Kenneth W. Culbert Elementary in Hamilton

As I’m sure you noticed, the buses are running in LoCo this morning, as the kids (finally) head back to school.  I’m admitting to a little melancholy today, as I send my youngest of four off to kindergarten, my middle child to first grade, and my twins to their first year of middle school.  It will be a different year for me this year! I’m holding up a coffee mug to ::cheers:: in the new school year…

The picture above is of Kenneth W. Culbert Elementary, which opens it’s doors for the first day today, as a brand spanking new school in Hamilton, Virginia.  I’d also like to send a shoutout and big congratulations to a friend of mine, Janice Koslowski, who takes over as principal at Potomac Falls High School in Sterling for this school year.  She is moving there after four successful years at the helm of Eagle Ridge Middle School in Ashburn.  She used to be the vice principal at Potomac Falls, so this isn’t new territory for her.  I’m sure that she is going to have a fantastic year, and I know that she will be welcomed there with open arms.

Cheers,

Heather

Company 2's New Digs

A short wrapup of news and notes around LoCo lately:

On the agenda for the Board of Supervisors public hearing on Monday, June 8th is a “Special Exception to permit a 75,000 square foot recreational facility for use by a professional minor league baseball team (Atlantic League)” as part of the proposed Kincora development at the intersection of Routes 28 and 7.  The Leesburg Today wrote about the issue here.  (The descriptive quote is straight from the Board’s agenda for the meeting.)

The cover story for the Loudoun Times Mirror this week called a shift in the real estate market to a seller’s market, based on shorter days on market and an upswing in the number of sold homes. You can read their take on the situation here.

The Purcellville Volunteer Fire Department Company 2 moved into their new digs at the corner of Maple and Hirst (pictured above) after lowering the flag at their old location on Maple for the last time, and caravaning up to the new spot.

The Friends of Hamilton Park are holding a community fundraiser on Thursday, June 25th: have dinner at the Purcellville McDonald’s between 5 and 8 pm that evening, and 20% of all proceeds will benefit the park.

Cheers,

Heather

If you break it down by town/city, here is how it looks:

• Sterling:   461 active listings, 144 under contract… 3.2 months
• Ashburn:  384 active listings,  92 under contract…  4.2 months
• Leesburg: 630 active listings, 105 under contract…  6 months
• Western Loudoun (Hamilton, Purcellville, Round Hill): 280 active listings, 24 under contract… 11.7 months

It’s easy to see that the market is stronger the further east you go. Pretty simple when you consider how high gas prices have affected commuting costs, and also how much more affordable homes are now than they were two years ago. I’m still seeing strong traffic through open houses, and a good amount of showings on listings.  Keep an eye out for some neighborhood specific market reports here in the next few days.  If you have a particular area that you would like more information or data about, please email me at heatherelias@weichert.com, call me at    571-233-5491   , or comment here on the blog.

Cheers,

Heather

A temporary emergency ordinance to do so had been passed by supervisors in July, and was set to expire this week, prompting their action to make the ordinance permanent.

Cheers,

Heather

Ashburn:

• Single Family Homes: 268 active, 43 under contract = 6.23 month absorption
• Townhomes: 228 active, 82 under contract = 2.78 month absorption
• All Listings: 563 active, 136 under contract = 4.14 month absorption

Leesburg:

•  Single Family Homes: 468 active, 76 under contract = 6.15 month absorption
•  Townhomes: 246 active, 68 under contract = 3.62 month absorption
•  All Listings: 848 active, 152 under contract = 5.58 month absorption

Hamilton:

•  All Listings: 54 active, 11 under contract = 4.9 month absorption

Purcellville:

• All Listings: 160 active, 19 under contract = 8.42 month absorption

Round Hill :

• All Listings: 72 active, 10 under contract = 7.2 month absorption

Comparing this to the numbers I ran on February 22nd, it looks like Ashburn and Leesburg townhomes are continuing to sell at a higher pace than what we have seen for the last year and a half; single family homes there are rallying as well.  We are seeing definite improvement, though, in the western part of the county! I think this reinforces that the market trends outward from DC west to the suburbs. Don’t be as concerned about last year’s numbers versus this year’s numbers when you are considering buying or selling; take a look at the specific market you will be participating in, and base your decision on that.  There are a lot of fantastic deals out there right now for buyers.  For sellers, we can see the light at the end of the tunnel for the long days on market: homes that are priced well and in good condition are going under contract in very short periods of time.

 If you have questions about any of these statistics, leave me a comment here, or feel free to email me at info@heatherelias.com.  I’m happy to put together a market update tailored to your home, or the home that you intend to buy, to give you more specific information.

Hope this is helpful!

Cheers,

Heather

(all figures pulled from MRIS multiple listing service as of 1 pm today, 3/15/08)