Martin’s Chase: Lots Available Now

Since Lennar reopened at Martin’s Chase in June, they have sold out each section right as it opened, offering new construction, single family homes on quarter acre lots for right around $500,000.  I just got word that they opened 11 more lots as of yesterday, so if you are interested, now is the time to reserve one. They are advertising this release as  “summer move in dates“. The floor plans available for construction are the Briarwood, Baldwin, and Edinburg.

Lennar also said:

All homes feature 1/4 acre homesites
Hardwood in foyer, first floor hall, kitchen, breakfast room, and sunroom (Edinburg only)
Kitchen with upgraded cabinetry, granite countertops and black GE appliances
Ceramic tile in all baths with upgraded 12×12 in the owner’s suite
Up to $10,000 in closing cost assistance with builder’s lender and title company

If you’d like more information, just let me know.

Cheers,

Heather

Tags: Lennar, Martin's Chase, New construction

Donations From the 2008 Drive

Century 21 Redwood Realty, the office where I hang my hat, is once again doing their holiday Toys for Tots Program! Starting November 1st, we will be accepting donations of unwrapped toys until December 16th, when Santa will stop by with the Ashburn Volunteer Fire Department to collect them.

Here’s the word from Redwood on the annual effort:

Please join us in supporting the annual Toys for Tots Program to provide for our local children in need. This event has become an annual event that we here at Century 21 Redwood Realty choose to partake in as it is near and dear to our hearts. If you are not familiar with the Foundation, it was originally created at the request of the U.S. Marine Corps. The mission of the Toys for Tots Program is to collect new, unwrapped toys during October, November and December each year, and distribute those toys as Christmas gifts to needy children in the community in which the campaign is conducted…..in our case, Loudoun County.

As previous years have proven to be extremely successful, we are kicking off our annual drive for collecting toys in our Ashburn office on November 1, 2009. Please feel free to drop off your donations during the office hours of 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday at our office located at 44075 Pipeline Plaza, Suite 215, Ashburn, VA 20147 (at the corner of Ashburn Village and Farmwell Road.)

We will accept donations through December 16, 2009, at which time we will celebrate the toy drive with a spectacular event. The celebration will include lots of goodies, such as cookies, candy, and hot cocoa. Santa will be making his appearance via a shiny fire truck to assist the local children with the loading of gifts for delivery and distribution.

If you would like to make a donation, and can’t get by to drop it off, please let me know and I’ll come pick it up myself!

Cheers,
Heather

Tags: holidays, Redwood Realty, toys for tots

Happy Halloween!

If you are looking for something fun to do this weekend, the Loudoun Museum is once again doing their Hauntings tours of downtown Leesburg, on Friday the 23rd and Saturday the 24th from 6 to 10 pm.  Meet at the Town Hall to tour historic homes, businesses, and town buildings, getting the ghost stories from each site. Included on the tour is the Lynch House (where a ghost named Eliza is reported to show up on the second floor in a white dress), the Town Hall and the courthouse. Tours are an hour and a half long, and are geared to ages 12 and up. Tickets are $20 at the door; you can call 703-777-7427 or email hauntings@loudounmuseum.org for more information.

Happy haunting!

~Heather

(photo credit…it’s not a Leesburg house, but Shane Gorski took it, so it rocks.. <smile>)

Tags: Halloween, haunting tours, historic homes, Leesburg, Loudoun Museum

Van Stemple Wins Inaugural LoCo Open at Westpark

Van Stemple was crowned the champion of the Inaugural LoCo Open Amateur Championship at Westpark Golf Club, with a two day total score of 153.  Second place in the championship flight went to Rex Close, at 161.   Mike Lucchino placed third, finishing at 165.  Jonathan Ford won the first flight, Butch Parish took the honors in the second flight, and Bobby Stowers claimed the title in the third flight.

The two day tournament was organized by PGA Head Professional Michael W. Elias Sr (yes, that’s my husband!) and was proudly sponsored by LoCoMusings.  Proceeds from the event will be donated to support junior golf initiatives in Loudoun County, a cause near and dear to both of our hearts.

The tournament included two days of golf, lunch, a Saturday shootout sponsored by Cheers Sports, won by Nigel McWilliam, closest to the hole contests sponsored by Mid Atlantic Settlement Services, and a Sunday putting contest.

Flights were determined by Saturday’s scores; here are the final results:

Championship Flight

1. Van Stemple          153
2. Rex Close              161
3. Mike Lucchino        165

First Flight

1. Jonathan Ford        161
2. Andy Smigelski       168
3. Bill Kakuka             169

Second Flight

1. Butch Parish          172
2. Paul Boyer             175

Third Flight

1. Bobby Stowers      208
2. Pavan Anumula      219

Tags: junior golf, LoCo Open, Michael Elias Sr., Westpark Golf Club

Are we in Ireland? Blustery in Leesburg today...

Congratulations to Nigel McWilliam for winning the Cheers Saturday Shootout, beating out eight other golfers by knocking a wedge shot 8 feet 6 inches from the hole.  Closest to the pin winners for today were Van Stemple, Mike Lucchino, San Sridharan, Rex Close, and Manny Singh, with prizes sponsored by Mid-Atlantic  Settlement Services.

Today’s results determined Sunday’s pairings, which are as follows:

• 8:00   Rob Dellett, Pavan Anumula, Dennis Dipp

• 8:10    Phil Marshall, Bobby Stowers, Mike Fixx, Butch Parish

• 8:20    Randy Boyer, Paul Boyer, Manny Singh, Nigel McWilliam

• 8:30    Mark Skosich, Brad Bauder, Bill Kakuka

• 8:40    Jonathan Ford, San Sridharan, Andy Smigelski

• 8:50    Brian Fixx, Jim Burton, Mike Lucchino

• 9:00    Van Stemple, Rex Close, Jack Peyton, Jay Brawley

See you at Westpark!

Cheers,
Heather

Tags: Cheers Sports, junior golf, LoCo Open, Mid Atlantic Settlement Services, Westpark Golf Club

The Inaugural LoCo Open Amateur Championship is now underway at Westpark Golf Club in Leesburg. The two day tournament was created to raise money for junior golf initiatives in Loudoun County, and LoCoMusings is the title sponsor…Here’s a few pictures as things got underway on the first tee. Keep an eye out here for updates as the weekend progresses!

Cheers,
Heather

Tags: Leesburg, LoCo Open, Westpark Golf Club

I’ve shown townhomes and condos in the area just around the town center in Lansdowne quite a few times, but I hadn’t been over there recently until this week. The condo buildings that have been going in there in the last few years have been four stories, so buyers had to choose whether or not it was worth it to climb long flights of steps to get to some pretty amazing living spaces. However, the newest buildings going in, by Van Metre Homes, are only three stories, so the loooooong climb to the top floor units have been shortened: and the price reflects the stair climb, the top floor/vaulted ceilings units are less expensive now!

All of the units have a one car garage and a driveway…some of the driveways for the current building have enough room for two cars.  The larger floor plan has a main level entry with a kitchen/half bath/living room, then stairs to an upper living area and two to three bedrooms with spacious bathrooms and a small deck.  (You can choose to have two bedrooms and a large living area, or three bedrooms and a smaller living room.)  The top floor unit is all one level, with vaulted ceilings, two bedrooms, two baths, kitchen, living/dining room, and deck.  The high ceilings add to the visual interest and definitely make them feel larger; the master bedroom has a huge walk in closet, too. Square footage ranges from 1200 for the one level unit to 1500 for the two level.  The great thing is that the prices now reflect the change in the market, with the smaller units priced around $275,000 and the larger ones around $295,000.  You can completely deck out one of those units, with granite counters in the kitchens (and baths), stainless appliances, tile backsplash, hardwood floors, etc, for about $305,000.

They are just finishing up the first building, and have units available to close by the middle of November, in time for the $8,000 first time homebuyer tax credit. They are offering $7500 in incentives to use their lender and title company, as well.  I believe there are some other deal sweeteners available, too~~email or call me and I’m happy to share.

Interested in taking a look, or want more information? You can reach me via email at info@heatherelias.com or on my cell at 571-233-5491 (texting is okay, as well.)

Cheers,

Heather

Tags: Lansdowne, Leesburg, New construction, Real Estate, Van Metre Homes

Taken riding the back roads of Loudoun County, and it made me smile. Despite being so close to Washington DC and so much urban space, sights like this are not uncommon here, and it’s part of why I love where I live.

Cheers,
Heather

(photo credit: My talented daughter Erika, who took this out the window of our truck as we were heading along…)

Tags: back roads, LoCo Photo

Just in case you didn’t know, I also author several LoCo blogs that focus specifically on real estate market statistics; this week I’ve unveiled some shiny, new, clickable stats charts that allow you to focus on data at a particular period in time. Take a peek, play with them, and please let me know what you think!

If you would like to see more, visit LoCo Market Stats, Leesburg Market Stats, or Ashburn Market Stats…

Cheers,
Heather

Tags: Ashburn, Leesburg, LoCo, LoCoMarketStats, Loudoun, Purcellville, Real Estate, Statistics, Sterling

Tucked on Loudoun Street in downtown Leesburg, you would probably drive right past without realizing the fantastic food being served behind that yellow door…The Cajun Experience opened recently, serving authentic South Louisiana food to the LoCo locals. From the looks of the lunch rush yesterday, they already have quite a fan club! While I was aware that they had opened, it took quite a while (and a few failed efforts at timing, they aren’t open in the afternoon Monday to Thursday) I finally managed to make it in for lunch yesterday.  It’s easy for me to say that it was well worth the wait!

The restaurant is located in a historic building, so it has a very comfortable, at-home feeling; the welcoming staff there just adds to it. My husband and I were warmly greeted by three different people working there as we waited (briefly) for a table to open up.  Our lunch was fantastic; he had real southern style sweet tea with his, while I had two cups of cafe au lait coffee made just the way I like it.  Michael had a plate of red beans and rice, served with a whipped potato salad that was surprising and very good.  My chicken and sausage gumbo was nice and spicy, and the fried shrimp poboy didn’t disappoint, either.

But my real reason for the visit was for my guilty pleasure… beignets! Having become an instant addict after a trip to Cafe du Monde in New Orleans a few years back, I was waiting to see how the Cajun Experience’s own beignets would measure up…

The picture can’t possibly do justice to how fantastic they were. And they do open for breakfast now from 7:30 to 9:30, so you are welcome to have some of this goodness first thing in the morning, too. If there’s a little bit of a wait for a table, be patient, it’s worth it.  Their hours on Monday through Thursday are 7:30 to 9:30 for breakfast, 11 to 2:30 for lunch, and 5 to 9 pm for dinner.  Friday to Sunday they are open from 7:30 am to 9 pm.  I hear that there is pecan pie on the menu there, too…I guess I’ll have to go back and try that!

These guys definitely get a big thumbs up; after having waited to make time to get there I was so tickled at how great the food was. You can check out their website at www.cajunexperience.biz and also follow them on twitter, @cajunexperience. If you’ve had a chance to eat there, please drop a comment or two on here and share what you had!

Cheers,

Heather

Tags: beignets, Cajun Experience, food, Leesburg, LoCo, LoCo Review, Loudoun County, Restaurant