Reston Learn to Swim: Get your Child Water Safe Now! Reston homes for Sale, Homes for sale in Reston, Homes for Sale in  North Point Reston Active Homes for Sale in Zip code 20194: Click North Point Sandy: We want to buy a house with a pool in the North Point section of Reston and are concerned about our young children's water safety. They have never had swim lessons since they are both in pre-school. Can kids that are so young learn much? Are there any swim programs for children that young in Fairfax County? Swimteam Answerman: I hate to use negative motivation to encourage parents to get their children water safe at an early age, but you are right to be concerned. Whether you buy a home with a pool or not, you undoubtedly will go to the community pool, be around friends or neighbors w... 12/15/2009

  Should I buy a home in Reston or Rent?    Reston homes for Sale, Homes for sale in Reston, Homes for Sale in  North Point Reston Active Homes for Sale in Zip code 20194: Click North Point Tom: I want to buy a home in Reston's North Point section but I'm pretty cautious about the whole thing. Is real estate still a good investment? Is renting a better idea? Steve Bachman: If you want to buy a Reston home and try to sell it in 3 years and expect to make bunches of money after your sales expenses….then the answer is no…that is not a wise investment. The likelihood of losing money in that situation is almost guaranteed for the foreseeable future. That was easily done during the go-go years of 2002-2005 where prices went up 20-25% per year. That is much tougher to do today…there are specia... 12/15/2009

  Visit the Reston Museum and then sit beside Bob Simon (Reston's creator)   Reston homes for Sale, Homes for sale in Reston, Homes for Sale in  North Point Reston Active Homes for Sale in Zip code 20194: Click North Point     Reston History: Where is the Reston Museum? Barb:What suggestions do you have for how to spend a few hours on Saturday afternoon in Reston? I like discovering the history of things, by the way. Steve Bachman: Well Barb, how about the history of Reston? Head on down to the Reston Museum at Lake Anne Plaza. Afterwards, you can sit bench-ingly with the good looking founder of Reston with a water view backdrop. Barb: Is the Reston Museum where you get some of your historical insight? Steve Bachman: Actually Barb, the one time I did not check a historical reference fou... 12/15/2009

    Buying a home in North Point Reston: Things to think about Video #2 Reston homes for Sale, Homes for sale in Reston, Homes for Sale in  North Point Reston     Active Homes for Sale in Zip code 20194: Click North Point   Charlie: What things should I think about when buying a home in the North Point area of Reston? My 2 best friends live there and they say that it is close to everything I would want. I am planning on moving from Texas and taking a job near Dulles Airport along the tech corridor of 28 and the toll road. I have never purchased a home before. What are some of the considerations? I need to find a Reston realtor, apply for a mortgage the whole bit. Can you send a video that guides me in the thought process and that also would enable me to see if I might like having you an... 12/15/2009

  Reston VA Living: Get Mulch, Eat, Work, Read, Stop by the Church, then Check in at Reston Hospital Reston homes for Sale, Homes for sale in Reston, Homes for Sale in  North Point Reston Active Homes for Sale in Zip code 20194: Click North Point Carlene: You have written before that Reston is not only pleasing to my sensibilities, but that I can live with imagination and die peacefully within a five block radius if I move to Reston Town Cente. Steve Bachman: Yes Carlene and if I remember a previous email, you said your friend Sue lived in North Point which is just across Route 606, Baron Cameron  from Reston Town Center. Carlene: I live in Philadelphia and Sue just moved to North Point and I haven't visited her yet. I just can’t capture the idea you are trying to get across…you got pic... 12/15/2009

How Did Reston Get  Its Name? Reston homes for Sale, Homes for sale in Reston, Homes for Sale in  North Point Reston     Active Homes for Sale in Zip code 20194: Click North Point   Marnie: I live in the North Point area of Reston, but I never did look up how Reston got its name. Do you know? Was it from being a restful place to live? Steve: No Marnie, Reston is a peaceful place to live…but the name Reston was derived from the initials of Robert E. Simon, the man behind the outstanding design, vision, and creation of Reston. That is a sculpture of him above sitting on a bench a Lake Anne Center. I will write about the history of Reston from time to time, since it is an intriguing topic for anyone interested in real estate development and the thought process that goes into designing a li... 12/15/2009

  Reston Homes for Sale: Finding them online, need it be so Painful? Reston homes for Sale, Homes for sale in Reston, Homes for Sale in  North Point Reston   Active Homes for Sale in Zip code 20194: Click North Point Cara: I have started looking online for homes for sale in the North Point area of  Reston. I must say that I am sorely disappointed with the old data I have come across on the main public home search programs... 4 of the 5 homes that I wanted more info. on turned out to have been sold or put under contract days (sometimes weeks) ago. What do you recommend I do? Steve: Cara, the reason the big public home search programs are so out of date and such time wasters is that they have to pull info from hundreds of separate Multiple Listing Services from all over the country. It is... 12/15/2009

  Reston homes for Sale, Homes for sale in Reston, Homes for Sale in  North Point Reston Active Homes for Sale in Zip code 20194: Click North Point Karen: Do you think swimming or aquatic therapy is appropriate for my special needs kid? I live in the North Point section of Reston and am close to many indoor pools. Steve: Absolutely, positively without equivocation. In general, the swimming community is the most supportive group of families we have come across in the 17 years that we have been involved with kids sports in Fairfax County. The Special needs volunteers are as you can imagine...outstanding human beings.     Your child does not need to be involved in competitive Special Olympics programs to physically and mentally benefit from aquatic training. For some reason, water has a sp... 12/15/2009

Are you looking for a home at a bargain price that could benefit from some loving care?   You might want to cast your eyes on the homes which are available as foreclosed or short sales in Reston Virginia ... I've put together a link to a list of homes which are offered by their owners for less than their current mortgages or have already been foreclosed by Lenders on the resale market on a 1st come,1st served basis.  You need a Realtor to show them and help you through the process ... And Yes, they've already factored in the Realtor cost so you can get the sort of help you'll need to land one of these bargains.  Visit www.reston-area.com/forsale.htm and  look to the links at mid-page for Foreclosed and Short Sale Homes in Herndon Virginia. 12/15/2009

The inventory of homes for sale in Reston's Town Center area was about 45 homes active on the market as of 15 Dec 2009. The available homes run the full spectrum of condos through townhomes from brand new to about 15 years in age.  Prices ranged from a low of about $200k to a high of $1.5 million.  Visit Available Homes at http://www.restontowncenter-homes.com/ to view currently available Reston Town Center Homes. 12/15/2009

The inventory of Lakefront  Community homes for sale in Reston was 25 homes active on the market as of 15 Dec 2009.  Direct Lakefront homes have been selling off at a faster rate than other homes in the Reston area. If you'd like to live on one of Reston's lakes ... This might be to moment to come out of for a look.  Visit Available Homes at http://www.reston-lakefront.com/ to view currently available Lakefront Homes in Reston Virginia. 12/15/2009

The inventory of Condos for sale in Reston was about 70 homes active on the market as of 15 Dec 2009 with new contracts running at about 30 a month.  Consequently, the absorption rate for these homes is about 2 months worth on the market.  Condos sales have picked up in the Reston area. If you've been hanging back, this might be the moment to re-start your shopping.  Visit Available Homes at http://www.reston-condos.com/ to view currently available condos in Reston Virginia. 12/15/2009

The inventory of townhomes for sale in Reston was about 60 homes active on the market as of 15 Dec 2009 with new contracts running about 40 a month. Consequently, the absorption rate for these homes is about 1.5 months worth on the market. This might be a good time to jump back into the market ... There's a great selection and prices may be the best you've seen in three or four years. Like to see currently available Townhomes in Reston ... visit http://www.reston-area.com/forsale.htm 12/15/2009

The inventory of single family detached homes for sale in Reston was about 35 homes active on the market as of 15 Dec 2009 with new contracts running about 12 a month.  Consequently, the absorption rate for these homes is about 3 months on the market.   If you've been considering buying a single family, this might be the moment.  Like to see currently available Single Family homes in Reston ... visit http://www.reston-area.com/forsale.htm 12/15/2009

  This is a SentriLock Realtor’s lock box Reston realtor, Reston Real estate agent, Homes for Sale in Reston, Reston Homes for Sale How Do Realtors Get INTO HOUSES? (How stuff works in Realtorland) Tammy: My husband and I have been driving around Reston and Herndon trying to get a feel for neighborhoods for our future move. We can see all kinds of lock boxes hanging on the doors of the homes for sale and were wondering how they work. Can you tell me? Steve Bachman: There are basically two types of lock boxes…combination and electronic that are used in Reston and the rest of FairfaxCounty. The combination boxes are usually put on bank owned (foreclosed) vacant, or on normal human owned homes by cheapo listing agents.   I have seen some in use that we used for facilitating handyman entran... 12/14/2009

Reston realtor, Reston Real estate agent, Homes for Sale in Reston, Reston Homes for Sale     Sue: My family is planning a move to the Reston area from Chicago in February so that my husband can take a position at a firm off Route 28 near Dulles. Can you lay out our housing  options for us between the $300k and $600k? Condos with  2+ bed, 2 bath, and town houses and single family homes with 3+ beds, 2+ baths? We may not be there long, so we are thinking about getting a less expensive place if he may be transferred again quickly. If we can be there a number of years we can chance buying a bigger, more expensive place. What are your thoughts? How do you see the Reston housing market? Steve Bachman: Sue… if you are not sure how long you will be in Reston it is a safer bet to rent a home un... 12/10/2009

Kidwell Farm Park, Frying Pan Park, things to do near Reston and Herndon, Childrens activities near Reston and Herndon No, this picture does not represent the snowbound season my sister writes about below. It is Kidwell Farm Park in Herndon VA If you live in the  Reston area can still get both your country and city fix. 45 minutes east takes you into Washington DC and 45 minutes west or north takes you into rural bliss. Kidwell Farm Park in Herndon is only 15 minutes away from almost anywhere in Restn and it can provide you with a great fun day out with animals, old farm buildings and farm equipment including pigeons. We have taken our children here for 10 years and still stop by occasionaly when the need to touch my rural roots is upon me. The following has nothing to do with Reston or... 12/10/2009

  Sam: I am thinking about selling my home in Reston. Do have have any tips for getting it ready to show and sell? Steve Bachman: Sam, here is a short video with our thoughts on the subject: click here to view. Clean, neat, and neutral without being crowded with too much furniture are the main keys to making a positive impression on prospective home buyers. Organizing your home for showing is different than organizing your home for living. For example... we have too much furniture in our home for selling and showing. We have pieces from my parents, grandparents and my aunt Hazel. It works well for living since the kids (and us) often have a fair number of people over and they all need a place to sit. All this furniture fails to show off the room sizes well if I were selling. One third a... 12/09/2009

  Bob: What is the difference between list price, sales price and appraised value? I want a thorough and long answer please. I am thinking about buying a home in Reston Virginia. Steve Bachman: Bob, the list price is the seller's current advertised price for his property. The price that the seller sets could be at, above or below the property's market value. In a buyer’s market, when prices are flat and/or falling and there's a lot of housing inventory available, you could reasonably expect to offer at or below the market value. Bob: How does the agent figure out the market value? Can’t we just go with what Zillow says? Steve Bachman: Bob, the market value of your Reston home of interest should be determined by your agent who will analyze the prices of recently sold comparable propertie... 12/08/2009

    Joe: What do full time realtors do all day? I mean, since your clients work during the day…what do you do? Steve Bachman: We read termite reports…looking for that happy check box: “No visible evidence of wood destroying insects” Sally: Exactly how does the termite report take place? Is there any violence visited upon the termites themselves? Steve Bachman: No Sally, no violence or cruelty... the termite inspector pulls up at the house in question, hops out of his truck and blows a special whistle, then yells, " All termites line up and report". The termites, (if there are any) stream out from the property, line up and present themselves while shouting in unison "All termites reporting sir!". He then counts all the termites then records the data for presentation to the prospective ho... 12/08/2009