MONTCLAIR IN DUMFRIES VIRGINIA IS A WONDERFUL COMMUNITY WITH FABULOUS AMENITIES FOR HOME OWNERS including the popular Montclair Country Club and Lake Montclair.

HOMES DON'T SELL OFTEN IN MONTCLAIR.  MONCLAIR IS A VERY STABLE COMMUNITY OF LONG TIME HOME OWNERS.

Single Family Homes for sale in August, 2010.  Click the price below and enjoy the photos and details.

LETS TAKE A TOUR OF HOMES FOR SALE IN MONTCLAIR.  Homefinders.com will take you on a tour of the community and the amenities including the Country Club and Golf Course and Lake Montclair. 

Example of homes for sale in Montclair below.  Montclair is a beautiful community with mature trees that frame most homes, established landscaping.  Located conveniently off Route 243 near Route 95, the VRE and Route 1. 

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988. 

LOUDOUN COUNTY VIRGINIA PUBLIC SCHOOL REGISTRATION INFORMATION FOR FALL 2010.

IT'S TIME!  THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR IS UPON US and parents and students have many questions.   The helpful links below will help navigate the registration process. 

CHECK WITH YOUR LOCAL SCHOOL ABOUT SCHOOL ASSIGNMENTS.  DISTRICTS CAN CHANGE.

• Registration Checklist for Parents, click here.

• For 2010-2011 enrollment in kindergarten, the student's 5th birthday must be no later than September 30, 2005.  Click here for detailed explanation of Virginia state policy on kindergarten and First Grade enrollment.

  

• Registration must occur in the school which serves the address of the student.  Individuals needing to know which attendance zone serves an address should contact the LCPS Planning Department at 571-252-1050, or use the Loudoun Attendance Boundary E-Listing (LABEL) feature found here.

• If you are moving from one Loudoun County school to another, simply take this Change of Address form and your new "proof of residency" (click here for accepted items) to the new school to register. The schools will coordinate transferring the student records.  

   

•  For Parents/Guardians Moving into Loudoun County:  A signed lease, signed deed, signed settlement papers, recent mortgage statement, or deed of trust showing occupancy prior to enrollment. If these documents do not exist to prove in-county residency, the parent/guardian may request to enroll as a tuition-paying student. For further information on tuition status, contact the Pupil Services Coordinator at 571-252-1200 or complete this form found here.

• To request special permission to attend a school outside the attendance zone, the parent/guardian must apply online or through the Department of Pupil Services at 571-272-1200.  "Frequently Asked Questions" for special permission are available here.

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

Golf in Prince William County, Virginia. 

Prince William County real estate market, priced right and surrounded by amenities for all.

Living in Prince William County means good value, transportation alternatives, fabulous shopping and outdoor recreation for everyone.

                                                      Golf is popular with the ladies in Virginia.

                                             START YOUR ENGINES!  THE FAIRWAYS ARE READY!

Homes in Dale City in Woodbridge, Prince William County, Virginia

New homes like the house under construction above are priced in the $550,000 to $600,000.

Resale homes like the house on the right are priced in the $350,000 to $400,000 price range.

Facts about Prince William County, Virginia

• Population - Approximately 43,000
• Income (Families w/Children) $95,000
• Average Daytime High Temp July - 88 degrees
• Average Daytime High Temp January - 43 degrees
• Average Single Family Home List Price - $480,000
• Average Town Home List Price - $260,000
• Average Condominium List Price - $283,000

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.  For a tour of homes in your location of choice in Prince William County, contact Homefinders.com.  We'll arrange a wonderful tour and you can get to know the county, shopping, recreation, the real estate market and the hardest working Buyer's Agents in the area. 

Homefinders.com will help you ENJOY THE HOME BUYING ADVENTURE!

Homes for sale in Prince William County in Catharpin, Dumfries, Haymarket, Gainesville, Manassas, Manassas Park, Bristow, Nokesville, Dale City, Woodbridge, Quantico, Triangle.  If you have questions about real estate in Prince William County, just call Lenn at 800-711-7988.  Ask about our New Home Buyers REBATE. 

The Golf Course at Montclair in the Dumfries - Woodbridge area of Prince William County Virginia.

MEET THE GAWKING GEEZERS!   What are these lovely gentleman so happy about??

Two very happy gentleman observing the ladies on the practice putting range at the golf club at the Montclair Country Club Thursday, August 5, 2010.    

 MEET THE LADIES ON THE PRACTICE ROUND 

 Driving Range Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday . 7:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday . 7:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. (to facilitate range maintenance)
Saturday . 6:00 a.m. - 7:00 p.m.
Sunday . 6:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.

The courses at the Montclair Country Club are well maintained and surrounded by lush protective wooded areas.  Located in the heart of the community of Montclair, the golf course and Montclair Country Club are just one of the attractions of this wonderful established community in the Woodbridge area of Prince William County. 

 Montclair Country Club is located in Montclair, Virginia approximately 35 minutes south of the District of Columbia.

16500 Edgewood Drive
Dumfries, VA 22025

                                        ***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***   ***

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.  Serving home buyers in the Woodbridge - Dumfries area of Prince William County, Virginia

Home similar to that on the left are priced at about $500,000.

To view all homes actively offered for sale in Dumfries and Woodbridge or other ares of Prince William County. visit the the SEARCH LISTINGS in Prince William County. 

CONSUMERS WANT TO SEE PHOTOS.  SO DO ACTIVERAIN AGENT MEMBERS.

So many blog posts about homes, homes for sale, communities, sub-divisions, high rises, adult communities, gated communities, rural areas, homes in towns, homes in cities, restaurants, parks, etc., etc., etc.

AND NOT ONE SINGLE PHOTO!

HAVE YOU EVER BEEN THERE???  Are you writing about what you know or did you throw darts on a map to select an area about which to write today???  If you've visited the community, town, restaurant, etc. about which you posted those 1,000 words, didn't you shoot at least one photo???  If you did, WHERE IS IT???

The variety of photos and their use is endless.  You don't have to be concerned about copyright if you shot the photos yourself.  I keep a selection of photos for instant use on a photo storage site I put up just for this purpose.

In Town Homes                          Homefinders.com Partners      Severna Park Sunset

Water Front Scenes                  Farmers Markets                      Local Wild Life

Boat Yard in Solomons              New Construction                    Town Home Communities

Moderate Priced Homes             Condominium Homes               Luxury Homes

  Historic Homes                          Barns and Farms                    Pools and Playgrounds

Super Luxury Homes                 Golf Courses                               Local Merchants

The variety of photos and their use is endless. 

KEEP YOUR CAMERA HANDY and take photos of interesting scenes as you go through your day.  Save them on your hard drive or store them in one of the online photo sites like photobucket.com.  Take the photos in the lowest digital exposure possible for your camera and if you need to resize, use one of the online services like Lunapic.com.

By having a collection of photos handy, you can quickly add them to your posts.  This will add color, visual interest, emphasis, humor, etc. to your posts.  If you're posting about a subdivision, include a photo of a home and not just the entrance.  Folks don't live in the entrance.

For fun images like the example to the right, have a friend take a photo with a light background, go to Lunapic.com and convert the image to a transparancy and you have fun images of yourself to add fun to your ActiveRain blog posts.  Remember to tag our photos.  Google doesn't read images but it reads and indexes tags.

Use your imagination.  Folks are far more likely to read a blog post if it contains some image(s). 

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.  Serving home buyers in Maryland and Northern Virginia.

HILLSBORO, A QUIET VILLAGE IN WESTERN LOUDOUN COUNTY, LOCATION OF THE NEW FARMERS MARKET.

                                                WELCOME TO STONEYBROOK FARM MARKET

Last summer, I posted photos of one of my favorite farmers market in Loudoun County Stoneybrook Farm Market.  Why one of my favorites?  Because of the wonderful breads that they sold in addition to the usual fresh local fruits and vegetables grown on the farm directly behind the "market". 

This market also offered PUMPKIN BUTTER.  I discovered Pumpkin Butter at this farmers market and it's one of my favorites snacks on their wonderful whole wheat bread.

THE NEW FARMERS MARKET.  Last fall, Stoneybrook Farm Market closed down and started building a new building.  I watched the construction progress.  Hillsboro is just 10 minutes from my home and right on the way to my gunsmith.

                                                     THE NEW FARMERS MARKET IN HILLSBORO

HOMES IN HILLSBORO.  Hillsboro is a lovely community for real estate, whether you prefer the "oldie and goodie" historic homes in town, or the newer homes on the outskirts of Hillsboro.  Hillsboro is only about 9 miles from Purcellville.

Home built in the 1800s in Hillsboro.              Typical of homes built in the 21st Century in Hillsboro.

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.  Serving home buyers in Loudoun County Virginia in the towns of South Riding, Aldie, Middleburg, Sterling, Ashburn, Leesburg, Bluemont, Round Hill, Hamilton, Purcellville, Paeonian Springs, Waterford, Hillsboro, Lucketts, Lovettsville. 

http://www.loudoun-county-va-homes.com
http://www.loudoun-real-estate.com
http://www.e-homesleesburg.com
http://www.realestatelovettsville.com
http://www.new-homes-loudoun-county.com
http://www.newhomeslovettsville.com
http://www.newhomeshamiltonva.com
http://www.realestateleesburg.com

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FHA LIMITS SELLER CONTRIBUTION TO BUYER'S CLOSING COSTS TO 3% OF THE PURCHASE PRICE.  (Any day now.)

O.K.  We get it.  We don't like it but we get it.  We believe it's wrong headed for FHA to limit seller contribution to the buyer's closing costs.  These contributions are negotiated and there is no requirement other than self interest for a seller to agree to contribute a portion of their net proceeds to the buyer.

• Question:  Is closing help from a seller to a buyer required? 
• Answer:  NO.  No seller has to pay a dime of any buyer's closing costs.
• Question:  Will offering closing help to a buyer help sell a property?
• Answer:  YES.  The cost of acquisition of real property is often a significant source of revenue for local governments and may add 2-3% of the purchase price to the buyer's closing costs.
• Question:  Is seller paid closing permitted under other types of buyer financing?
• Answer:  Yes.  Sellers can pay significant closing costs under VA finacing, USDA financing, CDA financing, conventional financing.
• Question:  Does seller paid closing affect appraised value?
• Answer:  Not if the appraisers are ethical when performing their duties. 
•  
• Question:  Does seller paid closing costs drive up the list price of homes for sale?
• Answer:  NO!  Seller paid closing costs reduces the seller's NET PROCEEDS.

SELLER PAID CLOSING IS IN THE INTEREST OF THE SELLER.  In the best tradition of free enterprise, sellers who wish to compete with other owners with homes listed for sale, may offer to credit a buyer with cash to help a buyer pay their closing costs. 

CAN FHA FINANCING COMPETE WITH CONVENTIONAL, VA FINANCING?  Conventional and Veterans Administration financing buyers can also benefit from seller paid closing. 

• Under 95% conventional financing, sellers may contribute up to 3% of the purchase price to the buyer's closing costs.
• Under 90% conventional financing, sellers may contribute up to 6% of the purchase price to the buyer's closing costs.
• Under 100% Veterans Administration financing, sellers may pay ALL of the buyer's closing costs (and more). 

If a buyer with 10% down can receive a seller incentive of 6% of the purchase price for closing help, why should those sellers benefit from providing cash incentives to attract buyers when a seller is limited when the financing is FHA??  Shouldn't home owner/sellers be able to direct the money in their net proceeds in a manner that benefits them without government interference?

WE BELIEVE THAT THE GOVERNMENT'S PLAN TO LIMIT SELLER PAID CLOSING UNDER FHA FINANCINGcannot be justified.  If the rationale given, to replenish the insurance fund, then the solution would be to increase the FHA insurance premium to an amount that is actuarially sound. 

EUREKA!  Our home buyers can receive 6% closing help with 10% down.  Which benefits our buyers more, making a larger down payment or paying their cash for closing costs??? 

HINT TO AGENTS:  WORK THE NUMBERS.  You may find that, even with more restrictive LTV limits, conventional financing may benefit our buyers more than FHA.  When I work with a buyer to cost out financing alternatives, I run a 5 year amortization table for each type of financing considered.  The lower interest rates often offered with 10% down compared with FHA may make the conventional more attractive.  Or not.

GIFTS CAN HELP TOO.  Home buyers are often gifted with cash from close family members to help with the cost of acquisition.  PASS THE HAT.  Buyers are going to have to have at least 5% of their own money in the transaction but gift money can often make a difference between 5 and 10% down and getting that 6% closing help from a seller.  Always consult the loan officer before advising a buyer about specifics or make sure the loan officer described alternative financing.  However, a smart loan officer will be willing to run several scenarios based on your qualifications, assets and needs. 

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.  Serving home buyers in Maryland and Virginia.

STOVEPIPING!

"retrieval of information from unconnected databases; the situation that exists when it is necessary to climb out of one database in order to climb down into another"  Dictionary.com

WHAT'S THE PRIMARY DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REAL ESTATE PRACTICE TODAY AND THAT 20 YEARS AGO??

20 years ago, almost all of our contracts closed.  Indeed. You wouldn't believe how hard agents worked.  We did everything. 

Real estate practice was much more local and agents were much more involved in the process.  Loan officers visited our offices with rate sheets a couple of times a week.  When we met with a new buyer, the buyer completed a Buyer's Financial Statement which we used to determined a price range for the buyer and then proceeded to help them find a home to buy. There was no Internet MLS or IDX.  We agents did searches on crude terminals or dos-based computers that worked at a snail's pace.   Generally, we relied on a "listing card" available to the office for the office listings.  That's where we started every search, then went to the MLS to search.  The important difference is that we were involved in every aspect of the transaction from the first contact with a buyer or seller through to closing. 

This post was inspired by Rosalinda Morgan's excellent post today about here experience with appraisals,  APPRAISAL IS CRITICAL TO CLOSE THE DEAL

MEETING THE APPRAISER.  We ALWAYS met the appraiser at the subject property simply to show the appraiser the comps we used to price the property.  We also explained the differences between the subject property and others in the neighborhood.  I can't begin to list the number of times I got comments from fellow agents, "YOU'LL NEVER GET THAT PRICE FOR THAT HOME LENN, it won't appraise.  I ALWAYS GOT THE CONTRACT PRICE, EVEN WHEN IT WAS OVER THE LIST PRICE.  I have a tremendous respect and admiration for what appraisers do.  In fact, I never had an appraiser object to my being there and often were thanked for the detailed background I provided. 

O.K.  Could it be my engaging smile?  Or could it be the fact that I was early for the appointment, provided the appraiser with relevant comps, floor plans, etc.?  Of course, I'd bring a bouquet of flowers if I thought it proper.  O.K.  We know it isn't but more valuable than flowers is information.  Community brochures if available, copy of the contract if the appraiser doesn't have one, etc. 

A comment by an appraiser on Rosalinda's post caught my attention.  She objects to the listing agent being present when the house is toured by the appraiser.  That appraiser is demonstrating one of the serious problems with our practices today. 

STOVEPIPING!

The listing agent lists the property, negotiates the contract, but does nothing else until they cash their check.  Doesn't attend inspections.  May attend closing.

The buyers agent writes the contract (buyers find house), once the buyer is under contract agent does little until they cash their check.  Doesn't attend inspection.  May attend closing.

The lender processes the loan with the buyer and has no contact with the listing/selling agent.  Refers question to the processor.

The Home Inspector is selected by the buyer from the phone book.  The inspector may or may not meet the agent.

The Appraiser gets the assignment from the lender, works alone and speaks to no one, sends the appraisal to the lender.

The Title Company may be selected by the buyer, processes the title, survey, etc. and often communicates directly with the buyer. 

STOVEPIPING. 

It doesn't work and it's one reason the buyers and sellers don't trust or respect us or the process.   The buyer is never confident with the process and not secure that they'll have a home as planned.  The seller is not comfortable knowing little about the buyer and not secure that they'll be able to achieve their selling goal.

We agents, loan officers, appraisers, title companies, etc., are far to focused on the process, the Internet web sites, the databases, information retrieval, systems, etc.  Further, each entity has it's own proprietary database and none speak with each other, often not even the humans involved. 

AGENTS WHO ARE HANDS ON practitioners who communicate with every entity involved in the transaction from search to settlement CLOSE MORE SALES and DEPOSIT MORE COMMISSION CHECKS.

FYI.  My first recollection of the term "stovepiping" referred to the post 9/11 investigations that revealed that the CIA didn't talk to the FBI who didn't talk to the DOD who didn't talk to the NSA, etc.  They stayed inside their own comfort zone, didn't share information and NEVER CONNECTED THE DOTS.

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.

THERE IS A HUGE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A HOME INSPECTOR AND A "COUNTY BUILDING INSPECTOR".

MISLEADING HEADLINES SHOW NEWSPAPER IGNORANCE OF THE HOUSING INDUSTRY!

A staff writer for THE DENVER POST, has a very misleading headline to an important article about a tragedy involving a contractor and a MUNICIPAL INSPECTOR. 

This tragedy did not involve a HOME INSPECTOR and by writing the headline as he did, the consumer is mislead to believe that a HOME INSPECTOR's negligence, along with the negligence of the contractor led to the deaths of a family of four.

If you read the below headline, what would you think?

Contractor, home inspectors indicted in carbon-monoxide deaths of family  By Jason Blevins

Fact is, there was no HOME INSPECTOR involved in the matter.  The following indictments reveal no mention of a private Home Inspector. 

"Marlin Brown, owner of Roaring Fork Plumbing & Heating, and now- retired City of Aspen building inspector Erik Peltonen were each indicted on four felony charges of criminally negligent homicide. The two, as well as Brian Pawl, a Pitkin County building inspector, also face misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment. The indictments were announced Sunday."

FURTHER COMMENTS are enough to send chills down the spine. 

"Mordkin said the home, which was for sale for $8.95 million, had been approved for residency by county inspectors in 2005 or 2006, roughly a year after it was built."

"At some point, the building-inspection process broke down",Mordkin said.

THE ARTICLE FURTHER STATES: "The Lofgren family, in a statement, said the criminal charges and pending civil action "will send a clear message to contractors, and building inspectors and even manufacturers of heating equipment to ensure that such senseless carbon-monoxide deaths are prevented in the future."

Since there was no mention of a real estate agent.  If there was a contract offer for this home, a Home Inspection should have been completed before any prospective buyer spent the night in the property.  Inspecting for safety is paramount for any home inspector I've known.

NOTE TO CONSUMERS, REAL ESTATE AGENTS AND SELLERS.  It's a good idea to NOT rely on municipal building or code inspections for the quality of construction.  HIRE YOUR OWN HOME INSPECTOR AND GET AN OBJECTIVE AND THOROUGH INSPECTION OF ANY HOME YOU PLAN TO BUY. 

And do it BEFORE YOU SPEND A SINGLE NIGHT INSIDE THE PROPERTY. 

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988

STAFFORD COUNTY VA FORECLOSURES - GOOD VALUE AND QUICK TO CLOSE - STAFFORD COUNTY VIRGINIA REAL ESTATE and HOMES FOR SALE. 

HOME BUYERS SEEKING A HOME PURCHASE IN STAFFORD COUNTY VIRGINIA SHOULD NOT OVERLOOK BANK OWNED REAL ESTATE FOR SALE. 

FORECLOSED PROPERTIES FOR SALE OFFER VALUE.  Foreclosed or bank owned or REO properties for sale in Stafford County are priced about 22% LOWER than regular listings in Stafford County.

Visit some of the bank owned homes for sale in Stafford County below.  These homes are all priced from $200,000 to $450,000, the most requested price ranges for home buyers in Stafford.   

Just click the highlighted ListPrice below and get photos and descriptions.  To tour homes for sale in Stafford County, contact us and arrange a tour, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988.  

** This foreclosure is in the fabulous community of Aquia Harbour. 

 A Split Foyer homes in Stafford County like the one below will be priced in the $200,000 to $250,000 price range.

Stafford County Map.

STAFFORD COUNTY VA FORECLOSURES - GOOD VALUE AND QUICK TO CLOSE - STAFFORD COUNTY VIRGINIA REAL ESTATE and HOMES FOR SALE. 

Courtesy, Lenn Harley, Broker, Homefinders.com, 800-711-7988, specializing in Stafford County Real Estate Sales since 1990.