Are Andresen

Living Here Category

Great New Centreville Home For Sale – only $379,000

We are just getting ready to put a new listing on the market this week. It is a 3 bedroom and 3.5 bath townhome located in Centreville. It is in a great mature development with easy access to to shopping and I-66.

The home is a complete rebuild – the only things remaining of the original home (built in the 80′s) are the foundation and front steps. This means new plumbing, insulation, windows, electrical, roof, appliances, floors, ceilings, doors, mecanical systems, siding – did we say everything is new?

Don’t miss our open house on Superbowl Sunday(02/03/13) from 1-4pm. The address of the home is 14118 Red River Drive, Centreville VA 20121.

Local Falls Church/Idylwood History For Sale

At a recent walk off Idylwood Road in Falls Church I found a “hidden” old cemetery. It is about 1 acre and is nicely located on a hill and “landlocked” between the Ruckstuhl park and the newer development on Colonel Lindsay Ct. I doubt more than a few of the most immediate neighbors are aware of the graveyard.  Read the rest of this entry »

Buy a home with financing from mom and dad!

According to the National Association of Realtors 9 percent of home buyers received a loan from a friend or

relative in 2010. By borrowing money from parents, both parents and children may end up with a good deal. The

parents may get a better return on their investment and the child may get a similar or better interest rate as well as lower closing cost.

One downside to “parent financing” is that the parent is taking a risk – the child may loose his or her job and be unable to pay on the loan. The parent may feel hesitant to foreclose on their own children (and maybe grandchildren.) It may therefore be wise for parents to apply the same criteria as a bank would when qualifying their child for the loan. Also, loan documents should be prepared and recorded spelling out the terms and conditions of the loan. Read the rest of this entry »

New Tysons Corner Transportation Taxes

To pay for the extensive walkability upgrades planned in Tysons Corner the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors voted to create a special Transportation Service District last week. It is estimated the new tax will generate $250 million for area improvements over the next 40 years.

As of now, the tax rate is set to take effect in January 2014 and will apply to both residential and commercial property. It has been estimated that the rate may be 6 to 8 cents per $100 assessed value. The tax district will only be for owners of residential and commercial property in the Tysons Corner area (presume the 22102 and 22182 zipcodes.)

There is opposition to the tax, especially from residential residents that believe that either a) all county residents should pay as the improvements will benefit more than just the residents, or b) Residential properties should be exempt.

Fairfax County seems sympathetic to excluding residential from the new tax as the share of revenue that would be generated from residential properties would be small. State law may prohibit such differential treatment of residential vs commercial so a special bill has been proposed that may make an exception in this case.

To me it seems fair to exclude residential homeowners in this case – the commercial landowners will benefit the greatest from the improvements in the heavily developed areas of Tysons Corner. The majority of residential areas in Tysons will see little direct benefit.

Looking to purchase in Tysons Corner? Contact us!

Don’t Wait For Spring To Sell Your Home!

The Tysons Corner(Vienna and McLean) real estate market ended 2012 strongly. While the number of homes being listed remained typical, the number of sales in October and November jumped significantly. The continued availability of low interest rate loans no doubt played a role as did the strong economy in the area.

Looking at the graphs it is obvious that sellers in Tysons Corner prefer to put their homes on the market in March and April. Purchasers seems to feast on those listings and do their closings during the summer.

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Great 2br/2ba Condo For Sale Near Tysons Corner

We just listed a great 2br/2ba condominium unit at Idylwood Towers in Falls Church. It is facing south on the 7th floor of the east building with balcony,extra storage and replaced windows/balcony door. There is new carpet, paint and dishwasher and is ready to move right in.

Idylwood Towers is a great 1970’s condominium centrally located in the Tyson’s Corner area of Falls Church (Fairfax County.) Idylwood Towers consists of two apartment buildings with about 14 floors each. The building has concrete between the floors, and units are large compared to current building standards. Units are allowed to have their own washer and dryer.

view from balcony of unit

Amenities include things like landscaped grounds, tennis courts, exercise rooms, party rooms, extra storage units and a swimming pool. Parking is by permit and is located outside. Extra storage space is also available in the basement for the individual units. Both buildings have controlled access entry with a 24 hour receptionist and security guards.

Idylwood Towers is located about 1 mile from West Falls Church metro station. Metro Bus passes the buildings frequently and you can expect a 5 minute ride to the metro. There is also a shopping area within walking distance. There you will find things like a US Post Office, Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Starbucks and other stores and restaurants.

No Christmas Tree For You!

With the holiday in full swing, everyone may not be aware of the Virginia Statewide Fire Prevention Code that says:

It is unlawful to place natural cut trees, including Christmas trees, and artificial decorative vegetation, if the decorative vegetation is not flame retardant or flame-resistant, in condominiums, cooperatives and other similar occupancies unless the buildings have approved automatic sprinkler systems.

That means that if you live in a condominium, and it does not have a sprinkler system, natural Christmas trees and wreaths are not allowed. Some town homes are considered condominiums and would be covered also.

Wonderful 4br Home For Rent in Tysons Corner – $4,200

Pristine 4br/3.5ba home with many upgrades in convenient Tysons location in the Brittany Parc neighborhood. Huge open kitchen – perfect for entertaining – black granite counters, ceramic tile floors, SS Kitchenaid appliances. Fully finished lower level with bath/br-den. 2 car garage, deck, fenced backyard. Recessed lights, countless upgrades! Lawncare is included in rent. Pictures are from before current occupant.

We're sorry, but we couldn't find MLS # FX7970722 in our database. This property may be a new listing or possibly taken off the market. Please check back again.

Land Restrictions and Fairfax County Resource Protect Areas

If you are planning to buy or renovate a home, a Resource Protect Area (RPA) may be something that will impact you and the value of your home significantly A Resource Protection Area is created to limit development around water bodies with perennial flows. The goal is to improve the health of the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries through limited development.

The Chesapeake Bay Act has been around for a while and most purchasers do know that development potential is limited around streams, lakes and rivers in Fairfax County. However, in 2003, the regulations were amended and further restrictions were put in place. The definition of what was covered under the act was changed from “tributary streams” to ”water bodies with perennial flow”. The result was that a large number of new areas and homes were affected – often reaching deep into exisiting subdivisons and alongside what most would have considered “storm drains” up to that point.

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Who to Call For a Fallen Tree in Northern Virginia

Hurricane Sandy seems to have left Virginia with less devastation than feared. Nevertheless, the storm caused lots of trees to fall completely and also left others in a damaged and potentially hazardous state.

If a downed tree is near wires, stay away. Never remove trees, limbs or anything else that are near or touching a downed wire.

Read the rest of this entry »