If you’re in the mood for some barbeque, look no further than Carolina Brothers at the old Partlow’s Store, where the W&OD trail runs through the oldest part of Ashburn… Happy Friday!

Cheers,
Heather

What you can get for your money in Loudoun County depends on where in LoCo you want to be, and how much house you are looking for. This month, the available homes priced around $600,000 run the gamut, from luxuriously appointed patio homes in the upscale Lansdowne community, to historic farmhouses off the beaten path (and including plenty of land) in the western end of the county.

When I looked at the multiple listing service today, there were 74 non-distressed resale homes on the market in Loudoun, priced between $575,000 and $625,000.  If you are considering moving into that price point, you can expect to find:

• Patio homes in River Creek and Lansdowne: think luxury…gleaming hardwoods, expansive granite counters, archways, curved staircases, and the like.
• Newer single family homes on smaller lots in communities like South Riding, Braddock Corner in Aldie, Brambleton in Ashburn.
• Wider selection of colonials on quarter acre lots in subdivisions throughout Ashburn, Sterling, and Leesburg
• Acreage properties outside of Purcellville, Round Hill, Waterford, and Middleburg, with homes dating back as far as 132 years old and as new as a 2005 construction date (and everything in between)

Which would you pick? The further east you go, the nicer the amenities, but typically the smaller the square footage. Further west? Your yard certainly expands, and the house size too, although you are trading off a community pool and close proximity to major commuting routes.

Here’s a sampling of available properties, or click here to search all available homes:

Showing properties 1 - 6 of 117. See more LoCo $575 to $625k.
(all data current as of 5/16/2012)

1. $599,990 : 25799 Rawley Springs Dr, Chantilly
   
   4 beds, 2 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 2,907 sq ft

   Lot size: 9,148 sqft

   Year built: 2005

   Parking spots: 2

   Days on market: 4

   Walk Score®: 18
2. $599,990 : 321 Lake View Way Nw, Leesburg
   
   5 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 4,352 sq ft

   Lot size: 16,553 sqft

   Year built: 1998

   Parking spots: 2

   Days on market: 5

   Walk Score®: 12
3. $595,000 : 17835 Oakmont Way #44, Purcellville
   
   4 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths

   Lot size: 1.69 ac

   Year built: 1992

   Parking spots: 5

   Days on market: 6

   Walk Score®: 3
4. $589,900 : 719 Galloway Dr Se, Leesburg
   
   5 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths

   Lot size: 12,197 sqft

   Year built: 1996

   Parking spots: 2

   Days on market: 7

   Walk Score®: 34
5. $579,900 : 1219 Tennessee Dr Ne, Leesburg
   
   5 beds, 4 full, 1 part baths

   Lot size: 8,276 sqft

   Year built: 2003

   Parking spots: 2

   Days on market: 7

   Walk Score®: 65
6. $589,990 : 42365 Winsbury West Pl, Dulles
   
   5 beds, 4 full, 1 part baths

   Lot size: 10,890 sqft

   Year built: 2012

   Parking spots: 2

   Days on market: 8

   Walk Score®: 80

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Cheers,

Heather

Taken in a western Loudoun neighborhood. Loving the views…Happy Friday!

Cheers,
Heather

Below are the most up to date charts for Sterling, Ashburn, and Leesburg. Keep in mind that the orange line represents single family homes, while the black line represents the combined condo and townhome market. Pretty easy to see that you can sell a condo/townhome a bit faster than a single family home, eh? Where you are in the county is just as important as the home type, too: the further west you go, the longer the average days on market for a single family home.

Predictably, the average is dropping right now…as it should for this point in the year. Historically, days on market trends downward through July, then back up again until February/March, when it begins to drop again.

Want more detailed information for your neighborhood and home? I’m happy to email you a custom report with clickable listing and sold information…just fill out a short form here. (No spam, just solid information, I promise. I hate spam as much as you.)

Cheers,

Heather

Victorian architecture makes my heart sing. I have a new construction house that was built to look like a Queen Anne Victorian, wrap porch and all.  That clipping pictured above, from the newspaper in my hometown, depicts the dream home I’d love to build…someday. There’s just something magical about those wraparound porches, the upstairs turret rooms. That architecture is the epitome of grace… with whispers of days long past.

In Loudoun County, we have a few pockets of historical homes that carry this magic, but rarely do they come available.  This week, one of those homes came on the market in Hamilton.

Listed by Kelly Gaitten for $1,120,000, this restored masterpiece is perched in the heart of Hamilton. Built in 1920, theSamuel Hamilton Rogers home has six bedrooms and three bathrooms, an inground pool, and many original fixtures. The master bedroom was converted from the ‘sleeping porch’, one bathroom has a six foot clawfoot tub, and the gracefully curving main hall staircase has the original rail and balusters. And the home is painted “Hamilton Blue”, of course!  A part of the 2.87 acre lot was once the home of the Hamilton post office; now, the smokehouse, chicken coop, two story barn, and shed remain (in perfect condition). There’s also a detached two car garage.

This is one of those homes that comes along once in a blue moon. Interested? Schedule a showing.

Cheers,
Heather 

(and a big thank you to Kelly for allowing me to blog about her lovely home!)

121 Colonial Hwy E, Hamilton, VA 20158 (MLS # LO7818787)

View Virtual Tour

ICONIC VICTORIAN W/3 STORY TURRET, WRAP PORCH*JUST UNDER 3 ACRES IN THE HEART OF HAMILTON*IN-GROUND POOL*ORIGINAL 2 STORY BARN,CHIK COOP,SHED&SMOKE HOUSE*RESTORED/UPDATED KITCHEN*GRAND ROOMS*HARDWOOD FLRS*WALKUP ATTIC*INCL. TWO LOTS

Property Type(s): Residential for Sale, Detached for Sale

Price History

Schools

Additional Details

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

Listed with Prudential PenFed Realty

(view all details for MLS #LO7818787)

“Each year, I strive for ‘different’  instead of ‘better’…better each year is tough to do,” said founder Brad Nix as we chatted Friday evening. I’d argue that because each year is different, it *does* get better. This year was no exception. The one thing that doesn’t change, though, is the community of people that make up this conference. Noticeably devoid of egos and agendas, RETSO gives attendees the chance to listen and learn without distraction. Speakers are readily accessible to attendees, and happy to answer questions.

I taught one classroom session and participated in two panels on the main stage. I’m humbled that I had the chance to take the stage with some truly brilliant people: Todd Carpenter, who just announced he’s departing as NAR’s Director of Digital Engagement for a new opportunity at Trulia (and is kind of a big deal); Jay Thompson, an innovative blogger and broker who recently joined Zillow’s ranks; Matthew Shadbolt, the very bright Director of Interactive Product & Marketing for the Corcoran Group; and Ginger Wilcox, the pioneering Head of Industry Marketing at Trulia.  I was there to discuss how I cultivate my relationships with my readers (that would be you guys!) and also my take on how mobile is affecting how agents do business. However, I was learning from my peers even while I was onstage. And the conversations in the hallways brought me ideas and energy…today, I’m scribbling down everything I can remember in true brain dump style.

Daniel Rothamel, RETSO’s new community manager, ended the conference with a rousing commentary about how this community of d0-ers, who refuse to accept the culture of mediocrity in real estate, will carry the flame forward, committing to making the industry better. I’m proud to be part of that community.

The conference tshirt, which I’m wearing today, reads: There is no try.

Indeed.

I am RETSO.

Cheers,
Heather

P.S. Sending a thank you to Inna Hardison for the photo above.

This week’s LoCo Photo was taken by my talented daughter while taking a spring break jaunt around the County. Enjoy!

Cheers,
Heather

Soooooo, it looks a little different around here, eh? It was time. The last full redesign of LoCoMusings happened on September 25, 2008. That’s centuries ago in internet years. And everything up to this point was done by little old me. It was time to bring in the professionals.

Hopefully, you’ll enjoy the new design, which was painstakingly built by the fantastic team at Agent Evolution. Major kudos to Chad Johnson, Dave Bonds, and Nicole Nicolay for putting up with a detail oriented control freak like me, and managing to hit the nail on the head with the new look and navigation.

Also, a huge thank you and big bear hug to Stilson Greene, who designed that jazzy LoCoMusings logo that graces the top of the site now. Stilson is a true visionary who ‘gets me’ and also ‘gets LoCo’…as a lifelong resident, even more than I do. The logo was the first piece that put this whole project in motion.

Our new site design was set up to give you better navigation through all of the Loudoun County content here. Now, you can find information (blog posts, photos, market data, and listings) organized by town and neighborhood, via the community navigation buttons. Just want the traditional blog setup and posts? Click on the Blog link.

To my loyal readers: I hope you enjoy the new setup. I know it will take a little getting used to.  But my hope is that it’s cleaner, clearer, and easier to use.  What do you think?

Cheers,
Heather

It happens sometimes, as we sit at the kitchen table, market data and comparable home sales spread out in front of us. When I’m discussing list price with my seller clients, it’s not an unusual question: “How concerned should I be about my home’s ‘Zestimate’?”  My answer is always that my sellers are more concerned with that number than most buyers I come across.

So, what’s a Zestimate, anyway? It’s an ‘automated valuation system’ that listing syndication website Zillow.com created as a way for folks to get a feel for what the market value of a home could be. Other sites have developed similar systems.  Zillow explains it on their site as:

 A Zestimate home valuation is Zillow’s estimated market value. It is not an appraisal. Use it as a starting point to determine a home’s value.

The algorithm that they use to come up with this value is proprietary, but they say the more data they have, the closer they can come to an accurate number. They utilize nearby home sales, along with the tax data on the home being valued. Owners can add information on their homes which could affect the value generated. It’s my understanding that they recently tweaked it to weigh the tax record information more heavily.

What does this mean for you? As a seller, it’s good to know what your potential buyers may be looking at. However, it should have zero bearing on how you price your home. If it’s significantly off the market value, updating the home’s details on the site could adjust it a bit; that’s something your agent would be able to do once the home is listed anyway.  As a buyer? Zestimates are a great jumping off point for getting a feel for homes in different neighborhoods. It should have zero bearing on any offer you make on a home. Your buyers agent will be able to provide you sold and recently under contract listing information that will be a much better guide for structuring an offer.

Cheers,
Heather 

If you are thinking about a move to western Loudoun, I just listed this home in the heart of Purcellville. For $448,000, you can have a no-HOA five bedroom home with dual master bedrooms: one on the main level, another upstairs. Interested? More information is here: www.331JStreet.com . Or, you can call me at 571-233-5491.

Cheers,
Heather