Thank you for choosing to be a part of the support system that helps our military men and women fulfill their mission. Our thoughts and prayers are especially with those who have spouses deployed overseas.

Thank you for all the moves you’ve made across the country or overseas, sometimes alone. Thank you for all the birthdays, anniversaries, holidays and special occasions you’ve had to celebrate alone. Thank you for taking care of the family and household and all it entails while your service member was away.

Thank you for your devotion and service!

Share This

Beginning tonight you can expect delays on I-95 southbound from the Prince William County line to the Garrisonville exit/143 in North Stafford. VDOT is milling and paving the southbound lane in the area mentioned.  Work will only be done during night time hours from Monday through Thursday for the next four weeks. Bad weather can extend that time frame.

At 9 pm one lane will be closed and at 10 pm two lanes will close.  All lanes reopen at 4:30 am.  Once the work is done the pot holes should be gone and the pavement markings should be brighter.

So be warned,  you might want to take Rte 1 if you are traveling south during those times in the next month!

Share This

Meet author Aaron Cohen on May 7th at the Quantico Exchange.  The author will be signing copies of his new book, “Brotherhood of Warriors.”   He will be at the Main Exchange at 1100 hours.

 The following is a small biography on Mr. Cohen from Harper Collins: 

“Aaron Cohen grew up in Beverly Hills, California. After spending three years in one of Israel’s “black ops” units, Sayeret Duvdevan, he returned home and founded IMS Security, a consulting firm that specializes in protecting politicians, business executives, Hollywood actors, and rock stars, and offers counterterrorism training to the United States military, to local and state police departments, and to various SWAT units around the country. He lives in Los Angeles. “

Share This

In the Commonwealth of Virginia ”CAVEAT EMPTOR” - from the Latin : “Buyer Beware”, applies when buying a home.  It is up to the buyer to make sure he is getting what he paid for.  In Virginia all agents are deemed to work for the seller, whether the agent knows the seller or not.  This can easily be changed if the buyer chooses to do so.  This is commonly done through a “buyer/broker” agreement, or the “Exclusive Right to Represent Buyer” agreement.The first questions most buyers have is: “How much is this going to cost me?”  Well, most real estate brokers will not charge anything extra, as typically commissions are paid by the seller.  The next question is: “How does it benefit me?”  - The exclusive buyer representation makes a particular brokerage firm and its agent just that, the buyer’s legal representative in the purchase of the property sought.  This is a two way street, at least in the Northern Virginia contracts.  The agent agrees to represent the buyer exclusively, but by the same token the purchaser agrees to work with that agent alone.  This actually makes good  sense, since the agent is committing herself to promoting the purchaser’s best interest and perform different tasks for the purchaser.  Below is an excerpt from the buyer representation agreement used in the Northern Virginia area that describes an agent’s duties to the purchaser.

“BROKER’S DUTIES. The Broker and Sales Associate shall promote the interests of the Buyer by:                                                                         
        A) Performing the terms of this agreement;
        B) Seeking a property at a price and terms  acceptable to the buyer;
        C) Presenting in a timely manner all written offers and counteroffers to and from the Buyer;
        D) Disclosing to the Buyer all materials facts related to the property or concerning the transaction of which they have actual knowledge.
        E) Accounting for in a timely manner for all money and property received in which the Buyer has or may have an interest.”

The agreement also mentions the fact that amongst other things, the broker shall maintain the  confidentiality all financial and personal matters, plus any other matters the buyer identifies as confidential.  The broker will also practice ordinary care, comply with all applicable laws and regulations and treat the sellers fairly.

I think having this agreement in place makes both parties feel better about the relationship.  There is a commitment from the agent to diligently work for the buyer, and the agent knows the buyer will not be visiting other Realtors for their services.  Since this is a commission based business, the agent feels better about knowing that their hard work will pay off at the end of the transaction.  This also makes it easier for the purchaser, having one person as their resource to all the transaction related needs and as he builds a relationship with a particular agent, trust is also built.  Trust in knowing the agent understands the needs and desires of the purchaser, that the agent will handle all matters related to the transaction with care, and that the agent is truly looking out the for the purchaser.  Having this agreement in place also frees the agent to provide a wealth of information to the buyer that he cannot provide otherwise.

There are many  duties that a buyer’s agent performs, and a buyer should rest assured that having a competent agent looking our for his interests and rights will make the home buying process a lot less stressful, a lot smoother and a lot simpler.  Buyer agency - it’s a no brainer!

Share This

It’s that time in Washington, the Cherry Blossom Festival is here.  Thousands of people flock to D.C. every year to see the Tidal Basin cherry blossoms in all their glory.  I’m fortunate, I have a beautiful view from my very front porch of a Yoshino cherry tree.  It blooms at the same time as the Tidal Basin trees, so I get a small glimpse of what, multiplied many times over, is going on a little further up the road.  We managed to visit D.C. last Thursday, it just happened to be the day the blossoms peaked.  Even though we arrived before ten in the morning, there were quite a few people strolling around the Basin, including groups of students and tourists from other parts of the world.  The views really are spectacular with all the trees in bloom.  The many activities planned for the day had not begun yet, but we were happy to stroll about without huge crowds.  If you have not visited the festival before, it is not too late.  Festivities will take place until this coming weekend. You are still in time to take in a Cherry Blossom Lantern Walk with a Park Ranger, the 20th Annual George Washington Invitational Regata, the Sakura Matsuri  - Japanese Street Festival, and the long standing Parade of the Natinal Cherry Blossom Festival.  Events go on throughout the week as well as on the weekend, so get on out to D.C. and take in some of the views and great events!

Share This

The supervisors have asked county staff to find further cuts - leaving public satefy departments and school funding intact.   Board member are willing to forgo this year’s pay raises and suggest that no new hires me made and some positions go unfilled.  Some supervisors believe the level of services will be adversely affected.  I’m actually very curious to find out if we, the county residents, will really notice a difference in  services with a “budget shortfall”.  Maybe that’s navie to say, but will it just mean longer lines at the any of the county offices? Or will it be a lot more significant?  I guess only time will tell.

In the meantime, Spotsylvania county, with its much higher assessments this year, will see a 6 cent real estate tax increase to 62 cents. Fredericksburg will see a 5 cent increase to 58 cents. Maybe by next assessment cycle the real estate market will be doing a lot better and the pinch won’t be so bad!

Share This

At least that’s what it felt like to most of us who live in the area when the new Best Buy store opened at Stafford Marketplace. The store opened on March 7th, 2008. And even though it might not be quite as large as the others in surrounding areas, it’s great not to have to drive up or down the road to Potomac Mills or Central Park!

I spoke with the shift manager on a recent evening and she told me that Best Buy did not anticipate the amounts of customers the store has been experiencing. I thought she must be joking, seeing all the major stores go into Central Park in Fredericksburg. There are over 120,000 people who live in the county, and a large concentration is on the Rte 610 corridor, so it surprised me to hear that they were expecting it to be much slower in this new store. In response to the high traffic the store has experienced, Best Buy is going outside their budget for the store to hire more employees. That was good to hear, since I had just waited over twenty minutes to speak to someone about a cell phone and finally had to give up. Nevertheless, I’m glad they are here, giving us one less reason to travel on I-95!

Share This

As you arrive at your new location you ponder all the possibilities that lie ahead, all the unknowns.  “Will I  ever figure out my around this place?” was always one of my first questions - knowing I eventually would, just as I’d always done before.  Schools are always important, if you have children. The issue of your children making friends changes with each age group - it was a lot easier when they were younger and it was definitely a lot easier to move before they were in school, you didn’t really care what rotation your husband/wife was on then. Once they get older you soon find out why everyone wants to be on the summer rotation!

I’ve always found it exciting to move to new places, around the country or around the world.  There is always the excitement of meeting new people, learning things, seeing new places, learning new customs, creatint new memories.  It’s a wonderful thing.  However, there is that period where I tend to feel lost in the transplating.  When the dust has settled, the children are enrolled in school, the last box has been unpacked and I don’t really know a soul around!  Being a woman, this is time when I miss my old friends the most.  The relationships you’ve nurtured, even if it’s for a few short years, are sorely missed.  It can be a lonely time.  Even if we throw ourselves head first into every kind of volunteer program and activities offered by the wives’/spouses’ clubs, we are still missing that vital connection that a true friend offers.

Thankfully, it seems that sooner or later, there is always someone in the great community of military spouses that you just click with.  (great friends can be made outside the military community as well, especially when living off base).  Then the process begins all over again. Getting to know that special friend or friends.  Learning their likes and dislikes, their strengths and weaknesses, learning from their experiences, sharing their passions.  Before you know it you’ve established another crucial friendship for that season, for that particular time in your life.  A friend that you know perhaps you’ll never see again once those new orders come for them, or you.  But you know the investment is worth the time, effort and the eventual pain you will feel as you say goodbye. That person will always have special place in your heart and you will always relive that season of your life whenever you think of them, no matter where you are.  In the end maybe not all is lost in transplanting after all.

Share This

Homes would sell regardless of their condition and they would appraise regardless of how ridiculous the price seemed.  Anyone and everyone was able to obtain one of the many loans available through creative lending programs - the interest only loans became very popular and didn’t seem to deter a lot of people.

Fast-forward to present time.  We are now reaping the consequences of the crazy market.  The market that allowed sellers in many instances to make profits of over $100,000 in a year or less, a market were sellers became arrogantly in control has now turned into a buyers’ market.  However, the mortgage industry debacle and the doom-saying from the media are keeping buyers on the fence.  In the last few weeks I’ve seen at least 3 negative articles, directly or directly tied to the current real estate market , per week in our local paper, The Free Lance-Star.  Any buyer would be afraid to take a plunge if they read what’s been printed.  Will prices continue to drop?  Has the real estate market yet to bottom out?  Well, no one has a crystal ball so the truth is, only time will tell.  However, I do want to point want out what the media neglects to mention.  If you are thinking of buying a home and you have good credit and planning to live in that particular are for a few years - The Time is Now!   Interest rates are still very low, hovering around 6% and lower, depending on the loan you get.  Inventory is high and prices have dropped tremendously, which gives you, the buyer, endless homes to choose from at much better prices than in the past two years.  You can also count on seller assistance in some way, shape or form. If you need closing costs assistance you don’t have to go it alone, the seller will most likely pay most, if not all of your closing costs for you.  The buyer is running this show!

Pundits predict that things might start to turn around towards the end of this spring.  By no means does this mean will see the market completely balanced, that’s going to take a while longer.  But if things do begin to become more balanced between sellers and buyers, it might mean that the great opportunities currently available to buyers might not be there if you decide to wait for things to “bottom out”.  You might wake up one morning to find that rates have gone up, sellers aren’t willing to give as much and you missed the “bottom” after all.  In my humble opinion it’s a  great time to buy a home!

Share This