Mid-Atlantic Home & Garden Show brings home inspiration just in time for spring   The New Home Expo and Mid-Atlantic Home & Garden Show by the Tidewater Builders Association opened yesterday at the Virginia Beach Convention Center. Thousands of people will get a great look at innovative ideas for their homes and their backyards when they walk through the exhibit hall. Seminars will be going on all weekend, and builders, contractors, and various designers are on hand to help you with any home improvement project or new home plans that you may have. I saw alot of cool backyard kitchens and fire pits yesterday that would look great at my home. Nora Firestone, pictured above, gave an interesting and creative DIY Kitchen presentation at the Sherwin-Williams booth. (She'll be there again toda... 03/09/2012

Don't miss this big event tomorrow, Friday, March 9th! HRRA"s New Home Expo is being held in conjunction with TBA's Mid-Atlantic Home & Garden Show, and REALTORS® get in free on Friday, March 9 - if you bring your business card! Complete your Eazy Pass and you'll be eligible for cash door prizes! There will also be Free Seminars in Expo all weekend including: Outsmart the Current Credit Crisis with Douglas Muir, CEO of Credit Justice Services; Careers in Real Estate; Energy Tips and Tricks from an Energy Professional; Evernote© for your iPad and iPhone; and Keynote© for the iPad and iPhone. Learn more about this fantastic event here.     For Information about East West Partners’ communities, visit www.eastwestcommunities.com. Discover the best in lifestyle communities at Founders Pointe... 03/08/2012

The 2012 Shamrock Marathon is Almost Here! If you are looking for an active way to celebrate St Patrick's Day, this year you will find no better alternative than the 40th Annual Shamrock Marathon and 8K Run in Virginia Beach, Virginia. The marathon is a qualifying race for those interested in the Boston Marathon. This event is not just for the hard core runners but also offers events like a children's run, a half marathon and plenty of live entertainment. Dates: March 16 through 18, 2012 Location: Registration packets can be picked up between 1:00-9:00 pm on March 16 or between 10 am and 5 pm on March 17 at the Virginia Beach Convention Center located at 1000 19th Street in Virginia Beach. Registration and the schedule of events can be found at ShamrockMarathon.com. This website contain... 03/03/2012

Attention Beach Lovers! I have something of interest for your eyes!  Have you ever dreamed of waking up and wandering out your door and POOF the beach awaits you...well it is possible! Check out the video for 2234 Vista Circle, Virginia Beach!   02/07/2012

What makes people decide to buy a new home? What are the real factors behind the buying decision? Technology is great, but Selling is still a one on one business. In this age of technology, social media, blogging, virtual tours, and searching for new homes "online", it's a good reminder for salespeople to really break down the home buying process and understand what makes people decide to buy a new home. Do they really need another home? Are they looking for a deal or are they trying to improve their lives? Sure, people buy for different reasons, and sometimes they don't really tell us why...we often think it's about price. Well, it's not always about price. Do people buy facts and figures or do they buy the benefits of what the purchase will bring them? (I'm no expert, but I have liste... 02/04/2012

The Meyers Speak About Their Life In The Riverfront A video of Kristin and Mike Meyers discuss the reasons they love living in The Riverfront at Harbour View, located in Suffolk, Virginia. They have enjoyed this resort-style community for more than 10 years and especially enjoy leisure time in the many neighborhood parks and trails, as well as participating in the children’s activities and adult social events that take place year around. The Riverfront Residents' Club offers many opportunities for socail interaction and good times with your family and friends...  A Residents’ Club with resort-style amenities and programmed activities Challenging 18-hole championship golf course designed by Tom Doak Elegant clubhouse with indoor and outdoor fireplaces, large plasma screen, and gazebo Cab... 01/25/2012

ALL SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE HAVE ROUTINES.  YOU VERY RARELY EVER SEE ANYONE TOTALLY UNORGANIZED AND SUCCESSFUL AT THE SAME TIME.  I HAVE RECENTLY SPENT A WEEKEND WITH A COUPLE WHO INDIVIDUALLY HAS A ROUTINE IN WHICH THEY BOTH ABIDE BY ON A DAILY BASIS.  THERE UNDERSTANDING OF HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IS BY REPEATING WHAT HAS OR WHAT WILL MAKE THEM NOT ONLY FINANCIALLY STABLE, BUT ALSO FISCALLY.  THE MAN I WAS WITH STARTED HIS MORNING LIKE MOST OF US; WITH A SHOWER, BREAKFAST AND A MORNING CUP OF JOE. HE WAKES UP AT THE SAME TIME AT 615 AND GOES TO WORK AT 7.  MIND YOU, HE IS THE OWNER OF THIS COMPANY. HE HAS EMPLOYEES AND SECRETARIES THAT COULD TECHNICALLY DO ALL THAT HE DOES, BUT HE CHOOSES NOT TO RELY ON OTHERS FOR SUCCESS.  TO CONTINUE WITH HIS DAY, HE IS VERY STRICT. AT LUNCH, HE WILL WALK TO... 01/24/2012

Another great reason to move to Virginia beach it was rated The Best Run City!!!!  24/7 Wall St. ranked 100 cities from the best to the worst run.   The best-run city is Virginia Beach, Va. The worst-run city ranked 100 was Miami, Fla. Virgina Beach was found to rank high in having a low poverty rate, steady employment levels, and scored high in how  the city's debt was managed.  Stats VIA 24-7.com 1. Virginia Beach, Va. Violent crime per 1,000 people: 1.88 (8th-lowest) Poverty rate: 7.5% (3rd-lowest) Adult population that graduated from high school: 93.1% (5th-highest) Credit rating: Aaa (negative outlook) Population: 439,172 Virginia Beach is, by our measurement, the best-run city in the U.S. Located on the eastern shore of Virginia, the city is one of the most prosperous in the coun... 01/16/2012

WE JUST DROPPED THIS FROM 320K TO 240K Another great beauty listed by Keller Williams Realty and Bzibee Real Estate team this week. Hope you can take sometime to take a look at this RESORT ( almost) area home. You can ride a bike to the ocean front from here. Culdesac lot Check out the facebook album for more photos  bzibee real estate team  12/26/2011

Reach out and touch a family member ~ December's  Season of Celebrations and Sharing Contest ~ This is a very emotional year for many people....  Some will say the economy is tough ...Some will say the job market is difficult ... Others will say it's very emotional and family members are on their minds. Emotions play a very large part of our interactions with family members...  We love them, we miss them and they will always be part of our memories. Some of us are fortunate to have family members nearby, some don't care and some don't have anyone to turn to during the holidays. Frank's Mom celebrated her 86th birthday and we are so honored to celebrate it belated with her... and Christmas too!! Celebrations and Sharing are a huge part of our lives here in ActiveRain.  We are so happy to... 12/24/2011

Why Chimney Hill Condominium is such a great value can be explained quite easily.  The condominium was built in the late 1980’s and is entirely located within the Chimney Hill Community Association.  That means you get the benefit of their clubhouse and pool, tennis and ball courts, playgrounds and parks – but because the condo does not have to maintain these amenities on their own, the condo fees are able to remain low.    The condo grounds are well maintained and look presentable throughout the year and over the years.  The location is ideal for Virginia Beach.  With easy access to Rosemont Road and Holland Road, Independence Boulevard and I-264 are nearby to connect you with the Oceanfront, Oceana Naval Air Station, Dam Neck Base, and all of Hampton Roads.   The thing that has helped... 12/02/2011

There are some who don't think much of small sensor cameras like my Panasonic DMZ 100 because of its limitations.   Personally I wouldn't trade it for the world.  The first two pictures illustrate what I mean.  If I didn't have the camera with the long lens I wouldn't have gotten the vapor coming off the road signs (have a great video also).  A lot of people say they could just crop this from their regular 75mm lens but I don't think they would have seen it to crop it.  You have to see it (can you see the road signs).  If you did see it who knows what the lens would have focused on.  The other ones are just because I love them. 11/12/2011

I take my ShiPoo for walks along the Glenwood golf course at night.  I let him run loose because there is never anyone else around.  Sometimes it is hard to locate him.  Now I just bring flash with me and when I can't locate him I use the flash and there he is.  Flashlights work also but arent' as neat. 11/11/2011

 Quality. Commitment. Pride. "We're Accustomed to Giving You What You Want" That's Sasser Construction's mission statement. Sasser Construction has been building superior homes in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia since 1986. As a Preferred Builder in the East West Communities in Virginia, I wanted to highlight some of their core principles and share their company philosophy. They have consistently been one of the top custom homebuilders in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia, and their goals certainly align well with our communities' goals of developing quality neighborhoods with superior resort style amenities. Sasser believes their customers deserves a "Bill of Rights" (listed below) and they deliver on their promises, as reflected by their recent prestigious award from Southern Livi... 11/08/2011

Chimney Hill Condominium in Virginia Beach is one of the most desirable condo associations in the area because of the intelligent design of the community and relatively low condo fees.  The association was created within the larger Chimney Hill Community Association, so the condo doesn’t need to individually pay for a pool, clubhouse, tennis courts, or playgrounds; each of these amenities are provided by the home owners association.  Additionally, the location is convenient to everything in the area.  Truly, you are about 15 minutes to the oceanfront, 5 minutes to Town Center, 20 minutes to Norfolk, and about the same to Chesapeake.  The community association has planned activities throughout the year for all residents to enjoy. The community itself is also comprised of three basic floo... 11/01/2011

Forbes magazine has ranked Hampton Roads #5 of 50 metropolitan areas for working mothers.  Hampton Roads includes Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Portsmouth, Hampton and Newport News. The criteria was varied but includes such things as number of physicians, school-district-per-pupil expenditures and violent crime rates as reported by the FBI. A steady paycheck is nice but included in the criteria was a healthy employment rate, safety, health care and education.  I don't think they included weather in the criteria because Buffalo-Niagra was #1. Richmond was seventh and D.C. was 9th.  Raleigh, N.C. was 41st and Jacksonville, Fl was 37th (the Navy wants to move a carrier there, go figure).  At the bottom of the list was Las Vegas. 10/18/2011

I thought cats spent their time looking at windows but my Logray loves to spend hours checking it out his street in our area of Glenwood. 10/12/2011

My new DROID Bionic smart phone has a micro HDMI output and connects to any HDMI input.  I bought an adaptor for my HDMI cable for $4.00 off Amazon and it works great.  Why I am telling you this?  If you do any type of Power Point or other type real estate presentations on your laptop you can do it on your Bionic, hook it to a TV and viola the sellers or buyers can watch without crowding around the laptop.  Anything that is displayed on the screen of the Bionic is displayed on the TV.  Forgot your presentation at home?  Download the ZUMOCAST app from Motorola and you can access your home computer from anywhere you are.  Oh yea and you watch YouTube on your TV from the Bionic.  10/12/2011

A few weeks ago, we had a customer walk into our Sales Center, and he said he was just in the area to look at a short sale in the area. He stopped in because he wanted to see what new homes were available and what they had to offer. (His agent didn't suggest he look at new homes) After discussing his wants and needs, we looked at three homes and the next day he returned to write a contract on one of our new homes that was priced $150,000 more than the short sale listing (same size home, but different features). I'm sharing this true story because we see this happen quite often, much to the surprise of many in the real estate business. I've listed below a few reasons why buyers should consider the right home and the right community and not just focus totally on what they perceive to be t... 10/07/2011

The Neighborhood You Choose is Just as Important as The Home You Buy Looking for a quality community that offers more than your typical subdivision? If you're shopping for a new home, remember to spend as much time investigating your next neighborhood and compare what each offers you. Discover a small town atmosphere in one of the four East West Communities in the Hampton Roads area of Virginia. From Williamsburg, to Suffolk, VA, East West has created four of the best neighborhoods for today's homebuyers.   Nicely removed from the city, Founders Pointe is a waterfront community offering a return to the past with distinctive architectural home styles, timeless Traditionals, three miles of walking trails, and a $2 million Residents' Club and pool. Check out a video tour of Founders Point... 10/06/2011