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Bret Nida

Open House in Northern Virginia. 15573 Legacy Way Haymarket,Virginia 1-4pm 8/29/2010 ($474,900)

08-25-10
Bret Nida

As summer winds down in Northern Virginia, the desire to nestle into a new home and ready yourself for the excitement of fall may be a notion that is crossing your mind. If that is the case or you just might want to preview one of the luxury homes of Dominion Valley Country Club,then stop by and see me for my open house this Sunday from 1-4pm!

The home I will be hosting an open house for is a symbol of luxury. A few notable amenities that deserve your own personal tour are:

  • Hickory Hardwood Floors
  • Crown Coulding/Chair Railings
  • Quality Cabinetry
  • Granite Counter tops
  • Huge main suite with Separate Sitting area
  • Open floor-plan( with 9-ft ceilings)
  • Private Screened Porch
  • Walk-In Closets
  • Over $100,000 in updates!

Beyond what this quality, 2 Bedroom 2 Bath home has to offer, this Gated Community has an abundance of life's luxuries that ensures making your life easier and most importantly, FUN!

  • Arnold Palmer Signature Golf
  • Miles of trails
  • Beautiful Mountain views
  • Easy access to main highways and cities(Reston,Fairfax, and Dulles Airport)
  • Tennis Courts
  • Indoor and outdoor pool

For more info on Dominion Valley Country Club click here!

The weekend weather for Haymarket,Va calls for bright and sunny weather and a temperature of 90, so it will be a perfect day for a Sunday drive. Stop by and see me! (Refreshment Served: Starbucks Coffee and Laughs)

Directions: LET GUARD KNOW YOU ARE THERE FOR OPEN HOUSE!

From RT 66 >>> RT 15 NORTH >> LEFT on DOMINION VALLEY DR. -OR- From RT 50 >>> RT 15 SOUTH >> RIGHT on DOMINION VALLEY DR. (2)RIGHT on Regency Club Drive (3)LEFT on Championship Drive (4) Left on Legacy Way

Things to do in Northern Virginia

08-02-10
Bret Nida

One of the things I love about living in Northern Virginia is the vast array of things to do to fit any personal style or budget. I like to consider myself a renaissance man and can pretty much enjoy anything with good company and good weather. If you are new to NOVA or perhaps just looking for something to occupy your time between football season, like me, then have a look at a few of the activities I have attended in the area and maybe mark them on your calendar:

1) "Twilight Polo" @ Great Meadows Polo Club. The Plains, Va- I attended this event this past Saturday, 7-31-10 and had a great time! The charge is $30 per car and it is bring your own food and beverages. The event was very family-friendly with music and events for kids and adults who like to act like kids(like me)! Great matches and good company, equals good times!

2) "Great Grapes" @ Reston, Va Town Center- Held in both April and September, I attended the Spring Festival in Reston Town Center and I had blast! Tickets were $25 and I received a complimentary wine glass. Another good time! I plan on attending the September 11 & 12 event as well.

3) Northern Virginia Fine Arts Festival @ Reston, VA Town Center- May 15 & 16th, I attended the Saturday event and was awestruck by all the artist work lining the streets. With a variety of works (sculptures, watercolors, still life, jewelry, etc.), one could stay for hours and admire all the talent. The pics below are a few of my favorites I snapped with my Iphone.

4) Gold Cup- @ Great Meadows. The Plains, VA- Held in May and October, this is another good time to come out and enjoy the weather, races and goofy hats!

5) Starlight Drive-In Cinema- Centreville,Va- I have to commend Fairfax County for this Family Friendly FREE event (say that as fast as you can 3 times in a row!). This starts in August and should be a good time to meet new people and enjoy the flicks!

These are just a few of many things Northern Virginia has to offer should you be wanting to take a break from work and live life a little(a notion I need to remind myself of). If you are wanting to find other things to do by counties in NOVA, then click the links below:

•· Things to do in FairFax County

•· Things to do in Loudon County

•· Things to do in Arlington County

•· Things to do in Prince William County

~LIFE IS GOOD~

What I have learned this week(Politics, Religion,Sports,Real Estate and Horseflies)

07-27-10
Bret Nida

I'm a firm believer that not a day goes by that someone doesn't learn something.I don't care if you are 19 or 95, you have to learn something each day consciously or subconsciously. YOU JUST GOTTA I SAY...YOU JUST GOTTA!Always striving to learn something each day,whether it's complete useless information(which is most of the time) or something I can "pay forward" as useful to someone else, I'll try and share a few random things that I've learned this week.

Sports:

  • If you are a Fantasy Football genius and run a league like me, there is an option to add a "Flex" position as a line-up spot. This enables you to use a Running Back, Tight End, or 2nd QB as part of your starting line-up. I knew this was an option but I didn't know it was called "Flex".

Politics:

  • The Medicare 3.8% sales tax applies to only a small percentage of the population and will be imposed if you sell your home(with a profit) above the capital gains threshold of $250,000 per individual or $500,00 per couple. This tax will also play out in other ways but again, only effects about 2 percent of the population.

Religion:

  • God is great!

Real Estate:

If you are representing a buyer-investor, and you make an offer on a distressed property, there really is no way you can guarantee the offer is delivered to the bank by the Listing Realtor. The only way to find out it was not delivered is to see the final sale price(which is lower than what you offered) and then after the house is rehabbed guess who will have it listed? There has to be a way to shed light on this shadiness?

Complete Randomness:

A Horse-fly bites hurt worse than certain bee stings!( I learned this while spending time on the river)

Bret Nida

WWW.NOVANIDA.COM "Norther Virginia Real Estate"

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Housing Market in NOVA June 2010

07-21-10
Bret Nida

Real estate market statistics are out for June 2010 in NOVA!

The image below gives a pretty comprehensive view of the Northern Virginia Real Estate Market and how things are on the "up-and-up". Pay attention to the following:

  • AVERAGE SALES PRICE IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA (YEAR TO DATE) Up 15.80 percent last year from $339,372 to $392,996!!!
  • AVERAGE DAYS ON MARKET IN NORTHERN VIRGINIA- Down 75 days in June of 2009 to 45 days in June of 2010...Homes are selling fast in NOVA!
  • List to Sales Price Ratio: For 2010 ERA TEACHERS INC has a 96% list to sale price. Price it right!\ There certainly is a lack of inventory for buyers in all price ranges, so if you are thinking of selling your home in Northern Virginia, now would be a good time!

My Fourth Of July Celebration In Fairfax,Va.(Serious and Silly)

07-06-10
Bret Nida

Celebrating our country's freedom was in full effect this past Saturday July 3rd, 2010 in Fairfax,Va. The day's events had a lot to offer to any and all and was quite entertaining, if I must say so myself! Kudos to the City of Fairfax,Va for their organization! The main event for the Queen and I and our celebration of Independence was the fireworks, which was held at Fairfax High School. Here are a few pics from around the event, courtesty of my handy-dandy Iphone:

The inflatable heart brought out during the " I Love Fairfax" chant(this was rather amusing)

Inflatable heart

The Queen of Hearts

I figured they might have needed help carrying the balloon, so I had the heart to lend a hand.(HAW, HAW)

Bret Holding Heart

I thought the crowd was gathered to see how long I could hold the heart but the queen reminded me otherwise!

Crowd at Fairfax,Va

The inflatable bouncy rooms were for the kids but you can be sure I wanted to par take!("That time and once again I'm bouncing around the room")

The stage where the bands performed. I wanted to get up there and sing a little diddy but the queen felt I should stick to selling homes in Northern Virginia

Stage at Fairfax High School

BOOM, BAM, SNAP, KAPOW...

Beyond all these exciting events, I always remember the true meaning of the day- FREEDOM! GOD BLESS AMERICA AND THANKS TO ALL THOSE THAT HAVE ALLOWED FOR US TO BE FREE!