A recent article in the Washington Post says that Loudoun County, Virginia has the highest concentration of 25 – 34 year olds with an annual income exceeding $100,000. The article also says that these 20-3o somethings, spend weekends at the local Virginia wineries. I decided to test this article and head up to Bluemont Vineyard in Bluemont, VA.

Located at 18755 Foggy Bottom Road, Bluemont, VA 20135. It took us about an hour and 15 minutes from Arlington, VA. But the ride is beautiful – Loudoun County has some beautiful houses on tons of land, trees, views of hills, and the occasional cow.

Bluemont Vineyard does $5 tastings of their wines with knowledgeable and friendly staff. Tastings in April through October are 12pm to 6pm, and during November through March from 12pm to 5pm.

Editors Note: During your tasting, there are 2 ceramic jugs in front of you – one for water (to clean your glass before the dessert wine) and another to pour your discarded wine and/or water into (if there’s a handle on the jug – it’s the one for water. Oops.)

You can choose to enjoy their wines by the glass or the bottle. They have cheese, fudge, apple butter, dipping oils, and fresh baked bread for purchase from Goot Essa with your wines. Goot Essa is a cooperative of Central Pennsylvania Amish and Mennonite dairy farmers.

You can sit outside or inside and enjoy their live music and views. You’ll notice on their wine glasses, labels, t-shirts, and most other things with the Bluemont Vineyard label, has “951″ printed on it. The Vineyard is located at 951 feet above sea level. The boutique winery says that on a clear day, you can see the top of the Washington Monument (as you can see from the picture  below, it was a beautiful day, but I didn’t see the monument…maybe someone else did!) My friend, and former client, Colleen, enjoyed the views with me:

Day after Day, as new condo buildings are being built in the Washington D.C. Metro area and nearby Arlington, VA, I read new descriptions that say “cozy boutique condo building.” But what does a “boutique condo building” really mean? Here’s my personal (i.e. others may have other viewpoints) definition:

Dictionary.com defines ”boutique” as:

“1. a small shop or a small speciality department within a larger store

2. any small, exclusive business offering customized service

So how does that apply to real estate?

I tend to think of a Boutique building as a smaller building, with fewer than 100 units, under 5 floors. Sometimes they have a front desk, but often they don’t. They also usually have fewer amenities, as the feel/atmosphere of the building is much like a single-family home/personal residence; it tends to be a nice foyer/lobby and that’s it. Often times, this results in lower condo fees.

Examples of Arlington VA Boutique Condo Buildings:

1800 Wilson

The Berkeley Condo

Examples of Washington DC Boutique Condo Buildings:

Harvard Lofts in Columbia Heights

Adams Station in Adams Morgan

Of course, there are more than the few examples I listed above. Have questions? Feel free to contact me.

Laura J. Rubinchuk
Keller Williams Realty
703.283.6120
Laura@TheLJRGroup.com

Located on N. Glebe Road, between Washington Golf and The Marymount University, lies a construction site for the future home to an enclave of 4 European style, luxurious townhomes. Built overlooking the National Cathedral, these 4 level townhomes will have an elevator, media room, guest suite, 3-car garage parking, and over 8,000 sq ft of living space.  Finishing touches will be selected by the buyer, as the builder has decided to "build to suit."

Search Cathedral View Townhomes For Sale

Here are  a few pictures of the current site:

Realtor.com has an “Ask A Realtor” section of their website, where people can submit questions that are sent to a group of agents for response. They select one answer to publish on their website.

I had the fortunate opportunity to be featured on this question, from a prospective investor interested in purchasing a triplex (a 3-family home):

Q: “I am interested in a triplex. They’re asking 224,000. It’s in great shape. All three units are currently rented. What questions should I be asking the selling agent? I gross $1,875 a month and my mortgage will be $1,350 with taxes and insurance. What percentage does the REALTOR® make on the transaction? I would like to offer $198,000. Is that where I should start?” – Anthony (location is not disclosed)

Here’s my answer:

Whenever you look to invest in a property, you always want to estimate on the lower side, to make sure you won’t fall immediately into the red. I’d also ask about recent repairs: how’s the HVAC? The roof? Gutters? Driveway (if applicable)? You’ll have to consider your expenses for repairs and maintenance when you factor in your $525 estimated profit her month.

I’d ask for copies of each lease, and make sure their security deposits are credited to you at closing, since you’re inheriting the tenants and have to honor their leases (this may vary per state). I’d ask your agent to run rental comparisons to see if the current rents are below, at, or above market value. This may also affect your rental income.

The Realtor’s commission is based on his/her agreement with the current seller.

There are many options to consider when writing your purchase offer. If you feel $198,000 is a fair offer, go for it! I’d have an agent run recent sales comparisons for you to truly give you an idea of fair market value in that neighborhood to make sure you’re not overpaying.

See the full feature on Realtor.com’s Ask A Realtor.

Since everyone has voting on the brain, why not add your favorite Arlington Business to the list.

Vote for the 2009 ABBIES: Arlington Best Business Awards

Nominations are in, and voting is open thru Friday, November 6th, 2009.  The ABBIES will honor local restaurants, bars, stores, boutiques, charities, and organizations. It’s a great way to support your favorite local establishment.

The ABBIE website encourages participation, by saying:

“The People’s Choice ABBIES encourge public participation with nominations and voting opened to the entire community, allowing for greater recognition of a wider variety of businesses. “An awards program is just one of the many ways we support the Arlington business community, especially the small retail stores and restaurants that help shape the character of Arlington’s urban villages,” stated Arlington Economic Development Director Terry Holzheimer. ‘The People’s Choice ABBIES help us recognize the very best of all Arlington businesses, with participation from the entire community.’”

Check out the full list of 2008 Winners.

I doubt i'll surprise anyone when I tell you that we're a nation that's becoming increasingly dependent on instant information.

• Send a tweet with a question - expect an answer within 30 seconds.
• Sign into a website - more often than not, there's a "Chat With Me" option for instant help.
• Look up a new house for sale and see no photos - we immediately ask "what's wrong with it?"

So it doesn't surprise me at all that when a prospective buyer is looking at the photos of your house online (presumably your agent has taken them and put them online), that they want to imagine the home before they go see it. It's much easier for a buyer to imagine what the house looks like, when they have the images to put together with a floorplan and/or virtual tour. 

Being able to supply things like the floorplan is another way of getting the right buyers into your home, to make a potential sale. 

So when you're buying a recently newly built home, where the floorplan hasn't been modified much from the paper version - keep that! Give it to your agent! All the information we can get will help us, help you.

Search Arlington VA Condos For Sale With A Virtual Tour

Search Arlington VA Townhomes For Sale With A Virtual Tour

Search Arlington VA Homes For Sale With A Virtual Tour

Laura J. Rubinchuk
Keller Williams Realty
McLean, VA
703.283.6120
Laura@TheLJRGroup.com

Have you ever been in a room with over 100 people who were DYING to share every ounce of information and knowledge they have with YOU? Who put a pause on their own learning to bring you up to speed with what they’ve already learned and have proven are successful techniques? If not, you’ve clearly never been to REBAR Camp.

There’s a community that exists in the real estate world that you should be a part of. It’s a family of people who have a different way of thinking, of communicating, of existing, and of growing a business. We’re like-minded. We like information fast, like our consumers. We crave new relationships, like our clients. We respond quickly when made fun of in a tweet (@DerekMassey…Go Yankees!).

As a Gen-Y-er, people often assume I innately know how to use any kind of technology – whether it’s teaching them to turn on the computer or using social media for their real estate business. Well, let me tell you…while you can stalk me all day long on:

Tuesday proved to me that I’ve only scratched the surface of the infinite possibilities out there, and that I better get back to work!

Heather Elias & Danilo Bogdanovic both are active agents and bloggers in Loudoun County, Virginia. But they do it their own ways. They’re both successful…for being exactly who they are, using their own voices to tell their own stories.

Jennifer Klaussen, Frank Llosa, and I are all agents and bloggers in Arlington County, Virginia. But guess what? We all have VERY different ways of talking about our local real estate market (and the kicker is that I live 1 block from Frank!).

Daniel Rothamel, The Real Estate Zebra, has taken personal branding and reinvented the concept. Who would have thought an animal could be so quickly associated with a real estate agent (or his lil’ gal baking in the oven). From the Zebra’s blog you get an idea of what he’ll be like if you call him up and say “I want to buy a house.” He is in person, who he appears to be online.

Why does this work? Because we’re all individuals, with different backgrounds, different experiences, different voices. We’re all different people. We have different things to say. So as a result, we attract different types of clients. And that’s ok!!!

The point of social media is to cultivate and enhance relationships, take your cyber friends and make them In-Real-Life friends, face to face. Build your network of fellow agents, attorneys, lenders, inspectors, etc. and bring that to the table when you meet new clients. Draw from their experiences to make YOU better.

#REBCDC was a full day of meeting cyber friends, who are actually people! People who are willing to teach you everything they know, to help make you better.

Some Takeaways:

For those of you who think Twitter is the equivalent of Acid Wash Jeans, cool now, but fading fast…you don’t get it (BTW- acid wash jeans were a fad I was never a part of, hello…I was born in 1984, by the time they were no longer cool, I was just learning how to dress myself). It’s a new way to share information quickly, engage in conversation, enhance relationships, and learn. If you’re not learning and growing, you’re dying, right?

Facebook is Google for stalkers. Meet a new agent you admire? Friend them. Stalk them. (Meet a rich/tall/dark/handsome man and want to know if he’s single? Friend him too. #justsayin…I digress.) But guess what? The person who gets your name from a friend, or finds you online, or sees your sign post in a yard – they’re going to want to know more about you too, without feeling pressured by yet another sales-y real estate agent.

Posterous is your life in pictures. Ever have one of those “I wish someone was here to see this” moments? Now all of your 1,000 followers and readers can be, with a simple email. This was one of my “to-do” items thanks to Derek Massey.

Pay it forward. Whether it’s helping to raise $1,000 for DC Central Kitchen, or teaching someone a profitable tip you just learned, helping someone else reach their goals will help you in the end. Ziglar said “I believe you can get everything in life you want, if you will just help enough people get what they want.”

And with that…I wish ALL of the sponsors (especially @TechChix for organizing), teachers, and friends I made at REBAR Camp DC the very best. A big THANK YOU!

The numbers and statistics below are courtesy of the Greater Capital Area Association of Realtors. Interesting trends for the District of Columbia:

Condos and Coops

Average Sales Price Year-to-Date: $412,367
**Thus far, highest since 2005.

Inventory: Total at 1,229 listings
**2nd lowest since September 2008

Single Family Homes

Average Sales Price Year-to-Date: $557,725
**Lowest, by about $60k since 2005 (prices peaked in 2007)

Inventory: Total of 1,464 Listings
*2nd lowest in the last calendar year (August 2009 was the lowest)

Obviously the D.C. market is more complex than this overall picture paints. The 4 quadrants - SW, SE, NE, and NW - all have mini markets within themselves. But the bigger story is the LOW level of inventory throughout the District. While some areas have a HUGE supply, others have nothing. There's also been recent additions of brand new construction in the District.

Please ask for more specific numbers.

Search Washington, D.C. Condos and Coops for Sale

Search Washington, D.C. Rowhouses for Sale

Search Washington, D.C. Homes For Sale

Search Washington, D.C Foreclosures For Sale

McLean VA is home to many businesses and personal residential pieces of real estate. The zip of 22101 is heavily populated with Businesses, so I've broken out the August statistics by zip code:

22101

Detached Houses

Average Net Sale Price: $981,131 after 104 DOM
Range: $526,000 - $2,251,000

Townhouses

Average Net Sale Price; $627,700 after 84 DOM
Range: $535,000 - $820,000

 The overall market in McLean in 22101 is BUSY. Sales has more than doubled this point last year, for both volume and the number of homes sold. Surprisingly, days on the market has also gone up by about 20 days. Prices are still lower than this time last year.

22102

Detached Houses

Average Net Sale Price: $1,307,625 after 106 DOM (median was 7 days)
Range: $728,000 - $2,525,000

1 Bedroom Condos

Average Net Sale Price: $188,923 after 40 DOM

2 Bedroom Condos

Average Net Sale Price: $399,561 after 71 DOM

The overall market in McLean in 22102 is similar to 22101 for September. Volume and the number of homes sold are both up, as well as days on the market. Similarly, prices are still a bit lower than this time last year.

Search the current Homes For Sale in McLean VA

Laura Rubinchuk
Keller Williams Realty
703.283.6120
Laura@TheLJRGroup.com