Score calculates the walkability of an address based on the distance from your house to nearby amenities. Walk Score measures how easy it is to live a car-lite lifestyle—not how pretty the area is for walking.
I thought this will help us in marketing yet another unique feature about the home. The higher the walkability score will help determine buyers the convienence of the neighborhood.
On Nov. 6th the
Virginia Housing Development Authority (VHDA) has announced Fiscal Year
10 funding allocations under its SPARC program (Sponsoring Partnerships
and Revitalizing Communities), a below-market-rate loan program
administered by the Loudoun County Department of Family Services.
The
funds will be available through June 30, 2010 or until fully utilized.
Applicants must be first-time homebuyers and meet VHDA's standard
eligibility requirements. Sales price and income limits apply.
Discounts
on VHDA first-trust loans will be available at one-half percent (1/2%)
below VHDA's loan program rates and available to homebuyers with
incomes from $21,550 to $82,150 (adjusted by family size; families of
five or more may qualify at higher income levels). These loans are
targeted only to households purchasing a foreclosed home (short sales
not eligible) in one of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP)
areas. Current eligible areas are Sterling and Sugarland Run with a zip
code of 20164. A map of the eligible area can be found here.
More information about SPARC is available online from VHDA at http://www.vhda.com/
or by contacting one of the VHDA-approved lenders who will be able to
explain more about this program. Only VHDA-approved lenders can offer
SPARC funding.
For information, contact Karen Thorson, Department of Family Services, at 571-258-3814 or karen.thorson@loudoun.gov.
For more details contact either the builder or Ritu Desai, Samson Properties at 703-625-4949 or email her at Info@eNOVAHomes.com
Contact Ritu Desai, Realtor, EcoBroker, ABR,ePRO at Samson Properties Cell: 703-625-4949 or Email:Info@eNOVAHomes.com www.eNOVAHOmes.com You are interested in purchasing or selling a property in Northern Virginia Arlington County, Alexandria City, Loudoun County, Fairfax County, Falls Church City & Prince William county.
HUGE NEWS!!! The House today passed the Tax Credit Extension for 1st Time Homebuyers…. adding current homeowners. This comes on the heals of The Senate passing it last week.
The President is expected to sign by the end of this week. Here’s what I’m hearing on C-Span as I write this:
• 1st Time Homebuyers Tax Credit of $8000. extends to Contracts written by April 30, 2010 and you must close by June 30, 2010
• Current homeowners that have lived in their home for 5+ years and want to “move on”, will get a $6500 tax credit when they sell their current home and purchase their next home
• The income thresholds move from, individuals $75K to $150K and couples from $150K to $225K! That’s Gross Adjusted Income
Great news for homebuyers, Realtors, Lenders, and the Economy going into the Holidays and Winter!!!
As much as I love Northern Virginia's autumn daunting fact is winter is right around the corner. Whether we get a mild or a bad winter it never hurts to be prepared for stormy days.
If you're thinking it's time to do something about your cold house and
your high heating bills, here are five win-win suggestions that will
help you do both.
1. REPLACE YOUR FURNACE FILTER
A
clogged filter makes your furnace work harder to deliver the same
amount of heat, which wastes energy by keeping the furnace on for a
longer period in order to bring the house up to the requested
temperature.
If you have a central heating system (used for heat
only), replace the filter once a year, at the start of the heating
season. If you have a heat pump or a furnace with central air
conditioning, replace it twice a year, at the start of the heating
season and at the start of the cooling season. While replacing the
filter, always use a shop vacuum to clean up as much dust and debris
within the filter cavity as you can reach.
2. INSTALL A PROGRAMMABLE THERMOSTAT
Programmable
thermostats work a whole lot better than your memory. They give you the
ability to have a lot more control over your heating and cooling
systems, and they will add both convenience and energy savings by
raising and lowering the heat at preset times so you don't have to
remember to do it.
A programmable thermostat will bring the
system on and shut it off based not only on temperature, but on time as
well. For example, the thermostat can be programmed to turn on the heat
to a certain level at 6 a.m. when you get up, and turn it down again at
8 a.m. when you leave for work. It also can be set for different cycles
on different days of the week, and can be overridden with the touch of
a single button to temporarily raise or lower the heat.
3. INSULATE DUCTWORK
Since
the ducts are running through an unheated space, whether in your attic,
crawlspace, basement, or garage, duct insulation is a huge part of the
system's ability to retain heated air within the ducts until it gets
delivered into the house. All of the ducts in unheated spaces should be
completely wrapped without any gaps, and the insulation should be of
sufficient thickness to provide good insulating value -- typically
around R-8, which is approximately 2 1/2 inches of fiberglass.
4. CLEAN WALL AND BASEBOARD HEATERS
As
with a central furnace, it's very important that wall heaters and
baseboard heaters be cleaned at the start of every heating season.
Before cleaning, however, first try to minimize the potential for dust
buildup in the heaters. This might be done by rearranging furniture,
increasing fresh air in the room, or increasing air flow in front of
the heaters.
To clean baseboard heaters, first shut off the
circuit breaker that supplies power to the heater. To be certain you
have the correct breaker, turn the thermostat up to high for 30 seconds
or so and make sure that the heater does not come on. Remove the front
cover and use a vacuum to clean out the inside of the heater, being
careful not to damage the aluminum fins inside the heater. If you
notice that the fins are bent, you can use a fin comb, available
through many heating contractors and other retailers of heating
equipment, to straighten them out again.
For wall heaters, shut
off the circuit breaker for the heater, and verify that it's off as
described above. Remove the screws that hold the grill in place, and
remove the grill. Wash the grill in hot soapy water, dry it, and set it
aside. You can then clean the inside of the heater using a vacuum,
taking care not to touch the heating elements, or you can blow out dust
using the blower side of your shop vacuum.
Note: Be sure to
refer to the instruction book that came with the heater, or check with
the manufacturer's Web site for specific cleaning instructions and
safety precautions.
5. COVER AND WEATHERSTRIP ROOM AIR CONDITIONERS
If
you have a room air conditioner that sits in a window or mounts into an
opening in the exterior wall, they have the potential to leak a lot of
air. If the air conditioner is in a window and is easy to remove, your
best bet is to remove it, clean it, and then store it for next summer.
If
it's not easily removed, then examine the unit carefully to see if
there is any daylight coming in around it. You can use foam tape,
expandable spray foam, or other weatherstripping materials to close up
the gaps around the case. Finally, buy or build a cover that will slip
over the unit from the outside and prevent cold air from coming through
it and into the house.
Contact
Ritu Desai,
Realtor, EcoBroker, ABR,ePRO at Samson Properties Cell: 703-625-4949 or
Email:Info@eNOVAHomes.com www.eNOVAHOmes.com You
are interested in purchasing or selling a property in Northern Virginia
Arlington County, Alexandria City, Loudoun County, Fairfax County, Falls Church
City & Prince William county.
The
unemployment rate in the D.C. area fell in both June and July, as it
gained jobs in government and defense contracting sectors. Employment
in the D.C. metro peaked in the third quarter of last year. Gross
metropolitan product peaked in the second quarter. Home prices fell
5.7% in the second quarter compared with the same period a year
earlier. And the unemployment rate in June was 6.5%, up 2.7 points from
a year earlier. (Please see below for the various criteria used by the
Brookings Institution to determine the overall ranking.)
Job growth (since peak) rank: 6 Gross Metro Product (since peak) rank: 1 Unemployment change (year over year) rank: 18 Home price change (year over year) rank: 72
Complete list at : http://images.businessweek.com/ss/09/10/1022_40_strongest_us_metro_economies/14.htm
Contact
Ritu Desai,
Realtor, EcoBroker, ABR,ePRO at Samson Properties Cell: 703-625-4949 or
Email:Info@eNOVAHomes.com www.eNOVAHOmes.com You
are interested in purchasing or selling a property in Northern Virginia
Arlington County, Alexandria City, Loudoun County, Fairfax County, Falls Church
City & Prince William county.
If you are an investor or a home owner have been thinking about buying or transferring your home title in LLC. check out the following Q&A
DEAR BENNY: I own several single-family rental homes. In talking to advisors, one says I should put the houses into LLCs for liability protection. Another said, don't bother. If you get sued, your liability protection on your homeowners policy plus your umbrella policy will cover you. Obviously, the latter provides only attorney and possible judgment costs, but does the LLC really keep you from being sued, or protect you if you are sued, so that you would not need to use the umbrella policy? –Bruce
DEAR BRUCE. It is my understanding that an umbrella policy is not that costly, so I would recommend that you consider both options: Get the umbrella policy and put all of your rental properties in separate limited liability companies.
The concept of limited liability companies (LLC) is relatively new -- probably started in the 1980s. Its primary purpose is to insulate the property owner from personal liability should there be a court judgment against the property. For example, if a child was injured because of lead paint in the property and a judgment was entered against the LLC, if the proper procedures for maintaining a LLC were kept, it would be difficult -- if not impossible -- for that judgment to attach personally against the member (or members) of that LLC.
This column does not permit a lengthy explanation of what an LLC is and how it works. However, if you own several properties, each should be held in a separate LLC. Otherwise, a judgment against the LLC will impact on all of the properties that are held by that LLC.
Some basic rules to preserve the independence of an LLC: (1) Do not commingle your own funds with that of the LLC; (2) If you are the sole member of the LLC -- or its managing member -- make sure that whenever you sign any papers, you add the word "member" after your signature. You want to make sure that the world understands that you are not acting in your own capacity but only as the representative of the LLC.
It would even be helpful to have at least two members for the LLC. Clever attorneys may be able to "pierce the corporate veil" of a single-member LLC.
You are interested in purchasing or selling a property in Northern Virginia Arlington, Alexandria City, Loudoun, Fairfax, Falls Church City & Prince William county.
Price: $189,000 USD MLS#: FX7174515 2627 GLENGYLE DR #98, Vienna, VA
Condo in the Heart of Vienna
2BR/1.5BA Condo
offered at $189,900
Year Built
1977
Sq Footage
1,018
Bedrooms
2
Bathrooms
1 full, 1 partial
Floors
1
Parking
1 Uncovered spaces
Lot Size
Unspecified
HOA/Maint
$246 per month
DESCRIPTION
*GREAT CONDO IN THE HEART OF VIENNA
*WALK TO SHOPS & DINING
*MINS TO VIENNA METRO
* HARDWOOD FLOORING THRU OUT THE UNIT
*LARGE LIVING ROOM WITH SLIDING DOOR TO PRIVATE PATIO WITH LOT OF ROOM FOR ENTERTAINING
*UPDATED KITCHEN WITH WINDOW, SPACE FOR TABLE & 16x16 TILED FLOORING
* OVERSIZED MASTER WITH FULL BATH & CLOSET
* EQUALLY LARGE 2ND BEDROOM
* QUIET LOCATION WITH ENTRANCE OFF OF COURTYARD WITH MATURE SHADE TREES & LAWN
*ALL NEWER WINDOWS,HEAT PUMP&WATER HEATER
Many taxpayers who purchase a home this year will qualify for an $8,000 federal tax credit in Virginia and around the country. The refundable first-time homebuyer credit is a major tax provision in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. But time is running out to qualify for this credit.
Here are ten things the IRS wants you to know about the first-time homebuyer credit:
1.To be considered a first-time homebuyer, you – and your spouse if you are married – must not have jointly or separately owned another principal residence during the three years prior to the date of purchase.
2.You cannot claim the credit before there is a completed sale and purchase of the residence. The sale and purchase are generally completed at the time of closing on the purchase.
3.To qualify for the credit, the completed purchase must occur before December 1, 2009.
4.The home must be located in the United States.
5.The credit is either 10 percent of the purchase price of the home or $8,000, whichever is less.
6.The amount of the credit begins to phase out for taxpayers whose modified adjusted gross income is more than $75,000 or $150,000 for joint filers.
7.The credit is fully refundable. A homebuyer with no taxable income, who qualifies for the credit, may file for the sole purpose of claiming the credit and receive a refund. The credit will be paid out to eligible taxpayers, even if they owe no tax or the credit is more than the tax owed.
8.The credit is claimed on IRS Form 5405, First-Time Homebuyers Credit.
9.Taxpayers can claim the credit for a qualified 2009 purchase on either their 2008 or 2009 tax return. For those who have filed a 2008 return, a Form 1040X, Amended U.S. Individual Income Tax Return can be filed in order to get a refund in 2009.
10.The credit for qualified 2009 purchases does not have to be repaid, as long as the home remains your main home for 36 months after the purchase date.
Qualified taxpayers who have been considering a main home purchase may find extra incentive from this tax credit to buy now so they can complete the purchase before the December 1 deadline.
For more information on this and other key tax provisions of the Recovery Act visit the official IRS Website at IRS.gov/Recovery.
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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