The fact that all of the children in Lake Ridge attend school in Lake Ridge is one of the primary reasons Lake Ridge is such a desireable location.  It doesn't make any difference whether or not you have children of your own.  At the time you decide to sell your home the availability of good and convenient local schools is a very positive marketing tool.   In all the years my husband and I have been a real estate team, families with children are concerned about schools and location is one of many considerations. We moved to Lake Ridge 27 years ago - our son started in kindergarten and was graduated from Woodbridge Senior High School.  If you need any further information about any aspect of Lake Ridge home ownership just visit Prince William County Real Estate  This is one of numerous re... 10/01/2007

 Wine has been made in Virginia for four centuries.  The first vintage in 1608 from native grapes was a dismal failure.  Instead of working to perfect wine production from native grapes, Virginians spent the next 250 years in a losing attempt to cultivate French grapes.  After many years of failure, Virginians had become comfortable with beer and whiskey and had just about given up hope of producing a domestic wine.  One Virginian, Thomas Jefferson, did persist.  He successfully grew native grapes and produced wine at Monticello.  Eventually there were other growers who had success with a native grape, the Norton, and wine production began after the Civil War.  Prohibition hampered continuing efforts.  By the 1960s, though, commercial growing of grapes and production of grapes began to ... 09/30/2007

 Of course they do - it's the 2,100 acre Occoquan Reservoir which separates Prince William County and Fairfax County.  The reservoir is managed by the Fairfax County Water Authority as the water supply for the residents of Fairfax County and the City of Alexandria.The reservoir is located near the I-95 corridor and is easily accessible to fishermen since there are three marinas with boat rental, bait, tackle and boat launching ramps.  As it is a public water supply and there are no beaches swimming is not allowed.  However, people do rent or launch their own canoes.  Many people launch their individual rowing shells and public school systems maintain boat houses on either side of the reservoir for their racing shells since they practice in the reservoir. It is not at all uncommon to see... 09/30/2007

This is the first in a series of monthly market reports for that section of Prince William County with postal addresses named Woodbridge  This real estate market encompasses six postal ZIP Codes, namely 22191, 22192, 22193  Many REALTORS prepare a report for all six  ZIP Codes.  In my opinion, that covers too broad an area to be meaningful.  I do believe my approach will give you a much more realistic picture of the market in your neighborhood. Currently, there are 1,043 homes for sale in the 22193 area. For the 31 day period August 1, 2007 to August 31, 2007 the following sales statistics were reported on the Multiple Listing Service Homes Sold = 73 Average List Price =          $345,196 Average Sold Price =           339,049 Percentage of List Price = 92.75% Average Seller Subsidy =  ... 09/30/2007

Last week I did a post about the Prince William County, Virginia Fire Chief retiring.  This lady has won national and international acclaim for her leadership development skills.  There was a major celebration in her honor at The National Museum of the Marine Corps which my husband and I attended.  I don't know who Googled what, but my post appeared and she has been getting lots of phone calls thanking her for her service and commenting on the post.  It's a pleasure to know my post had some part in recognizing the public service accomplishments of a friend. Karen 09/30/2007

A few days ago I mentioned that this is the weekend for the fall Occoquan Arts and Crafts Festival. In addition to this popular event you can also head over to Belmont Bay on Sunday at 3 PM and take in the Army Blues Jazz Ensemble at the marina. This 18 piece orchestra is a real treat to listen to. Not only will you get the chance to hear great Jazz but you can enjoy the view of the boats in the marina and the Occoquan River rolling by.I hope you will get a chance to take in one or both of these events in Prince William County this weekend 09/28/2007

I was just on my way home from making sure that everything was set at my new listing in Woodbridge, VA when I heard a bit of a racket in the lane next to me.  I looked over to see a school bus and hear the kids in unison singing "we will-we will-rock this bus"and sure enough the bus was rocking.  I made eye contact with the bus driver who was both rolling his eyes and laughing at the same time.  Obviously it is Friday, the weather is going to be perfect in our area for the weekend and the kids were pumped.  Bless the bus driver for having a sense of humor and letting the kids have their exuberant moment! 09/28/2007

This is the first in a series of monthly market reports for that section of Prince William County with postal addresses named Woodbridge  This real estate market encompasses six postal ZIP Codes, namely 22191, 22192, 22193  Many REALTORS prepare a report for all six  ZIP Codes.  In my opinion, that covers too broad an area to be meaningful.  I do believe my approach will give you a much more realistic picture of the market in your neighborhood. Currently, there are 579 homes for sale in the 22192 area. For the 31 day period August 1, 2007 to August 31, 2007 the following sales statistics were reported on the Multiple Listing Service Homes Sold = 57 Average List Price =          $397,151 Average Sold Price =           387,066 Percentage of List Price = 93.73% Average Seller Subsidy =    ... 09/24/2007

  Who is Mary Beth Michos you ask?  She was Prince William County Fire Chief for almost 13 years before retiring in September.  Chief Michos has received both national and international acclaim for the work she has done in leadership training and professionalism for our county fire department and others throughout the country as well as improving the quality and quantity of the county's fire and rescue equipment. Fortunately, her talents will not fade away - she has just been named Deputy Executive Director of the International Association of Fire Chiefs.  Mary Beth is an active Rotarian and is actively involved with the American Red Cross and American Heart Association.  Arthur and I are fortunate to know her as a friend and fellow Rotarian.  We were particularly pleased and honored at... 09/24/2007

One of the things my husband and I have enjoyed in our 25 years in Lake Ridge is the availability of recreational facilities and options.  If a Lake Ridge or Prince William County home is in your plans please CONTACT ME.  The Lake Ridge Parks and Recreation manages all of the facilities in Lake Ridge.     There are five pools and one sprayground pool in Lake Ridge.  You can see their individual features and schedules plus information about thecommunity use or rental at Lake Parks and Recreation Association           Prince William County has an enviable park system and we in Lake Ridge are fortunate to have the golf and marina on the shores of the 11 mile long Occoquan Reservoir.  You can rent boats or launch your own.  The marina is also used by our high schools to store their rowing s... 09/22/2007

In our area we have agents who specialize in REO properties.  In some cases when I've called them to ask about a property I learn it is their only business. They have dozens of properties listed and in one case there is an agent with over 80 current active listings.   Other agents have built relationships with asset managers and have both REO and regular listings.  Having toured some of the REO properties for sale I can't understand why agents would want to jump into the REO business. However, I also come across foreclosure properties which you wouldn't be able to distinguish from any other listing if it weren't for the remarks in the MLS.  They are clean, in good condition and show well.  Some of them have never been lived in.  Yet they are marketed by the agents the same way as the "s... 09/20/2007

With all of the new active adult communities in western Prince William County it may be easy to overlook an established community sitting above the Occoquan River in Woodbridge.  River Ridge was built by Pulte Homes between 1999-2001 and features a large club house, swimming pool, tennis courts, walking trails and lakes for fishing. One of the advantages that River Ridge has for its residents is the easy access to DC.  Only minutes to two large park and ride lots, Omni buses, VRE and I-95 owners who still work or want to get into town have plenty of choices close by.  With loads of trees, winding streets and a variety of housing options the neighborhood is a nice surprise over some of the other communities where homes have been built on bare land. Current listings run from $365,000 for... 09/18/2007

Virginia's most visited tourist attraction is not Mount Vernon, Monticello or Williamsburg, it is Potomac Mills Mall.  Good grief isn't that a scary thought?  Now most people think of the mall as the place to shop for bargains.  And perhaps it is.  But this mall also has another side, something you don't find at most large shopping malls.  Drum roll please..... A cemetery.   The land that the mall is built on was originally owned by the Nash Family and as was custom in the late 1800's many families had burial plots on their property.   The Nash family was no exception.  The plot of land located just outside of the new Costco store was in use by the family from 1899 until the last burial in 1961.  Reuben Nash is noted in the 1840's Prince William County census which is the first record I... 09/17/2007

This weekend was the local builders shop till you drop weekend.  As I penned on Friday the builders were going all out to get buyers to their doors.  I had buyers out Saturday at one location and Sunday at another.  There wasn’t any doubt the builders were offering financial incentives to get the buyers to the table and putting the hype in over-drive to make them feel that this was going to be the last chance to get the “deal of the century.” Since we are early in the 21st century it might be a rather tall statement to say this weekend was the best deal that buyers would ever see. Having sold a new construction property two weeks ago at a 150K discount with straight negotiation, I’m not 100% convinced that the deals the builders were offering this weekend were anymore than setting the p... 09/17/2007

I just completed an article on defining SOL homes on the MLS, (S* Out of Luck) homes with the keywords: REO, foreclosure, bank, pre-foreclosure, short sale, auction, third party, 3rd party**. (see "SOL" Homes defined)I knew Arlington Virginia Homes had a few and some would go fast with aggressive pricing (To catch these I recommend email alerts for SOL keywords). So I ran some numbers. In Arlington it was about 2-4% of active homes on the MLS were SOL. But then I ran some other cities. I was amazed to see the numbers as high as 48% in Herndon!DATA: **Update: 9-29-2007. A few listings have the word "bank" in it, and are NOT SOL because there is a bank close by and it is mentioned in the listing remarks. So I now use REO,foreclos*,pre-foreclos*,short sale,auction,third party,3rd party,add... 09/10/2007

              As you may know, bald eagles reside in 49 of our 50 states - none have made it to Hawaii.  Those in the Northeast migrate south to Virginia in the winter months while those in the Southeast migrate north to Virginia in the hot summer months.  Our normally mild climate is a primary reason in addition to the large supply of fish in our rivers, tidelands and lakes.  There are numerous attractions to bring you to the Commonwealth in addition to the fishing.  If you have never had the pleasure of enjoying our hospitality you really owe it to yourself to visit the state the fathered 8 US Presidents. If you are considering a move to, within or out of Prince William County or Northern Virginia you should consult a local expert who has ● over 3 decades full time experience as a re... 09/04/2007

Agent Rating Review - Daughter buys, sells, parents sell  Frank and Nancy's daughter Natalie needed to buy her first house.  She picked the GOLD Team 6 years ago and bought a townhome in Beau Ridge Estates in Woodbridge, near Montclair. Several years later Natalie got engaged and needed to sell to move to another state. She picked the GOLD Team again. Last year her Frank and Nancy bought a new home in Bristow directly from a builder.  To sell their Montclair home they picked the GOLD Team, even though they had a satisfactory relationship with the agent they had previously used to buy the house. Here are Frank and Nancy's comments about the GOLD Team's Jim Gilbert:"Jim is competent and thorough. We trust him completely to do the best possible job for us.  Our family has uses him for 2 sa... 09/03/2007

  As soon as you drive through the entrance of the Port Potomac Community you realize that the builders have created a neighborhood designed to bring a sense of southern style to the area.  Situated on 400 acres just off Route 1 in the eastern part of Prince William County  the neighborhood has easy access to I-95 or the VRE Stations at Rippon Landing or Belmont Bay. Homes are situated in clusters with a well thought out of mix of townhouses and detached homes built by 5 different well known builders.  The neighborhood is designed to be walking and jogging friendly with access to Leesylvania State Park and the Potomac River.  The crowning jewel of the neighborhood is the community center designed to resemble the Governors Palace in Williamsburg.  With a state of the art fitness center, ... 09/02/2007

Most REALTORS provide a Virtual Tour for their listings.  It has been my experience the vast majority of them are a collection of still photos uploaded to their Multiple Listing System software.  I create panoramic action shots both inside and outside the home.  The software I use allows me to have as many as 50 photos enabling me to add points of interest such as schools, libraries, parks, local shopping centers, pools, bus and subway stops, etc. THE TWOFOLD APPROACH IS THAT Each of my Virtual Tours has their own URL I own a domain that has a link to the individual URL for each of my Virtual Tours I have a rider on my For Sale sign pointing to that domain so that passersby can see the Virtual Tour at home without having to search online or call someone else to preview the home. *******... 08/27/2007

A RESIDENTIAL COMMUNITY IN PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTYHOMES ARE SELLING IN WOODBRIDGE - July 2007PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY REAL ESTATE OFFERS GOOD PRICES, SHOPPING AND CONVENIENT TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVESSOLD - 87 Single Family Homes sold in July 2007 in Woodbridge, Virginia.The highest price home sold in Woodbridge in July 2007 was $1,500,000The lowest price home sold in Woodbridge in July 2007 was $227,900The average price for homes sold in Woodbridge in July 2007 was $434,188.              LUXURY HOME WOODBRIDGE $1,200,000 TO $1,500,000 PRICE RANGE.  Single family homes in Woodbridge in the $450,000 price range.SEARCH HOMES FOR SALE IN PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, VIRGINIA ALL MLS ACTIVE LISTINGS IN WOODBRIDGE FOR YOUR REVIEWFor a tour of homes, contact Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com 800-711... 08/21/2007