Tysons Corner Skyline

Tysons Corner is built for people, not cars. Prime proof of this is the Comprehensive Plan for Tysons Corner .  In the decades to come, Tysons will become a livable and vibrant urban center where people live, work, play, shop, worship, and even retire.  Tysons is transforming itself from a textbook case of suburban sprawl into a true 21st century urban center that addresses the challenges of sustainable growth, energy conservation, environmental protection, affordable housing, and safe communities.  If adhered to and implemented as planned, the transportation portion of the Comprehensive Plan will become the backbone of that plan. On June 22, 2010, the Board of Supervisors adopted a Comprehensive Plan for Tysons Corner that will turn the area into the county’s “downtown”.   The plan focuses future growth within an easy walking distance of transit.  In fact, 75 percent of future growth will be within a half mile of the four Metro stations.  Many offices and homes will be a three to six minute walk from these stations, allowing people to get around on foot, bicycle, bus, or subway.

In 2005 the Fairfax County Board of Supervisors appointed the Tysons Land Use Task Force to make recommendations to update the 1994 Tysons Corner Comprehensive Plan.  Two of the new Plan objectives were: 1) “Preserve and enhance Tysons Corner as a vital economic center”, and 2) “Develop multi-modal integrated transportation systems that complement each other and mitigate traffic impacts in Tysons Corner and in adjacent residential neighborhoods and also to maximize the use of Metrorail and other forms of mass transit and develop cohesive pedestrian and bicycle circulation systems to facilitate walking, cycling and transit use and to reduce reliance on automobiles.”

The area is home to Tysons Corner Center, the largest shopping mall in the state and in the Baltimore-Washington area, as well as two upscale shopping centers, Tysons Galleria and Fairfax Square, which neighbor it to the north and south.  Every weekday, Tysons Corner draws 55,000 shoppers from around the region.  With these kinds of statistics, it may seem almost impossible to avoid traffic and vehicular congestion.

Tysons Corner has 46 million square feet (4.3 million m²) of office and retail space, making it an important business district in its own right and the classic example of an edge city.

Tysons Corner was one of the inspirations for, and figures prominently in, Joel Garreau‘s pioneering study of the edge city phenomenon.  Among the reasons for calling Tysons Corner an edge city is that, in contrast to typical “bedroom” suburbs, people commute into it in the morning and away from it at night, with a daytime population greater than 100,000 and a nighttime population of less than 20,000.^[9]  That has created a lot of traffic congestion, which local urban planners hope to mitigate by enticing more people to live there, and thus not have to get in their automobiles to get to work if they also can work there.  The planned extension of the Washington Metro via the new Silver Line into Tysons Corner will ease access for residents as well.  Planners envision up to 200,000 jobs and 100,000 residents in coming decades.

For more information on the vision of the Tysons of the future, visit http://www.fairfaxcounty.gov/tysons/.

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22101, 22102 Open Houses (McLean)

Saturday, December 3rd Open Houses                   

6903 Lupine Ln 1-4pm

1603 Kirby Rd 2-4pm

Sunday, December 4th Open Houses

8445 Portland Pl 10am-5pm

8909 Brook Rd 12-5pm

1519 Pathfinder Ln 1-4pm

871 Centrillion Dr 1-4pm

1201 Old Stable Rd 1-4pm

6405 Old Dominion Dr 1-4pm

6004 Woodley Rd 1-4pm

734 Lawton St 1-4pm

7307 Hooking Rd 1-4pm

6302 Kensington St 1-4pm

1731 Melbourne Dr 1-4pm

1492 Hampton Hill Cir 1-4pm

1497 Teague Dr 1-4pm

7207 Farm Meadow Ct 1-4pm

6547 Old Chesterbrook Rd 1-4pm

1959 Rockingham St 1-4pm

6507 Old Chesterbrook Rd 1-4pm

7337 Lewinsville Park Ct 1-4pm

1808 Lansing Ct 1-4pm

848 Saigon Rd 1-4pm

6901 Benjamin St 1-4pm

This year, 2011, from January 1st through May 10th (today), there have been 1 property sold in the Courthouse Station Townhomes.  So the pace of real estate in this Tysons Corner Community (Vienna zip code 22182), is slower than that of last year, where there were 5 sales in the same time period.  Last year the properties were coming off the market at a much quicker pace as well, as they averaged 11 days on market in the Courthouse Station Townhomes before taking a contract.  This year, 2011, the average days on market in the Courthouse Station Townhomes is at 126 days.

Of the home sold in the Courthouse Station Townhomes this year, it was a 3 bedroom, 3 baths.  The average price of this 3 bedrooms was $578,000.  The unit sold was the Colonial model.

Currently in the Courthouse Station Townhomes there are no homes under contract.

Actively on the market in the Courthouse Station Townhomes there are 0 homes for sale.

For more information on this Tysons Corner Community, or other local real estate = please feel free to contact Jeff Wu = Jeff@AgentKnowsHomes.com, Your Tysons Corner Real Estate Specialist.

Data from MRIS

Property Sold in Courthouse Station Townhomes

Follow this link for the most accurate market information regarding Tysons Corner, Virginia provided by Zillow.   http://www.zillow.com/local-info/VA-Tysons-Corner/r_248061/

Jeff Wu
Century 21, New Millennium
571-248-1110
240-994-7938
Jeff@AgentKnowsHomes.com
www.AgentKnowsHomes.com

 Banks are getting very cautious about home mortgage loans these days — right up to the closing date. Even consumers with good credit and plenty of cash may find themselves out on the sidewalk if any of these last-minute mortgage loan application snafus pop up.

To make sure you’re on the right end of a mortgage closing, follow these pieces of advice:

Prepare for a last-minute credit check. This is related to point #1, but with a twist. With new rules initiated by Fannie Mae’s (Stock Quote: FNM) loan quality initiative, which went into effect June 1, banks and lenders will likely make a second credit check right before closing. So, if you miss any credit card payments or are late on a mortgage payment between the time you were approved for a mortgage and the actual closing date, you may be putting your new home purchase in jeopardy. Even applying for a new credit card can trigger a credit score inquiry, which could reduce your credit score and threaten your home loan.

Don’t make any big career changes. Lenders also weigh your salary and job stability when evaluating home loans. So any career move you make could potentially jeopardize your home mortgage loan. At worst, the bank could pull the loan. At best, they could delay the process until you demonstrate your new job is a stable one that guarantees you’ll have the financial resources to pay off your mortgage debt. That’s especially true if you change industries.

Watch out for closing cost surprises. Some homeowners put every last penny into their home mortgage down payment, and don’t leave enough to pay for closing costs. That could be a big mistake. Closing costs can be as much as 3% on the cost of a new home — that’s $6,000 for a $200,000 property. Worse, closing costs are dynamic and can change all the time. If you don’t have cash set aside to pay more for mortgage rate points or on closing fees than you were anticipating, you could lose the home.

Avoid any major purchases before closing your mortgage loan. Some homebuyers think (mistakenly so) that just because they have a mortgage deal all lined up, that the deal is done. Not so. Banks have been known to pull mortgages when the homebuyer buys a new car or makes another major purchase. To banks, such purchases suggest more debt for the homebuyer, and more risk for the banks. Avoid any big-ticket items until after you’ve signed on the dotted line. That goes even for cash deals. Banks also check out your cash reserves when they approve a loan.

For help on better understanding home mortgage costs, check out this guide from the Federal Reserve

Or contact:

Jeff Wu
Century 21, New Millenium
571-248-1110
240-994-7938
Jeff@AgentKnowsHomes.com
www.AgentKnowsHomes.com

 The biggest difference between a condo and a house is that a condo usually has less square footage. Therefore, when you decorate a condo, think about how to make the space seem bigger. Most condos have one “great room” rather than a separate living room and family room. This room is often rather small, even though the name of the room indicates otherwise. To make the room seem bigger, try installing some mirrors on the walls. If you can install a mirror opposite a window, the mirror will reflect the window and bring more light into the room, making it feel larger and brighter. A mirror over a fireplace also has the same effect. In any small room, not just the great room, limit window treatments to very light, sheer curtains or even nothing at all. Instead, hang a blind that can be pulled up, and install molding around the window to frame it. Painting the walls in a light, neutral color and the ceiling one shade lighter also will open up any small room.

Make it Unique use some unusual decorating techniques to make your condo stand out from the others in your building. One of the easiest ways to do this is to use ceiling molding, wainscoting and chair rails on the walls. Install wainscoting a third of the way up the wall, top it off with a chair rail and then paint the area above it. Then, install molding around the edges where the walls meet the ceiling. Alternately, choose one wall and wallpaper it with a light-colored but sophisticated print. If you know a carpenter or are handy with wood, build yourself some built-in bookshelves around a fireplace or doorway, then paint them to match the wall.

Victorian style is a very popular style used in a lot of homes but isn’t commonly used in condos. Decorating your condo in a Victorian style would make your condos stand out from the rest. To create a Victorian style condo try adding dark reds and grays similar to the Victorian time. You also need to consider the home décor aspect of it and the furniture. For your decoration you can use paintings and pictures from the Victorian times as well as antique vases. Before attempting this design make sure you have a large room because all the darker colors and big furniture can make a room seem a lot smaller than it is.

Fung Shui is another great decorating idea for your condo. If you choose to decorate your condo Fung Shui style make sure that you concentrate on blending light and dark colors. Make sure all your furniture faces east because this is supposed to bring you good karma. Things like a bonsai tree or a waterfall will make your condo a hit with all your guests. This design plan should make your condo feel a lot more open and subsequently larger. Make sure that your condo isn’t really big or else this design will make your condo seem vast and empty.

 For more creative ways to decorate your condo, contact

Jeff Wu
Century 21, New Millenium
571-248-1110
240-994-7938
Jeff@AgentKnowsHomes.com
www.AgentKnowsHomes.com

The time has never been better to buy a bank-owned home. They’re available, they’re cheap and banks are more likely to assist with financing. Your job? To do your homework and make sure the deal is worth the effort.

Where to get started? How about right here, with these tips!

Lay the groundwork. Don’t go into a bank-owned home purchase scenario with blinders on. Sure, banks want to get such homes off of their books, but they are, after all, banks, and won’t just give them away. Banks have been known to trigger bidding wars for bank-owned homes, which they can do now because of an increased demand for cheaper homes.

Know what the deal will be. Buying a bank-owned home isn’t the same animal as buying a home from a private seller. That’s primarily because banks have better lawyers than private sellers. Consequently, expect your new home contract to include untraditional home-buying stipulations, like buying the home “as is” or making you pay for the seller’s costs. Your plan of action? Hire your own lawyer who can navigate – and negotiate – the fine print.

Watch out for a “contingency” trap. With bank-owned purchases, buyers may have to agree to accept an appraisal contingency. In plain English, that means you better have a good handle on your bid for the home. The appraisal contingency is usually standard for bank-owned home contracts. If, for example, you commit to a bid of $240,000 for the home, but the appraisal comes in at $200,000, guess which price you’ll pay? And the only way out is to give up your original deposit and walk away from the deal.

Bring your contractor. One way around the contingency trap is to bring your own seasoned home contractor along with you to inspect the home. Obvious damage may be disclosed by the bank before a sale. But under-the-surface issues that could negatively impact the value of the home – like the absence of a French trench drain to thwart chronic flooding – may not grab your attention.

Bid low – but not too low. The prices for bank-owned homes are low enough that you likely won’t be the only bidder for a home. As a result, you want to bid low, but not so low that other parties will easily trump your bid. Your best bet? Find out the market value of homes in the neighborhood (using real estate value Web sites like Zillow.com or RealtyTrac.com), and then target your bid at 20% below the market value figure.

Other key tips include making sure you’re pre-approved (bank-owned homes tend to move fast) for a loan, working with a realtor experienced in bank-owned homes and planning for a quick inspection turnaround (it could be seven days instead of the usual two-to-three weeks).

Make no mistake. There are plenty of good bank-owned home deals on the market right now. But know that the rules are different with banks so prepare to expect the unexpected.

Above all, play to win. Because that’s exactly what the bank will do.

For additional information please contact:

Jeff Wu
Century 21, New Millenium
571-248-1110
240-994-7938
Jeff@AgentKnowsHomes.com
www.AgentKnowsHomes.com

In this current economic climate, homeowners may not be able to completely renovate their abode all at once. They still, however, need to make sure that their house remains in good condition and get the most they can out of their home improvement budget. This means that a practical homeowner has to do some prioritizing.

Once you decide to take the remodeling plunge there are several steps you must take in order to prepare an appropriate budget for the project. Your main objective is to determine an amount that does not strain your current and future financial resources but also provides enough funds to accomplish the primary alterations you need to make to your house.

Here are a few tips that make a little dough go along way!

□ You can give your kitchen a fresh new look by painting the cabinets or adding new cabinet door knobs is one idea. Add a chair guard rail to the wall, or a line of border across a wall. Simply replacing hand towels and oven mitts, adding a table runner or center piece to the dining table also makes a difference in the appearance of the kitchen.

□ Modernize Bathroom Accessories – the bathroom is one of the most important rooms to keep up to date. Making sure your bathroom is easily accessible and comfortable for your family is a great way to improve your home. Some practical changes might include installing an easy-to-hold door handle and cabinet hardware, a grab bar in the bathtub, or shower accessories that come with a hand-held shower head.

□ Painting – fresh paint in any room is a relatively inexpensive way to give your home a new look. Don’t shy away from some of the bolder colors; these will add a lot of life to whatever area you’re painting.

□ Adding house numbers, planting a few flowers or shrubs, and painting trim around doors and windows are inexpensive changes that will make a difference. Check for and replace rotted wood on railings, steps, and window and door trims. Replace the porch light with an updated fixture. Repair damaged walkways. Remove or replace missing or damaged shutters.

□ Your Home’s Energy Efficiency – if you want to make improvements that will give you some significant returns, improving your home’s energy efficiency with an updated water heater, new energy-efficient furnace, or new windows for better insulation is your best bet.

□ Curb Appeal – to improve the look of your home, think “outside the box” – the box being your home! Think about adding trees, shrubs, and flowers to the front of your home when spring rolls around, which it surely will soon! This will give your friends and neighbors a great first impression and be a great lift after the long winter.

For additional information on how to remodel on a budget, contact

Jeff Wu
Century 21, New Millennium
571-248-1110
240-994-7938
Jeff@AgentKnowsHomes.com
www.AgentKnowsHomes.com

1. Security – Comes hand in hand with Privacy, Is there a security system in the building complex and in the unit, is it properly lit at night Is the unit or building secure and have ample security to deter criminals?

2. Design and Layout – check the design of the unit and the layout of the floor plan such as rooms, doors, windows. Is the unit in the direct path of the sun? If that’s the case you should consider that in summertime you may spend a bit more energy and money for airconditioning.

3. Amenities – Every building has amenities that are widely available to residents, such as a pool, a hot tub and community room. And always check and ask the building management if there are fees for usage and maintenance of these said amenities.

4. Parking – Which is near an elevator, stairs, or close to your unit. And is properly lit.

5. Noise – from both inside and outside sources visit the unit you want to buy at different times because there are times when it so peaceful but check it at weekends or during rush-hour period to see if the noise is bearable or not.

6. Privacy – We all want our privacy and we must find the perfect unit to help maintain our privacy, check the unit decks and patios to make sure your safe from prying eyes and such.

For additional information on the mistakes to avoid when inspecting your condo, contact

Jeff Wu
Century 21, New Millenium
571-248-1110
240-994-7938
Jeff@AgentKnowsHomes.com
www.AgentKnowsHomes.com