Peggy James-Full Time Realtor I Serve The Lake Ridge Virginia Area

The Village of Idlewild in Fredericksburg offers that small town community feel you've been looking for. Located between Rt 3 and Rt 1 in Fredericksburg Virginia this community is so convenient to the major thoroughfares, old town Fredericksburg, Central Park and Cosgrove's Corner. The community has two entrances one from Rt 1 and another from Rt 3.

My identical twin sister Patty Blackwelder is the sales representative at The Villages of Idlewild for Ryan Homes, so I decided to take a drive to see where she is working and what Ryan Homes had to offer.

Are you asking yourself where is Idelwild? So was I.

Imagine heading down I-95 to Fredricksburg. You,exit on Rt 3 heading toward Old Towne Fredericksburg. As soon as you cross over the highway and turn right on Lafayette Blvd and follow the Ryan Homes signs to the model home.

What I really liked was the boulevard heading into the community with gorgeous lamp posts lighting the sidewalks along the way. People were walking dogs, and children in strollers and enjoying the day.

As I drove into the community ,I was surprised at how little signage there was for the community. If you didn't know the area, you would never know there was an entire three hundred acre new homes community back there. I'm a full time Realtor and even I was surprised to know it was there.

Then I approached the model home, I saw a town square. Love it! It had a park like setting surrounded by the work at home spaces for those who have small businesses. I saw a hair salon, a pet grooming salon. Heck I would love a satellite real estate office in one of those store fronts. Then I went through the circle and saw the cutest most distinctive cottage style homes. I was delighted to see this is a mixed use community with both townhomes, and small and large single family homes. Many of the existing homes have the garages in the rear and front porches looking out over the sidewalks. The community reminded me of Reid's Prospect in Lake Ridge Virginia and a little like Port Potomac in Woodbridge Virginia. Except the difference here is the quaint cottage style homes and the way the builders have purposely made cul-de-sac and boulevard streets. It really adds to the small town feel.

The Ryan Homes Model Home is on the right across from the town square. Treat yourself...you will be pleasantly surprised. The home prices currently in February 2012 start under $320,000 and the average sales price for a three finished level home, with coffer-ed ceilings, a morning room, a fireplace, carriage style garage doors,hardy plank siding, cottage fronts price out under $380,000! Here is a photo to peak your interest...look at the coffer-ed ceilings and the stone fireplace! Dreamy......

There are three different models to choose from The Keats, The Shakespear and The Yates

Note: click on any of the models above to visit the Ryan Homes Website

For more information on available homes you can call me or you can call to the sales model directly

Patty Blackwelder -540.654.5064 ( Hours- Mon 12-6, Tues-Fri- 10-6, Sat & Sun 11 -6

For those of you reading this, who like what you see, however would like to be closer to Prince William County Virginia. I can share this with you. You can't touch a brand new single family home of this quality and size,anywhere in the Woodbridge, Lake Ridge, Dumfries or Triangle area. So if you are getting priced out of the market in Prince William County Virginia, you may find that Stafford or a community such as The Villages of Idlewild in Fredericksburg a good fit for you.

For those of you relocating to Marine Base Quantico (MBQ) or even Fort Belvoir Virginia this community would be a wonderful fit for you. Commuting to work you can use Rt1 or I-95 North.

Best of all...a bus will take you to VRE Station, so you don't need a car!

The question I received the other day was this Peggy " Do we really need to neutralize our home and stage it to sell it?"

Well, my answer really surprised the caller. I said, most REALTORS®, will advise you to totally neutralize and stage your home before putting it on the market. The reason simply being, it will appeal to the most home buyers as possible.

Ok....let's think about that for a minute. New Home Models are using wallpaper and amazing colors throughout to sell the homes right? Then when the buyers has the final walk through and they go into their brand new home, they are in SHOCK at how boring and plain it looks. All most people see at that point is "all the money they have to come up with the buy curtains, blinds and decorate it to make it a home.

Your home is already a home, someplace that you love and feel comfortable in. My suggestion is always this. Let me come see your home, and then together with my local real estate market knowledge, and your help, we come up with the least expensive way for you to sell your home.

I'm not like most REALTORS! I believe that when you put your home on the market For Sale, you only need one buyer to fall in love with your home. Just one! Right? So it is my job to find that one buyer who is going to just fall in love with your lot, your home, and all the features it has to offer.

For example the home to the left had deep saturated colors through out. You might consider that a turn off if you hated color.

However when marketing this home, I made sure I spoke about the color. Addressed the elephant in the room right away.

This owner had just lost her husband, their was no way I was going to make her paint her home. It is just paint! Look at the bones of a home.

This home is neutral right? However the home failed to sell after 120 days in the spring market. Why? The homeowners was unwilling to consider that the sea-foam carpet throughout the five thousand square foot home would keep someone from making an offer on his home.

Buyers are having to come up with thousands and in many cases tens of thousands just to get into a home. They have nothing left for decorating or changing out outdated carpet. Finding one buyer who likes sea-foam green in 2010 failed.

Let's take this home for example. I showed this home to several buyers. Everyone wanted it last year.

The home had multiple offers. Look at that ceiling. Would have thought to do that? Not me. It was stunning!

Why didn't the owner have to change this decor?

Because of price! This home was priced to sell and buyers flocked to it, and a bidding war happened.

Wallpaper...love it or hate it. It is just wallpaper. Wallpaper can be removed in a day or two. If you let wallpaper stand in your way of buying a home then you are what I consider a "Shallow Home Buyer!"

Now look at this photo below. This is a lovely remodeled bath in a home I have listed right now. Is your first thought, this home will sit on the market for a long time with those deep, rich colors on the wall? Guess again. "This home had multiple offers and went under contract in a few days."

Here is another example. Some REALTORS®, would make you paint over this. Because it might now appeal to all buyers. Heck.....the homeowner spent thousands to get this look. Let's let the market decide. If we get comment coming back in " the mural has to go" then I will recommend you paint over it. "Guess what, this home sold in less than 10 days!"

So, do you have to totally neutralize your home to sell it. Not in my opinion. I know there are many REALTORS®, and Staggers who will disagree with me.

In my opionion, there is so much more that goes into selling your home. As you listing agent it is my job to market your home, and to cast the net far and wide to attract the homebuyers who will like no LOVE your home! We want the buyer who is not a "Shallow Home Buyer". We want the buyer who is searching for a lot like yours or the location you are in or they want your floor-plan or they need to be in your school district. The current local market conditions also play a role in how fast and if your home with sell.

Trust me when I say " I am not a REALTOR®, who is going to shy away from color or wallpaper."

Do you need help selling your home? Let's talk... I'm just a phone call away.

Are you the kind of person who wants a home that is a turn the key ready to move into home, a blank slate, or do you look at a colorful home with a great floor-plan and say "it's just paint, I can change that". Are you searching for something unique? An acreage home? A luxurious master bath? An awesome patio? How about a home with an in-ground pool? Or is your dream lifestyle one on a cul-de-sac lot? Are you someone that says I just want a brand new home? Or maybe you want it to back up to a pond or lake.

What ever you are looking for....sometimes it just takes so much of your valueable time to search and search and you still find yourself, overwhelmend, confused and just wondering.. "this one looks nice. Is it close to where we work? What's around it? Are there serivces nearby such as a hospital, a Regional Mall, Restaurants, Schools? It is so cumbesome online....

That's what a good REALTOR® ,who knows the local area can help you find. The home you want. The home you dream about. Sure you can sign up for automatic alerts on just about any real estate website, but so many things like painted walls or say you want a home that will suit your a french country decorating style, or say you need hardwood floors on the entire upper level because of alergies or one that has a western exposure on the back of the house. These are things that an computer simply cannot help you with. You need a local REALTOR® who knows the inventory well, who has their finger on the pulse of the local real estate market. A REALTOR® who knows what homes are coming on the market. A Buyers Agent who will help you find exactly what will make your heart beat faster, what will make you say " this is it! OMG! I can't believe you found my home so quickly. How did you do that?"

The way I do it, is simple. I listen to your wants, needs and desires for the way you live. Some people want a home that lives well, that fuctions well for the family pet, that has enough driveway space for all their cars, or that has a space in the lower level for everyone to hang out and play. Or you may you are the person who says, I really do not want a lot of yard maintance, however I want a big fenced yard. These are the types of request I get all the time. Just share with me what you are looking for. I'm a real person, with a real passion for finding you the right home. You know, the one when you walk in at night and you say " Gosh I love this place!"

So you are relocating to the Fort Belvior or Quantico Virginia area and you want a home that you can move into right away. A door to door move. Well, that is possible, however your choices are limted.

Currently in the Northern Virginia, Prince William County Virginia and Stafford Virginia area, most new home builder are quoating deliveries of June, July and August. So if you have plans to come in for a house hunt this spring to buy a new home, and move in by the time school is getting out, that ship has sailed!

No...I'm not kidding.

Homes are selling like hotcakes and builders are having to raise prices, because they cannot build as fast as the market has taken off. Then we get into the issue of being able to pull new home permits. The process can get bottle necked quickly which is why most builders contracts here in Virginia allow for a two year build time. Yes, two yes. It's always been that way, ever since I was a new home sales person. They do this in case there is a strike, or wood prices spike, or bad weather strikes.

If you are looking for a sure thing, then you need to look at Immediate Delivery Homes, Builder Spec Homes, Vacant Homes, and homes where owners are ready to move in the next thirty to sixty days.

Take a look at your options right now. View Immediate Delivery Homes For Sale

This is one I have right now, located between Fort Belvior and Quantico Virginia.

For more information and to veiw photos of the five bedroom home with three finished levels View Here

Lake Ridge Virginia Market Update - "Learn What's Happening In The Local Real Estate Market." I don't know about you, however when I go shopping at the local TJ Maxx or Marshalls, I know when the new stock comes in, that I have the best selection. I am thrilled when I get to look at the newest products first, and I am not looking at left overs or things that have been past up by others over and over.

Well, if you are thinking of buying or selling a home. Did you know that you can position yourself to know what homes just came on the market? Well you can. Take a look at what is happening.

Currently there are:

• 116 Properties listed for sale in Lake Ridge Virginia area
• 47 Homes in Lake Ridge Virginia went Under Contract in January 2012!
• 8 were Short Sales
• 11 were Forecloure Homes.
• 21 Short Sale Opporunities are still Active For Sale
• 9 Foreclosures are still Active For Sale

Price ranges are from $84,000 up $845,000. The average single family home is priced in the $340,000 price point. Even homes that have been sitting for months are now going Under Contract.

For me personally, I listed two homes in the past two weeks in Lake Ridge Virginia. Both were in the Westridge Subdivision. One home was a starter single family home priced at $400,000 ( shown on right) and that home received mutiple offers within 48 hours of being listed.

The other was a $845,000 luxury acreage home in Westridge Subsivision and that home went under contract in less than two weeks! Take a look

If you would like to know "what's happening in the Lake Ridge Virginia real estate market" you have a few choices.

1. One sign up to get automatic alerts on what homes are coming on the market. Simply do a Seach For Homes on this website LakeRidgeVAHomesForSale.Com and Save Your Search. It is that easy.
2. Call me and let's talk about what you are hoping to find call 703-851-3085.
3. Or if you are thinking of selling your home. You can learn more about how we are helping Lake Ridge homeowners time the market for a quick sale. Watch Video Now