Port Potomac is one of the popular new "urbanism" Prince William County Communities designed and developed in the last few years in eastern Prince William County VA.  Multiple builders including Ryan Homes, Drees Homes, NVR and Kettler Brothers have helped shape Port Potomac. New homes are still being built by Ryan homes and M/I homes at the Reserve at Port Potomac. The neighborhood has a mix of townhouses and detached homes with multiple floor plans. 

When you first enter the community you can't help but notice the large community center. The community center features a place for neighbors to gather and host special events. The center also has an indoor pool, exercise room, outdoor pool, tennis courts and a basketball court. There is also a dog park off of the main road at the back of the community. 

Port Potomac features easy access to the Rippon Landing VRE, I-95 and PRTC commuter lots. The neighborhood is also popular with military families stationed at Quantico, Fort Belvoir and the Pentagon as all are easily accessible from Port Potomac. Nearby shopping includes the Potomac Mills Mall and the new Stonebridge at Potomac Town Center with Wegmans grocery store, Zoes Kitchen and Uncle Julio's. If you need to leave the community for a little extra R&R you can launch your boat at Leesylvania State Park or hike through Prince William Forest Park

If you are searching for a new home in a neighborhood that offers a wide variety of home styles and access to all of life's necessities give Cindy Jones and CJ Realty Group a call at 703-346-2213 to discuss the available options in Port Potomac. 

There are many reasons to consider Prince William County Virginia a place to call home.  The wide variety of neighborhoods, recreation opportunities and transportation options thoughout the area.  Prince William County also is stong financially as noted by CNN Money Magazine.

Check out this post by Cindy Jones from August 2011 about the Prince William County and it's strong economic growth. 

Veteran's Park in Woodbridge just off Featherstone Road and a block from the Potomac River offers huge benefits to it's Woodbridge neighbors and the entire Prince William County community.  Veteran's Park is a year round facility offering a swimming pool in the summer, recreation center for indoor sports, a child care center and a popular skateboard park.

During the summer the Woodbridge Little League calls Veteran's Park home and in the fall the soccer fields are teaming with kids on the weekends.  All year round the licensed childcare center accepts children 3-5 years old.  Registration is required and can be obtained at the Community Center.




One of the big draws at the park is the Skateboard Park.  The fenced park offers a large half pipe and multiple bumps and moguls designed to replicate sidewalk features.  The skateboard park is free to use and open from 7 am until dark.

You can enjoy a quiet picnic with your family or  reserve sites for the big events.  The park also offers a walking path for you to take a quick break from a hectic day.

Don't miss Veteran's Park if you live in the Woodbridge area.  Located off of Route 1 at the end of Featherstone Road.

Veteran's Park
14300 Featherstone Road
Woodbridge, VA

Along with loan documents condominium documents rank high among the paperwork buyers should read before closing on the purchase of a Northern Virginia condo.

Since Cindy Jones and CJ Realty Group sell a significant number of Belmont Bay Condominiums in Woodbridge VA we often have agents asking questions about condo rules and regulations. This past week an agent called who recently represented buyers on the purchase of a Belmont Bay condo. The owners were anxious to get the home on the rental market and had a couple of questions.

As thoughts of rot row passed through my mind I asked them which condo building they had purchased in. It turns out they had purchased in the building that in November passed a lease cap addendum limiting the number of rental units to 25% of the total building units.

Had the buyer read the condo documents? No. We immediately put them in touch with professional management company that handles the association to deal with the matter. Most likely they have just purchased a condo that will either sit empty or will have to become their primary residence. Had they read the condo documents they would have known and could have found out BEFORE they closed on the purchase.

Condo documents may be bulky and they might be a great cure for insomnia but reading them might save you from an unexpected financial surprise after you move in.

Tropical Storm Lee has finally left the DC and Northern Virginia area.  This morning I went out to try and take a walk at Hidden Pond Nature Center in Springfield VA.  I found washed out crossings over Pohick Creek and the turtles among the fallen branches drying out from all the rain.

Most people think Old Town Alexandria is Virginia's oldest chartered town but they would be wrong. As you drive down Route 1 between Woodbridge and Quantico you pass through an area known as Dumfries. It doesn't seem much like a historic area but it is.

However chartered one day before Old Town on May 11, 1749, Dumfries was a thriving cultural and commerce center in its time. Founded by Scottish merchants, the town had large tobacco warehouses and was the second largest port in the colonies only surpassed by Boston. Dumfries was also known as a cultural center with theaters, race tracks and artisans.

When historians talk about thriving port cities of the 1700's they mention Boston, Charleston and Alexandria but not Dumfries. Perhaps part of the reason is because today there is no port. Try as hard as you would like but you won't find any remnants of the port and in fact as you are driving on Route 1 you are actually driving where the port used to be. For reasons that are still unclear in the early nineteenth century silt began filling the port making it unusable.

There are plenty of new waterfront developments being built close to the Dumfries area in eastern Prince William County so perhaps in a 21^st century way the town will regain some of the glory of the past.

Over the last few years I have become acutely aware of the clean up and throw out process. It started when I began downsizing myself. Along the way I became friends with the folks at the Fairfax County Dump, Salvation Army, 1-800-Junk, PODS and more My new routine is if I haven't used it in a year then I can live without it forever.

Need some help getting started on the de-cluttering? It is over-whelming I can admit it! So here are a few ideas that helped get me started on the stuff purging:

Pick a room-doesn't matter where you start
Set a timeframe-only work on the room a couple of hours at a time
Sort throughit-look at it once and decide if it is a keep, toss or donate
Don't reminisce-high school is long over, the faded corsages have got to go
Keep the space organized-have trash bags and plastic bins handy so that you aren't surrounded by piles
Repeat the process-on the next room-move on the next day or next weekend to another space.
Reward yourself-trust me after you have made a run to the dump you want a reward

So take a look around and decide what you really need and what is ready to go. You might be surprised how good it feels to not have all of the stuff cluttering up your life. And don't try to pass it off on your kids. It will only come back to you when they decide to move!

Referrals are the lifeblood of most businesses so when a company that has been reliable in the past stiffs a client you can be sure the word gets out.  In this case everytime we get a requrest for the same service from a client or another agent asks we say don't use XYZ company. 

Most people thinking of buying a condo think of highrises and one level living. Yet the Cardinal Forest neighborhood in Springfield VA offers a twist on the concept of condo living.

Buyers are pleasantly surprised when they drive through the Cardinal Forest neighborhood and discover not only are there one, two & three bedroom single level units but also two level townhouses and a 2100 square foot three level townhouse as well. There are a total of 68 buildings and 1050 units that make up the neighborhood. The condominium fee in Cardinal Forest includes everything but your "plug ins" and whatever internet/cable/phone bundle you may choose.

Owners can walk to the Giant, Whole Foods, Starbucks and the Washington Sports Club, all within a mile. If you are commuting to DC or the Pentagon you are only a short step out your front door to catch the 18G express bus. The Springfield metro is about15 minutes away and if Fort Belvoir is your destination you can be at Tulley Gate usually within 30 minutes. Cardinal Forest also shares the back gate entrance to Lake Accotink Park, one of Fairfax Counties great parks.

If a move to Springfield VA or anywhere in Northern Virginia is in your future give the Cindy Jones and CJ Realty Group a at call at 703-346-2213. Having owned, lived and sold homes in every zip code in Springfield there is a good chance we can give you the straight scoop on many of our terrific neighborhoods. Our approach is no hassle, no pressure just a chance to meet and talk about whether buying a home is the right choice for you in today's market.

We finally saw sunshine this afternnon but not after Tropical Storm Lee dumped somewhere between 6-9 inches of rain on the area.  In Woodbridge one local neighborhood was wiped out by a flooded creek.  Here is hoping the worst is over for now.