About Fairfax City County, VA

Activerain Member Cindy Jones Share Northern Virginia Information on Blogtalkradio

Meet Cindy Jones our guest expert from the activerain members series on Blogtalkradio from Woodbridge, Virginia. The show will air on Friday January 29, 2010 at 9:00 a.m. EST, 7:00 a.m. AZ time. Cindy will be sharing current trends in the real estate market area of Northern Virginia as well as some tips for military families in the relocation process. We hope you can join us for this half hour full of information! You can tune in at Blogtalkradio online or you can call 1 (347) 994-1903 and join us in the chat room.

Cindy Jones is with Re/Max Allegiance, and she specializes in Military relocation housing. She is familiar with all of the military bases in Northern Virginia.

Whether you are buying or selling property in Fairfax County, Prince William County, Arlington, Alexandria or the surrounding Northern Virginia area Cindy can help.

Connect with Cindy:

http://varealestatetalk.com/

Cindy the following information on her profile:

"What is the single most basic element of my job? Helping people. More specifically, I help people realize their home ownership dreams. I love what I do. I have the privilege and fun of helping people find a home that's just right-one in which they can live, love and laugh. I also consider it an exhilarating challenge to help people sell a home-getting the property ready, highlighting its features and bringing the right buyers to see it."

"As a surviving spouse of a military officer I do all I can to support our troops either here in the Northern Virginia area or those stationed overseas.

I proudly work with military families relocating to the various bases in the Northern Virginia area. Whether your orders bring you to the Military District of Washington, Pentagon, Quantico, Navy Yard, Ft. Belvoir, Ft Myer, Andrews AFB or any other installation in the area I look forward to helping you find the neighborhood and home that works for you. It is my honor to serve those who serve our country every day. If you find yourself with orders to the DC area give me a call. I look forward to helping you with your relocation needs."

Cindy will discuss important information about the inventory of homes in the area, some value priced opportunities, some great incentive programs and how to go about securing the best financing for you purchase.

Cindy holds a the distinguished Certified Residential Specialist Designation which requires many hours of additional education in the Real Estate industry.

Tune into the blogtalkradio or set a reminder for Friday, January 29, 2010 9:00 EST. Call 1-347-994-1903 or join us in the chat room for quesitons. Set a reminder.

A recent article in the Washington Post titled "Investors with Cash Frustrate Other Area Home Buyers" talked about investors bidding on short sales and foreclosed homes and shutting out would be owner occupier home buyers. The problem in the article specifically talked about the banks saw cash in many cases and took it now versus waiting to see if the sale made it to settlement through the normal mortgage process. In other instances, buyers bid above the asking price and still lost homes to investors with cash. You dont need to be an investor to pay with cash but I suspect most people that can afford to pay with cash are likely investors.

There are some pluses and minuses to this. First the pluses. Many of these homes would not qualify for an FHA loan as they have mold and other big issues that need to be taken care of before the house can be sold to a typical home buyer. In these cases, the investors actually make the repairs and "flip" the houses so that they do qualify, and of course, the investor generally makes a nice profit for the risk taken. Many times there are problems even a savvy investor does not anticipate.

On the other hand, The home buyer who is bidding on a home that needs only paint and carpet is being shut out by those in search of rental properties or they are anticipating that we are at the bottom of a future upward trend (uncertain due to the expected increase in foreclosures in 2010).

Fannie Mae has recently issued a new rule that states that it would not accept offers on homes from investors until 15 days after the listing of the property. I think this is a fair rule. Mainly because most of the properties that investors should be looking at are the ones that dont qualify for an FHA loan and by doing so, they are helping people buy homes by bringing them up to the standard at which they can qualify. In this case, investors are actually doing a service to home buyers by improving what are many times neglected and vandalized properties.

The Washington Post Article

Today's Washington Post had an article on "Shedding the Light on Hidden Risks of Reverse Mortgages."

The main point was to ask friends and relatives considering a reverse mortgage to check out the new federal guidelines concerning reverse mortgages. The guidelines are designed mostly for banks and credit unions but point out some of the issues that persons considering a reverse mortgage should consider.

The article does say that when seniors have been properly informed and understand the reverse mortgages, they can be beneficial in providing income in retirement. It mentions that regulators say that often senior citizens are poorly informed and do not really understand the details of the mortgage. Often the direct mail marketing and sales brochures promise one thing and deliver another in the fine print including, in some instances, claiming to be a "government benefit" which they are not.

Other problems of concern were add on products with high profit margins that were inappropriate or unnecessary. In many instances the banks and credit unions had failed to point out the "cons" of reverse mortgages including borrowers responsibilities which may include paying property taxes and insurance directly .

Here is the article from the Jan 02, 2010 Washington Post.

Are you thinking of moving to Northern Virginia? You might be wondering what you do after you move into your new home. Arlington, Alexandria and Fairfax County are part of the Washington DC area and this area provides a whole host of Major League Sports Venues for all types of sports fans in the area. Check out what this great area has to offer below!

The Washington Redskins

Established in 1937, the Washington Redskins are a professional American football team based in Washington D.C. that play in the National Football League (NFL). The Washington Redskins play at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland. The team's headquarters and training facility are at the Redskin Park in Ashburn, a community in Loudoun County, Virginia, near the Dulles International Airport. The Redskins have won five professional American football championships including two NFL Championships and three Super Bowls.

The Washington Wizards

Established in 1961, the Washington Wizards are a professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. and were previously known as Washington Bullets until 1995. The Washington Wizards play in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the team plays at the Verizon Center located on 7th Street in downtown Washington D.C.

The Washington Capitals

Established in 1974, the Washington Capitals are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. and are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). The Washington Capitals play at the Verizon Center in Washington D.C.'s Chinatown neighborhood on 7th Street. Since their founding in 1974, the Caps have won their division title five times and the conference championship once.

D.C. United

Established in 1995, D.C. United is an American professional soccer club located in Washington, D.C. that plays Major League Soccer (MLS). The team's home field is at the Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium (RFK), owned by the District of Columbia and located near the Anacostia River.

The Washington Nationals

Established in 1969 and based in Washington D.C. since 2005, the Washington Nationals are a professional baseball team based in Washington, D.C. and are a member of the Eastern Division of the National League of Major League Baseball (MLB). The team moved into the newly built Nationals Park in 2008, after playing their first three seasons in RFK Stadium, also occupied by D.C. United. The new park is located in Southeast D.C. near the Anacostia River.

No matter where you buy a home in Northern Virginia or D.C., the area has plenty to see and do for any and all sports fans alike!

• The Washington Redskins
• The Washington Wizards
• The Washington Capitals
• The Baltimore Orioles
• DC United
• The Washington Mystics

If you want to learn more about buying real estate in Northern Virginia contact us at 703 765 0300.

In their ongoing attempt to ease traffic congestion, Metro announced they would be adding a limited-service bus to the King Street-Tysons Corner route (28) in order to "speed travel." According to Sunday's Washington Post, The new 28X route will serve 13 stops on Leesburg Pike and Broad Street between Tysons Corner and Baileys Crossroads during peak periods weekdays."

Anything to ease traffic through the Tysons Corner region during construction is certainly a positive thing!