Real estate blog entries tagged with virginia beach by Gene Allen, Realty Consultant for Cary Real Estate (Fathom Realty)

Home : Blogs : Gene Allen : Gene Allen Sells Cary Real Estate : Tag "virginia beach"

virginia beach: What a sunset!!!! - 04/05/09 09:36 AM

I was driving home from a listing and had my trusty camera, a Panasonic DMC FZ 18 with me. I love this camera because it not only has a 28 mm wide lens but it also has a telephoto that can go out to almost forever. This was taken from The Lakes subdivsion in Virginia Beach.
This is at 28 mm wide.

This is about 500 mm

This is about 700 mm with what Panasonic calls EZ Zoom (not digital zoom)

http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well … (7 comments)

virginia beach: Atlas Van Lines Says Welcome Home - 01/31/09 12:41 AM

Atlas Van Lines has classified Virginia as a moving destination. I could have told them that if they would have asked. People are moving away from states with hard hit industries like automobiles and heavy manafacturing. Believe it or not many midwesterners are headed to warmer climates and brighter economic prospects.
Atlas said they moved 4,210 families into the state as opposed to 2,968 out. Washington, DC had the highest gain as did North Carolina. The overall market for moving has cooled by 9% as has most of the economy.
So remember me as your referral agent of choice when your … (0 comments)

virginia beach: Variences Harder To Get At The Beach - 01/31/09 12:30 AM

In 2008 all but a handful of variances were approved by the Board of Zoning Appeals in Virginia Beach. This will change in 2009 as the courts recently raised the legal threshold for allowing variances. The new test is "whether, without the variance, the owner loses the right to use the property in every meaningfulway"
Of course, the people on the board still have say over what is a hardship or not but city staff are pushing hard to make sure the law is upheld. The city can be and has been sued over giving variances that wern't legal so they should … (1 comments)

virginia beach: Cheasapeake worries about new Beach Hospital - 01/31/09 12:16 AM

The Chesapeake Regional Medical Center is objecting to a joint hospital proposed in Virginia Beach by Sentara and Bon Secours. The hospital will be located by the amphitheatre and will be a 200 bed facility. Sentara has already been approved for a 120 bed facility but Bon Secours wants to add 80 beds. The hospital will just carry the Sentara name.
Chesapeake officials are worried because they think that the hospital will impact them and damage competition. Fully 18% of hospital admmissions come from Virginia Beach as well as 10% of outpatient procedures. The Sentara system is a powerful draw because … (0 comments)

virginia beach: Emergency Beacons for Boaters Going Digital - 01/21/09 01:14 PM

For all you boaters in Norfolk, Virginia Beach, Chesapeake and Portsmouth, here is some good information. Along with our tv transmissions going digital soon so are the Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRB) for boaters are going digital on Feb 1. The coast guard along with other rescue personal will only respond to digital 406-MHZ beacons. The digital beacons are 50 times more powerful then the analog ones. Satellites will be able to track the beacon to 100 yards while at the same time the beacons will not give false positives meaning the coast guard will be on station quicker.
The beacons must … (0 comments)

virginia beach: Let's Try a Flipbac - 01/04/09 08:51 AM

I was taking pictures with Panasonic DMC FZ 18 the other day in Virginia Beach and was a little frustrated because I had to take the pictures at a low angle and then at eye level and back. It would have been nice to have a articulating LCD but I don't. I found this neat little device on one of my other blogs and thought it might be of interest to you all. It is called a Flipbac and allows you to use the camera at a lower angle or over your head. Amazing what you can do with a mirror … (4 comments)

virginia beach: Elbow Road? - 01/03/09 08:25 AM

Ever heard of it. Of course if you live in Virginia Beach and Chesapeake you have. It is one of those curvy, windy, narrow, dark, twisty roads that goes from improved to down into the swamp to the farmland in Chesapeake. It is also the site of many a crash in the area. Of course the cities don't want to spend the money to improve it because they still think that the Southeastern Expressway will be built. That road is already obselete and it hasn't even been built. Virginia Beach has a plan for a part of its road but needs … (3 comments)

virginia beach: Another Foggy Morning - 12/17/08 11:27 AM

It was another foggy day in Virginia Beach and my wife asked if I took pictures. What a silly question. It is really a good time to take pictures although I know a lot of people don't think so. Of course I just love my long lens Panasonic DMC FZ 18 for these kinds of pictures.
The first picture is some kind of spider web. I had seen them on plants before but not on the grass. I thought maybe if I zoomed in enough on the second picture I would see who was home but no one was there. I … (7 comments)

virginia beach: Can't Sell, Try Staging - 12/14/08 08:18 AM

Even in this slow real estate market we are seeing in Virginia Beach it pays to have your house staged whether it is vacant or the seller still lives in it. Home stagers say most buyers can't see a room unless there is something in it. They need something for them to measure it for them. The rooms look the same to a buyer unless there is something for them to remember. If I take a buyer to 20 same same condos and yours is the one that stands out because of the retro drapes it may be the one that is … (2 comments)

virginia beach: Lonely Titmouse - 12/13/08 04:54 AM

I caught this little Titmouse in my backyard in Glenwood, Virginia Beach during the summer. The picture was actually taken in the day. I must have had my camera, Panasonic DMC FZ 18, on some kind of manual mode as the picture is very dark. What I did was make a new layer and darkened the whole picture to get rid of most everything. Then I used the magic lasso and moved the Titmouse to the new layer and lightened the Titmouse up a bit. Looks pretty good if you don't look to close. Not really a tip but sometimes a … (3 comments)

virginia beach: Most Efficient Charities - 11/24/08 10:54 AM

Guess where one of the most efficient charities as well as one the largest charities in America is located? If you guessed Virginia Beach and Operation Blessing then you would be correct. The charity received a 100% "fund raising efficiency" rating from Forbes magazine recently. Operation Blessing also received a 99% efficiency in charitable commitment which calculates how much of total expense went directly to the charitable purpose. The charity spent $285 million on charitable services and just $2 million on services such as fundraising and admistration. So remember Operation Blessing if you want something to put your money into and … (0 comments)

virginia beach: Another Casuality Of Short Sale/Foreclosures - 11/24/08 10:39 AM

I was reading in our local paper, the Virginian Pilot, that the utility companies are having an unexpected drop in electricity consumption. Utilities like Dominion Power are forecasting a 1 to 2 percent increase in power consumption and are setting up to meet that demand. Remember, the infrastructure can take years to put into place and it has to be forecast ahead of time. If they are wrong then the companies and ultimately the consumer pays dearly.
For the first time, power companies are seeing up to a 3 percent drop in consumption to homes. The analysts are at a loss … (0 comments)

virginia beach: Big Spiders Oh My - 11/09/08 02:40 AM

I found this guy on Halloween. I guess the kids didn't get any candy from that house. It was in Glenwood in Virginia Beach so be careful if you are out walking. It was shot at ISO 1600 with a bit of photo shop to bring the levels up a bit.

http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.
Google gene allen
… (4 comments)

virginia beach: State To Help Buy Land - 11/04/08 04:54 AM

The city of Virginia Beach will get $7.1 million from the state to help it purchase land around NAS Oceana. The city needs to buy the land in order to control what is built. The Navy has said it will close NAS Oceana at some point in the future if the Virginia Beach doesn't do something about curbing developement around the base.
http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your … (1 comments)

virginia beach: Eliminate Odors By Painting - 10/25/08 09:26 AM

Here is a new one on me. I was looking at paint at my local Dutch Boy paint store in Virginia Beach and discovered that I could help eliminate odors in my house in Glenwood by simply painting the walls. It seems Dutch Boy has a paint that has ZERO VOC's and will through a process I don't understand capture odors as they pass by. I kid you not. Take a look at this website DUTCHBOY REFRESH Now you can sell your smelly houses and tell the buyers that for real they can paint the walls and make the smell go … (0 comments)

virginia beach: Police Get New Helecopter - 10/13/08 06:07 AM

What does $2.9 million in Virginia Beach buy you? How about a brand new Bell 407 helicopter. Not just a police helicopter but one equipped to transport patients. The helicopter can be used as a back up Sentara's Nightningale air ambulance service.

http://www.geneallen.com/ Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads. This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.
Google gene allen

… (1 comments)

virginia beach: Even Simpler Apertures - 10/07/08 07:29 AM

Bruce Mohan gave a good explanation and even provided great pictures on apertures. Because I have a hard time with them still here is my way of thinking of them.
Small number = larger f/stop = shallow depth of field (focus from front to back)
Large number = smaller f/stop = large depth of field (focus from front to back)
If you look at the picture above, you will see that at f 1.4 the aperture is wide open and lets in a huge amount of light and at f/ 22 the aperture is closed up tight and lets in … (2 comments)

virginia beach: Can you believe this? - 10/05/08 03:52 AM

I sent an email to show a house in Virginia Beach. This house has been on the market for over two years. Here is the email response from the agent.
Agent: XXX XXX is my showing coordinator, her info is under "Showing" in the listing above the "Owner" field in the listing. She can be contacted at XXX-XXXX to set up a showing.
XXX, This agent would like to show Main St. on Monday. Since you won't be in until Monday, I don't think you will be able to get this scheduled with the tenant.
Don't you think she should pick … (2 comments)

virginia beach: Send the kids to the park NOT!!! - 09/24/08 06:35 AM

When welcoming new buyers to Virginia Beach I would tell them to let the kids hit the park but no more. Now along with all the normal things to worry about in parks we have a new and more dangerous one. Fire Ants.
The fire ant is here and seems to like parks. The latest park to be hit was the Charlestown Atheletic Park. Fire ants made their way to Virginia Beach from mulch, shrubs and trees that are brought in from North Carolina, Texas and other southern states. Originally the fire ants were stowaways on ships from Brazil to Mobile, Ala. via … (1 comments)

virginia beach: Fire Ants-The Unwanted Tourist - 09/24/08 06:09 AM

Virginia Beach normally welcomes tourist
but not this one. The fire ant is here and seems to like parks. The latest park to be hit was the Charlestontown Atheletic Park. Fire ants make their way to Virginia Beach from mulch, shrubs and trees that are brought in from North Carolina, Texas and other southern states. Originally the fire ants were tourists on ships from Brazil to Mobile, Ala via dirt from the ships ballests. From there the ants made it into the native soil and the rest is history. Experts like to call these type ants RIFA's or Red Imported Fire Ants to … (0 comments)

Related Links: