Open House in Glenmore, July 27, 1:00-4:00, Keswick, Virginia just outside of Charlottesville

3256 Heathcote Lane, Glenmore, Keswick, Virginia

Don't miss the chance to see this amazing new home by European Homes of Charlottesville located on a special lot in Glenmore possessing exceptional mountain and golf course views.

5 bedrooms, 4.5 Bath, 4,800 finished sq ft/ 3,864 unfinished, $1,500,000.

The quality construction in this beautiful home is evident throughout. The main floor boasts large living and dining rooms, a gourmet kitchen with cherry cabinets and granite counters, large family room, a first floor master suite with fireplace and an additional bedroon and full bath. There are three more bedrooms and two full baths upstairs. "The living and family rooms have fireplaces as well as the master. The full walkoutbasement offers plenty of room for expansion.

Stop by the gatehouse for a map.

Click here for more pictures and listing information.

Search all the homes in the Charlottesville area

Pam Dent, e-PRO, SRES, NHD
Real Estate III
Charlottesville, VA
434 960-0161
Charlottesville Horse Farms and Country Homes
www.JumpintoGreenerPastures.com

I just wanted to say that I have had a really good week! I had closings on 2 homes I listed for sale in Norfolk. I was able to bring lunch to the sellers and 'crew' of my home for sale in Colonial Place and wish them good luck with their move to New Hampshire.

(Do you know Colonial Place? A really fun neighborhood with a very active civic league. There are great opportunities to meet people - vegetarian club, book club, etc. If you want to know more, give me a call! And check the website too -http://www.cprv.org)

Also, I enjoyed a terrific lunch at Enricos. This restaurant is on Colley Ave in Colonial Place area. There are a couple of other restaurants worth trying to - Fellini's and O'Sullivans Wharf - to name two.

By the way, it is restaurant week in Norfolk - They have dubbed it the FORK of July celebration! Check the website for participating restaurants and specials...

http://www.downtownnorfolk.org/enjoy/events/restaurant_week

Hope to see you out there!

For all the homes for sale in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Suffolk, and the rest of Hampton Roads, go to www.bethanyphillips.com. A great site for searching Hampton Roads Real Estate and Homes for sale!

Well, I just got around to reading the July/August issue of "Commonwealth," the Virginia Association of Realtors' magazine. The cover story is "Green Means Go: Tips for Making and Marketing a Green Home." The premise of the article is "greening" up a home will make it sell faster and for more money. I'm not sure I buy that.

I do believe that eco-consciousness is here to stay, particularly among the post-Boomer demographic. With gas prices sky high and concerns about global warming (thanks, Al Gore!) and other environmental issues on the mind of many people, environmentally friendly practices in ANY industry are trendy. See the GE "Eco-Imagination"commercials as an example. And I do think that the (ahem) younger generations - X's and Y's and Echo Boomers - are much more globally and environmentally conscious than the generations that precede them. See my May 5, 2008 blog post at www.melissasavenko.typepad.com on the YAWNs (for "Young and Wealthy but Normal") and their attempts to minimize their carbon footprints, all the while flying around in their private jets [ASIDE: I just cannot resist that dig, have those people NO sense of irony?].

But the practical question remains: Does it make sense to invest the money to "green" your house when you are getting ready to sell it?

My gut reaction: Nope. Nuh-uh. No way, Jose. If you are going to make some upgrades and changes ANYWAY, such as painting or replacing appliances, and you can make those same changes with a "greener" choice that has only marginal additional cost, then I say go for it. A fresh coat of paint or new appliances would be worth considering for any listing, especially in a down market. Using paints with low volatile organic compounds("VOCs") or buying Energy Star-rated appliances could be a good choice. If you go in that direction, be sure to highlight those greener choices in your marketing literature. But, if these are not changes you planned to make to get your home ready to list, I doubt you will get adequate return on your investment to justify the cost. In other words, don't "green" your home just to sell it.

There may be a particular exception to this rule. I bet for properties that attract a particular buyer demographic, Generations X and Y and Echo Boomers, green could become a big factor in buying habits, all other things being equal. So, for a condominium project catering to first-time home buyers or young professionals, I bet a "green" unit would sell faster than a plain vanilla not-green unit, all other things being equal. But that's pure speculation on my part. I wish there was a way to test that theory.

This is just one woman's opinion. That, and $.25, WON'T get you a cup of coffee.

Property values are dropping in our area. Sellers are going to realize their property built in 1972 is going to have to be updated in order to command top dollar.

1. Update the light fixtures

2. Update the bathroom and kitchen I know everyone says the bath and kitchen sell the home. It is true.

3. Do not forget landscaping

4. Pressure washing the vinyl and driveway goes a long way

5. De-Clutter De-Clutter Oh, did i say De-Clutter

6. Fresh paint goes a long way. Neutral colors, I know you love your pink room but it does not work for everyone.

7. Clean out the garage so the potential buyer can see the possiblity of parking a car.

8. Clean Clean Clean

9. Replace all burned out light bulbs.

10. Do not remember draw attention your assets: fireplace, deck, pool, front porch, jetted tub etc.

Aug 6th is the B.B. King Concert!

B.B. King is nothing less than a musical legend and always puts on a great show, so come on down and enjoy an evening with the king of the blues. Oh, and make your fellow CAAR members serve you a beverage, because they'll be working concessions that night to benefit the Fund!

Don't forget that there are four levels of tickets available, including Gold Circle tickets.

Anyone purchasing Gold Circle tickets is guaranteed seats in the first ten rows and admission to the CAAR pre-party for concert sponsors and Gold Circle ticketholders ONLY.

You'll also receive free B.B. King merchandise, and $29 of each Gold Circle ticket is a direct donation to the CAAR Work Force Housing Fund.

Buy one for yourself, or remember, these tickets make great client gifts, too!

To purchase tickets online, simply follow this link. Encourage your friends and family to come and support a great cause, too!

(NOTE: This message/post was recieved by email from our friends at CAAR, no AR points please)

Centreville Buyer Ratified: I have ratified a contract for a buyer in Centreville. 5105 Travis Edward Way #A was listed at $310,000. This 2 BR, 2 BA Condo has an attached garage and 2 levels.

Closed Buyer in Alexandria: 4213 Buckman Road in Alexandria has closed. This property closed for $310,000. This updated 4 bedroom, 2.5 Bath townhouse is located near Mt.Vernon and Fort Belvoir.

If you are interested in looking for or selling your home, please contact me.

Donny and Meredith Samson Samson Realty Associate Broker NVAR Top Producer Direct 703-864-4894 4 - 4 1/2% Full Service Listings Cash Back to my homebuyers http://www.dmsamson.com/

Centreville Buyer Ratified: I have ratified a contract for a buyer in Centreville. 5105 Travis Edward Way #A was listed at $310,000. This 2 BR, 2 BA Condo has an attached garage and 2 levels.

Closed Buyer in Alexandria: 4213 Buckman Road in Alexandria has closed. This property closed for $310,000. This updated 4 bedroom, 2.5 Bath townhouse is located near Mt.Vernon and Fort Belvoir.

If you are interested in looking for or selling your home, please contact me.

Donny and Meredith Samson Samson Realty Associate Broker NVAR Top Producer Direct 703-864-4894 4 - 4 1/2% Full Service Listings Cash Back to my homebuyers http://www.dmsamson.com/

Open House Next Sunday August 3 from 1-4! Stop by and check out this charming 3 Bedroom, 1.5 Bath Townhouse. This House Shines! Great Oakton Location! Walk to the Vienna Metro from this wonderful Townhouse with easy access to 66, 495, 29, 50 & 123. Beautifully updated Baths & Kitchen. Open Floor Plan with hardwood floors, wood blinds & custom fixtures. Appliances, Roof, Carpet, Fence & Patio only a few years old. New water heater. Great Schools, Parks and Shopping.

Donny and Meredith Samson Samson Realty Associate Broker NVAR Top Producer Direct 703-864-4894 4 - 4 1/2% Full Service Listings Cash Back to my homebuyers http://www.dmsamson.com/

Congratulations to the Christiansburg Dixie All-Stars, headed to the Dixie League World Series in Mississippi.

I liked Seth Willis' quote: "We're ... just happy to be here." Proof you can start the athlete cliches early. :)

If you enjoyed this post, why not leave a comment and subscribe via RSS or email here to be sure you don't miss the next post?

Delirious, yes that might be the word to use.  In the early morning when sleep eludes you, the mind begins to spin.    Did Americans really land on the moon or was it all a Hollywood hoax?  Are all of the houses with foreclosures signs in front of them real or are they just holograms?  What could we possibly find today when showing houses that we haven't seen before?

As the sun rose it came to me.  I was in foreclosure overload and I needed to come up with a new way to deal with the stress.  And then I figured what to do.   Turn showing foreclosures into a game of Scavenger Hunt. 

That's right Scavenger Hunt.  Instead of dreading opening the door and wondering what you might find, make a list of things to look for.  This could be both fun and educational at the same time.  If you find it you can check it off the list AND depending on what you find you can also take the house off the list as well.  At the end of the day if you have found everything on the list you can reward yourself with a glass of your favorite cool beverage.  If you end up with nothing on the list you can reward yourself by writing an offer.  It's a win/win!

So what would you put on your foreclosure scavenger list?

Broken Windows
Missing Appliances
Mold
Roaches
Dirty Carpets
Missing Plumbing
Falling Ceilings
Sagging Gutters
Squatters
Fleas
Feces


Oh and my new favorite....rats!

So before you head out on your next house hunting trip make up your list.  Have a little fun with what can become a stressful day.  If you really want to spice up the game give everyone on the search a whistle to blow when they find an item on the list.  Just imagine how much fun that would be!