Holly Kirby Weatherwax--Your Realtor® in Reston,VA

Many of us have an extra fridge tucked in the garage storing soda, waters, beer, juice boxes, sports drinks and generally anything that doesn't fit in the kitchen refrigerator.

The one in my garage was inherited from my husband's old office. I would guess it is circa 1988. Every once in a while it makes a pretty alarming noise, but then all is well and it goes back to purring along. I am sure that a good half of my electric bill goes to keep this thing going.

If you live in Virginia, this might be your weekend, to finally head out to the store to replace the old junker and get the new appliance you've been considering. According to the Virginia Department of Taxation website, 'Energy Star and WaterSense qualified products purchased for non-commercial use and costing $2,500 or less will be exempt from sales tax.'

This can add up, especially if you are outfitting the whole kitchen!

You may have heard about the Cash for Clunker Appliances program that is coming. I just researched it to find out when, and if, we can expect it. According to what I found out, each State is supposed to submit a detailed plan to the Federal Government by October 15. The Fed will review it and then provide the States money to fund it. The Program should be available at the end of this year or the beginning of 2010. As with Cash for Clunkers, there will be a set amount of funds. When the money is gone, it is gone, so if you plan to use this option, be prepared to jump on it as soon as it is announced.

So now if you live in Virginia ,you have two options to reduce the cost of getting new, energy efficient appliances. Everywhere else has at least one option, too.

What are you waiting for? Get out there and get that new washer, dryer, refrigerator, stove or dishwasher that you have been dreaming of!

The Reston Citizens Association will be sponsoring a Reston Home Expo this Saturday, October 3, 2009 at the Sheraton Reston Hotel (11810 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20191). This event is FREE to the public.

The Expo, which is free of charge, is resource for Reston Residents, providing them with an opportunity to meet with local service providers. The service providers will be available to discuss specific projects as well as to provide tips and advice about exterior and interior home improvement and maintenance. The event is also designed for Cluster and Condominium Board Members to meet and have access to these specialists.

Participating in the event will be professionals from different service industries including, arborists, attorneys, landscapers, maintenance and design professionals, paving and concrete specialists, reserve studies professionals, waste management specialists, interior designers, plumbers and more.

Don't miss this opportunity to meet the folks who know and work in Reston and maybe pick up some great advice, too!

According to the Wall Street Journal, (Seeking Real Estate Bargains? Try Looking at the High End, Sept.23, 2009), luxury home buyers are continuing to see the prices of homes come down.

The Virginia Association of Realtor's Trends in the Virginia Housing Market, 2nd Quarter 2009 Report shows that unemployment in Fairfax County is down at 4.3%. A low unemployment rate, a government funded program of first time buyer incentives, great deals in the foreclosure/ short-sale markets, and low interest rates have all resulted in a 2nd quarter (the most recent information available) increase in both sales volume and median prices in Fairfax County.

Does that mean we have hit the bottom and are on the way up? I think it depends on the market segment. In the lower end, those homes that are considered 'starter' homes, sales are brisk and it is becoming harder and harder to find a 'deal.' For many, that would indicate that we have left the bottom of the real estate market crash.

For buyers and sellers in the luxury market, it may be too early to see the same upturn. There is a 'trickle up' aspect to prices in the Luxury Home Market. How often does a first time buyer purchase a $1 million home? It happens, but the conversation usually involves a house purchase, as well as trust funds and Lear jets. Most first time buyers are firmly in the lower half of the price spectrum.

Another reason the luxury segment has not rebounded as quickly could be the result of another government program; the temporary increase in the Jumbo Conforming Loan limit. It used to be that a lower Jumbo Conforming Loan limit almost demanded that a home over $750,000 would require both a first and second trust. Between the new higher limit of $729,500 and the reluctance of banks to make 2nd Trust loans, many high end buyers are buying homes that allow them to combine their cash-on-hand with the Jumbo Conforming limit of $729,500 to determine their offer price. I wrote about my take on this back in June, (Are New Higher Jumbo Conforming Loans Driving Down Prices?).

The stock market has also significantly impacted the luxury market. Many investors have lost too much money to take principal out right now and are waiting to re-gain some of their profits. They may be hestiant to put too much cash into a market segment, real estate, that has recently seen such significant loses. Fianlly, losses in the stock market may have left them feeling less wealthy and not as interested in lifestyle improvements.

As a Luxury Home buyer, however, all of this may be coming together to create the 'perfect storm' of a continuing buyers market in the luxury segment. If you have a mid-priced home to sell, the buyers seem to have come back. Selling your home quickly and for a fair price could allow you to get a great deal as you move up in to the luxury market.

Please let me know if I can provide you with information about luxury homes available in the Northern Virginia area.

Tomorrow is the GRACE ART Collector's Choice event. Participants purchase a ticket (or more than one) for $150. Artists donate pieces of art, which can be previewed in advance. Numbers are drawn in quick order, and if your number is drawn you must provide the number of the art piece that you want. The pace is fast and the air is charged with excitement.

All art is donated and proceeds go to GRACE to aid in promoting their mission, 'GreaterRestonArtsCenter (GRACE) enriches community life by promoting involvement and excellence in contemporary visual arts. In pursuit of this mission, GRACE provides a year-round program of visual art exhibitions, education programs for all ages, and special events.'

Tickets can be purchased at GRACE which is located in the Reston Towncenter at 12001 Market Street Suite #103 Reston, VA 20190. The total number of tickets sold will not exceed the number of art works that have been donated, so everyone will go home with a unique work of art. The first choice is raffled off at the beginning, so don't forget to buy your first choice raffle ticket for an opportunity to be the first to choose.

This will be my third year attending this wonderful event. In the past I have come home with a table top sculpture and last year I got a beautiful photograph. I just spent an hour at GRACE prioritizing things that I want to take home this year. Of course, due to the nature of the event, my list may end up worthless (if everyone else wants the same things and my number is called late). There is a break half way through the event so that people who have tickets that haven't yet been called can adjust their list and, perhaps, make some new choices.

Bring a folding chair and plan on spending the afternoon. The doors open at 11 am and the event begins at 1:00 pm. It will continue until every ticket has been called. You will see lots of folks from in and around Reston, you will be supporting the local arts and arts in the schools and, best of all, you will go home with your own special work of art!

Last night was the big football game between Herndon High School and South Lakes High School. Herndon came out victorious, but it was a nail-biter down to the last 9 seconds when Herndon intercepted a South Lakes pass as South Lakes made their way down the field hoping for the winning touch down.

Having grown up in Reston, I can tell you that this rivalry is as organic as they come. There is some interesting history between the two schools that contribute to this.

Back in the seventies my high school class entered Herndon Middle and proceeded on to Herndon High School for our freshman year. At that time, Herndon High had students from Herndon, all of Reston and western Great Falls. In 1978, Fairfax County opened South Lakes. There was huge demand for the new Reston high school and many parents were dismayed to find out that the only students who would be attending were those on the south side of the Dulles Access Road (the Dulles Toll Road did not yet exist). I remember my dad attending many meetings in an attempt to get our neighborhood included in the boundaries for the new school. We all wanted to attend the big new school with the great football stadium!

The new school opened in Fall of 1978. The school opened with 2 grades: 9 grade and 10th grade. The 10th grade was comprised of half of my class from Herndon High School. Our class, which had started together at Herndon Middle was literally divided in half. Each year the school added a 9th grade until they had their first graduating class in 1981. I was part of the class that remained at Herndon High.

As you can imagine, when we watched half of our class go to a new school and begin competing against us, the rivalry was pretty intense. Many of the Herndon students had gone to school with the South Lakes students since preschool. Of course, by starting with a 10th grade class, it took a couple of years before South Lakes Varsity sports program was at full capacity, but it was immediately a fun, and intense, rivalry.

In the years that have followed, the boundary between the schools has changed. Baron Cameron Avenue now creates the logical divide for the South Lakes boundaries; everyone north of Baron Cameron (with a few exceptions) goes to Herndon High School and south of Baron Cameron goes to South Lakes.

Last year, Fairfax County adjusted the boundaries for South Lakes which resulted in a pretty intense boundary fight/discussion between parents and the county board. Over the years, the families who have stayed at Herndon High School all these years have become passionate supporters for the HHS traditions. If anything, the rivalry intensified following this process.

In addition to the boundary discussion, the children of Reston generally play youth sport together up to and into the middle school years. Once they hit high school, they separate and head off to their respective schools. This also contributes to the intense rivalry.

So this football game last night, which somewhere along the way became known as the Baron Cameron Bowl (the Washington Post keeps saying it is named after the local park, but I would bet money that it is based on the road that serves as the boundary between the two schools) was, as always, a big game between two long time rivals.

Both of these schools have strong traditions,loyal supporters, and a wonderful, competitive and exciting cross town rivalry in each other! May it continue for a long, long time to come.