Norm Odeneal Arlington Virginia Realtor

So how much impact does a busy road have? What about being close to the interstate? Well in this market it can impact your price significantly. Take a look at these examples.

109 EDISON ST N, ARLINGTON, VA 22203

semi-busy street, it is a cut through street

sold for $515,000 in 1 day on the market.

5322 CARLIN SPRINGS RD N, ARLINGTON, VA 22203

very busy street

sold for $500,000 and 139 days on the market...think of all those mortgage payments

$15,000 and 138 more days on the market is pretty significant.

Look at this example

857 BURLINGTON ST N, ARLINGTON, VA 22203

not a busy a street

sold for $466,000 in 4 days

4849 9TH ST N, ARLINGTON, VA 22203

George Mason Drive is the street next to the driveway..a very busy street

sold for $407,500 in 260 days on the market

$58,500 and 256 days on the market

the busier the street and the closer the home is to the street, the more impact on price.

photos are courtesy of MRIS

So what to do as a seller? My suggestion is get the price to market value as soon as possible. And get as much interest in the property, using an aggressive price to get it sold quickly before everyone assumes the home has nothing to offer because it is so close to the road.

By the way, you can search EVERY home for sale in our MLS for FREE from my website http://www.CALLNORM.com The listings are overlaid on a Google map. Try it today! Search Arlington VA real estate, Fairfax VA Real estate, Falls Church VA Real Estate, and Alexandria VA Real Estate

Ever hold an open house or visit an open house? Just curious what people think of all the brochures, directional signs and use of balloons. A lot of Realtors use helium balloons to attract attention. And yesterday around 4PM I saw a Realtor picking up the directional signs, which had balloons attached. The agent just cut the balloon string and let the balloons take off in the air and drift away. Was this lazy? Is it bad for the environment?

It seems at a minimum littering and in my opinion bad for the enviornment. What are your thoughts and what do you do?

By the way, you can search EVERY home for sale in our MLS for FREE from my website http://www.CALLNORM.com The listings are overlaid on a Google map. Try it today! Search Arlington VA real estate, Fairfax VA Real estate, Falls Church VA Real Estate, and Alexandria VA Real Estate

Thinking of increasing your Energy Efficiency, going green or just need to make some new home improvements? For many of the home improvement projects now come with Federal tax credits. For instance, do you need or want new windows installed in your home? Do you need a new furnace or air conditioner? There are new tax credits available to you.

Tax credits are available at 30% of the cost, up to $1,500, in 2009 and 2010 for qualifying high efficiency products.

This is a true tax credit, not a loan.

Tax credits are available for the following: (existing homes only)

Windows and Doors

Insulation

Roofs

HVAC systems

Water Heaters

Biomass Stoves

Tax credits are also available with no upper limit through 2016 (for new construction and existing homes) for

Geothermal heat pumps

Solar Panels

Solar Water Heaters

Small Wind Energy Systems

Fuel Cells

for more info visit the Energy Star website

many of the homes here in Arlington, VA are in need of at least one home improvement and now is the time to get a great tax credit, and you will see savings immediately in your utility bill. For a list of great local providers that I trust please contact me.

By the way, you can search EVERY home for sale in our MLS for FREE from my website http://www.CALLNORM.com The listings are overlaid on a Google map. Try it today! Search Arlington VA real estate, Fairfax VA Real estate, Falls Church VA Real Estate, and Alexandria VA Real Estate

Welcome home. Lacey Forest is a neighborhood here in Arlington Virginia in zip code 22205. It is made up of 350 homes. Most homes were built in the late 1940's. Several new homes have been built on in fill lots. The home styles range from colonial, to cape cod, to ramblers. Many of the new homes are in the Craftsman style.

In the last year there were 9 homes sold. The sale price range is $638,000- $1,338,000.

One of the big draws to the neighborhood is Lacey Woods park. The park has a large wooded are with trails and picnic shelters which can be reserved for parties. Plus, there is a huge fire pit for groups to gather around. On the North end of the park there is a large playground with swings, a sandbox (always popular) and a giant jungle gym. Plus, another picnic shelter restrooms and a basketball court. Think you have game or just want to test your jump shot, there is always a game in progress here.

Another reason folks move to the neighborhood is the established trees. There are many oak trees here that tower over the homes to give lots of shade in the summer.

There is also easy access to the Washington and Old Dominion Trail. W&OD A favorite of runners, bikers and walkers. It connects Mount Vernon (home of George Washington) to Washington D.C, to our neighborhood and then stretches out to Purceville, VA www.wodfriends.org/

The elemantary school for the neighborhood is McKinley

The middle school is Swanson

and the high schools are Washington-Lee and Yorktown It depends on what street you live on.

http://www.arlington.k12.va.us/aps/site/default.asp

Of course many of our neighbors chose the neighborhood because of its easy access to Metro. It is just a short 15 minute walk to the Metros Orange line station at Ballston.

or a short 15 minute walk to the neighborhood of Westover. Here there is the Westover library, Ayers hardware store, The Lost Dog Cafe and lots of additional shops

When you are in town or close by drive through we would love to see you.

By the way, you can search EVERY home for sale in our MLS for FREE from my website http://www.CALLNORM.com The listings are overlaid on a Google map. Try it today! Search Arlington VA real estate, Fairfax VA Real estate, Falls Church VA Real Estate, and Alexandria VA Real Estate

The street names for our neighborhood are

Ivanhoe, George Mason, Edison, 10th ST, 10th RD, Frederick St, Emerson St, Harrison ST, Washington Blvd, 11th Rd, 11th ST, 12th St, Illinois St, Inglewood St, Jefferson St, Kensington St, Fairfax Dr,

Who Qualifies for the Tax Credit?

Never owned a home
• Have not owned a home within the last 3 years--determined by HUD 1 date when previous home was sold
• Purchased a home to be a primary residence between January 1 and November 30, 2009
• Owned a rental property or vacation home which was not used as a primary residence over the last 3 years
• If married and one person owned a home within the last 3 years, the other did not, they do not qualify
• If unmarried and one person owned a home within last 3 years and other did not, they can "designate" the tax credit to the one who is considered the FTHB.
• If parents cosign on a mortgage (and own a home) and the child is a FTBH, they are eligible for the tax credit.
• Non-US Citizens may qualify if they meet resident-alien status (IRS Pub 519)
• Revenue or Housing Bond financing are eligible for tax credits.

Types of Properties
• Primary Residence - Single family, 2-4 units (must occupy one unit) town homes, condos, manufactured homes, mobile homes and houseboats.
• New Construction - "Purchase Date" is the date the owner occupies the home (between Jan 1 and Nov. 30, 2009) Note: They could have owned land and are in the process of building.

Income Limits
• $75,000 Single Person (Partial Credit up to $95,000)
• $150,000 Married Couple (Partial Credit up to $170,000)
• Based on Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) line on IRS Form 1040, 1040A or 1040EZ Amount of Credit 10% of Sales price
• Up to Maximum of $8000
• Partial Tax Credit if income exceeds $75,000 or $150,000 Repayment Tax Credit

• If sold within 3 years, the entire tax credit needs to be repaid! After 3 years, no repayment is due.


Buyers should check with a tax advisor on how it will affect their individual tax returns.

By the way, you can search EVERY home for sale in our MLS for FREE from my website http://www.CALLNORM.com The listings are overlaid on a Google map. Try it today! Search Arlington VA real estate, Fairfax VA Real estate, Falls Church VA Real Estate, and Alexandria VA Real Estate