Basically, expect an aircraft to fly overhead! Copyright © 2012 Doug Francis I updated this article to include a new 2024 Dulles Disclosure One of the benefits of living in Northern Virginia is that you can get a flight almost anywhere in the world at one of the local airports. Each of these “local airports” qualifies to be in the top tier of U.S. airports for passenger traffic and daily flights. When a real estate client from Texas asked me about airport flight paths over Vienna, VA, I had to say the area is covered with overlapping flight paths. We have Dulles International, Reagan National ..read more

This is a previous article that I have Updated for 2024 Yes, a termite inspection clause is part of the standard Northern Virginia real estate sales contract. Last week, I received a question via email from an upset seller who had just been told that he was being required to have his home treated for live termites. He wanted to know if this was accurate (getting a second opinion) because he really didn’t want to spend another $800. I responded that I work here in Vienna and that I was unclear where the heck he was located or what his real estate contract may require… (Hey, I’m not the NSA!). N ..read more

Home sellers are often caught off guard when I explain that today’s home buyers will decide on their house before ever stepping foot in it. The days of spending hours driving around looking at seven, eight, or nine houses on a sunny Saturday are over. Yes, meeting at 9:00 a.m. to review the available listings and map out a route are quaint tales from the 20th Century! Those home buyers looking in Vienna or McLean will start with a review of the still photos or a 3D Virtual Tour where they can “walk” through the house, turn around and look at the kitchen cabinets and gourmet gas range a few tim ..read more

Donating Blood at Inova Woodburn Center After the Covid-19 crisis, there are far fewer donation programs going on at business offices around Northern Virginia. The problem is that the demand for blood has remained the same as in 2018. The easiest way for you to become part of the Northern Virginia community is to become a regular blood donor. Yes, you can “give back” by spending about an hour of your time in one of the blood donor centers that are set up across the area. The need: Over 200 units a day Here are the Donor Center locations in Northern Virginia (8/2023): CentreMed – in Centrevill ..read more

Vienna Virginia ranked #3 Updated in August 2023 This is the 10th anniversary of the cover article in Money Magazine that I contributed to which launched the Town of Vienna to the top of the list of places to live in the United States. There used to be a website called “Help a Reporter Out” (HARO) and I vaguely remember responding to a request for help. Ultimately, I believe that response generated the phone call that landed Vienna, Virginia as a top place to live. I’m excited to republish this post to give you a snapshot of where I’m coming from… There still is a framed copy of this article i ..read more

Vienna Fireworks Show – 7/2/2023 If you are planning to watch the annual Vienna VA fireworks show on July 2nd, 2023, then you should remember that they will be set off around 9:30 at Yeonas Park. Music: U.S. Navy Concert Band band kicks off the evening at 8:00 Chairs are NOT permitted on the baseball fields Located at: 1319 Ross Dr. SW, Vienna VA 22180 Fireworks at 9:30 There is limited seating at Yeonas Park (Vienna Little League Park) in the stands. Bring chairs or blankets. Parking along the streets will be allowed but at a reasonable walking distance since the close-by streets are narro ..read more

There are times when a client asks me a question about something that seems obvious to me, but makes me realize that I’m assuming too much. You also may do something so well simply because you understand the process step by step. Like it’s second nature. I put together a series of videos to help explain some of the questions home sellers ask me. Take a look. What’s the MLS? The MLS is the marketing database that Realtors use to publish the listing for your home. It is where the photos and descriptions are added so that 18,000 Washington, D.C. metro area agents can see and share them with thei ..read more

I sat in on a presentation by an FBI Special Agent who discussed many types of financial fraud which are being used across the internet. Victims are everywhere including real estate buyers and investors, to lonely widows unwittingly laundering large sums of money for fraudsters. But let’s focus on Real Estate The reality is, in 2023, your email may have already been “hacked”. And that “bot” is lurking, just waiting to identify specific terms relating to a real estate sale. Terms the sinister bot may be searching for: Sales Contract on a house Closing or Settlement instructions Wire funds Cas ..read more

Updated for 2023 Deadline for Appeal is April 3, 2023 Especially if the next owner of your home will probably tear it down to build a brand new home, then you should carefully examine your 2023 Fairfax County Real Estate Assessment to see if the “Building” value jumped. Personally, my 2023 Fairfax County tax assessment jumped 6.06%. In 2022 it had jumped 7.21%. I gave this tip on the NextDoor App yesterday to people upset over large Assessment increases. For many owners who live in Vienna, VA, they know the tear-down market is hot since today’s home buyers see the Town as an ideal place to li ..read more

Changes in Latitudes Attitudes This story may sound slightly made up, but the 2022 real estate market across Northern Virginia was full of fast-paced drama which is still kind of hard to picture. The brakes weren’t just tapped… they were slammed! Or to create a picture for you, we went from a wild Category 5 hurricane to a windy Tropical Storm. Last January, the market was a daily horse race for every new listing in town. (For example, I showed 10 homes in a snowstorm, and most received a contract immediately!) By November, a couple of appointments to show a listing on the first day would be c ..read more