Archive for December, 2007
Merry Christmas to You and Yours
December 23rd, 2007 Categories: Blue Plate Specials, The Road Less Taken
Scout and I wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I can tell you the story behind this picture – but you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. I swear it was me behind the camera…I don’t know what was going on behind me to get Scout to sit still. And I didn’t ask. Something about the groomer holding up a pug singing and dancing- but I was focused on the dogs in front of the camera and not behind it. Scout is going to be 12 years old in February and it’s one of the few pictures I have of him where some part of him isn’t moving.
| Discussion: 7 Comments »
Shirlington Crest Continues to Emerge
December 23rd, 2007 Categories: Around Arlington County, Buyers, Nauck, Shirlington
While everyone is rushing around for the holidays, the construction at Shirlington Crest continues. It even looks like they have sold a few.
These townhouses aren’t what I expected. I’m a little disappoint in them so far. Maybe I can be convinced otherwise as I see the finished product.
Here are the first three townhouses. One looks like a barn. I really hope they have better curb appeal when the siding is installed.
I’ll admit, when you are driving in Shirlington– that end barn hits you. But when you drive into the complex and look at it up close– it’s not that bad. So I’m not commenting until I see the final product.
I had my doubts about West Village– and that turned into a nice project.
This picture below is a rear view of the garages.
We are in for some warm weather this next week, maybe there will be some more progress on the exterior.
| Discussion: 4 Comments »
Season of Lights
December 20th, 2007 Categories: Outside The Beltway, The Native Tourist
I really do get out of Arlington more often than you think. Tonight I met a friend at the Reston Town Center for dinner. We meet at one of the many restaurants whenever she’s in town on business. Tonight it was Clyde’s. Yummy.
The Christmas lights around the Town Center and the ice rink were just so pretty I couldn’t resist taking out my camera to capture a few.
I have a pocket size digital camera. I’m not too sure how these things works. What I do know is that it’s a lot easier than my old SLR. I can take pictures at night without special film or lighting.
I guess I could use a tripod- but that would defeat the purpose of having a easy and convenient camera “to take it as I see it.”
| Discussion: 7 Comments »
Freedom For Sale To The Highest Bidder
December 17th, 2007 Categories: The Road Less Taken
The Magna Carta is for sale. That’s right, the document written to protect the freedom of regular people is on the auction block.
It says something about us, as Americans, that someone will put a price on a piece of paper written almost 800 years ago. I say that because it is an American that bought it only 20 years ago for a mere $1.5M. Sotheby’s is expecting to fetch between $20M–$30M. While it’s interesting to learn someone actually owns this 1297 version of the Magna Carta, it will be more interesting to see who will buy it and what will they do with it.
Luckily, this one for sale is not the original document but an original. The original and oldest copies are in the British Library in London, Lincoln Castle and Salisbury Cathedral. I don’t know if they are owned by anyone. The one for sale Tuesday has been on loan to display at the National Archives here in DC– along with the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Some in DC will say that those other documents are always for sale in this town in one form or another. I like to believe that they still belong to the people- just like our government. Call me an optimist.
But this isn’t a political post about how ironic it is that words on 800 year-old-paper will be offered for sale to the highest bidder at a time when many think that the one thing the Magna Carta started– habeas corpus– has been threatened by our current government. I’m not going there.
It’s about ownership.
We tend to measure our success by the amount of things we own. The type of car we drive, how many designer labels are in our closets or the neighborhood we live in are all important to the average American. It’s not much different than 800 years ago. Only back then ownership belonged to Lords, Dukes and Earls. And their value was in the amount of land they owned and people that served them or sometime the number of people they owned. I’m grateful we’ve advanced as a society since then.
Thanks to early documents like the Magna Carta, our founding fathers had a starting point. They too were land owners who didn’t want another King getting involved with their lives. Some things really don’t change.
Here we are, centuries later, in a time and place when our government serves its people instead of the other way around. And as we strive to buy and keep a piece of our own little kingdom to call our own, I’m glad that it’s only a piece of paper for sale tomorrow and not the freedoms it created.
| Discussion: 7 Comments »
Freddie Mac Reaches Out
December 14th, 2007 Categories: Mortgages & Loans, Real Estate News, Sellers
It’s still too early to tell if the president’s compromise for the sub-prime mortgage “crisis” will have an impact on the recent increase of short sale properties. But I’m glad to see that Freddie Mac is starting to get the word out about mortgage fraud.
Thanks to Teresa Boardman and her great St. Paul Real Estate Blog for getting the word out. I’m adding it here as a public service announcement. I hope my other real estate blog buddies will add it to their sites to spread the word.
Before you sign anything– take the paperwork to a lawyer for review. Don’t be in a rush to sign anything. Don’t feel pressured into signing ANYTHING. Bring the paperwork to a lawyer. Maybe you think you can’t afford a lawyer– if you are in such a position, please contact a legal aid society. They may be able to help.
When we are in crisis and feel overwhelmed looking at foreclosure- we reach out to anyone who says they can help. Don’t be afraid to talk to your lender. Remember– they don’t want to own your home.
But, if you are behind on your mortgage and don’t know where to turn, call the National Foreclosure Hotline’s toll free number for help:
1–888–995–HOPE
Related Posts:
Bush’s Rate Freeze: An Early Christmas Present or Coal in Your Stocking?
| Discussion: 13 Comments »
Arlington’s Water Treatment Plant: What Is All That Pounding?!?
December 11th, 2007 Categories: Around Arlington County, Crystal City, Going Green
If you’ve been past the edge of Crystal City by Route 1 and Glebe Road in Arlington, VA during any weekday, you may have noticed or heard all the construction at the water treatment plant. Here is Arlington County’s youtube video explaining the details of this expansion. Construction is never fun to be around. But this plant was late updated in the 1970s. I’m glad that it’s being expanded. I’m not glad that the people in the surrounding neighborhoods have to live through the pounding.
We don’t often realize what happens to the water we flush down the toilet or flush down the garbage disposal. Around here it ultimately ends up in the Chesapeake Bay. And we are all trying to “Save the Bay.” It’s hard to believe that our own Four Mile Run is a Chesapeake watershed when we are miles from the bay.
Maybe we don’t volunteer in a Save the Bay project, but how we live our daily lives has an impact.
| Discussion: 2 Comments »
Arlington County’s Animal Shelter
December 8th, 2007 Categories: Around Arlington County, Blue Plate Specials, Shirlington
If you’ve lived in Shirlington for any amount of time you will notice that it is very pet friendly. I think this is because we are home to Arlington’s Animal Shelter and a few dog parks.
Animal Welfare League of Arlington has gone hi-tech. Every two weeks they post a youtube video of their pets available for adoption. Not all are cats or dogs.
If you are thinking about adopting a pet for Christmas- you can’t just walk into the shelter and walk out with a pet. Please call the shelter at (703) 931-9241 or email them at mail@awla.org for more information. Visit their website to learn more about the AWLA.
| Discussion: 4 Comments »
Washington DC’s First Snow Fall 2007
December 6th, 2007 Categories: Shirlington, The Road Less Taken
As I sit here watching press conferences and listen to talking heads about new plans to the sub-prime loan “crisis” I am going through some pictures I took during yesterday’s snowfall.
It was a nice snow. Just enough to cover everything with snow but the streets here in Arlington. Maybe a little more further out in Fairfax and Loundon Counties. It was peaceful, unlike what’s going on today with everyone trying to understand what’s going on in the sub-prime mortgage industry.
Before I have to figure out what’s going on so I can explain it to my clients, I’m taking some time out to enjoy one of winter’s few pleasures.
Fairlington’s peaceful with it’s snow covered grand old trees.
The Christimas tree is Shirlington.
Ok, back to work.
| Discussion: 8 Comments »
Bush’s Rate Freeze: An Early Christmas Present or Coal in Your Stocking?
December 6th, 2007 Categories: Buyers, Mortgages & Loans, Real Estate News, Sellers
President Bush plans to announce, today, a compromise policy to freeze interest rates for some sub-prime mortgages for a period of 5 years.
Expect an afternoon joint press conference with the Treasury Department and members of the mortgage industry that negotiated this deal.
While the exact terms of the plans have not been officially announced, the Internet in buzzing with most of the plan’s details.
Here is what I could find:
- The plan is aimed at homeowners who are making payments on time at lower introductory mortgage rates but cannot afford a higher adjusted rate;
- The plan would apply to borrowers with loans made at the start of 2005 through July 30 2007 with rates that are scheduled to rise between Jan. 1, 2008, and July 31, 2010;
- The program would only be available for owner-occupied homes;
- Borrowers whose credit scores are below 660 out of a possible 850 and haven’t risen by 10 percent since the loan was sold will be given priority. Those with scores above 660 will be more closely scrutinized to determine whether they are eligible or must continue making payments under existing terms, said the person.
Why am I skeptical?
“Hi. I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”
- It’s always tricky when the government gets involved with the natural free market. While there are many people in the mortgage industry that are begging for a bail-out program– it may be a bandaid for a hemorrhage;
- It’s going to lead to confusion out there in the short term, many new home buyers are going to wait, once again, to see what happens to the market;
- Many of these “short sale” properties are coming off the market;
- Housing prices may actually rise again in the spring. We may be back to a sellers market;
- People who are going to take advantage of this plan SHOULD BE negotiating with their mortgage lender a solid affordable rate for a 30 year mortgage– but will instead, do nothing, ride out this five-year waiting period and will be in the same position as they are now;
- People with good credit scores (i.e, above 660), but will still have problems meeting their newer mortgage payments are going to up in arms;
- It’s still uncertain what this will do to interest rates for new loans. They will have to stay low. Interest rates are the single most important thing regular people consider when deciding to buy. (They don’t realize that prices go up when this actually happens.)
I’m not an economist so I don’t really know the short-term or long-term impact this is going to have the real estate market in our area. I’m interested to see the reaction today after the plan is officially announced.
One thing is certain: There is a presidential election coming so anything is possible.
I’d like to hear from you, what do you think of this new plan?
| Discussion: 12 Comments »