Nestled atop Catoctin Mountain just west of Leesburg is Beacon Hill, a luxury community of million dollar homes. Named for the 326 acre estate once owned by 1950′s news personality Arthur Godfrey, there are now nearly 1100 acres of majestic landscape with breathtaking views.

The rolling landscape was originally owned by 1950s radio and television personality Arthur Godfrey. A LoCo favorite, the community hosts a variety of architectural designs on lots from one to eight acres. Original builders include Apex Custom Homes, Craftmark Homes, and Waterford Home Builders…and there are still a few buildable lots left.  Also on site is the  Clairvaux at Beacon Hill equestrian center, offering boarding, lessons, and training year round.

The Golf Club of Virginia at Beacon Hill, which closed in 2006, winds through the neighborhood and lays dormant awaiting new ownership. The famously difficult championship golf course was open for several years and received industry acclaim for the Johnny Miller design. You may see neighbors practicing their game on the empty fairways, which are still being maintained until the day comes that the course reopens.

Homes Currently For Sale in Beacon Hill:

 Click here to schedule a time to view homes in Beacon Hill 

Real Time Stats for the Top Market Quartile in 20176

Right axis: Median Price; Left axis: Inventory; Mini-chart at bottom: Days on Market

Cheers,
Heather

Last year in January I did a wrapup post of the most expensive homes sold in Loudoun County for 2010. Obviously, now it’s time to take a look at the top 2011 luxury sales in LoCo. The top five homes sold, not unlike 2010, were all just about in the $2 million and above price range. Money may not be able to buy you happiness, but it can certainly get you some fantastic real estate:

11409 Coyote Court, Sterling: $1,950,000

Listed by Janean Buchner of RE/MAX Select and sold by Robin Bono of Weichert Realtors after 165 days on market. The home is located in Cascade Estates (near the 8th hole at Trump National Golf Club) on over an acre of land, was built in 2001, and boasts over 9600 finished square feet, an in-ground pool, and private putting green.

20443 St. Louis Road, Purcellville: $2,250,000

Listed by Gloria Rose Ott and sold by Cindy Polk, both of  Armfield, Miller, and Ripley Fine Property, after 476 days on market.  Combining two parcels for over 53 acres, this estate home has a newly remodeled main house with a sleeping porch, veranda, and in-ground pool.  The guest house was built in 2009; the property is also home to a first class equestrian facility.

15916 Old Waterford Road, Paeonian Springs: $2,610,000

Co-listed by Nancy Yahner of Keller Williams and Jim Lemon of Middleburg Properties, and sold by Charles Blanks of Coldwell Banker Preferred Properties after 41 days on market.  The main home was built in 1982 and is situated on 175 acres with mountain views. The property also has a tenant house, barn, pastures, pond, and woodlands. (And also, the potential for a vineyard, as pictured.)

15164 Berlin Turnpike, Waterford: $3,000,000

Listed by Jeffrey Stein of Tranzon Fox and sold by Sam Rees of Prudential Carruthers Realtors after 78 days on market. With numerous outbuildings,  and 27 acres of land (including a 7 acre pond) , the historic Wheatland Manor property dates back to 1741. The listing was shy on details but offered that the property could be used for a corporate retreat.

And the most expensive home sold in Loudoun in 2011?

Grace Hill Farm

19786 Ebenezer Church Road, Bluemont: $4,500,000

Listed by Mary Ann McGowan and sold by Jim McGowan, IV, both from Thomas & Talbot Real Estate, the company that listed the most expensive home sold in 2010 as well. Built in 1998 and sited on 107 acres of land in western Loudoun, this home has over 10,000 finished square feet of luxury. Four fireplaces, five bedrooms, four full and two half baths, dual curved staircases,  in-ground pool, stocked pond, mountain views, guest house….you get the picture. It looks absolutely amazing….a true luxury retreat, here in the most beautiful county in Virginia.

Cheers,
Heather

I thought it would be interesting to look at which LoCoMusings posts had the highest readership last year, to see what news and issues resonated the most with you, my loyal readers. Here’s what I found….

1. Cole Farm Barn Damaged, Work Stopped

By far, the most popular post of the year was the March “breaking news” story when the workers accidentally knocked down the barn at Cole Farm in Purcellville. With the first photos of the damage, LoCoMusings had a lot of new traffic, and some heated comments.

2. 10 Priciest LoCo Homes Sold in 2010

Many readers took the time to peruse the January post with the 10 most expensive (and interesting) luxury homes sold across Loudoun in 2010.  Look for our 2011 post in the next week!

3. Shenstone Reserve Opens on Dry Mill Road

New construction homes is always a popular topic here. Toll Brothers opened a new community this year and we wrote when they broke ground. The model home is now open, and it’s gorgeous.

4. Welcome to the Wow Factor

Oh look, another new construction post! This post gave us a quick peek behind the gates at the Creighton Farm community, and some of the luxury homes going in there.

5. New HARP Refi Rules Announced Monday

I’m surprised to see a mortgage-related post in the top five, but this one clearly struck a nerve. This post pointed you in the direction of The Morgage Reports, a nationally acclaimed mortgage blog authored by Dan Green.

Wonder which posts in 2012 will be the most read?  I’ve said it before, but thanks for reading and being part of the community here at LoCoMusings. Here’s to new adventures in 2012!

Cheers,
Heather

Well, we’ve been waiting for One Loudoun to get under way for years, and it’s finally happening: dirt is being pushed, roads are going in…and yes, homes are now being sold and constructed in what has been dubbed “Loudoun’s New Downtown.” The two companies developing the project, Miller and Smith, and North American Sekisui House, announced back in October that they had selected NV Homes and Camberley Homes as the builders for the South Village.  As the first of four sections to be constructed within the 362 acre community, it is slated for 168 single family homes and 146 townhomes; it’s expected to be completed by 2014. There will also be retail and office space. (The photo above is a rendering provided by One Loudoun depicting what the single family homes area will look like, eventually.)

According to the One Loudoun website, the entire project is being built using the New Urbanism concept, “where everything is harmoniously in one place — living, working, recreating, dining, shopping and socializing.”

Camberley Homes is the luxury home division of Winchester Homes, known for their policy of allowing buyers to make design changes to their floorplans. They are offering the “Beacon Hill” collection of brownstone-style  single family homes, with five different floorplans (and three different front facades to choose from for each). All have rear garages, pre-wired security systems,  and gourmet kitchens with granite counters, maple cabinets, stainless steel appliances.  Base prices (before you start adding custom options)  start at just shy of $500,000 and range up to just under $600,000, depending on the floorplan,  front elevation, and lot you prefer. Homes range from 2,650 finished square feet (basement is unfinished) for the smaller model up to 3,271 finished square feet for the largest home available.

NVHomes is now offering townhomes that will be ready for spring 2012 move in. Their available floorplan, the Astor Hall, has three finished levels, rear garage, curved staircase, and optional fourth level (with bonus bedroom and bath). Pricing for an interior unit begins at $434,990, and at $449,990 for an end unit. Pre-construction incentives (running until December 31st) include free 10′ full house rear extension, an NVHomes Signature kitchen and a rear deck.

Three more phases are scheduled for the massive project: the North Village, with residential and office components, finished by 2016; the Downtown, with residential, retail, office, and hotel; and the Community Center, Pool, Tennis Courts, and Amphitheater, to be finished by 2013.  The first phase of the downtown area will be completed by Spring 2013, with additional phases to follow at a later date.  Other community amenities will include an elementary school, restaurants, multi-screen movie theater, town green and central park, and Sports Plex.

Want information about living in One Loudoun? I will reach out with more information, just fill out this quick form:

cforms contact form by delicious:days

And here’s a video with more renderings and explanation of what the whole project has to offer: Welcome to One Loudoun

Cheers,
Heather

Everyone seemed to enjoy my HGTV-inspired How Much House for $400k in LoCo recently, so let’s revisit at a different price point…how much house will $600,000 get you in Loudoun?

In Sterling, there are only nine non-short sale homes available that are priced between $575,000 and $625,000…in that price range, you can choose from single family homes in the Cascades/Potomac Lakes/ Lowe’s Island neighborhoods. All have four or five bedrooms and at least 2500 finished square feet above grade, built between 10 and 20 years ago. (There’s a ton of similarity here, none really stand out to me. I will say that the home condition looks good for all of them, which is a plus.) In Ashburn, it’s much the same as Sterling. Nine available homes, all single family,  although more 5 bedroom homes, and all with around 3000 finished square feet above grade. The homes are mostly located in Ashburn Village, Ashburn Farm and Brambleton.

Looking toward Leesburg, though, there are more varied options. In that price point, you can find a courtyard home behind the gates in River Creek, several homes in the Courtland Village community, and some acreage properties just outside of town.  Way out in Western LoCo, your money offers more land with your home…and a healthy dose of history, too: the majority of homes in this price point were built over 100 years ago. Can’t say that’s typical for our market; with low inventory numbers I’m surprised to see so many historic homes available.

I haven’t gone into more detail here because I’m not allowed to give you specifics on homes that are currently listed. However, you can sign up for my hot homes newsletter if you want the inside scoop. Click here to subscribe.

Here are details on all the homes in LoCo priced between $575,000 and $625,000:

Showing properties 1 - 5 of 101. See more LoCo $575 to $625k.
(all data current as of 2/8/2012)

1. $614,900 : 42072 Glynn Tarra Pl, Leesburg
   
   6 beds, 5 full baths

   Home size: 4,776 sq ft

   Lot size: 3.01 ac
2. $615,000 : 42041 Porch Light Dr, Aldie
   
   4 beds, 4 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 4,635 sq ft

   Lot size: 6,970 sq ft
3. $576,800 : 22154 Oatlands Rd, Aldie
   
   4 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths

   Lot size: 6.97 ac
4. $594,900 : 42581 Olmsted Dr, Ashburn
   
   4 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths

   Lot size: 12,632 sq ft
5. $600,000 : 37324 Franklins Ford Pl, Purcellville
   
   4 beds, 3 full, 1 part baths

   Home size: 4,490 sq ft

   Lot size: 3.00 ac

Listing information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. Read full disclaimer.

I’m here to help you with real estate stuff, so please don’t be shy…just ask. It’s what I do, and why I love my job.

Cheers,

Heather