Localism: Spotsylvania's Lake Anna

My Active Rain Eyes Got an Eyeful

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:50:12 -0600

Are many of us really looking forward to winter? I do and I don't...mostly don't. However, year after year it shows up anyway right after fall.

Ah, fall. Last Friday my husband,, Jim and I took our Tritoon out for a cruise. We were headed to Sturgeon Creek Marina to have "The Unsinkable Molly Brown" detailed.*

Having been on Active Rain long enough to know that one goes nowhere, absolutely nowhere, without a camera I of course had mine.

A total of 217 pictures where taken during out five mile cruise. Wait a minute, how could that possibly happen. Well, all you need are the following:

Reflections in the Water Doubling the Spectacular Colors

and Images

Loads of Pretty Waterfront Homes

Absolutely Beautiful Blue Water

Boat Houses Galore Just Sitting Around Posing

An Ocassional Fellow Boater

and a Hubby that has the Patience Needed When Married to an Avid Amateur Photographer

plus

all the Time in the World to Leisurely Drift Along

and

a Camera with a Quick Shutter, Wide Angle Lens, and a Mighty Zoom**

Not one of these pictures was digitally enhanced in any way (no auto contrast, color saturation, sharpness tweaking or anything else) other than cropping. It was definitely a day made for anyone infatuated with photography.

Both of us were so pleased with the time we had and the natural beauty of Lake Anna.

There are many reasons Jim and I love living at Lake Anna. Hopefully these pictures will help to convey to you just what Lake Anna means to us each and every season.

Many people think it is the place to be in the summer. Well, you certainly can have lots of fun here than but the fun and good living extend well beyond the summer season.

Lake Anna is definitely a place for year round enjoyment. Come and see for yourself.

*The story, and there is a story, behind our "Unsinkable Molly Brown" will appear on here one of these days.

**AKA as my Panasonic DMC-FZ18 with its 18x optical zoom

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If you or someone you know is thinking of buying or selling property at or near Lake Anna, Virginia please contact Kathleen "Kate" Elim, REALTOR®.

Kate lives at Lake Anna, knows Lake Anna, loves Lake Anna, and specializes in Lake Anna area real estate.

Call Kate at 540-226-1964 or by e-mail at lakeanna.kate@gmail.com. Be sure to check Kate's Web sites and blog at http://lakeannacountry.com/

Two Proud Days in 2008

Thu, 30 Oct 2008 17:35:27 -0500

It is exactly 50 years ago that I became old enough to vote for the President of the United States. That was in 1958 when I turned 21. I had to wait two years in order to exercise that right.

This year, 2008, there are actually two days when I can express my preference. On February 12th I voted in the primary here in Virginia. It was the first time that I was ever voted for a woman for president.

I did not vote for just any woman. My vote went to someone that I believed was more than capable of holding that high office. I still do. My candidate did not survive the primaries and the caucases. My feeling of loss was deep and sincere.

Much has happened since I cast my vote. During that time I had an opportunity to learn more about my candidates opponent. Through this process I became more and more comfortable with his capabilities also.

Now that we are only five days away from my second opportunity to vote, I am equally excited to cast my ballot.

Fifty years ago I had no idea that I would be making two historical votes in 2008. What a proud and grateful American I am.

Please remember to exercise your right to vote.

It is your choice, it is your right and it is your responsibility.

Yesterday I was at the post office and saw a farm across the road with Halloween decorations

that I liked. While taking some pictures I noticed how pretty the flag in front of the

post office looked against the sky. Little did I know when taking this photo that I would

be writing a post today about my voting opportunities this year.

You never know what you may see when you are out and about so keep that camera right by your side
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If you or someone you know is thinking of buying or selling property at or near Lake Anna, Virginia please contact Kathleen "Kate" Elim, REALTOR®.

Kate lives at Lake Anna, knows Lake Anna, loves Lake Anna, and specializes in Lake Anna area real estate.

Call Kate at 540-226-1964 or by e-mail at lakeanna.kate@gmail.com. Be sure to check Kate's Web sites and blog at http://lakeannaandbeyond.com/ or http://lakeannacountry.com/

REAL ESTATE is in My Veins

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 23:21:46 -0500

During the recent hurricane season I spent some time in Louisiana as a Red Cross volunteer. While down there I was able to keep in touch by e-mail on my laptop which I had taken and on my Blackberry. Although I was in constant touch it was not quite the same as when I had been away from the office on extended trips in the past. Before I had two agents that helped me as backups. Even if they did not have to do anything for me while I was gone, it was a great feeling just knowing they were there. This last time they were not, both casualties of the slow down in real estate.

Not having the support of that backup made my stay in Louisiana a little less comfortable. I felt torn. However, once I returned home I felt guilty that I was not still down there helping when help was definitely needed. No matter where I was, I was feeling guilty. Not a good feeling.

Within a couple of days of my return I told my husband that I might just finish our 2008 and then give up working. He thought that was a good idea.

A couple of hours later, I received a call from someone who had contacted me a few months back. He was ready to look and wanted to come down the following day if I was available. Immediately I got excited and my mind started racing. What had come on the market since he last looked? What may have been reduced and now in his price range?

As I sat making plans on what to show my client I realized I wasn't leaving real estate. I looked at my arms and said to myself, "It's in my veins."

Is it in yours? Or is real estate just a business for you?

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If you or someone you know is thinking of buying or selling property at or near Lake Anna, Virginia please contact Kathleen "Kate" Elim, REALTOR®.

Kate lives at Lake Anna, knows Lake Anna, loves Lake Anna, and specializes in Lake Anna area real estate.

Call Kate at 540-226-1964 or by e-mail at lakeanna.kate@gmail.com. Be sure to check Kate's Web sites and blog at http://lakeannaandbeyond.com/ or http://lakeannacountry.com/

Where is Lake Anna?

Tue, 29 Jul 2008 16:54:45 -0500

Lake Anna is very much in the center of Virginia which makes it a great spot to live or to spend time. From Lake Anna you have the opportunity to quickly get to so many other areas from Northern Virginia to the Tidewater area to the southwest section of Virginia. A convenient drive from Lake Anna takes you up to the D.C. metropolitan area with all the ethnic restaurants, cultural activities, museums, national monuments, and other major attractions.

Some consider Lake Anna to be in located in Central Virginia while others believe it is part of Northern Virginia. Even the Commonwealth of Virginia has mixed feelings according to the two maps below. As you will see, Louisa County is considered in Central Virginia while Spotsylvania is included in the Northern Virginia map on the office web site for the Commonwealth. Lake Anna is bordered on one side by Louisa County with a very small portion of the lake located in Orange County and the other side of the lake is located in Spotsylvania.

The most important thing is that Lake Anna is in a great location.

From Lake Anna you can easily head west to the Shenandoah Valley, an area of Virginia known and admired across the nation. It is every bit as beautiful as the pictures people have been seeing for years. Seeing the Blue Ridge Mountains is another treat. there are numerous small villages and hamlets where life is more like it was back in the 50's and 60's. Shopping malls have not taken business away from downtown. Main Street is where people do their shopping and catch up with one another. Families have lived here for generations and enjoy the luxury of being friendly with their neighbors.

When you head east you have a variety of places to go. Explore the Northern Neck, the Rappahannock River, down towards Williamsburg, a town with historical significance, and on to Norfolk and the Virginia Beach oceanfront.

Everywhere you go in Virginia you will find places of historical significance. The Commonwealth is blessed with something for everyone.

When you live at Lake Anna all of these places are within easy reach. That's just one more reason to enjoy Lake Anna if you live here. If you do not, perhaps now is the time to seriously consider making the move.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________

If you or someone you know is thinking of buying or selling property at or near Lake Anna, Virginia please contact Kathleen "Kate" Elim, REALTOR®.

Kate lives at Lake Anna, knows Lake Anna, loves Lake Anna, and specializes in Lake Anna area real estate.

Call Kate at 540-226-1964 or by e-mail at lakeanna.kate@gmail.com. Be sure to check Kate's Web sites and blog at http://lakeannaandbeyond.com/ or http://lakeannacountry.com/

Are You Talking Yourself Right Out of Real Estate?

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 17:34:29 -0500

What do you do when you receive a call from a potential client and they ask you how the real estate market is?

Recently I had such a call from a lot owner here at Lake Anna. I told him the truth.*

I told him few lots are selling especially non-waterfront, what we call access lots. (We are selling a good number of homes on access lots.) We have a very large inventory of access lots and the prices have come down to the point that he would probably be lucky to sell for $xx,xxx even though his lot has an assigned boat slip. He would have been able to get perhaps $20-30,000 more for it when the market was hot.

This evening I received a call from a potential buyer looking for investment property at Lake Anna. He only wanted to buy a waterfront home to rent out. The requirement was that the rental income cover his monthly expenses, mortagage and taxes. Putting the minimum down, the mortgage payments would be quite high.

Waterfront homes begin around $500,000 and go up to over $2,000.000. The caller was looking for a waterfront foreclosure thinking we might have a number of those and they would now be priced very low. Well, thank goodness, that is not the case.

There are a number of beautiful waterfront homes now on the market priced well below what they could have sold for when the market was very busy. However, they are still nowhere near "fire sale" prices. I do not know of any properties here that will fit his requirements and I told him so.**

There are certainly investment possibilities here if the buyer is able to take the long view. Buying now at reduced prices and holding it until the market peaks again will net them a fine return but it is not going to happen overnight.

How is the situation where you are and how do you respond to sellers?
When buyers ask you if the bottom has hit yet what do you say?
Do you find yourself talking yourself out of listings?
Or working with buyers?

I believe I am very optimistic about real estate. I could not have been in it all these years through this downturn and the others I've experienced if that was not the case. Nevertheless, I do not want to give a false impression either. Sometimes that means turning away "business."

*At the end of our conversation, Mr. Seller thanked me for my honesty and said for me to call him when I thought it would be a good time for him to sell.

**Mr. Buyer said he would save my number and call me when he is able to buy a waterfront home for his family.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

If you or someone you know is thinking of buying or selling property at or near Lake Anna, please contact Kathleen "Kate" Elim. Kate lives at Lake Anna, knows Lake Anna, loves Lake Anna, and specializes in Lake Anna area real estate.

Call Kate at 540-226-1964 or by e-mail at lakeanna.kate@gmail.com. Be sure to check Kate's Web sites and blog at http://lakeannaandbeyond.com/ or http://lakeannacountry.com/