If you follow along with any of my social media accounts, you might have noticed some mention of New York City….I am in the Big Apple this week for the Inman Connect conference, which is put on by one of the most respected sources of real estate news, Inman News. I think it’s massively important for me to stay on top of the trends within the industry, so I attend this and a few other conferences throughout the year. My goal is to feed my brain by attending classes taught by some of the brightest minds in the industry; I also appreciate the opportunity to network with these folks and hear how their business is going.  The real estate market and the way that transactions are handled is very different depending where you live, and I find it enlightening to hear how other professionals work.

It also gives me the chance to bring new strategies and good information back that I can put to use for my clients. Above everything else, I want to give my clients the best possible representation I can, and continuing my ‘real estate education’ is a big part of that.

Of course, the LoCoMusings team is still in the office in Loudoun County if you would like to set an appointment or have a question, so don’t hesitate to reach out.  I’ll be back in LoCo tomorrow night.

Cheers,
Heather

Saturday brought many holiday celebrations across Loudoun County, and we spent the afternoon in Purcellville, having a blast at the annual Christmas parade. No matter which town in Loudoun you live in, you can get that hometown feel at the holidays with parades and activities. Here’s some photos I took:

If you’d like to see a fantastic holiday display of lights, don’t miss the Bull Run Festival of Lights, running now until January 8th in Centreville. I’ve written about the display every year for the last couple of years; my kiddos think it is magical. You can grab a coupon for discounted admission off their website before you head over there, just click here.

Wishing you a very happy and blessed holiday season!

Cheers,
Heather

Happy Halloween!

Are you looking for perfectly LoCo Halloween festivities? Here are some great local events to make this Halloween fangtastic:

The 54th annual Leesburg Halloween Parade is on Halloween at 6:00 pm, starting as always at Ida Lee Park and traveling south on King Street. Please  bring a nonperishable donation for the Loudoun Interfaith Relief Food Bank; collection boxes will be located along the parade route.  And be prepared to gather (or duck!) candy that the parade participants will toss at you!

Great Country Farms in Bluemont will host their  Pumpkin Glow Night on Friday, October 28, and Saturday, October 29 from 6 to 9 pm, displaying over 2000 carved and lit jack-o-lanterns  You can enter your own Jack-o-lantern in the carving competitions, judged for Best in Glow, Scariest and Funniest. Roast marshmallows over the bonfire while you are there!

Monday the 24th through Saturday the 29th, at 6, 7 and 8 pm, Oatlands in Leesburg is hosting their Oatlands After Five Paranormal Tours, with tales of ghosts and unexplained happenings at the plantation, plus details of “ongoing paranormal investigations” there. Tours are suitable for those 8 and older, and space is limited, so reservations are encouraged.  (Saturday is already sold out!)

Alas, The Virginia Scaregrounds at Paxton Manor in Leesburg are  not opening this year. Instead,  Paxton is hosting Shocktober, inviting you to brave the Haunted Mansion, The Funhouse, and/or the Haunted Well of  Souls. They are open Friday through Sunday every weekend in October, and also on Monday the 31st for Halloween.

The Haunted Forest at Halloween Woods at Algonkian Park in Sterling looks tempting….but wear appropriate shoes and clothes, folks, as you will be tromping on uneven paths through the woods. Their website says that “haunted houses are for sissies” so I’m guessing it should be pretty scary!

The Old Stone School at Hillsboro will be haunted again by the Loudoun Valley High School Drama Club and the Hillsboro Community Association on Saturday the 29th from 6 to 9 pm, and is suitable for ages 8 and up.  I heard something about the Grim Reaper minding the door, and a Janitor wandering around sweeping up hands and feet…

I will personally be spending the better part of the Halloween weekend at the Baseliners Halloween Classic girls softball tournament in Sterling. My 14 and under Loudoun Storm softball girls will be playing on Saturday and Sunday; all the teams participating will be decked out in spookier versions of their typical uniforms. Nearly every Storm team is participating, so make sure to cheer for them if you come out!

Hope you have a spooktacular Halloween!
~Heather

(photo credit…it’s not a Leesburg house, but Shane Gorski took it, and it rocks.. )

When I woke up this morning and came downstairs. my youngest was already up and dressed…uniform shirt, shorts, slider, and cleats. Must be tryout season, huh? She’s ready for tonight’s 10 and under Loudoun Storm travel softball tryouts. 

If you have a daughter playing recreational or travel softball and are looking for a place to play for the upcoming season, the Storm is a great organization. Celebrating it’s 20th season, the Storm fields teams at the 10U, 12U, 14U, 16U and 18U age brackets. Tryouts for the upcoming year begin tonight and run through next week. If you can’t make the slotted time for your player’s age group, please visit the site and reach out to the coach.

You can get a feel for the time commitment and schedule by visiting the website to see what tournaments were played this past season. If you have any questions about what to expect from the travel ball experience, please ask me. I was blessed to coach at the 14U level this past season, and I’ve had a daughter playing in the organization the last two years.

Here’s the full schedule for tryouts:

Cheers,
Heather

Just in case you hadn’t noticed, this is the week for the annual Loudoun County Fair! Running until Saturday, the Fair includes all of the traditional activities: livestock judging, horse demonstrations, pie eating contest, kiss a pig, 4H dinners, midway games and rides. The fair wraps up on Saturday night with a much anticipated rodeo, including bull riding and barrel racing.

Daily passes are $10 for adults 13 and up, $5 for kids 7 to 12….the little guys and gals get in for free! Children’s day is Wednesday, so all kids under 15 get in for free until 4 pm.

The photo is of my youngest having a blast at the fair a few years back.  We’ll be out there at least one night this week, see you there?

Cheers,
Heather