Archive for the ‘Loudoun County’ Category
July 3, 2008
One thing I love about living in Loudoun is that there is no shortage of fun things to do on the 4th of July. In the mood for a parade? Try Purcellville, Lovettsville, Round Hill or downtown Leesburg. If it’s fireworks you’re after, Leesburg’s show last year rivaled anything I’ve ever seen on the mall in DC (that’s no exaggeration – the show is phenomenal), and I can’t imagine that this year will be any different. Ashburn Village puts on a fireworks show over the waters of Lake Ashburn, and Lansdowne Resort puts on a private show for patrons of its hotel or restaurants.
Image: Leesburg’s 2007 July 4th parade. Photo credit.
For more information about celebrations in Loudoun, click here, here or here. I’ve included a few highlights below (event descriptions were pulled from WashingtonPost.com).
Have a happy and safe Independence Day!
IDA LEE CELEBRATION: A parade down King Street will start at 10 a.m. tomorrow at Ida Lee Park, 50 Ida Lee Dr., Leesburg, and head to Fairfax and South King streets. The Reverend Hookems band and Marna and Macy will perform beginning at 7 p.m. at Ida Lee Park; gates open at 6 p.m. There will be a fireworks display at 9:30 p.m. Food will be available for purchase. No pets, glass bottles, personal fireworks or alcohol will be permitted. Free. Information, 703-777-1368; cancellation line, 703-737-7166. http://www.idalee.org.
PURCELLVILLE CELEBRATION: The Pride of Purcellville parade will start at noon tomorrow at Emerick Elementary School, 440 S. Nursery Ave., and end at Loudoun Valley High School, 340 N. Maple Ave. Rides, booths and food will be available for purchase, and there will be entertainment at the high school from 1 to 6 p.m. Free. 540-338-7421. http://www.prideofpurcellville.org. Musical entertainment and Blue Ridge Thunder Cloggers from 6:15 to 9 p.m.; fireworks display will start at dusk at Franklin Park, Business Route 7, between Purcellville and Round Hill. $5, per vehicle. 540-338-7603.
OLD-FASHIONED FOURTH: A festival from 10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. tomorrow in Sterling will feature nature activities, crafts, face-painting, pony rides, hayrides, games, tours of Lanesville Ordinary and a reptile show at Claude Moore Park, 21544 Old Vestal’s Gap Rd. Enter the park at Loudoun Park Lane. Food will be available for purchase. $5 a carload. 571-258-3700.
July 1, 2008
I wish I could say I picked up on a pattern when I ran my past sales search this week, but that’s just not the case. There really is no rhyme or reason to sale prices these days, because the buyers are setting the price for each individual property, and nobody sees the same house – or comparable houses – the same way. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for agents these days to set a selling or buying price, because comps are all over the place and each property is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it.
Having said that, what I do know for sure is that some buyers out there really got a heck of a deal. Single families in Belmont Country Club in the low $500s? An estate home in Village of Waxpool for less than $625k, when homes in that community usually sell in the $900s? Unbelievable. I’ve pulled out a few bargain basement examples of recent sales from several communities, but you can also click on the zip code to see the entire list.
20147 (Ashburn Village, Ashburn Farm, Belmont Country Club, Belmont Greene, Broadlands)
- 43 sales
- Average sale price: $457,494
- Median sale price: $420,000
Belmont Country Club
43875 Hibiscus Dr
Sold For: $525,000; Closing Date: 06/04/2008
Ashburn Farm
42968 Hedgeapple Ct
Sold For: $475,000; Closing Date: 06/13/2008
20148 (Ashburn Village, Ashburn Farm, Brambleton, Broadlands)
- 12 sales
- Average sale price: $598,355
- Median sale price: $638,453
Broadlands
21410 Woodspice Ct
Sold For: $590,000; Closing Date: 06/12/2008
Village of Waxpool
22059 Auction Barn Dr
Sold For: $616,906; Closing Date: 06/03/2008
20176 (Lansdowne)
- 13 sales
- Average sale price: $546,991
- Median sale price: $535,000
19242 Coton Holdings Ct
Sold For: $490,000; Closing Date: 06/12/2008
June 28, 2008
Be sure to check out Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets if you’re decorating on a budget. Stores include Restoration Hardware, Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn, and Crate & Barrel.
Although inventory in Eastern Loudoun is starting to get cleared out, there are still some excellent deals to be had if you’re willing to look (and work) for them. I ran searches for single families priced under $500k for 20147, 20148, and 20176 and was amazed at the sheer volume of properties available. Of course, some of them will require a little more TLC and elbow grease than others, but you’ll still be getting a good value. Be sure to take a look at the searches I linked to above (they’re sorted by location/community); below, I’ve singled out what I think are the best bargains in those zips.
Notes: There is no way to filter out townhomes in Redfin’s searches, but you can pretty easily tell a property is a townhome if the street is referred to as Terrace or Square. Also, in the Leesburg search, properties listed as being located in Coton Commons are actually in Lansdowne; Coton Commons is a small section of the larger community.
ASHBURN
Ashburn Farm
21152 Hayshire Ct, Ashburn, 20147
Price: $421,000
6 bd/3.5 ba; sq. ft. unavailable
Days on Redfin: 20
Ashburn Village
43988 Clary Ct, Ashburn, 20147
Price: $433,250
5 bd/3.5 ba; 3,392 sq. ft.
Days on Redfin: 106
Brambleton
42571 Angel Wing Way, Ashburn, 20148
Price: $445,000
4 bd/2.5 ba; 2,754 sq. ft.
Days on Redfin: 84
Broadlands
21288 Hidden Pond Pl, Broadlands, 20148
Price: $489,900
4 bd/3.5 ba; 3358 sq. ft.
Days on Redfin: 75
LEESBURG
Lansdowne
43410 Coton Commons Dr, Lansdowne, 20176
Price: $449,900
4 bd/3.5 ba; sq. ft. unavailable
Days on Redfin: 23
Potomac Station
19021 Snowberry Ct, Leesburg, 20176
Price: $455,900
3 bd/3.5 ba; 2,952 sq. ft.
Days on Redfin: 109
June 25, 2008
The Reston phase of the Dulles Toll Road
The Dulles Rail project just can’t seem to win for losing. In 2007, two Fairfax County residents filed a lawsuit challenging the planned handoff of the Dulles Toll Road to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority as a means of funding the Rail extension. Although the case was originally dismissed in Richmond circuit court last year, the plaintiffs appealed and the case has since been remanded to the lower courts for a finding on the merits. You can click here for the Dulles Easterner article describing the case.
I know that not everyone is in favor of the Dulles Rail project; I don’t understand it, but I am aware that opposition exists. But I have to say that even if I weren’t going to use the Rail myself, I would gladly have my toll funds used to pay for it in order to lighten traffic on the Toll Road. I rarely am on the road during rush hour, but the times that I have been and have paid close to $4 to use the Greenway and then another $.50 to use the Toll Road, I have been pretty ticked off to still be sitting in traffic. If you have to pay for the privilege of using a convenient road, why not have those funds dedicated to removing more traffic from out of your way? But maybe that’s just me.
What do you think? If you use the Toll Road, how do you feel about your “donation” being used to partially fund the Rail extension?
June 23, 2008
Image: “Get it Sold” host Sabrina Soto takes aim at a property being staged in the DC area. Photo credit: SabrinaSoto.com.
If you’re a fervent watcher of home staging shows (e.g., “Designed to Sell” or “Sell this House!”) like I am, you might wonder how much information in those shows can be applied to selling a property in our local market. Well, there are 2 shows now specifically targeting a DC audience: “Designed to Sell”, and “Get it Sold”, which is a staging show filmed solely in this area. While I personally find the DC “Designed to Sell” too taste-specific (the designer is creative, but I’ve seen her paint walls orange, which is counterproductive to staging), I love “Get it Sold” and find it to be both realistic and useful. I regularly watch the show and so far have been able to identify properties being staged in Brambleton, Falls Church, Rockville, and Vienna.
If you’re a seller looking to gain an edge in a buyers’ market, “Get it Sold” is full of valuable ideas to help make your property more appealing. In addition to watching the show, you can also check out the website for more staging tips and advice.
June 20, 2008
Image: The Ashburn Village Sports Pavilion
Here’s another sign of the summer slow-down: the slim open house pickings. If you’re looking in Ashburn, the properties below are open for your view pleasure this weekend. You can click here to see what else is open this weekend in 20147, which also houses parts of Brambleton and Broadlands (among other communities). Happy hunting!
ASHBURN FARM
21001 Starflower Way, Ashburn, 20147
Price: $974,900
5 BD/5 BA; sq. ft. unavailable
Open: Sun. 6/22 from 1 to 4
43631 Preddy Ct, Ashburn, 20147
Price: $499,995
4 bd/2.5 ba; sq. ft. unavailable
Open: Sun. 6/22 from 1 to 4
43179 Glenelder Ter, Ashburn, 20147
Price: $329,000
TH; 3 bd/3 ba; 2192 sq. ft.
Open: Sun. 6/22 from 1 to 4
ASHBURN VILLAGE
21260 Victorias Cross Ter, Ashburn, 20147
Price: $485,000
TH; 3 bd/2.5 ba; 2800 sq. ft
Open: Sun. 6/22 from 1 to 4
June 19, 2008
As the summer starts to really kick off (and the market starts to really slow down), I’ve been wondering if I’d see a noticeable difference in the size of the price reductions being offered to draw in buyers. Sure enough, I’m seeing more and more substantial drops as sellers scramble to get their properties sold. Today, I’m featuring properties that have recently seen decreases of $50k or larger, and there are quite a few from which to choose. The list below includes both single families and townhomes.
You’ll notice that I’ve highlighted more properties from Lansdowne than any other community, and that’s because Lansdowne still has a more significant overpricing problem that requires correcting. I noticed that this week, there were close to 10 Lansdowne properties that posted huge price drops; the other communities had just 1 or 2.
ASHBURN VILLAGE
43388 Allisons Ridge Ter, Ashburn, 20148
TH; 3 bd/3.5 ba; sq. ft. unavailable
Reduced from $449,000 to $399,000
Days on Redfin: 43
BRAMBLETON
23084 Charmay Pond Pl, Ashburn, 20148
5 bd/4.5 ba; 4930 s. ft.
Reduced from $680,000 to $620,000
Days on Redfin: 243
LOUDOUN VALLEY ESTATES
23292 Rogerdale Pl, Sterling, 20166
4 bd/3.5 ba; 3857 sq. ft
Reduced from $724,999 to $665,000
Days on Redfin: 218
LANSDOWNE
43804 Riverpoint Dr, Leesburg, 20176
6 bd/5.5 ba; 6056 sq. ft.
Reduced from $1,100,000 to $999,000
Days on Redfin: 246
43793 Riverpoint Dr, Leesburg, 20176
5 bd/5.5 ba; 6369 sq. ft.
Reduced from $959,900 to $799,900
Days on Redfin: 28
44084 Riverpoint Dr, Leesburg, 20176
4 bd/3.5 ba; 3800 sq. ft.
Reduced from $645,000 to $590,000
Days on Redfin: 32
RIVER CREEK
18213 Cypress Point Ter, Leesburg, 20176
TH; 4 bd/3.5 ba; 4293 sq. ft.
Reduced from $674,000 to $606,600
Days on Market: 61
June 17, 2008
…Around the tolls, I mean. I just love, love, love this story from The Washington Post about Loudoun commuters who use the “airport business” loophole to get around paying the Greenway and Toll Rd. fees. The article includes tales of commuters using the airport gas station to fill up, stopping at the convenience store for a cup of coffee or a muffin, and using the airport post office in order to enjoy a fast, free commute into places like McLean, Alexandria, and DC. (I have a friend whose husband has a P.O. box at the airport for precisely this reason, and she says that there is a 5-year waiting list of people just dying to get in.) So if you are thinking of buying in Loudoun but are not looking forward to paying to get to and from work within a decent timeframe, you can definitely take a lesson from these clever individuals and slip right through the loophole. Just be sure that whatever business you use the airport for, that you get a receipt. The cops are always on the look out for “backtrackers”, but you should be fine as long as you have proof that you actually stopped and paid for something there or picked up a package. Happy travels!
Image: Courtesy of www.metawashairports.com. It’s an aerial view of where the “Airport traffic meets traffic from Routes 28 and 267 (Dulles Toll Road and Dulles Greenway).” Click here to view the full-size version.
June 12, 2008
It’s a quandary that homebuyers sometimes face when home shopping in Loudoun: They love a house and the surrounding neighborhood, but the community doesn’t offer any amenities (such as a pool, tot lots, or tennis courts). I have friends who passed up on homes they adored because they couldn’t fathom not having a community pool to take their kids to. Some people solve the problem by installing a pool in their backyards, but that’s not an option for those who don’t have an extra $50k to $100k to spend. Others buy into the amenities of another community, such as the Broadlands, but many amenity-free neighborhoods abut developments like Lansdowne and Belmont Country Club, where the initiation fees are $30k and up and the monthly fees run in the hundreds of dollars. Again, not a feasible option for many.
There’s a new solution to this problem. It’s called Life Time Fitness, and it’s conveniently located in Sterling off of Waxpool Rd, right by the AOL campus. Its location is less than a 15-minute drive from almost anywhere in Eastern Loudoun. The company just announced it is opening its Loudoun doors in late September/early October and is now selling charter memberships with a reduced initiation fee. Here’s what you get for a family membership of about $145/month: a 140,000 sq. ft., 2-level facility that includes 2 aerobics studios, volleyball and basketball courts, a rock-climbing wall, a full-service salon and spa, and 2 cafes. One entire level will be dedicated to free weights and resistance machines. For those without a pool in your community, you will be especially interested in the indoor and outdoor water parks with slides and the pool-side bistro; you can leave your towels at home, because they’re included in the membership. If you are a parent, the best part will undoubtedly be the first-class childcare available that is included in the $145/month. And when I say “first-class”, I do mean first-class: the kids have an entire section of the gym devoted to them, complete with a climbing maze, a computer room, a mini-gym, a huge playroom and a separate section for infants (so they don’t get run over by the big kids). There are arts and crafts every day and the providers play games like dodge ball with the kids. They also offer any number of kids’ classes there (like swim and dance) but have yet to release the schedule. You can use the daycare regardless of whether you are there for lunch, to work out, or to receive a salon or spa treatment. Be sure to take the online virtual tour available on the web site; I promise you that you will not believe your eyes.
In addition to offering great facilities, Life Time’s memberships are month-to-month, which means you can decide at any point to drop your membership and the process is hassle-free. Its location is also on the way home from Reston and Herndon, so if you work there, you can easily stop off at the gym on your way home; it’s about a 15-minute drive from there, too. Life Time has a Preview Center/sales office, and you can stop by for more information or to sign up.
If you’re going to visit the Preview Center, you might as well take a look at these homes for sale nearby, because none of them have community amenities. Each is about a 10-minute drive from the facility.
COMMUNITY: VANTAGE POINTE
22095 Vantage Pointe Pl, Ashburn, 20148
Price: $795,000
4 bd/4.5 ba; 4409 sq. ft.
COMMUNITY: THE REGENCY
43873 Hartley Pl, Ashburn, 20147
Price: $774,900
4 bd/4 ba; 4445 sq. ft.
COMMUNITY: CAMERON CHASE
21352 Cameron Hunt Pl, Ashburn, 20147
Price: $700,000
6 bd/4.5 ba; sq. ft. unavailable
COMMUNITY: PARK AT BELLE TERRA
22399 Dolomite Hills Dr, Ashburn, 20148
Price: $859,900
4 bd/4.5 ba; 5736 sq. ft.
COMMUNITY: ESTATES AT FOREST RIDGE
22466 Pine Ridge Ct, Ashburn, 20148
Price: $810,000
5 bd/4.5 ba; 4496 sq. ft.
Image: One of the pools available at Broadlands
June 10, 2008
The Loudoun Times-Mirror has a great article on all the golf courses Loudoun has to offer. If you play, or even just want to, you should definitely check it out. To go along with the article, I’m featuring the lowest-priced single family near each golf course so you can get a feel for what it would be like to live there and what it would cost to get your foot in the door.
ALGONKIAN REGIONAL PARK (47001 Fairway Dr, Sterling, 20165)
7 WORTHINGTON CT, STERLING, 20165
Price: $269,900
Community: Countryside
Distance to golf course: 3.38 miles
BELMONT COUNTRY CLUB (19661 Belmont Manor Ln, Ashburn, 20147)
20050 MUIRFIELD VILLAGE CT, ASHBURN, 20147
Price: $549,900
Distance to golf course: 1.46 miles
BRAMBLETON REGIONAL PARK (42180 Ryan Rd, Ashburn, 20148)
42571 ANGEL WING WAY, ASHBURN, 20148
Price: $445,000
Community: Brambleton
Distance to golf course: .77 miles
CREIGHTON FARMS (22616 James Monroe Highway, Aldie, 20105)
*This golf club community is so exclusive that there are not even homesite listings in the MLS. The golf club is private to residents (as opposed to Belmont Country Club and Lansdowne, which are private but sell memberships to non-residents). I have no idea what home prices even start at, so can’t pass that information along. But, you know what they say: If you have to ask how much it costs… You can visit the website or call 877.300.3338 for more information.
GOOSE CREEK GOLF CLUB* (43001 Golf Club Road, Leesburg, 20175)
18718 TIMONEY CT, LEESBURG, 20176
Price: $419,900
Community: Potomac Station
Distance to golf course: 1.59 miles
*Despite being in the 20175 zip code, this course is actually closer to residents of Easternmost 20176.
Image: The 15th hole at Goose Creek Golf Club
THE GOLF CLUB AT LANSDOWNE (44050 Woodridge Pkwy, Leesburg, 20176)
43410 COTON COMMONS DR, LEESBURG, 20176
Price: $449,900
Distance to golf course: 1.86 miles
LOUDOUN GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB (36967 W. Main St, Purcellville, 20134)
17304 PICKWICK DR, #23, PURCELLVILLE, 20132
Price: $395,900
Community: Villages at Purcellville
Distance to golf course: 1.97 miles
LOWES ISLAND CLUB (20391 Lowes Island Blvd, Sterling, 20165)
47732 LEAGUE CT, POTOMAC FALLS, 20165
Price: $544,000
Distance to golf course: 1.03 miles
Image: The course at Lowes Island
RASPBERRY FALLS GOLF AND HUNT CLUB (41601 Raspberry Dr, Leesburg, 20178)
41851 RASPBERRY DR, LEESBURG, 20176*
Price: $623,000
Distance to golf course: 0.6 miles
*I featured this property before, in the Wine Country Living post. The price has since been reduced by close to $17,000.
RIVER CREEK CLUB (43800 Olympic Blvd, Leesburg, 20176)
43250 MISSION HILLS WAY, LEESBURG, 20176
Price: $673,700
Distance to golf course: 1.21 miles
Image: A view of the Potomac River from the River Creek course
SOUTH RIDING GOLF CLUB (43237 Golf View Dr, South Riding, 20152)
25472 CROSSFIELD DR, CHANTILLY, 20152
Price: $395,000
Distance to golf course: 1.06 miles
STERLING PARK GOLF, TENNIS AND SWIM CLUB (333 S. Sterling Blvd, Sterling, 20164)
21062 ETHAN CT, STERLING, 20164
Price: $349,900
Community: Woodland Village
Distance to golf course: 1.81 miles
STONELEIGH GOLF CLUB (35271 Prestwick Ct, Round Hill, 20141)
35536 COLLINGTON DR, ROUND HILL, 20141
Price: $349,500
Community: Mountain Valley
Distance to golf course: 2.44 miles
WESTPARK GOLF CLUB (59 Club House Dr SW, Leesburg, 20175)
344 FOX RIDGE DR SW, LEESBURG, 20175
Price: $344,000
Community: Foxridge
Distance to golf course: 1.7 miles
