The touch of snow yesterday was beautiful in Western Loudoun…
Cheers,
Heather
Tags: LoCo Photo, Loudoun
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
Tags: Beacon Hill, Communities, Leesburg, LoCo, Loudoun, Luxury Homes, Neighborhoods, Real Estate
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
Tags: homes for sale, Loudoun County, Luxury Homes, Real Estate
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
Tags: LoCo musings, Loudoun, Luxury Homes, New construction, The Mortgage Reports
(photo credit: Cayusa)
I was having a conversation with some buyer clients of mine recently about new construction, and builder contracts. They were surprised to learn that I could represent them as their buyer’s agent on a contract to build a new construction home. Indeed, they didn’t know, and hadn’t considered it before I mentioned it. Actually, it’s not all that different from representing them on a traditional home purchase; in addition to negotiating on their behalf, I can also help them ensure that they include options in their home that will maximize the resale value. (That’s a whole different post!)
The conversation reminded me of a post I wrote back in January 2008, Myth Busted: Buying Without a Buyer’s Agent Does NOT Lower the Price of the Home. I had every intention of rewriting that post for today, but when I re-read it, it still holds true. Don’t worry about clicking forward to the original post, here’s what I wrote then:
Now that so much information is available to potential buyers on the internet, from virtual tours to tax records, I have noticed a number of buyers purchasing homes unrepresented by a buyer’s agent. Most of the time, their reasoning behind doing this is that they hope to get a better deal on the home: thinking without bringing an agent with them, the seller won’t have to pay a commission on the buying side, and will lower the price of the house. Unfortunately…
That isn’t what happens. The buyer is not part of the listing agreement, which spells out the commission. That is between the brokerage firm and the seller. The seller is responsible for the full commission amount either way; the buyer’s agent compensation is offered to a cooperating brokerage firm for bringing a buyer and handling that side of the transaction. If the buyer isn’t represented, the listing agent has to accomplish all of the contractual work that the buyers’ agent would handle, except the BUYER DOESN’T HAVE THE BENEFIT OF BEING REPRESENTED.
Allow me to explain further: an unrepresented buyer will still need to have the listing agent help them write their offer to purchase, including all of the assorted addendums and clauses that they need and/or want to have included. This will be done without any advice as to exactly the purposes of the provisions, or how to take advantage of the many protections for the buyer that are standard in the contract to purchase, if you know how to use them properly. If the offer is countered, the buyer is on their own on how to respond to that counter, including what terms of the contract to adjust to make both sides happy and get the deal done. The listing agent will handle moving the paperwork back and forth, but will be representing the seller’s best interest (which is his/her job, and in fact legal obligation.) Once the contract has been ratified, the listing agent will be the one to make sure that all paperwork reaches all parties: seller, buyer, lender, title company; the listing agent will make sure the inspections are completed and contingencies met, addendums written and signed.
In this situation, the seller is the CLIENT of the listing agent, while the buyer is a CUSTOMER. It is the obligation of the listing agent to be fair to the customer, but their fiduciary duty is to the seller. They are representing the seller’s interest in the transaction, even though they are facilitating the paperwork for both sides. Whether or not the buyer is represented has no bearing on how much commission is being paid on the listing.
As a buyer, doesn’t it make more sense to have someone representing YOUR interests?
Now, I’d certainly love to be your buyers agent. But if you don’t use me, please use another agent! There’s no reason to go unrepresented. Questions about the buying process? Questions about the market? Click here to ask me.
(I realize that I didn’t talk about dual representation in this post ~ that’s when an agent represents both buyer and seller. I refuse to do it. I’ll explain in another post next week. Too many words in this post already!)
Cheers,
Heather
Tags: advice, Buyer representation, buyer's agent, Heather Elias, Loudoun, Real Estate
