About Alexandria's Parkfairfax

April showers are supposed to bring May flowers but at least around Northern Virginia it doesn't appear if any flowers are waiting for May.

These tulips are in full bloom in my daughter's garden in Parkfairfax. Hope you have a great week and the flowers are blooming in your part of the country too.

Almost everyday in Northern Virginia an excited condo owners moves in and contemplates the changes they want to make to their new home. Before you spend a dime make sure you have read the condo documents.

This owner thought they were making a simple change. Switch out the lock on their front door with a coded entry so they didn't need a key. Guess what? The condo documents, given to them before they purchased the unit, say NO CHANGES can be made to the entry doors of the unit. The reason is simple. To keep a uniform look and feel in the hallways.

After spending hundreds of dollars on the lockset and a locksmith they now have to spend hundreds of dollars to reverse the work done. Hopefully they won't have to buy a new door as well.

As boring as those hundred page condo documents appear they are filled with important information. In Virginia when you purchase a new condo from a builder you have 10 days to review the documents. If you are buying a resale unit you have 3. Use them wisely and read the documents. If for any reason after you have reviewed the documents you don't like what they say you can cancel your contract.

Having listed or sold over 30 condos in the last 2 years I've become attuned to the issues that will be show stoppers for my buyers. I also own three condos myself so know what a pain the rules and regulations can be but understand the reason why they exist. If you are considering purchasing a condo in the Northern Virginia area including Arlington, Alexandria, Fairfax and Prince William Counties give me a call. Let's talk about whether condo ownership is the right choice for you.

Life has a funny way of going full circle. The photo at the left was taken sometime in 1948 in the Parkfairfax neighborhood in Alexandria VA. In the photo are my mom and paternal grandparents. This was my parent’s first home when they moved to the DC area. Parkfairfax was originally built to fulfill the need for affordable housing close to the Federal Government, Pentagon and DC in 1941; many residents were involved in the war efforts during WWII.

In 1968 the apartment buildings were sold to a new development company and were remodeled with new kitchens and room AC units. From the late 1960's through the mid-1970's Park Fairfax was mostly forgotten. Fortunately the multiple attempts to tear down the buildings and replace them with high-rise apartments were unsuccessful. Then in 1977 IDI, a major local development company purchased the land for over 24 million dollars and began the conversion of apartments to condominiums. Original sales prices ranged from $27,000 to $54,000. Today prices range from the low 200's to high 300's.

Parkfairfax set on 132 acres is known for it's rolling hills tree lined streets and red brick buildings. The community has an abundance of amenities including 3 swimming pools, 8 tennis courts, party rooms, exercise room and 2 volleyball courts. Parkfairfax also has the distinction of being the former of home of two past presidents Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. Both lived in the community prior to taking the highest office in the land. Parkfairfax is now on the Historic Register of Historic Places.

Today my daughter and her husband call Parkfairfax home. Their first home since moving to the DC area from the UK. Though they don't live in the same unit that my parents did the reasons for choosing the neighborhood are similar. They can walk across the pedestrian bridge to the shops of Shirlingon. When they enjoy a meal at the Carlyle restaurant in Shirlington they are eating in the same building where my mom worked as a manager when the building was Jelliff's department store.

Residents can catch a bus at multiple locations in the community to head to DC, the Pentagon or either the King Street or Pentagon City metro stations. Since my daughter and her husband don't own a car, almost unheard of in Northern Virginia, that should give you an idea of how convenient a location Parkfairfax is.




If you are interested in more information about Parkfairfax in Alexandria VA give me a call at 703-346-2213. Let me show you through the streets where past presidents roamed and a community where multiple generations of my family have called home.

You've walked in the front door and you are blown away. On the surface everything about the home you are exploring looks perfect. Granite counters, stainless steel appliances, updated bathrooms and hardwood floors. What's not to love?

Before you run back to the office to write an offer you may want to do a little double checking. In the case of this wonderful little house in Fairfax County VA the first place we went was to the county website to check to see if any building permits were pulled. What we found were a slew of permits with work marked incomplete by the county inspector. None of the permits pulled showed any work had passed inspections.

It's an issue buyers in Northern Virginia face everyday when they look to purchase a flip or home with recent updates. Some contractors never pull a single permit and you can just about guarantee "Joe" homeowner didn't pull any permits when they did the work themselves. I have a contractor currently working on a property I own in Parkfairfax in Alexandria VA and I doubled checked to make sure all of the permits were pulled before the work started.

If you are thinking about buying a home that was obviously remodeled take a few minutes and check for building permits and inspections.

Alexandria City

Arlington County

Fairfax County

Prince William County

If you have questions most of the city and county government agencies are more than happy to answer them for you. If you decide to go ahead and buy the home make sure you have a home inspection with a licensed home inspector.

If aren't working with a Realtor® and are thinking about buying a new home in Northern Virginia your give me a call at 703-346-2213. Let me help you navigate the murky waters of our current market. No hassle, no pressure just straight talk about whether now is the right time to buy a new home.

5 Great Reasons to Shop

the

Parkfairfax Native Plant Sale

September 25th

The Parkfairfax Native Plant sale is a rare opportunity to buy native azaleas, native fruiting shrubs, native carnivorous plants and select sepcies of native perennials and woodies.

Despite what many people do, fall is a fabulous time to plant. The weather is cooler, it's easier to water and the plants get a good head start on putting down roots. The real payoff comes in the spring with lots of new growth.

The sale is organized and run by volunteers. Its purpose is to promote native plant gardening in our region. Gardening with natives helps the watershed, woodlands, and wildlife!

1 - Last chance to buy from Lower Marlboro! It's the final season for the nursery that Mary-Stuart Sierra has run for 21 years. Mary-Stuart focuses primarily on growing regionally native plants and her selection has always been worth a look.

2 - The return of Atlantic Star Nursery! Sam Jones returns to the Parkfairfax sale for the first time in six years! He grows some very special woody plants, but he doesn't do the circuit of plant sales that he once did. He hasn't sold in Virginia in years, but he will bring a number of select woodies to try this sale once again. If it goes well, he may come back!

3 - Find fabulous ferns in the Fall! Natives Plus, a new vendor from South Carolina specializing in ferns, will be at the fall sale. If you think it is unusual to find ferns at a fall sale--it is. Ryan Allred has written me that "[Natives Plus] will have more species than we had at the spring sale. Ferns are still looking pretty nice here. We should have a good showing."

4 - More wagons to haul plants! Almost a dozen Radio Flyer wagons for anyone's use to take plants to his/her car or to the plant-sitting area for "drive up and load.'

5 - First-ever Plant Sale T-shirt! Celebrating the 7th Anniversary of the Parkfairfax Native Plant Sale. The T-shirt will be given as door prizes and everyone is eligible just by dropping their name in a jar. We are hoping for unprecedented demand and another print run.

5 Great Reasons to Shop the

Parkfairfax Native Plant Sale