I can't believe how fast the summer flew by!! As Labor Day weekend is now upon us, I wanted to wish you all a happy, and safe Holiday weekend! Here's what's on the Calendar of Events for the Nations Capitol for the 2008 Holiday:
Labor Day Concert
Who: The National Symphony Orchestra
What: Free Concert!
Where: U.S. Capitol - West Lawn
When: Sunday, August 31, 2008 - 8pm (Gates Open at 5)
How: Admission is free! No tickets necessary
Hope you all enjoy your long weekend, with many BBQs, sunshine, and swimming!!
Every so often I like to type in "Laura Rubinchuk" into my google search to see what pops up - and i'm never disappointed by the hits that pop up! It seems my activerain, localism, and a few particular blogs have finally made it to the top. Before my adventure into blogging, my search results were always (mostly embarrassing) past Softball statistics and game recaps from my University of Rochester days as a Yellowjacket Softball player. I will be happy when those stats are finally on the LAST pages! (**Now I know you may be tempted to see how good - or bad - I once was, but please, spare yourself the trouble!)
I still find it interesting though what pops up - comments I have left on other peoples blogs, on websites about technology (in particular, one comment about how unhappy I was with a MacBook Pro and its' inability to work with real estate software), and other non-real estate related topics. Just makes me always remember to be careful in this technology driven area, where information is constantly at your fingertips, to be careful of where you leave your mark!! Especially on social networking sites, where I tend to dance the line between professional and personal lives, I always monitor photos/comments carefully to make sure it's painting the picture I want to portray!
Technology is a GREAT thing, but just remember, even if you delete it - someone, somewhere can find it online!
Part of the reason I love working with first-time homebuyers is getting to teach them things about the process. I know with the constant changing guidelines (be it lending, Northern Virginia Association of Realtors paperwork changes, etc) I learn something constantly! I think you have to in order to grow...so this is why I love sharing new resources for the ever eager home buyer.
For questions like, what does PMI stand for? What does LTV mean? How about FHA? :) The Federal Housing Administration (FHA) came up with a Wikipedia site of their own: check it out here.
For home buying process questions, give me a call! I'm always happy to help :)
Laura Rubinchuk
Keller Williams Realty
703.283.6120
Located at 1800 Wilson Blvd in Arlington, minutes from the Courthouse and Rosslyn Metros, this luxury condo building built in 2007 has left no detail unattended to.
Units feature:granite counter-tops, maple cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, gas cooking, hardwoods in the units.
Bathrooms feature: granite vanity tops, porcelain bathroom fixtures, and ceramic tile.
Community amenities include: a fitness center, business center, library, and storage areas. The building is home to several retails stores and directly across from several restaurants.
The building has units that are either 1 bedrooms, 2 bedrooms, or 2 bedrooms with a Den. Currently there are several units for sale, both 1 bedrooms and 2 bedrooms.
For more information, please feel free to call or email me!
Laura Rubinchuk
Keller Williams Realty
703.283.6120
Laura.Rubinchuk@kw.com
Beginning October 1, 2008, legislation will take effect that prohibits many (but not all) Down-payment Assistance Programs funded by the seller. Note: Down-payment assistance from family members, government programs, or charities that are not seller-funded are still permitted. This means, you must have settled and closed by September 30th of this year to still benefit from these programs.
For more information about this provision of the Housing Stimulus Bill, click here.
Also noteworthy: I'm not a lender, so if you're looking for more information on what programs have been nixed, give one of my preferred lenders a call and they'll be happy to discuss options with you. Gleyde Schatz, with InterCoastal Mortgage can be reached at Gleyde@icmtg.com or by cell: 703.431.7531
 |
|
|
Providing real estate expertise in Arlington County, Fairfax County, and Washington, D.C.
Laura is an upstate New York native, but now calls Arlington home. Prior to becoming a full-time Realtor, Laura served as an analyst and consultant in the finance realm of the Federal Government. Laura completed her undergraduate work at the University of Rochester and holds a dual degree in Economics and Statistics, as well as a Master's Degree in Applied Economics from Johns Hopkins University. Licensed in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., Laura focuses her business on helping first-time home buyers and sellers navigate the real estate process. Professional Affiliations and Designations
Business Experience
Education
Licensed in Virginia, Washington, D.C., and Maryland
"As a first time home buyer the entire process was very daunting to us, however Laura made it very easy. She made us feel very comfortable from the start and never made us feel like any of our questions were "dumb questions". I would absolutely refer her to any of our friends and family in the area searching for a home." - Nick, Washington, D.C.
"When my business partner and I moved into the DC area looking to invest we sent out a list of criteria to several real estate agents hoping to find one that could help us accomplish our goals, thank goodness we found Laura. She worked quickly to compile a list of over 100 properties, most of which we visited in a short two day period. Without Laura's dedication and hard work I'm convinced that we wouldn't be anywhere near where we are now. We plan on continuing our professional relationship with her and look forward to working with her in the future. Thanks Laura!" -Stephen E., Alexandria
"We are happy to say that in less than six weeks, we were in our new home and it is all thanks to Laura's dedication to us. She really listened, her commitment to us was reflected in her professionalism, timely communication and service to us and that made all of the difference. She was very knowledgeable and there were no questions or concerns that she was unwilling or unable to address. She has so much energy and goes above and beyond what a Realtor should do. She restored our confidence in the home buying process and I have since recommended her to anyone interested in buying or selling a home." -Maxine and Mustafa, Washington, D.C
"We recently had a baby and needed to move to a bigger home. A friend recommended Laura, so we contacted her. We thought we wanted to rent for another year before buying, but we told Laura that if she was able to find us a "steal" we'd consider it. When she got back to us with a list of for sale and for rent properties, we were surprised how many homes were on the market close to our price range. In the end we decided to stick to our original plan and rent. Laura never put any pressure on us to decide one way or the other- she let us decide what was best for us- even when it would have been better for her had we chosen to buy. We were planning to move in September but Laura's work was so fast that she was able to help us get into a place in August which worked out even better for us. She showed us the properties on last minute notice and was overall very flexible, friendly and helpful. We would recommend her to anyone who asked!" -Jess & James, Falls Church
"Laura did an amazing job of finding me a condo that fit exactly what I was looking for. Her extensive knowledge of the area and the outside research she did for me made the process very fast and easy since we didn't waste time looking at properties that she knew I wouldn't be interested in. She was very low-pressure about making the sale by letting me move at my own pace.
As a first time buyer, I wasn't sure exactly how the process worked after finding a place to put an offer on, so Laura helped me every step of the way, from the initial offer through the mortgage approval and closing. I always felt very comfortable with how things were working, and anytime something came up she would contact me right away and we'd resolve the issue asap. I couldn't have asked for a better experience!" - Mark, Arlington
ActiveRain Corp. is not responsible for the accuracy of the site's content (which is written by members of the ActiveRain Real Estate Network) and does not endorse the views of the real estate agents, mortgage brokers, and others listed here.
Powered by the ActiveRain Real Estate Network
© 2009 ActiveRain Corp. All Rights Reserved
