Real Estate and Reston, VA: February 2009

I am a news-junkie.  The newspaper, television news, the radio,and the Internet news sites, too, are like friends to me. When I have been tied up all day and not had a chance to catch up on the news, I often feel like I am missing something.

Lately, I find that instead of being interested in what I hear and see in the news, I dread it. I know I am not alone-- this is a really stressful time for us all!

There are very few of us who can honestly say that the last 6 months have been stress free.  Between the economy and the elections, the constantly volatile stock market, the bailouts and the foreclosures,the multiple wars, the car company failures, the stimulus bills, the growing national debt and the housing crisis, we are bombarded from every side with REALLY bad news and uncertain forecasts. The worst thing is that we have no idea the many ways that these events and circumstances will affect  us in both the short term and long term. Talk about stress provoking!

When I can't take it anymore I have begun giving myself 'vacations' from the news.  They kind of remind me of the 'time outs' I used to give my kids when they needed to get away from a situation and modify their behavior.

Instead of listening to the ever-present news radio in my car, I switch on music. I used to catch up on CNN while I was on the treadmill and now I watch MTV or VH1. It isn't so much that the music relaxes me, it is that the music doesn't cause stress.  Without the constant feeding of the 'stress monster,' I find my brain can begin to heal itself and the positive thoughts can return.

In this very difficult time, I think it is important that we each find a way to 'take a time out' from the hard reality of what is going on.  So whether your escape is music, exercise or reality television--or anything else, give your mind a chance to think of other things...take a time out from the world and let your smile come back!

Call me a small town girl, but I live in the same town (place) where I grew up. I always swore that I would not do that, but here I am and I could not be happier.

I was 7 years old when we moved to Reston, Virginia.  As a second grader, I was oblivious to the community and what a special place the planned community of Reston was.  Growing up, I participated in all that Reston had to offer--swim team, soccer, Art Festivals, Community Theater, Concerts and more.  I did not know that this was any different than any other suburb.

My husband loves to tell the story about when we were looking for a house, I said I would live anywhere but Reston. Of course, you know how that story ends. We bought our first townhouse in Reston in 1987 and here we are 22 years later!

There is no question that Reston is a very different place than it was then. But what I find remains the same is the overwhelming sense of community.  I regularly see friends that I met when my oldest was in pre-school (she is now a college student). My kids go to school with friends they have known their whole lives. We are still friends with our very first next door neighbors and have collected friends from each of the neighborhoods in which we have lived (all within a 2 mile radius).

I often hear people complain that there is no longer a sense of community in our world today.  While I can't speak for other places, I can tell you that the sense of community is alive and well in Reston,VA!

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5 Bedrooms, 4.5 Baths     Built in 1991          $1,000,000

This dramatic CP1 contemporary with gorgeous views of Lake Newport in Reston, VA will feel instantly feel like home. Located in the sought after North Point area of Reston, this beautiful home is within walking disance of shopping, parks, pools and more. With lake views from virtually every room in the house and a flexible, yet functional, floor plan, this house was designed with your lifestyle--or the lifestyle you dream of-- in mind!

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This morning I walked the neighborhood where I will be holding an Open House this afternoon. I always like to invite the neighbors (who presumably like where they live and have friends and family) to come in and see the listed property.  As all Realtors know, Open Houses are primarily attended by curious neighbors.

My plan was to personally invite each neighbor by knocking on the door and giving them an invitation yesterday afternoon. Of course, real life got in the way and I wasn't able to to that. My alternate plan was to string each of these postcard invites with a ribbon and hang them on the mailbox.  This morning I walked around, talked to neighbors who were outside, and left the invitations for those who weren't, hanging on the mailbox.

This is what my perceptions of certain houses and owners were based on what I saw of their mailboxes:

1. A mailbox that is virtually falling down reflects a house were the maintenance is deferred until it is almost a crisis.
2. A well kept, newer, mailbox reflects a home where the homeowner notices problems and addresses them.
3. A mailbox where the flag is broken off is a household where the owner is happy with work-arounds (my guess is they drop their mail in a public box or hope for the best when the postman comes by). 
   
4. Mailboxes that look like they have been attended to, but are still showing their age, probably reflect an owner who will do enough to present a good front, but who is unwilling to tackle the big challenge of replacement. These houses probably require updating and some deferred maintenance.
   

Obviously, I am reading a lot in each type of situation, but I do this to make a point. This is how Buyers judge your home; it is the little clues that help them to figure out what kind of homeowner you are.

Make it a point when you are preparing your house for sale to look at how the entire house presents to the public.  It might be a little thing like a broken mailbox that inspires a buyer to lower their offer price.

Steps to the Metro and Luxury Living….What More Are You Looking For?

2 bedroom, 2  Baths.  Yr Blt. 2004  SqFt. 1243    $2000 per month                                      

Bright and airy top floor unit in the luxury Acadia building features:

• 2 Master Bedrooms, each located on opposite sides of Living Area
• Large Great Room with Gas Fireplace
• Balcony over looking Courtyard
• Great Kitchen
• Separate Laundry Room
• 2 Secure Parking Places under building
• Building amenities include: outdoor pool, indoor basketball court, indoor fitness room, business center
• Located across the street from Vienna Metro

More Information

Friday night we were just back from the high school basketball game and enjoying the ten o'clock news when a story came on about the Obama's date night. They went to the Kennedy Center on Friday night to see the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater performance.

Saturday was a beautiful day and early on, my husband asked me if I wanted to have a 'date night' and go get some dinner and see a movie.  Now we are the parents of teenagers and many of our weekend nights are spent either supervising or worrying.  We went out last night and had a wonderful time. It is not that it is unusual for us to go out, but we don't do it as often as we would like.

There will be things that stay the same under a new administration and things that change, but one change that I hope for all of us is that 'date night' becomes commonplace.

So if this is a tradition you have gotten away from, or perhaps never began, this week might be  good time to put something special on the calendar (we have Valentines Day next weekend, too!) and follow the lead of our President.  After all, if he can step away from the craziness of his job for a couple of hours to spend some time with his wife, our excuse of 'being too busy' sounds pretty lame in comparison!

I just wanted to take a minute to help spread the word that today is 'Go Red for Women' day to encourage  awareness and support in the fight against heart disease. You probably saw that all of the television news anchors had on red today--this is why.

Petra Norris had a great post yesterday about this campaign. I encourage you to check it out:

http://activerain.com/blogsview/917685/Go-Red-For-Women-Support-American-Heart-Association

Since all of us here on Active Rain have different audiences and colleagues, I wanted to help spread the word, too.

So if you haven't already left for the day, march back upstairs and pull out your red clothing and wear it proudly in support of the American Heart Association and all that they do to help fight heart disease.

I have recently joined www.Paperbackswap.com based on the blog below posted by  Neal Barnes (http://activerain.com/nealbarnes) and find it a GREAT way to share my paperback books. I love to go to the bookstore, and after a while, the books can overtake your house.  I just pop them in the mail (can print the postage from home) and receive credit for books I want.

If you like to share your books, you might also  want to consider joining bookcrossing.com .This site encourages book sharing by allowing you to register a book as you send it on its 'travel.' As a person receives a book, they log on and register the new location.  Kind of a fun way to encourage reuse of beloved books.

Happy reading!

I ran across this blog and thought that everyone might enjoy it! Thanks to Donna Harris, ASP for posting this clip. You  can check out Donna Harris's Blog at: 

http://activerain.com/donnahomes

I hope you all enjoy...take a couple ofminutes to laugh!

On Saturday, tired of having my kids inside after a lot of snow, ice and frigid temperatures, I took my son and his friends over the the Herndon Community Center to spend some time swimming in their indoor pool.

The Herndon Community Center is open to everyone. The amount you pay for entrance depends on whether or not you are a resident of the town of Herndon.  I paid $3.50 for each boy (the same for either town or a non-town resident).  I was allowed to go in and watch the boys swim without paying. There were bleachers where I was able to sit and read a book. Admission for adults is $4.75 for town residents and $6 dollars for non-residents. They sell monthly, semi-annual and annual  passes and also offer Senior discounts.

The pool had a large float that the kids could climb on. It has a water basketball net and a shallow area that can be reached by a ramp. The pool also has lap lanes and a diving board area. It was large, warm and well guarded.

The Community Center has a fitness room (with personal trainers available for hire), 3 racquetball courts, a full sized gymnasium for basketball, meeting spaces and classrooms, an Arts & Crafts Studio a Teen room, a game room, 6 lighted tennis courts (and a seasonal tennis center created by erecting a 'bubble').

There are camps, programs, classes, personal training and they even offer drop-off babysitting services (for a fee)!

I was very favorably impressed. I have not been there since they underwent a big remodel, but it is definitely worth checking out.

There is more information avaialble at www.herndon-va.gov (under Parks & Recreation) or by calling 703-787-7300