St. Paddy’s day is coming and many DC restaurants offer food and drink specials to celebrate. You don’t have to be Irish to enjoy all the festivities and green beer!
All events listed are on Saturday March 17, 2012
Shamrocks and Shenanigans
Starting at 4pm to Midnight at Rumors (19th and M Street NW).
$5 cover charge – Beat the clock drink specials, strolling bagpiper, free beads and souvenirs. Contests with prizes, including Best Irish Jig.
Starting at 8am with Kegs and Eggs and goes all day (pace yourself). Located at 1600 K ST NW. Festivities include live performances, drink specials, NCAA tournament games, Washington Redskins Cheerleaders and traditional Irish fare.
Located at 1500 New Hampshire Ave NW. “A Taste of Ireland” brunch will be offered in Café Dupont starting at 7am and is available until 2pm. Shepherd’s pie, bangers and mash and Irish stew are just a few dishes that will be on the menu. Specialty Irish cocktails will be offered from 11am to 2:30pm.
Located at 555 8th street NW. Chef Dennis Marron’s special menu includes bangers and buns, corned beef and cabbage and a corned beef sandwich on rye bread with sauerkraut. Chef Marron will also pay tribute to his Irish heritage by adding a French twist on traditional Irish favorites. His fish and chips will be made with tuna, rockfish, and oysters and topped with a Marie Rose sauce. All plated with truffle French fries.
Busy on the 17th? Check back soon for my next post on Shamrock Festival 2012 taking place on March 24!
As a follow up to my FHA Takes Additional Steps to Bolster Capital Reserves post it has been confirmed that effective April 1, 2012 the cost to obtain FHA financing will increase. Most clients have two questions.
1. What is the change in FHA financing?
2. How do they avoid it costing them more?
Mortgage insurance for FHA loans is going to increase on April 1, 2012. FHA mortgage insurance exists today and has two components. The upfront mortgage insurance premium (MIP) which is currently 1% of the loan amount, this can be part of the closing costs or financed into the loan. The second component is the annual mortgage insurance and it varies by loan type as follows.
· 30 year fixed mortgage with less than 95% loan to value (LTV) annual MIP =1.1% of your loan amount.
· 30 year fixed mortgage with more than 95% loan to value (LTV) annual MIP =1.15% of your loan amount
Annual mortgage insurance is paid monthly as part of your mortgage payment.
So, what’s changing?
Any case numbers assigned April 1, 2012 or later will be subject to a 1.75% upfront MIP premium. The annual MIP will increase to 1.2% for loans under $625,500 with a 5% or more down payment, and 1.25% for loans with less than a 5% down payment.
How to avoid it:
If you’re thinking of using FHA financing the only way to avoid the increase is to get your FHA case number assigned before April 1, 2012. All case numbers assigned before that date will fall under the current FHA mortgage insurance premium guidelines. The chart below breaks down what a buyer could save if they started the loan process before the April 1 deadline with a sample sale price of 300k.
Over a $2,100 upfront and $24 a month increase is a substantial amount. If you're on the fence about buying and will be using FHA financing now is the time to get serious.
Cameron Station is a popular community located off of Duke Street in the west end of Alexandria, Virginia. Composed of single family, townhouse and condominiums the community was designed with an old fashioned American small town feel with 18th/19th century style architecture. Cameron Station is also surrounded by two parks, Ben Brenman Park and Armistead L. Booth Park. Both parks have athletic fields and playgrounds. Brenman Park offers a picnic area, walking paths around a lake and a dog park. A dry cleaners, spa/salon, dentist, pre-school and a market are located in the center of Cameron Station and within walking distance to all of its residents.
Cameron Station is located less than 2 miles from Van Dorn Metro (blue line) and offers a free shuttle for its residents during rush hour. Old Towne Alexandria is less than 10 minutes away. Grocery shopping, pharmacy, restaurants and Charles E. Beatley Jr. library are all within walking distance.
If you're looking for a home in Cameron Station or Fairfax County we can help. We are local experts and will guide you through the home buying process with as much or as little assistance as you'd like. We offer all of our buyers a $500 rebate at closing as a way to say thank you for your business.
Springfield Mall located at 6500 Springfield Mall Springfield Springfield,Virginia is set to be demolished with the exception of the anchor stores starting in July 2012. The mall is owned by Vornado Realty Trust and according to a report prepared for the Fairfax County Board of Supervisor phase 1 of the plan includes renovation of the interior of the mall and a new movie theater. 
The report also states that Vornado would like to create a pedestrian oriented town center in the phase II complete with 2,700 apartments and 1 million square feet of office space. They would like to expand the retail component to 2 million square feet of shopping and dining. The mall sits on about 80 acres and there are also plans for “pocket parks” to be added to the site during development.
The Springfield community and surrounding areas like Kingstowne have been awaiting the mall to be redeveloped. Currently the stores are limited and offer little selection in comparison to Pentagon City and Tysons Corner Center. It’s a good sign the development is a go and on track to move forward.
Sure, it’s only Wednesday but, I know you’re already thinking about what you can get into this weekend. Here are some ideas to get you started!
Friday 3/9/2012
· Artisan Beer Tasting and Silent Auction Fundraiser
Located at Campanga Center, 418 S. Washington Street Alexandria, Va 22314
Time: 6:30pm
Cost: $50
Proceeds benefit New Neighbors and their low cost English as a Second Language program
· Color Me Obsessed: The Potentially True Story of the Last Best Band: The Replacements
Located at The Black Cat 1811 14th Street NW Washington, DC
Time: 9:00pm
Cost: $8
Documentary about the cult band, The Replacement told through the words of their fans
· Romeo Santos
Located at George Mason University 4500 Patriot Circle Fairfax, Va
Time: 8:00pm
Cost: $39.50-89.50
Santos, former lead of the Bronx Bachata quaret Aventura will be performing songs from his first solo album “Formula Vol. 1”
Saturday 3/10/2012
· National Capital Modelers – Family Day
Located at the National Museum for the Marine Corps, 18900 Jefferson Davis Highway Triangle, Va 22172
Time: 12pm-3pm
Cost: FREE
Kids have the opportunity to make their own models with the National Capital Modelers
· Art Talk For Adults
Located at the Strathmore at 5301 Tuckerman Lane Bethesda, MD
Time: 1pm
Cost: FREE
Guided tour of the “You Are What You Eat” exhibit
· Washington Wizards Vs. Portland Trail Blazers
Located at the Verizon Center 601 F Street NW Washington, DC
Time: 7pm
Cost: $10-$2,000
NBA Basketball
Realtor selling all over Northern Virginia with a specialty and passion for Kingstowne. Football and dog lover.
After being in the corporate world as an operations manager and then transitioning to a loan officer I realized that my passion was real estate. Answering questions and guiding first time buyers through the process is something that never gets old. I can't think of anything more fulfilling than helping clients buy or sell a home.
Living in Alexandria gives me an insight to all the many benefits the area has to offer as well as a competitive edge on buying for selling a home. Referrals are also a key part of my business, there is no bigger compliment than being contacted by someone who has been given my name by a past client.
I specialize in the Alexandria area with a focus on Kingstowne. Being a Kingstowne resident gives me insight to new construction, current inventory for sale and coming soon listings for buyers. For sellers it gives me insight on the best marketing approach for their home. You can't get much more hands on than someone who lives and works in the area. I love Kingstowne!
I have a passion for first time buyers and sellers, the education process is something I truly enjoy and being able to provide them with professional consulting throughout the transaction is very rewarding for me.
John-Arlington, Va
Thank you so much for all your personal attention. I had been with several realtors before hiring you. Your focus on my needs and constant attention to detail are amazing. I appreciated always being able to get in touch with you.Brad-Vienna, Va
Amanda was always providing me with information and insight to the market over a 6 month period. I contacted alot of agents, and narrowed the list down to two, Amanda was identified as being my number one choice to represent me. As I anticipated, her performance was flawless. I respect and appreciate Amanda's professionalism, and attention to detail.Scott and Sally Anderson-Manassas, Va
In my opinion, Amanda is the best realtor you can hope for. She is a professional, reliable, trustworthy and likable. She listened to what we wanted and made every attempt to deliver. Amanda always showed up prepared and on time when we had appointments. In addition, she was extremely knowledgeable and patient with us when we were trying to understand the process of how to handle foreclosed and short sale homes. After showing us numerous homes over many months, Amanda found us a house and helped us negotiate a fantastic deal! We cannot express our gratitude for her help and services and to this day we recommend her to everyone and anyone that needs a realtor. Thanks Amanda and keep up the great work!Jaclyn Sirois- Alexandria, Va
Amanda was great to work with for many reasons and I would highly recommend her as a realtor. She was detail oriented and had great communication. She was prompt with providing housing information, in meeting, and correspondence. Amanda did an excellent job in accommodating my price range and all amenities I was looking for. I was extremely happy with Amanda's work, and she showed me the responsiveness one would expect with purchasing a house though I was in the market to rent. Amanda provided me with information on what was needed in terms of the application documents and even went above and beyond with recommendations to make the move easier (for example with where I could pick up boxes and providing a recommended moving company). I would highly recommend Amanda because of her friendliness and her demonstration of high competency within the field of real estate. If I am in the need of housing in the future I would gladly ask for her services again.Jessica and Jay Dove- Springfield, Va
I found out about Amanda Davidson by looking at listings online and contacting her through the Keller Williams website. I was hesitant to work with a realtor I didn't already know, but I was pleasantly surprised to find how professional, responsive, and knowledgeable Amanda was. She was always quick to respond to my calls and emails as well as provide me with any information I asked for. Because Amanda was so responsive and flexible in scheduling viewings, we found a great townhouse and put a contract on it within days of the property coming on the market. When it comes time for us to sell our rental property, I will definitely work with Amanda again, and I have already recommended her to several friends who are currently looking to buy homes in the Northern Virginia area.
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