Phoenix Leads Annual Home Price Gains, According To Case-Shiller Index - 06/29/12 11:48 AM
Northern Virginia area home buyers interested in the trends in real estate home prices may know that Standard & Poors released its March 2012 Case-Shiller Index last week.  The index is meant to measure changes in home prices from month-to-month, and from year-to-year, in select U.S. cities.

According to the report, home values rose in 12 of the Case-Shiller Index's 20 tracked markets, and one market remained unchanged.
The Washington D.C. area was one of the metropolitan areas that came in with an increase in home prices.
Of the Case-Shiller markets, Phoenix, Arizona posted the largest one-year gain, climbing 6.1 … (2 comments)

How To Keep A Clean Refrigerator - 06/29/12 11:36 AM
Northern Virginia homeowners - do you clean your refrigerator regularly, or only after you've run out of space?  If your answer is the latter, your refrigerator may be harboring dangerous bacteria that can make you, your family, and your house guests ill.

Refrigerators should be cleaned monthly, inside and out, ideally.  The process involves removing all foods, cleaning all shelves, and wiping down drawers.  Spoiled food is removed and old containers reclaimed.
The process takes 20 minutes. Here's how to do it.
First, prepare your cleaning stations, including filling a sink with soapy water, and having drying towels handy.  Complete … (0 comments)

Save Energy For Summer: Flip Your Ceiling Fan Rotation - 06/05/12 09:36 AM
 Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer and, in Chantilly as well as many parts of the country, weekend weather was indistinguishable from what one might expect in August.

Temperatures climbed into the 90s throughout the Southwest, South Central, Midwest and Southeast and even crossed 100 degrees in parts of Kansas.
For Northern Virginia homeowners with ceiling fans, the change of season offers a timely reminder to change the direction in which ceiling fan blades rotate.  Properly-rotating ceiling fan blades not only cool your home more efficiently, but can lower your energy bill, too.
Ceiling fans are meant to … (2 comments)