2011

    Lucy: am not a person that just wants to eat meat and potatoes all the time and I am sorely dissapointed in the produce and international food sections of the standard local markets. Do you have any suggestions for alternative shopping venues in Western Fairfax County?       Steve: You are in luck. Herndon, Chantilly, and the western side of Fairfax City are close  to the Shangri La of international food emporiums. Lotte......The produce section is about 3 times the size of your basic Safeway or Giant's section and the prices are usually 1/3 to 1/2 that of other stores with nowhere near the selection.       Fresh snow peas generally run $4/lb at the Giant or Safeway...Lotte often runs specials at $.99/lb, but you can usually get them every day at $2.00/LB.  (We love snow peas can y... 01/11/2011

If you are thinking about the sale of your Chantilly or Northern Virginia home during 2011 you should go into it with full awareness of the particular challenges in the market now. We all know it is has been a tough real estate market, but if you have not sold your home in this kind of environment, you are best served by having as much honest information as you can get. We have done a series of shows on our Chantilly Radio podcast dealing with specific strategies to get your home sold well, even in the current market.  We deal with the practicalities, and well as the "mindset" that, from our perspective, helps sellers get through the home selling process with as little stress as possible, while getting the best price for their home. You will be doing yourself a favor by getting as much ... 01/01/2011

        More happy Loudoun County homebuyers. Jan and Steve Bachman of RE/MAX Gateway were the selling agents on 42876 Conrad Terrace a new construction town house in South Riding VA by Pulte.                       Our buyers were thrilled with the open floor plan and the many standard upgrades.   Signing the papers and getting the keys was almost a party.                             A smooth transaction all the way through, with the builder, lender and Realtor cooperating beautifully to meet the clients needs.                 This property delivered on time in perfect condition. Pulte's construction manager Tim Burke was on top of everything and was a pleasure to deal with. Pulte Homes builds a beautiful product and are extremely customer friendly. They aim to please.                 ... 12/21/2010

    Welcome to Pleasant Valley. Stop in monthly to see what homes are available and follow the trend by checking out what has sold as well. If you have not seen this fine community, visit the photo tour in the post below.       Pleasant Valley offers single family homes on large lots, a community pool and tennis. Coveniently located just off route 50 in Chantilly, it is close to Dulles Airport, Route 28 and the major employment centers of Herndon, Fairfax, Reston and all the Chantilly Business Parks.     This report shows the 7 homes for sale as of November 24, 2010  Homes For Sale in Pleasant Valley   The following report shows those 13  homes that have sold in Pleasant Valley in the last 6 months: Homes Sold in Pleasant Valley The links in these reports generally EXPIRE in 30 days fro... 11/24/2010

SOUTH RIDING HOMES FOR SALE UPDATE This is a South Riding Homes update for November 15, 2010.  South Riding in Chantilly VA is a planned golf, swim community in Chantilly VA 20152. South Riding a planned new homes swim, tennis, basketball courts, walking and bicycle pats, tot lots, recreation and golf community that was built and developed by Toll Brothers in Chantilly VA. Contained within the community are schools, shopping, super markets, dining, Home Depot, places of worship, a community center, dining, shops and public services. Here is a quick snap shot of single family detached homes for sale in South Riding as of Monday November 15, 2010. There are currently 30 MLS listings for South Riding Homes for Sale as of this post 10/15/2010 30 Active listings for South Riding Homes for Sa... 11/15/2010

    Feeling condensed, compressed and suppressed in your very organized suburban existence? Well, head out route 50 west and take your camera. Or take your best credit cards and keep going all the way to California. Check the map. There ain't much but open road and natural beauty once you pass Dulles Airport west of Chantilly.       If you are relocating to the Washington DC area from some piece of Eden in the rest of the world, and you are afraid that all you have to look forward to is sucking exhaust from the Volvo in front of you on the way back from the Pentagon, take heart. If you head out routes 7, 50 or 66 west of DC on a weekend you can be in the foothills of the Appalachians in 45 minutes.             After work on Saturday I headed out to the beautiful village of Middleburg VA... 11/15/2010

PROTECT OUR HOME PURCHASE AND PROTECT YOUR REAL ESTATE INVESTMENT Secret: Dark roofs do not last as long as light color roofs.  Further, light roofs reduce air conditioning costs by reflecting sunlight. Secret: Interest on your mortgage loan and real estate taxes are deducted from your gross income before computing your income tax. Wow. Secret: The agent's whose name is on the FOR SALE sign in the yard has promised the seller that he/she will get the best price for the seller. Secret: Earnest money deposits can be forfeited if a buyer falsely represents his/her financial ability to obtain financing. Secret: Real estate agents who work for companies that own lenders, title companies, termite companies, etc. often receive benefits for referrals to those affiliates. Secret: The advertiseme... 10/27/2010

South Riding Homes for Sale - the Villages Are you  looking for a great place and neighborhood to live in the suburban Washington DC area?  Have you considered homes for sale in South Riding?  You should! The Villages in South Riding is an exciting area in which to live in Chantilly VA.  What is most appealing about the South Riding Villages is that it looks like a traditional neighborhood that creates a sense of small town neighborhood in America.  The Villages takes you back to a different time and era in America.  It is a great feeling walk the sidewalks to see how well it looks and feels.  The Villages in South Riding according to Toll Brothers the builders is a Neo Traditional design that includes homes with front porches, picket fence front yards, sidewalks,  and a real alley acce... 10/22/2010

Pleasant Vally Homes for Sale, Chantilly VA 20151. October Report and Photo Tour.     Welcome to Pleasant Valley. Stop in monthly to see what homes are available and follow the trend by checking out what has sold as well. If you have not seen this fine community, visit the photo tour in the post below.       Pleasant Valley offers single family homes on large lots, a community pool and tennis. Coveniently located just off route 50 in Chantilly, it is close to Dulles Airport, Route 28 and the major employment centers of Herndon, Fairfax, Reston and all the Chantilly Business Parks.     This report shows the 7 homes for sale as of October 21, 2010  Homes For Sale in Pleasant Valley   The following report shows those 6 homes that have sold in Pleasant Valley in the last 3 months: Homes Sol... 10/21/2010

Chantilly Virginia New Homes for Sale   Searching for new homes in Chantilly VA?  That's a good idea.  New homes require less maintenance, are environmentally friendly, and are more energy efficient and also have a new home warranty that will prevent many major unexpected expenses in the coming years. That means a big savings to you in the long run.  On this page you can find new Chantilly VA homes for sale. So feel free to browse MLS listing for new homes in Chantilly VA 20152 in Loudoun County VA.  Find Chantilly new homes: single family homes, town homes, condos, luxury homes, custom homes and new builds in our finest communities.  Chantilly New Homes - Quick delivery, builder close outs, ready now and immediate delivery. If you see a home or community that interest you, please feel... 10/20/2010

Chantilly VA Photos Slide Show I had quite a few photographs of Chantilly VA just sitting on my hard drive and I thought it would be a great opportunity to share them with all so I don't delete them by mistake. So I created this simple Chantilly VA Photos Slideshow.  These were all take off Route 50 West (Towards Winchester) just past the Fairfax County line.  Some of the Chantilly photos are from Route 50 and others are from the new Eastgate area, and South Riding Subdivision.  I hope you enjoy the Chantilly photographs!  I will be posting more photos of Chantilly VA shortly. Chantilly VA Photo Slide Show  "Chantilly Virginia"Create a free slideshow with Picnik! Chantilly VA Homes for Sale: Chantilly Single Family Homes Chantilly Condos and Townhouses for Sale Chantilly Lots, Land and... 10/20/2010

Chantilly VA 20152 - Home Sales Report If you are interested in buying or selling a home in Chantily VA 20152 in Loudoun County then you should be interested in what is occurring in that Chantilly real estate market.  The 20152 zip code also serves homes for sale in South Riding. I have compiled a chart for the 20152 zip code for homes in Chantilly for the month of September 2010.  These are the most recent Chantilly home sales statistics and were just released by our MLS on October 10, 2010. 10/16/2010

  Brookfield Homes for Sale in Chantilly VA 20151. October Home Sales report.       Welcome to the Brookfield, Chantilly VA 20151 October Home Sales Summary.       The following reports will help you keep track of current home sales activity as well as sales trends over the last 6 months.     Homes for Sale in Brookfield as of October 11, 2010 .    Homes Sold in Brookfield Chantilly VA 20151 in the last 6 Months     The links in these reports generally EXPIRE in 30 days from the date of this post and become non functioning. Check in monthly for current data. OR just drop us an email and we will send you the current sales figures or set you up on an auto search so that you will ALWAYS have current data. You can set up you own search at Jan and Steve's Listing Book.   Here is the link to ... 10/11/2010

RE/MAX BRAVO | REMAX BRAVO | (540) 891-8888 42951 SHELBOURNE SQ, Chantilly, VA 3BR/2+3BA Townhouse offered at $364,900 Year Built 2002 Sq Footage 2,280 Bedrooms 3 Bathrooms 2 full, 3 partial Floors 3 Parking 2 Car garage Lot Size 1,742 sqft HOA/Maint $73 per month see additional photos below PROPERTY FEATURES - Central A/C - Central heat - Fireplace - Hardwood floor - Tile floor - Family room - Living room - Dining room - Basement - Balcony, Deck, or Patio ADDITIONAL PHOTOS Photo 1Photo 2Photo 3Photo 4Photo 5Photo 6 Contact info: RE/MAX BRAVO REMAX BRAVO (540) 891-8888 For sale by agent/broker Equal Opportunity Housing Posted: Oct 8, 2010, 3:55am PDT 10/08/2010

Fall is here! One of the best things about fall is visiting a pumpkin farm with your family. Here is a list with links to Pumpkin Patches in Loudoun County, enjoy! Leesburg Animal Park - Pumpkinville19270 James Monroe Hwy Leesburg, VA 20175 703-433-0002 Pumpkinville is a fall festival held annually at the Leesburg Animal Park. The Leesburg Animal Park is a great yet inexpensive way to have fun with the family!  They have pony rides, giant tortoises, lemurs, wagon rides and much more on 21 acres of fun. Great Country Farms 18780 Foggy Bottom Rd Bluemont, VA 20135 540-554-2073 Join them for some family fun on the farm with hayrides to u-pick fruits and vegetables. With their 2,800 sq. foot Pumpkin Jumpin' Pillow, 4 challenging mazes, giant slides, friendly farm animals, catch and release ... 09/29/2010

Fall is officially here and if your like me your looking for the perfect pumpkin patch for family fun. My number one pick would have to be Cox Farms in Centreville which was named by Northern Virginia Magazine as "Best of NOVA 2009" Family Friendly Event. If you want to see for yourself I've put together a list of Pumpkin Farms here in Fairfax County.  Burke Nursery and Garden Centre 9401 Burke Road, Burke, VA Phone: 703-323-1188 Fairfax County, Virginia Cox Farms: 15621 Braddock Road, Centreville, VA 20120 Phone: 703-830-4121 Fairfax County, Virginia Cox Farm Market 2599 Chain Bridge Road, Vienna, Virginia Phone: 703-281-0165 Fairfax County, Virginia Heather Hill Gardens 8111 Ox Road, Fairfax Station, VA Phone: 703-690-6060 Fairfax County, Virginia Krop's Crops 11110 Georgetown Pike, G... 09/28/2010