Pat Fenn

For some reason there seems to be confusion among prospective buyers who are looking at the community of Kingstowne in Fairfax County.

Kingstowne is not a city of its own even though it certainly is larger than some cities in our area. In fact Kingstowne is a planned community with a postal address of Alexandria but it is located in Fairfax County. Wow that seems confusing enough even for anyone who has lived in the area their entire lives.

With its convenient location close to two metro stations, Springfield-Franconia on the Blue line and Van Dorn on the Yellow line the neighborhood provides ease of transportation to Alexandria, Reagan National Airport, Pentagon or into DC and you can be at the gates of Fort Belvoir within 15 minutes.

Kingstowne offers two major grocery stores including a huge Safeway and Giant, smaller stores such as World Imports, DSW Shoe Warehouse, Home Goods and a Next Day Blinds to name a few. Looking for places to eat? Not to worry you can enjoy Italian at Macaroni Grill, Seafood at Bonefish Grill, Cajun at Kings Street Blues and of course Tex-Mex at Chipolte's.

So if you are relocating to Northern Virginia there is no need to be confused by the right address for Kingstowne. I can connect you with an experienced agent who knows their way around Kingstowne's neighborhoods and can help you make the right choice for your next move.

If you don't like to miss an opportunity to combine family fun with fall weather then make sure to mark your calendars for the annual Lake Ridge Fall Festival on October 25 from 10 am to 2 pm.

A children's costume parade starts at 11 am and there will be activities for all ages as well as a crafts fair to give you the chance to get a head start on your Christams shopping. Enjoy a moon bounce, Jack O-lantern juding and a mouse hunt as some of the activities.

The event is held at the LRPRA office parking lot located at 12350 Oakwood Drive.

While you are out don't forget to head to the Lake Ridge Nursery. Fall is in full swing with fun for the kids including a rope swing, moonbounces and slides, pumpkins and Halloween gourd painting. Open daily from 9 am to 8 pm the kids can enjoy the play area while parents shop for pumpkins or fall flowers.

Lake Ridge Nursery is located at 3705 Old Bridge Road.

Check out the new event being offered by the Occoquan River Communities. On July 27^th at three major locations on the Occoquan River a day of events are planned for everyone. You can stop by Occoquan Regional Park to see an authentic 1800's Oyster Boat or take a river taxi to Belmont Bay to tour the 65 foot American Spirit Schooner.

The Town of Occoquan will have historic craft demonstrations and a Taste of Occoquan with 9 different restaurants participating. Each venue will have food and some locations will have live bands. In addition to what is happening at the river communities you will also be able to get a sneak peak at the new Lorton Workhorse Arts Center at the old Lorton Prison grounds.

This is the first event that the new non-profit Occoquan River Communities group is planning and you don't want to miss it. So check out the full schedule at the new Occoquan River Communities website and watch for the signs on Route 123 South and Route 1 South to direct you to the event.

See you there!

As a relocation specialist one of the things that we watch is the trends for major relocation hot spots. Where are employees headed within or outside of the U.S? Currently the popular relocation hot spots include; Boston MA, Paris France, Los Angeles, CA, Korea and Washington DC. With more companies opening or maintaining facilities overseas we expect to see the trend for foreign relocations to grown.

Something new that we are seeing in relocation packages for employees is companies offering to cover a percentage of employee's loss on the value of their homes. The average cost to move an employee comes in around $60,000 and with the rough housing market in many locations the cost for employee relocation programs is growing. Some companies do buy the homes of employees they have requested to move but more and more are limiting that benefit to executive level employees.

So expect to see additional changes in relocation packages as the housing market slow down effects employees ability to sell their homes.

Our phones are starting to ring with clients who have just learned that a move to a new location is in the air. Getting ready to move no matter how prepared you are, is difficult. So here are a few tips that might help you get started with the process.

The #1 Tip is PURGE. Start with all of those magazines that are lying around. If there is one article that you want to keep out of the entire magazine cut it out and scan it to your computer or a disc. Go through the closets and clean out the clothes, shoes, coats that you know you won't need at your new location or haven't worn in a long time.

#2-IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS. Make sure all of your important papers are secure in one location. It is amazing the number of times that you will get to your new location and not be able to find immunization records, birth certificates, bank and investment documents. I recommend that you consider making a scanned disc of all of your papers as a backup to the paper files.

#3-PACK AN EMERGENCY KIT. The first night in a new home is usually chaotic. Surrounded by boxes and trying to find that one item you really need is impossible. Pack one box and clearly label it as the EMERGENCY KIT. Inside you need toilet paper, paper towels, trash bags, non perishable snacks, set of sheets and small hardware kit.

Once you know your exact moving date you can start going room by room and organizing items so that when the moving company arrives to pack that you will have like items together and can clearly label each room and the key items in each box.

More information on making a smooth move.