Claudia Nelson

Fine Dining in Woodbridge

Last month Tom Sietsema, Washington Post food critic, wrote an article about Bistro L'Hermitage. Sietsema gave the French Bistro 2 1/2 Stars out of 4. I have to agree with him, Bistro L'Hermitage can compete with any restaurant in Washington DC. You should check out the this lovely restaurant it is well worth it:

Bistro L'Hermitage
12724 Occoquan Rd., Woodbridge
703-499-9550
www.bistrolhermitage.com

According to their website the current special is devine!

Salmon with shrimp stuffed with Mussels,
Tempura calamari and
Skate wing filet with caper beurre blanc.

Having read the special I will be calling Bistro L'Hermitage NOW to make a reservation for tonight. Sounds delicious.

ENJOY

Claudia Sabine Nelson
Prudential Carruthers REALTORS
*******************************************************
Oh... by the way, I'm never too busy for your Referrals
*******************************************************
Office: 703-497-7788
Cell: 202-299-7671
Office Fax: 703-497-8857
Website: www.Claudia.Nelson.pcragent.com

Are you experiencing financial troubles? Maybe you lost your job, separated from your spouse had a medical hardship. There are many more factors why you might be in financial distress. Regardless of the hardship, many home owners have to face losing their dream home to foreclosure or have to make the decision to short sale. Many times the better of both evils is a SHORT SALE. WHY?

Let's compare the impact on homeowners:

	Foreclosure		Short Sale
Purchasing a home	Ineligible for 5 - 10 years		Eligible after 2 years
Credit score impact	150 - 300 points		As little as 50 - 100
Credit History	Will remain on credit score for up to 10 years		Not reported
Security Clearance	Clearance will most likely be revoked and possible loss of job		No impact
Current & Future Jobs	Possible loss of current job and challanging to find new jobs		No impact

All in all a short sale is the better solution for every homeowner that is facing difficult times. If you are a homeowner and experiencing any of the following hardships you should contact a realtor right away:

• Interest Rate Jump (ARM)
• Separation or Divorce
• Medical Hardship
• Loss of Job
• Reduction of Pay
• High Credit Card Debt

Call me today for a free consultation.

Claudia Sabine Nelson
Prudential Carruthers REALTORS
*******************************************************
Oh... by the way, I'm never too busy for your Referrals
*******************************************************
Office: 703-497-7788
Cell: 202-299-7671
Office Fax: 703-497-8857
Website: www.Claudia.Nelson.pcragent.com

Buyers from all over the area discovered how nice Lake Ridge is. At the moment there are more buyers for the lower priced foreclosures then inventory available on the market. Townhouses priced below 150 k are being sold in record time and mostly well above the listing price.

Earlier I run a couple of reports to look at some numbers to see exactly what is going on. Over the past 60 days a total of 35 town-homes sold in Lake Ridge and the average time on the market shows at 39 days. I was drilling into the numbers further, especially because over the past couple of month whenever my clients made offers on a Lake Ridge Townhouse they were in very good company. Most Townhouses in good to decent conditions had 10 + offers after only a few days on the market. My findings:

$ 1700 Seller subsidy
$ 0 Seller subsidy for more then half of all sales
$ 13,000 Average Price the homes sold above List Price
$ 37,676 Highest difference from List Price to Sold Price

The homes in the best neighborhoods on average were sold with about 1700 seller subsidy, but more then half of buyers didn't ask for a seller subsidy to have a more competitive offer. On average townhouse in Lake Ridge sold for $ 13,000 above the List Price, the highest difference I saw was $ 37,676.00 with no seller subsidy.

Looking at these numbers buyers have to be realistic when making an offer on a foreclosure in Lake Ridge, especially if the home is in good condition. As a buyer ask your Realtor to look at recently sold properties and guide you in the offer making process.

In this blog I was focusing on Bank owned Foreclosures and not Short Sales. Short Sales are also competitive but because of the lengthy sales process some buyers are still staying away from short sales. More on short sales in a later blog.

Call me with any questions about buying and selling in Lake Ridge or anywhere else in the Northern Virginia Area.

Claudia Sabine Nelson
Prudential Carruthers REALTORS
*******************************************************
Oh... by the way, I'm never too busy for your Referrals
*******************************************************
Office: 703-497-7788
Cell: 202-299-7671
Office Fax: 703-497-8857
Website: www.Claudia.Nelson.pcragent.com

The official start of spring was on Friday, March 20 and this means we are getting closer and closer to the opening of the spring season events in Lake Ridge. Living in the wonderful Lake Ridge community you and your entire family can be out and about enjoy the weather and more important all the events the Lake Ridge Association offers. The spring season officially starts with some fun events for the kids but also adults:

Ridgewood Pool Fish Out

Description: Ridgewood Pool will be stocked with 700 rainbow trout for their Ridgewood Pool fish Out, which begins on Friday, April 3 at noon and continues through April 11.
Location: Ridgewood Pool near 12350 Oakwood Drive
When: Friday, April 3rd at 12:00 PM

Doesn't this sound like a great past time not just for the dad's but also the kids! Definitely much better then watching TV or playing video games all day long. Now Pool fishing might not be for everyone but how about meeting the Easter Bunny in person during the Lake Ridge Association's Eggstravaganza?

Eggstravaganza

Description: Meet the Easter Bunny and hunt for eggs at this annual event held at the Lake Ridge Association Office
Location: 12350 Oakwood Dr, Woodbridge VA 22192
When: Saturday, April 11 at 9:00 am

For more details or to register click on the below association link

http://www.lakeridgeva.com/cal/CalendarGet.asp?assn_id=299&link_id=5516

2009 Home Buyer Tax Credit Facts

Don't waste a recession, take advantage of the historically low interest rates, relativly low prices and the First-Time Home Buyer Tax Credit.

Who is Eligible for the tax credit?

• The $8,000 tax credit is available for first-time home buyers only.
• The law defines "first-time home buyer" as a buyer who has not owned a principal residence during the three-year period prior to the purchase.
• All U.S. citizens who file taxes are eligible to participate in the program.

In order to buy a home in today's market you need to have a decent credit score, cash for down payment and closing cost but there is really no reason to pass off on these great conditions and the additional incentive the government is providing.

What are the Income Limits

• Home buyers who file as single or head-of-household taxpayers can claim the full $8,000 credit if their modified adjusted gross income is less than $75,000.
• For married couples filing a joint return, the income limit doubles to $150,000.

Types of Homes that Qualify for the Tax Credit

• All homes, whether single-family, town homes or condominium apartments will qualify, provided that the home will be used as a principal residence and the buyer has not owned a principal residence in the prior three years. This also includes newly constructed homes.

For more details on the tax credit go to

www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com

*Before making any decision or taking any action on this information, you should consult a qualified tax professional or adviser to whom you have provided all of the facts applicable to your particular situation or question.

Prince William County has excellent deals don't miss out. If it is a single family house or a townhouse, even Condos if they are priced properly they will not last long, especially not the nice ones. Buyers are out and about trying to bid for the best deals. The best deals generally receive multiple offers and sell above what they are listed for.

Don't miss out, call me today to schedule a time to find your new home.

Claudia Sabine Nelson
Prudential Carruthers REALTORS
*******************************************************
Oh... by the way, I'm never too busy for your Referrals
*******************************************************
Office: 703-497-7788
Cell: 202-299-7671
Office Fax: 703-497-8857
Website: www.Claudia.Nelson.pcragent.com