Fredericksburg VA Through Ed DeChristopher's Eyes

There's A New Kid in Town

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 08:19:34 -0500

On the first of October 2009 a new face appeared on the real estate horizon of Historic Fredericksburg Virginia. Fredericksburg Realty is in business. The company was founded and operated by yours truly. Another Active Rain blogger, Dawn DeGroff, joins the company in its new location at 910 Princess Anne Street.

If you are a consumer and would like more information about buying or selling a home in Fredericksburg, VA or the surrounding area (Stafford County, Spotsylvania County, King George County, or Caroline County) please visit us on the net or at our office.

Questionable Qualification

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 04:39:46 -0500

Never have attended VPI or VT but an avid Hokies Football fan. Hope I qualify!

Turn Back the Pages of Time

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 12:43:25 -0500

OK, the housing market in the USA is in a major hurt. OK, sales prices continue to spiral down. OK, the government is stepping in to assist homeowners who are staring foreclosure in the eye. OK, new home starts are down.

The decline of the market is something that is reality!

Why aren't buyers buying? The values appear to be there. Interest rates are good. Blame it on the economy? Unemployment is up but not in statistically significant numbers.

Most that I talk to think that buyers are waiting for the market to bottom. I tend to agree with that analysis.

Question - when it bottoms where will it be. Some predict the 2006 prices. Others predict 2004. Some predict even earlier.

Here is your chance gurus of real estate. When the market bottoms, at which year's prices will it be. Let me be the first to make a prediction - 2004.

A Momentous Occasion

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:30:28 -0500

On June 9th, 2008 my wife and I will celebrate our Fiftieth Wedding Anniversary.

We married in Corning NY the day after I graduated from Alfred University in Alfred New York. My wife Carol was attending nursing school at Alfred and was studying at Corning Hospital.

We left NY state and have been all over the world since then. We have lived in many states and many countries over the past 50 years and are now settled (for the time being) in Fredericksburg VA.

Lots have changed in 50 years and I am afraid my classmates will not recognize me. Fifty years have resulted in many biological changes and some physiological ones too.

As a result, I have embarked on a strict regimen of exercises.

However, I don't think that they are working. I fear that many will say "Who is that?" Can you imagine, they will not recognize me! I don't think I look much different. A few more grey hairs and about 35 pounds. Gravity has taken its toll and my barrell chest has become a rubber tire around my waist.

Folks there is not much time left. I need some help. Please oh Please let me know what I can do to keep from being so embarassed at my appearance. It has to be quick though. Only a few days left. Help me. Please help me. I may become depressed and have a breakdown.

Homes For Sale in Fredericksburg VA - The "Spin" on Real Estate

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:44:11 -0500

Earlier in the week I was asked to attend a meeting at the Fredericksburg Area Association of Realtors® conference room. Was told that a group was meeting to discuss a blogsite for the Association. Apparently, there were some that thought that my presence on Active Rain indicated a propensity for blogging. Naturally, the blog would focus on homes for sale in the Fredericksburg VA area.

If the truth were known they would realize that my blogging is inversely proportional to the amount of real estate business I have. Oddly enough, I am quite busy now but do not want to let "my public" down. Therefore, this blog.

At the meeting some were explaining how "good" the market was. Plenty of listing appointments and plenty of listings! Personally, I have less than what I consider a manageable (spell check is not working!) number of listings. I do not consider this a "good" market at all.

The "Real Estate Trend Indicator" for the period 04/01/08 - 04/30/08 published by the Metropolitan Regional Information Systems, Inc. gives me reason to believe that the market has yet to improve to any great degree.

There were 3735 Active Listings at the end of the month and there were 310 homes sold during the month.

The median sold price between 2007 and 2008 was down 14.6%.

The total units sold during April 2007 was 343 and last month (as shown above) 310 homes sold.

The Average Sale price as a percentage of Average List price was 94.41% in 2007 while in 2008 it was 89.16%.

The figures I give are for the City of Fredericksburg VA, Stafford, King George, Spotsylvania, and Caroline Counties, VA.

Oh, wait! If you are working with buyers this is the time for you to get moving! There are lots of bargains out there if you can find them.

Maybe it is a "good" real estate market.

Sometimes You Need To Step Back For Awhile

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Thu, 01 May 2008 16:13:27 -0500

Last Sunday evening I departed Fredericksburg VA for a meeting of the CyberProfessionals which was to be held in Pittsburgh PA. For the first time in a long time I was not driving. I had a wonderful chauffeur; fellow Active Rainer Jim Crawford.

Energized. That's how I feel. Energized!

The last time I was in Pittsburgh was when, as college students, my wife Carol and I went with two other students down to Zelienople, PA to spend a weekend at the home of one of our parents. On Saturday night we all went to visit the city of Pittsburgh. Needless to say I was impressed. This was, by the way, in 1956. Yes, I am that old!

Never have been back to the Pennsylvania "burg" since then. What a surprise was in store. We stayed at the Sheraton Station Square Hotel which was right across the river from beautiful, downtown Pittsburgh.

Hard to forget the scenery like that but I had to. Two full days of seminars with some very talented and brilliant members of the group. Active Rain's own Linda Davis a Kristal Kraft were there to keep us abreast of blogging while Tim Kinzler lectured us (and some of us really needed it) on staying healthy. Sharon Simms (another AR contributor) and her daughter Tammy added a great deal to the group. Terri Isner (who amongst us does not know Terri) shared some valuable information with us all.

The bad part about all of this is that I am nowhere near being as valuable a member of the group as they and so many others. You feel sort of inadequate among the giants!

Am sure that I received more than I gave at the meeting. For that I apologize to the others. Don't know if I will ever be able to soar with those eagles! Thank you all for all that you are!

Christmas in Fredericksburg VA

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 11:24:59 -0600

Am sure that many of you have seen the programs running on TV recently where some homes had beautiful (and very costly) Christmas decorations in their yards. As a matter of fact some would probably not define there yards as yards!

Well, the other day Dawn DeGroff and I were traveling around the Fredericksburg VA area making videos of some of the communities. We are in process of posting them to the Fredericksburg Realty website.

While doing this we came upon a home whose owner had decorated their yard in a very remarkable manner. That gave us an idea; why not have a contest here on ActiveRain?

Hence, this post.

All you have to do is vote. Vote for your favorite. Dawn and I will then present the winner with our "Christmas Decoration of the Year" award. We will tell the winner(s) that they are receiving an award based on a national poll.

And the nominations are (drum roll please):

Number 1

Number 2

Number 3

Number 4

Number 5

There, wasn't that easy. Be sure to vote!

Thanks and Happy Holidays to all.

"But I thought I got the kitchen sink!"

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Sat, 08 Dec 2007 07:28:44 -0600

Lately, I have been looking at tons of videos added to real estate listings around the country.

Some are really impressive and look like they were done by professional videographers (and some were) while others look like the ones I have done (and that ain't good).

Folks, that is not the purpose of this blog.

To start out with, I know that kitchen sinks are not appliances. My reference to the kitchen sink was just to get your attention (hope it did). I want to talk (OK write) about appliances.

Here in Fredericksburg VA appliances normally convey with the sale of a home. In some cases (usually foreclosures) they do not. But in foreclosures you don't get things you might expect to get and often get things you did not expect to get!

How about your little corner of the world . . . do appliances convey with the sale of a home?

Fredericksburg VA - Real Estate Attorney Bill Scaife

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 13:01:17 -0600

Truthfully, there are not too many people involved in the real estate industry here in Fredericksburg VA that have been around much longer than I. However, one of them is William M. Scaife, Jr. I say involved but that is not quite true. Bill Scaife retired from the law this year. In so doing he sold the building in which he had practiced (for more than 50 years) to my new landlord. Yes, I had rented office space (for Ed DeChristopher, Inc.) from Bill Scaife for many years.

This morning he came up to my office and asked me to walk over to the window in my office that overlooks a small parking lot. On my way over I asked "What have you done, bought a new car?" That was really a shot in the dark. Bill and Sylvia Scaife have been driving the same cars for at least 20 years. "Just look" he replied. When I did there it was. A "new" vehicle for the Scaifes.

OK now, I have done the work, tell me, what make and model car is this? How about the year?

There have to be some antique car afficionados out there in AR Land!

Fredericksburg VA Homes For Sale - Architecture

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Fri, 16 Nov 2007 04:44:39 -0600

When I began my real estate career here in the Fredericksburg VA area in 1989, it took me only a short time to realize that I had never seen so many split foyer homes in my life as I did after only a few months here. In particular, there were many of them in Spotsylvania County; more in fact than in the City of Fredericksburg or Stafford County. These are the three most densely populated areas in the region.

Our family lived in different parts of the country and world prior to our moving here. New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Kentucky, Germany, Georgia, Panama. My mother's family was from New Brunswick Canada and we visited there many times.

One of the very intersting parts of living in such geographically diverse locations is realizing that architectural style of homes varies between those regions. In some locations a one story home is called a rambler while in others it is called a ranch or rancher. Some use the term split level and split foyer synonymously.

For the sake of clarity, here are a few styles of homes seen here in the Fredericksburg VA area.

Colonial - Split Foyer -

Rambler - Bungalow -

Tri-Level - Cape Cod -

What is the most prominent style home in your neck of the woods? Here in Fredericksburg it it the Colonial Style. Please let us know the area in which you are and the most prominent style of homes there. If we have not shown that style here, please insert a picture for all of us to see.

Fredericksburg Virginia Homes For Sale - Architecture

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 11:16:25 -0600

For the sake of clarity, here are a few styles of homes seen here in the Fredericksburg VA area.

Colonial - Split Foyer -

Rambler - Bungalow -

Tri-Level - Cape Cod -

Technical Tips

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 05:42:22 -0600

My friend Teri Isner has an interesting blog talking about technical tips.

Just read through it. Gave me an idea (amazing how bright people can stimulate dull ones - thanks for the inspiration Teri).

Rather than posting your technical tips in reply to this, why not point us in the direction of your favorite technical tip of the day?

Or, if you prefer, why not point us in the direction of a source of many technical tips?

Let me start this off by recommending that you check out Kim Komando's site. I have found it to be an abundant supply of tips. Also a great place to find free programs.

Fredericksburg VA Real Estate - The Spin Masters

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 07:05:24 -0600

Several years ago, while listening to a radio program, the term spin master was used. Cannot believe, today, that I did not know the meaning. When I first heard it I asked a friend, who was in local radio, if she knew the meaning; her reply was that she had not.

In my opinion spin masters make chicken salad out of chicken droppings. You hear them at work every time you listen to the news or read the newspaper.

Yesterday I reviewed our local MLS (Multiple Listing Service), the Metropolitan Regional Information Systems (MRIS) statistics for the month of October. I was only interested in those for the Fredericksburg VA area. This includes Fredericksburg and the counties of Spotsylvania, Stafford, King George, and Caroline. I looked at residential sales only.

At the end of October there were 3831 Active Listings in the area. During October 249 properties sold (actually went to settlement/closing/escrow). That indicates that if that trend continues we have a 15+ month supply of homes on the market.

Last month that figure was 16+ months. A downward movement. That is good! For Sellers that is.

This month the Average Sales Price as a percentage of Average List Price was 89.51% while last month the figure was 91.12%. That is no so good news for Sellers.

This month 196 properties went under contract. Last month the figure was 191. That (numerically) does not seem like much of a difference since this month there were 3821 active listings while last month there were 4000 (exactly). No good news but no bad news.

There was not much of a change for average days on the market either; 138 this month and 125 last month. If anything that was a little bit of bad news for the Sellers.

Is the glass half full or is it half empty? How do you want to spin it? Guess it depends on who you are talking with.

The media has convinced the public that "the sky is falling in" for the real estate market. The public believes it too. Statistics support it if you want them to. Sellers are seeing prices drop, marketing time increase, and their equity becoming less and less.

But wait a minute please. How about the Buyers? What do they see in all of this?

They could very well look at it as showing them that their options are opening up. Interest rates are still very competitive and home prices are declining. Average sold prices are declining ($326,920 this month versus $338,830 last month). That is good news.

But wait a minute, the median sold price this month was $292,000 while it was $300,000 last month. That is good news too.

Is it a buyer's market or a seller's market?

So, "How is the real estate market in Fredericksburg Ed?" you ask.

Unbelievable! That's my response and I am holding to it.

Charleston SC - TJ and Katherine Michalenko's Wedding

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Wed, 07 Nov 2007 10:43:25 -0600

Thirteen grandchildren. Yup, that's how many grandchildren we have.

Well, on October 20th of this year, our oldest grandchild TJ Michalenko - was married to a wonderful girl!

Katherine Kerns and TJ Michalenko were married in Charleston Harbor and it was one of the nicest weddings we have ever witnessed. The two of them took care of everything themselves and a great job they did.

Have never been to Charleston before and I was taken aback by the lovely setting.

The wedding began in the late afternoon and the two of them planned that perfectly. Shortly after the wedding was over (and the hundreds of pictures taken) the sun began to set and the cool night air surrounded us all. The ceremony was beautiful as was the scenery.

After the wedding we all began our short walk to Historic Charleston and enjoyed a great dinner at one of the area's well-known restaurants. The highlight of that dinner was seeing how TJ's colleagues at work admired him as they did. You can get to know a great deal about someone by the way his (or her) co-workers feel about them. Here is the "Lowe's Crew" of Charleston, SC

TJ is the son of our oldest daughter Patti; here is a picture of her and her little boy.

If you see any comments by Patty on this posting please recognize that she never was a very obedient child; things have not improved in all of these years either. She does not even know how to spell her name.

Wayne Newton - Selling his home in Spotsylvania County

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:07:58 -0600

Last night I met with Wayne Newton; he had called me to talk to me about selling his home in Spotsylvania County Virginia.

Wayne owns a very modest home just south of Fredericksburg VA in Spotsylvania County. He purchased the home 27 years ago; long before I began my real estate career here.

I will begin my Competitive Market Analysis (CMA) shortly and expect to get back with him and his wife some time this week.

Wayne and his wife have built a new home in Stafford County and are living there now.

I was very surprised when I met Wayne. He did not look at all like I thought he would look.

Folks, this was not the Wayne Newton.

Actually, there are many in the local area with the surname Newton. Have been told that Wayne Newton (the singer) lived in Stafford County for a few years. He departed much before my arrival.

Thought that I might catch your attention with the headline though. Did I?

Fredericksburg Virginia Real Estate - Looking for a Full Service Real Estate Agent?

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Fri, 05 Oct 2007 15:11:06 -0500

How many times have you read or heard someone say that they are a "Full Service" real estate agent?

I'll bet it has been more than a few. You may have even described yourself as being one; I know I have.

What does that term mean?

Remember the National Association of Realtors (R) saying that went something like this: "Real Estate is our Life"? Is that what we really wanted? Apparently, it was not since it disappeared almost as quickly as it arrived.

The other day I received a phone call from a representative of a homeowner's association. May be wrong but . . . I think the person that was calling had been a real estate agent in the past. The message was to let me know that the grass in the yard of one of my listings needed to be cut.

That got me to thinking hard. Did the caller really think that I was going to cut the grass? Was the caller unable to contact the owner?

After all, the owner is local and pays homeowner association dues on time. The association must have an address and/or a telephone number for him.

"Yes, this is Ed DeChristopher of RE/MAX Supercenter." I answered.

"Mr. DeChristopher, we wanted to let you know that the grass needs to be cut at 400 Torbert Loop." the caller replied.

"Oh, I really do not do lawns, I am a real estate broker that has the home listed for sale."

An extremely long pause followed. By now I realized that the person I was speaking with really was a former real estate agent. Did she do lawns!

I went on to advise her that I would let the owner know of the problem and was sure that it would be taken care of in a prompt manner.

"No" I assured her, "I do not do lawns" (or windows for that matter).

Let's take this a bit further. Today, I received a call from an old friend that has had his former residence listed with another brokerage. He thought it was time for a change. He wants me to list the home.

When I went out to the home I found that two toilets were running continuously. Both had plumbing problems. I turned off the water source and called him to let him know of the problems. Told him I would do a market analysis for him and would also call a plumber to fix the problems. He was appreciative. Guess the problem just arose!

No, I don't do plumbing either! I do however, know to turn water valves off to preclude a home flooding because of a plumbing issue.

How about you? What kind of "Full Service" real estate agent/broker are you? Is real estate your life? Are there other things that are equally or more important in your life? Do you do windows?

Are you a consumer looking for a full service real estate agent? Is someone devoting his or her life to real estate what you are looking for? What does "full service" mean to you?

Fredericksburg Real Estate -Historic Fredericksburg Virginia-Progress

Ed DeChristopher, CRS©,Fredericksburg VA (Fredericksburg Realty, Inc.) — Thu, 04 Oct 2007 13:42:53 -0500

Is it progress or not? That's a pretty good question.

As many of you probably know, the City of Fredericksburg Virginia is deeply rooted in history. The city can trace its origins to the 1700's and there were many Revolutionary War heroes who were both born in or lived in it.

Many of my prior blog subjects dealt with our history and architecture.

There is an historic district in Fredericksburg; because this district is nationally recognized, there are covenants which apply to existing and future homes in the historic district. Trust me, not all of the homes in the historic district are "old" by any measurement. Consequently, it is possible to see modern structures alongside older homes. There are many contrasts as a result.

Take a look at this picture and see of which I speak!

Sometimes I wonder how the people "in control" of such things make their decisions. Actually, the small home to the right in that picture used to have a decent (albeit not with as large a home as there is now) view out of the windows on the side of the home facing the new edifice. Not now!!

If this was a one of a kind example it might be understood. No, it has happened before. As a matter of fact this example took place about 50 years ago.

The large building on the right was built well after the beautiful single family home on the right was in existance; as a matter of fact, the one on the left was an historic home.

As an aside, one of the initial occupants of the large building was the Internal Revenue Service. Think that fact endeared the citizens even more with the dwarfing of the nice old home.

Well progress moves on into the 21st Century. This next example is only one block from my humble abode in the Historic District. As you can see, the new home is not yet complete. The duplex has been there for more than fifty years and has been remodeled recently. Take a good look; not only is the new building several stories high, but it is probably twice as deep as the older home. Take a close look and you will see that there is a vacant lot next to the older home. Who knows what will happen there!!

You be the judge. Is this progress? Will people looking at our area fifty years from now understand what we were doing? How about those living here in the 22d Century?

Will those homes built within the past 20 years be around 150 years from now? The home below was constructed in the early 1800's. Will it be here 150 years from now?

Where Do You Live? Why Do You Live Where You Live?

One of the things that interests me is why people move. I am not "talking" about why they move from one home to another or from one neighborhood to another. No, here's what I am talking about.

I was born in Peekskill NY; my dad was born there but my mother was born in Grand Falls NB, Canada. Dad grew up in Peekskill, worked all of his life in Peekskill, and died in Peekskill. Mother, on the other hand, was born in Grand Falls and was educated in St John NB; she moved to Peekskill for work (a nurse), married, and lived there the rest of her life.

We are told that we are a much more transient society today than were our ancestors. Well there must be some truth to that although there sure were plenty of people that went west to find a new life.

Our family has lived all over the country and the world. We have a career with the United States Army to thank for that. Assignments came about every three years during my tenure and we were a pretty typical family as far as moves were concerned. After retirement we settled in Fredericksburg Va but in all probability will not stay here for the rest of our lives.

How about you? Are you living in the same city in which you were born? In the same state? Well how about the same region of the country?

Why did you move? Was it because of a wandering lust? A job relocation? Move closer to spouse's family? Military reassignment(s) for you or your spouse? Move closer to children?

Come on, share your experience with us. Inquiring minds want to know! After all, don't you often ask new people who you are meeting why they moved to your area? Now it is time to share!

Homes For Sale Stafford County VA

Homes for sale in Stafford County VA are included in the general area of those for sale in the general Fredericksburg area. Also included are those for sale in Spotsylvania County VA.

In both Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania townhomes sold quicker than did single family homes. Did the same hold true in Stafford?

The answer is "yes" in case you wondered.

In Stafford there were 310 detached homes sold within the past 90 days; the averaged 86 days on the market.

As far as townhomes are concerned, there were 59 sold; they averaged 79 days on the market.

Next in our discussion will be a look at price ranges of homes sold; stay tuned as they said in the days of radio (yes, I do remember those days before television).

Homes For Sale Fredericksburg Virginia

Homes for sale in Fredericksburg Virginia continue to stay on the market for longer and longer. However, that is not the crux of today's blog.

It appeared from my perspective that townhomes stay on the market for longer periods than detached homes in the same price range. Not being totally convinced that my visceral feeling could be supported statistically, I went into our MLS system to see what the system would reveal. I am going to conduct a similar study of homes for sale in Stafford County and homes for sale in Spotsylvania County.

Ever feel like a complete dullard? Well avid readers, this is not the first time I have felt that way.

In the City of Fredericksburg there were 37 detached homes sold during the past 90 days. The average days on the market for those sold homes was 124.

During that same period there were 11 townhomes sold during the same period. Average days on the market for those homes was 70!

How about your area? What takes longer to sell, townhomes or detached homes?

Homes For Sale in Spotsylvania VA

Homes for sale in Spotsylvania VA continue to rise. Homes sold in Spotsylvania VA are not climbing as fast as those for sale. The result? Several months supply of homes on the market.

Price, Price, Price has replaced Location, Location, Location as the prime factor in selling a home in the Fredericksburg VA area.

One of my clients/good friends recently stated "I am not going to give my home away." Interesting comment isn't it! Compared to the real estate market two years ago (when his home was not on the market) one could say he might be giving his home away at today's market price. But giving it away? Not in today's market. Selling it at market value? Absolutely.

Members of the real estate selling public, your home in Spotsylvania Virginia is not worth as much in today's market as it was two or three years ago. I wish it was but . . .

Want to find out how much your home is worth? Check the market for yourself by going to this website.

Homes For Sale in Stafford VA

Homes for sale in Stafford VA continue to be popular for those who want to be close to Washington DC and still be able to afford the home they live in. Home prices in Stafford County VA are lower than those further north; however, the commute time is often about equal due to the traffic situation.

Furthermore, many military families like the convenience of the facilities (commissary and exchange) at Quantico. The FBI facilities at Quantico also bring many homebuyers to Stafford.

If you seek more information on schools, shopping, and homes in Stafford VA, why don't you check out this website right now!

Homes For Sale in Fredericksburg VA

Homes for sale in Fredericksburg VA continue to be some of the best bargains in the Washington DC area.

Fredericksburg is only 50 miles south of Washington and about the same distance from Richmond VA. Thousands commute to jobs in the Washington area every day.

The median price for homes that sold in Fredericksburg (that includes Spotsylvania, Stafford, King George, and Caroline counties) during July 2007 was $316,000. That is good news for buyers and not so good news for sellers. In July 2006 the median sales price was $339,950. That is a drop of 7.05%!

For more information about homes for sale in Fredericksburg VA you might want to visit this website.

Blake DeChristopher

My wife Carol and I have 13 grandchildren. Not a particularly great achievement in light of our having had five children.

Needless to say, we are very proud of each and every one of them. We are most proud of the fact that our children and our grandchildren are good people.

Right now one of our grandsons is participating in the football program at Virginia Tech. His name is Blake DeChristopher and he is our son Robert's (and his wife Renee) youngest son. His brother Lane is currently serving in the Virginia National Guard and is a veteran of the Iraq War.

Blake, although only a freshman, may be playing this year for the Hokies. If determination has anything to do with him playing, we expect he will see some time on the field this year.

Please join me in wishing Blake all the best in the forthcoming year. Some of you outside Virginia may have an opportunity to see Blake play close to your home. Here is a Virginia Tech football schedule for you to look at.

This has nothing to do with real estate but it sure was fun doing it!

OK, So How's The Market This Month?

You know it is great to have someone bright working with you!

Homes for sale in the Fredericksburg VA area continue to languish on the market. The slowdown now is not unique to August. It is typical with people concentrating on getting the children back into school ("Hurray" shout all of you with school age children).

My daughter, Dawn DeGroff, who works with me developed some information that I think is pretty interesting.

There were 213 detached/single family homes sold in the City of Fredericksburg VA, Spotsylvania County VA, and Stafford County VA during the past 30 days (as of yesterday).

26% of them were priced between $200,000 and $299,999.

43% of them were priced between $300,000 and $399,900.

17% of them were priced between $400,000 and $499,999.

12% of them were priced over $500,000 and 2% were priced below $200,000.

July sales reports from the Metropolitan Regional Information Systems multiple listing service show that the median price range for homes sold in our area (which also includes King George County and Caroline County) to be $316,000. Sales in July were off 20.18% from last July.

Hopefully, this trend will change soon!