All about life and real estate in Loudoun County, Virginia
Sometimes on a rainy day you have to have a little fun. Here's a list of our favorite places to eat outside in LoCo: Downtown Leesburg has a number of excellent choices, beginning with the Cajun Experience. We've had lot's of delicious lunches here and they have live music just about every weekend. Döner Bistro is a little taste of … [Read more...]
Our good friend Scott Fournier, of Integrity Home Mortgage Corporation, sent over some news that I thought you might find helpful for your home shopping this spring: The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development put out a report detailing upcoming changes to FHA mortgage interest premiums (click here to see the pdf from HUD). Annual … [Read more...]
Last week I wrote about Lowry's Crab Shack, our favorite place for seafood and fried chicken in LoCo. Today, let me tell you about our favorite restaurant, The Cajun Experience in downtown Leesburg. Heather and I visited New Orleans in the spring of 2005 and fell in love, the food, the music, the people, and Cafe Du Monde's chicory coffee … [Read more...]
To sell or not to sell, that is the question... I'm sure you have probably heard that the real estate inventory is very low in LoCo. We're not alone: it's so low in Nashville a friend of ours wrote they are desperately seeking sellers. This morning, I read a Wall Street Journal article about declining housing inventory and it got me … [Read more...]
Historic homes sometimes offer more charm and character than the newer houses of today. They boast gabled roofs, crown moldings, hardwood floors and antique fixtures. Buying an older house is like buying a piece of local history. Beautiful period features can lend a timeless beauty and grace that is hard to resist. However, buying a house … [Read more...]
Full-scale bathroom remodeling can be expensive and in today's housing market, you won't likely get all of the money back that you put into it at the time of sale. Instead of investing a lot of money for a full remodel, here are a few inexpensive ideas to spruce up your bathrooms before you list your home for sale. Fixtures Most sellers … [Read more...]
When homeowners get ready to list, advice will often come from all corners of their personal and social network -- what within the home to upgrade; what to repair; what to replace. Although some advice remains valuable, much of it can be ignored. The costs of an expensive upgrade are rarely recouped at the time of sale and studies show that … [Read more...]
With telecommuting continuing to rise, and with more jobs requiring after-hours attention, showcasing your home's "home office" can help it show better to a prospective home buyer. While it's always wise to have your kitchen, bedrooms and bathrooms show well, a great-looking home office can make a huge impact and help you sell your home more … [Read more...]
Sometimes the question isn't whether or not to sell your home, but rather should you refinance your mortgage to make life more affordable in your current situation. Our good friend Scott Fournier of Integrity Home Mortgage offers these suggestions based on some of the new laws that have been established recently: Conventional loans (not … [Read more...]
Last week I wrote about buying in a golf course community and it gave me the idea to highlight each community individually. With my experience from a golfer's perspective, here's my first shot (maybe pun intended?). Lansdowne Resort opened in 1991 with 18 holes of championship golf designed by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. The main attraction at … [Read more...]
