Reston, VA

The inventory of townhomes for sale in Reston was about 70 homes active on the market as of 15 Nov 2009 with new contracts running about 40 a month. Consequently, the absorption rate for these homes is about 2 months worth on the market. This might be a good time to jump back into the market ... There's a great selection and prices may be the best you've seen in three or four years. Like to see currently available Townhomes in Reston ... visit http://www.reston-area.com/forsale.htm

The inventory of single family detached homes for sale in Reston was about 40 homes active on the market as of 15 Nov 2009 with new contracts running about 25 a month. Consequently, the absorption rate for these homes is about 1.5 months on the market. If you've been considering buying a single family, this might be the moment. Like to see currently available Single Family homes in Reston ... visit http://www.reston-area.com/forsale.htm

From the Fairfax County FamilyGram, Fall 2009:

Hunters Woods Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences magnet program will have openings for qualified students in grades K through 6 for the 2010-11 school year. To be selected, students must be working on or above grade level in language arts and mathematics and must possess good citizenship and study skills. The magnet program weaves the arts, sciences, and technology into all areas of the curriculum in order to stimulate and extend the educational potential of all students.

Each year, students are selected by a computer-generated lottery. The number of students chosen varies from year to year according to the number of openings at each grade level. This is not determined until the actual time of the lottery. Students not selected for the lottery are placed on a wait list.

Applications will be available in all Fairfax County public schools beginning in January 2010 or can be downloaded from the Hunters Woods web site at www.fcps.edu/HuntersWoodsES/. Applications must be completed and submitted to: Magnet Lottery, Office of Elementary Instruction and Administrative Services, 3705 Crest Drive, Annandale, VA 22003. Applications must be postmarked no later than Monday, March 1, 2010.

An information meeting will be held at Hunters Woods on Tuesday, February 2, 2010, at 7 p.m. In the event of inclement weather, the meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 9, 2010, at 7 p.m.

For additional information, contact Diane Beers, parent liaison, Hunters Woods Elementary School for the Arts and Sciences, 2401 Colts Neck Rd., Reston, VA 20191, 703-262-7405.

I am a recycling fanatic. I am the one in my family who has trouble tossing out the cardboard toilet paper rolls. I save shampoo bottles from the shower and diligently take them to the recycling bin. I regularly pick soda cans and bottles out of the trash. While not everyone in my family shares my enthusiasm, slowly they are getting better about getting the recyclables in to the right container.

The downside to all of this gathering was getting it to curbside every Friday. We got to the point where we had 4 (very) full bins--and a very long driveway. I was pleasantly surprised when a large recycle cart (looks similar to our regular trash can and includes wheels) appeared on my neighbors driveway; I immediately called and ordered one for our family. Now getting the recyclables to the curb is a fairly easy task.

But what happens when they dump everything from one bin? According to my trash company, American Disposal Services, they are using a method called Single Stream Recycling.

According to the mailing we received from them (which included an explanation of how this works and a handy magnet to show what is eligible for recycling): 'Single Stream Recycling is an innovative process that allows the consumer the freedom of putting all of their recyclables into the same container, a process called co-mingling, without the bothersome tasks of bundling and sorting.' Once the materials reach the facility, they are put on to a conveyor belt and sorted by vaiours 'electro-mechanical means.' Some of the methods mentioned: magnets, eddy currents, air jets, and heavy duty rotating screens.

On the website, www.ecocycle.org I found the following article about Single Source Recycling: Single Source Recycling Comes to Boulder County. While not about my community, the information was helpful. In the article, they say. 'It’s the future for responsible resource conservation and an important step toward meeting our goal of building a Zero Waste community by 2020. Single-stream recycling makes it almost as easy to use the recycling bin as it is to use the trash can, so for the previously unconverted, there’s no excuse for not recycling.'

Not everyone is willing to take the time to sort their trash. Single Source Recycling makes it easier; instead of sorting in to paper, plastic, aluminum, cardboard and more, you can choose between recyclable and non-recyclable. I find that it is easier to get people to participate if the process is simplified. Hopefully, this new effort will be a win-win for all of us--and for our environment!

If you are an American Disposal Customer, you can find out more about their program at www.americandisposal.com or by calling 703-368-0500.

As a Realtor and EcoBroker, I have been giving a lot of thought to what the role of a Home Energy Audit should be in the process of selling a house. Unlike a Home Inspection or a Radon Inspection, a Home Energy Audit does not affect the safety of living in a property. So how should a Home Energy Audit be considered in the sales process?

You may or may not have heard of a Home Energy Audit. While I could provide an explanation here, Ardently Green (a company out of Northern Virginia, which is, for purposes of full disclosure, owned by my husband) has a great explanation of a Home Energy Audit. Here you will find information about how the Audit is conducted, the report that you will receive and what kind of recommendations you can expect.

As a Seller, should you conduct a Home Energy Audit prior to listing your house? I would recommend it--but only it if you plan on implementing a majority of the recommendations that come out of the report. If you have the audit done, but opt not to make the repairs, there is a distinct disadvantage in letting potential buyers know that you have had an audit. Basically, the report then becomes a way of pointing out problems with the house. If , however, you make the repairs necessary to improve the efficiency and comfort in your house, most buyers would prefer to purchase a house that has been Audited and improved over one that has not. Who wouldn't choose the more comfortable and energy efficient home over a comparable less energy efficient property?

As a buyer, should you request a Home Energy Audit? This question is a little bit trickier. First of all, making it a contingency on the contract will make your offer less attractive to a seller. After all, no one knows what the audit will find. What if the results recommend that all the windows should be replaced? As a buyer, that could be a deal-breaker if the seller is not willing to change the windows (not a cheap or easy process). As a seller, that is a very large ticket item and is very likely to be a deal breaker on the seller's side--it is tantamount to reducing the sales price by the cost of the windows.

But what if a buyer wants it done for Information Purposes Only? This can be a real advantage for a buyer; they will know exactly what has to be done to improve efficiency in the house. Again, however, for the seller it can be a reason for a buyer to walk away from a contract. Even if the contract does not require the improvements to be made, the seller may end up 'volunteering' to make the improvements to keep the Buyer from canceling the contract.

In both of these scenarios, we are thinking about big ticket items such as window replacement. Of course, the report will contain EVERYTHING than can be done to improve efficiency...windows might just be a 'nice to have' improvement; if a buyer looks at it that way, it can be a valuable tool. The problem is that a seller cannot know in advance how a buyer will view the results.

The truth is that most Home Energy Audits recommend some very inexpensive things that you can do to improve energy efficiency. Examples include:

1. Sealing around recessed lights to prevent air loss through the gaps.
2. Caulking around windows to improve air seal
3. Adding or redistributing insulation in attics or behind walls
4. Insulating behind wall plates to minimize heat or conditioned air loss.

As you can see from this (incomplete) list, most homeowners can handle many of these tasks easily, quickly and inexpensively.

So what should the role of a Home Energy Audit be in a Real Estate Transaction? It can be a distinct advantage for both the buyer and the seller if it is conducted prior to the property being listed and if the seller implements many of the recommendations that come out of the report. As a buyer, consider having an audit done on a house that you are purchasing, but be aware that doing it after the sale may make your offer more attractive to the Seller. Again, many of the improvements are relatively easy and inexpensive to implement.

If you are interested in buying or selling a home in Northern Virginia, I would be honored to meet with you to discuss how a Home Energy Audit can improve the saleability of your home or be used in the purchase of a property.