Real Estate and Reston, VA: April 2010

Today is the 2nd annual Earthday@Loudoun Family Festival. It is being held at the Clyde's at Willow Farm in Ashburn , Virginia. The event includes food, music, vendors of all types and a chance to find out what is going on in the community.

It looks like the rain  is going to hold off, so I plan to get out there and see what our local community is doing in the 'go green' effort.

The mission statement EarthDay Loudoun is:

The mission of the EarthDay@Loudoun Family Festival is to promote and celebrate environmental stewardship among county residents and businesses. This is accomplished through entertainment, exhibits, workshops and activities that engage and inspire the entire community, especially the next generation of environmental stewards. The event also creates an opportunity for local environmental organization(s) and green businesses to connect with Loudouners.

So gather the family and hop in the car and take a ride out to Ashburn! While you are there, be sure to check out my husband's booth, Ardently Green. They can discuss with you the benefits of having a home energy audit and help you get one set up.

Enjoy your afternoon!

There are times when we all wish for a silent phone or quiet house. I find my desire for silence usually follows very chaotic family events or holidays.

In a real estate transaction, however, there is nothing more stressful than silence.  Last week I wrote a post that looked at this issue a little bit differently, Are You Doing Your Job? about the importance of returning calls.  As the comments came in, Doug Rogers  made the observation that, 'Silence in this industry makes people nervous.'

I think Doug hit the nail on the head.

When I am working on a transaction and there are on-going negotiations, the absence of a response can make the issue seem to grow.  Have you ever been waiting for a  Home Inspection Addendum to be returned from the seller  and as you get closer and closer to the deadline you begin to think the worst? All of the sudden you feel certain that the deal is going to fall apart over the loose hose bib or damaged screen. We all know that this type of thing does not make a solid deal fall apart, yet silence from the seller can cause unnecessary anxiety for the purchaser.

Just this week, I was waiting for a response from my own client. When after 24 hours and several messages, I had not heard back, I became very worried that he was not going to move forward with the contract. It was a silly response, but while silence can be an effective negotiating technique, it can also send a message that is different than the one you might want to convey. I did eventually hear from him and the contract moved forward as expected.

Yesterday, I took a client out to look at homes. I began calling on Monday to schedule an appointment at one of the properties. It was not until Wednesday evening--and after leaving another message for the home owner and for the listing agent (who never did get back to me)--that I finally got a call back saying that Thursday morning would be okay. True or not, I am now left with the impression that there is some reluctance on the part of the seller to market her home. Silence from a seller might be because they are so busy, but with cell phones, it is hard to believe that a seller wouldn't notice that they have a Realtor calling them for 2 days (on both the land-line and the cell phone). And don't get me started on the agent who never responded...

Communicating with your sellers, even when you don't have anything new to report, can be the difference between having a listing that you get to settlement and brings later referrals and one that gets you a one-time paycheck and leaves the sellers with the feeling that you just did the bare minimum to sell their house.

I know I have been guilty of wanting to wait to respond until I have all of the information. It is always better to respond with a complete response, rather than with a partial one. But sometimes a quick call or text saying that you are still gathering the data can be a real relief to a nervous party on the other side.

Next time that you are in the middle of a transaction and you know the other side is waiting for your response, consider reaching out with a quick, 'hello, we will be in touch soon,' to let them know that there is nothing sinister going on.  You will feel better and so will the stressed out party on the other side!

As part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) provided nearly $300 million for states to set up appliance rebate programs.  The Virginia program received $7.45 million of this money and will begin their program, April 28, 2010.

The amounts of the available rebates are as follows:

  *  Heat Pump - $300
    * Gas Furnace - $250
    * Tankless Gas Water Heater - $225
    * Clothes Washer - $75
    * Refrigerator - $60
    * Storage Gas Water Heater - $35

The Virginia State program  is run by the Virginia Department of Mines Minerals and Energy.  The program is not as straightforward as, 'just go out and buy an appliance and apply for the rebate.' There are specific steps that you must follow to 'reserve' your money and certain restrictions on where, and from which vendor, the appliance can be purchased. All eligible appliances must be Energy Star Appliances and they must replace a 'like' appliance that is properly disposed of at time of installation.

You will need to go to the Virginia Department of Mines Minerals and Energy website regsitration page to register that you are planning to purchase an appliance (sort of like a money 'reservation') and then must return to log the information that the appliance has been purchased to receive your rebate.

It should be a good incentive to people who were already considering a replacement--or even for folks who weren't. Just be sure that if you plan to take advantage of this program, you reserve your money early and follow all the rules to be sure you get your rebate.  I would venture to guess that a lot of the money will be spoken for on day 1 of the program, so set your alarm and plan to log on April 28 to get your Appliance rebate.

I was recently contacted by a member of the Sustainable Reston Initiative, which is a committee of the Reston Citizen's Association. They are working to let people in the Reston, and the general Fairfax County area,  know about the elimination of certain bus routes and bus service to Reston.

There are many Reston residents who depend on this service to provide transportation to and from their places of employment. It is important that all sides of every issue be heard and I am happy to provide this information to the public via  Diane Blust of the Sustainable Reston Initiative.

Diane provided me with the following link to their Initiative and more information about their efforts:

http://www.restoncitizensassociation.org/Initiatives/SustainableReston/

I’m a member of the Sustainable Reston Initiative, a committee of RCA; we are devoted to making Reston a more sustainable community.  At the moment, we are working very hard to mobilize people to let the County know how much of a hardship the elimination of bus service in Reston will be.  In addition to commuter buses, the County also plans to cut all Sunday service in Reston, including RIBS.  Here’s our statement on the situation:

T H E   R E S T O N     B U S     C R I S I S

On June 27th of this year, Fairfax County will eliminate Fairfax Connector bus lines 552, 553, 554, 557,929, 951, and 952.

When that happens, thousands of riders-- commuters, seniors, the disabled and the disadvantaged-- will be stranded with no alternative means of transportation other than their cars-if they have them.

Commuters will be forced either to drive to already jammed "Park and Ride" lots, or drive directly to their workplaces. As a result, Northern Virginia's current transportation nightmare will become even worse, pollution will skyrocket, and many will lose their jobs because they have no other means of getting to their jobs.

And note that nearly all of the cuts are to Reston bus lines--no other jurisdiction is required to sustain such a devastating loss.

Why? Because the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors has failed to protect our interests against the aggressive lobbying of developers in Loudon County, Tyson's Corner, and elsewhere. Simply put, our representatives have let us down.

Restonians have put up with a lot in the past, but the time for that is over. We need to help stiffen the spines of our leaders, and insist that they do the jobs we elected them to do. Here are a few ways you can help accomplish that.

•     Go HERE to understand why this is happening
•     Go HERE to Sign the petition
•   Volunteer to help
•   Attend upcoming hearings and events

In other words, do something now.

Or start walking.

Reston Citizens Association

 We also have an on line petition for people to sign.  

 We are hoping to get as many people as possible to show up and speak at the  county budget hearings next week.

 I wish Diane and her committee all the best in their efforts to save the current level of bus service to Reston.