Happy 4th of July to everyone!  Have a safe and STELLAR weekend.           Here are some STELLAR local events where you can celebrate the day:   Stars and Stripes Explosion- fireworks at 9:30 as well as music- Virginia Beach Oceanfront.  491-7866  BEACH STREET USA   4th of July Great American Picnic- fireworks 9:30 and music at 6pm and 8pm other fun events from 5-10pm. Town Point Park, Waterside Dr, Norfolk. 441-2345   Norfolk Fest Events   Stars and Stripes Spectacular- fireworks 9:00pm as well as music and food starting at 5:00pm  Constant's Wharf  Park and Marina, 110 E Constance Rd, Suffolk. 514-7250.   4th of July Stars in the Sky- fireworks 9:45pm music by U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Band at 6:15pm  Victory Landing Park, 23rd Street at the James River, Newport News. 92... 07/04/2008

Chesapeake Real Estate Market Report A modest gain in the level of home sales is possible over the next couple months, and an improvement is forecast for the second half of this year as more buyers are able to access affordable mortgages, according to the latest forecast by the National Association of Realtors®. The Pending Home Sales Index,* a forward-looking indicator based on contracts signed in April, rose 6.3 percent to 88.2 from a reading of 83.0 in March. It's the highest index since last October, but remains 13.1 percent lower than April 2007 when it stood at 101.5.Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist, said pending sales contracts have picked up notably in areas undergoing significant price drops. "Bargain hunters have entered the market en masse, especially in areas that have expe... 06/25/2008

I was setting up for a Brokers luncheon last week at West Chester Estates in Chesapeake when it happened. I tripped over the threshold and broke my left ankle. That hurt really bad and put me out of work for a while. My builder and broker are great. They are making due til I get back. So if you ask me if Brokers Luncheons work for business I would say no. 06/23/2008

Shareholders for Dollar Tree, which is head quartered in Chesapeake, recently voted to to reorganize the board of directors into a single group that would be elected on a yearly basis.  The vote is nonbinding but should send a message.  Hopefully the board will listen. http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google gene allen 06/21/2008

I wrote a blog the other day http://www.activerain.com/blogsview/544915/Smoke-In-The-Air about the fire in NC.  It has grown quite large.  Now there is a new fire in the Dismal Swamp area of Chesapeake.  It looks like they are trying to burn down my new home site at Westchester Estates.  I don't have any pictures of it as of yet.  The wind is pushing it southwest at the moment which is good for me.  Hopefully the rain makers will come along shortly and help the fire fighters out there. http://www.deniseallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google denise allen 06/12/2008

Oh my goodness.  First I broke my ankle at my site at Westchester Estates in Chesapeake and now smoke is chasing me into Virginia Beach.  It is affecting my lungs.  Where is the smoke coming from?  Apparently from North Carolina.  They now have the privilege of having the largest wildfire in the country.  It is in Hyde County and two others.  The hot dry weather does nothing to help stop the fire from spreading.  This is a view from the air. http://www.deniseallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google denise allen 06/10/2008

I saw a blog the other day on tankless water heaters and found some information I thought I would share as I do sale new homes in Chesapeake, VA.  I am going to have my builder look at them and see what he thinks.  We could promote them as "green houses" with a few more tweaks. Here is some info on tankless water heaters. They cost two to four times more than conventional heaters.  So if you are looking at $500 for a conventional system you may be looking at $1000 to $2000 for a tankless system.  Who's ever heard of them and how do you explain it to a buyer? They may be 8-14% more efficient then a coventional system. You may save $50 to $100 a year on your energy bill.  The faucets furthest away from the system may have lower than normal temperatures unless you have a thermostatically c... 05/26/2008

You work hard and don't know what to do after work?  Do what I do when I am not showing or listing homes  I jump in my Hybrid Camry and hop down to the local U pick strawberry field in Chesapeake, Va and enjoy some good berries.  Now is about the time the strawberries are at their peak and plentiful.  Check out Brookdale Farm at 721-0558,  Lilley Farms at 757-483-9880, Poor John's Farm at 757-484-7743 and of course Skipper Farms at 757-368-0355.   http://www.deniseallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search. Google denise allen 05/14/2008

We are thinking of using gas cards to entice prospects to come visit his homes in Westchester Estates in Chesapeake, Va.  What kind of advertising do you think would work best for this sort of idea and how would you tell if the buyer came in off that advertising or was just coming in anyway.   http://www.deniseallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.Google denise allen 05/06/2008

If you travel on George Washington highway in Chesapeake during rush hour then you know it can be a hassle at Willowood Rd.  It seems drivers like to drive in the right turn lane and then get back in the thru lane.  Well a year from now and about $4 million will fix that problem.  The city is acquring a right of way and then will make two thru lanes available in both directions.  Sounds like a plan.http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.Google geneallen 05/03/2008

Who are Chesapeake's' newest voters?  Why they are high school students.  The Women's Division of the Hampton Roads Chamber of Commerce conducted a three day drive in the Chesapeake Hight schools to register students to vote.  It seemed to work as hundreds of students signed up to vote.  Hopefully they will be as anxious to vote come Sept.http://www.denisesellschesapekae.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.Google denise allen 04/26/2008

Where does American Idol find the songs for the finalists.  "Align" is a song written by James Smithson and it is one of the 20 songs that can still be chosen to be sung by the finalists.  I'll check in later and see where the song ended up and let you know.http://www.genesellsvirginiabeach.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.Google gene allen 04/26/2008

Click Here To View Flyer View Flyer Web PageTina Merritt, Realtor, ePRO, GRI, ASR, QSC, AHWD in Hampton Roads, Virginia serving the cities of: Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, Suffolk, Portsmouth, Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson, Isle of Wight Couty and Northeast North Carolina. Long and Foster Oceanfront 317 30th Street, Virginia Beach, VA 23451. Office: 757.428.4600, Direct: 757.287.6338, Email: tina@tinamerritt.com, Web: www.tinamerritt.com, Blog: www.virginiablogging.com. Equal Housing Opportunity. 04/17/2008

Market Comment Mortgage bond prices rose slightly last week pushing mortgage interest rates lower. Most of the data showed signs the economy continued to struggle. Unfortunately the Fed minutes showed increased inflation concerns, which tempered any major improvements in mortgage interest rates. Stocks bounced up and down, which resulted in continued whipsaw trading in mortgage bonds. For the week, interest rates on government and conventional loans fell by about 1/8 to 1/4 of a discount point. The consumer price index data Wednesday will be the most important event this week. The potential for market volatility is high surrounding the other releases as the economy continues to struggle. 04/16/2008

 As you know gift cards are wonderful gifts.  What you may not know is that they can be worthless if not used.  Some business's have expiration dates and or maintenance fees on the cards.  Did you know that there was 97 billion dollars in gift card value in 2007?  I didn't.  Well here is a site you can go to check out your gift cards.  You do know where the gift cards are don't you?  Go to www.giftcardtracker.com  and check them out.   The site lets you check expiration policies as well as find out if there are any maintenance fees on the cards.  You can register your card while you are there.  We can thank Ken Hawkins in Chesapeake, Va for this wonderful site.http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Ha... 04/14/2008

Finally Chesapeake gets a new police chief.  His name is Kevin Webster and he is a 26 year veteran of the force right here in Chesapeake.  Yes he is home grown so to speak.  He is also the first black police chief and some say that couldn't have come to soon.  The local Fraternal Order of The Police and the Chesapeake Public Safety Alliance pushed to have someone within the department to be hired.  Chief Wright has some department issues to deal with and hopefully he will deal with them head on and smartly.http://www.deniseallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.Google deniseallen 04/08/2008

It looks like Chesapeake will have a higher tax assessment this year as will all the cities in the surrounding area.  Chesapeake overall tax increase will be 0.7%.  This is the smallest increase in years and the city is scrambling to deal with the fallout from a smaller tax increase.http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.Google gene allen  04/04/2008

   Oh my, not quite a gold rush but there seems to be a copper rush here in Chesapeake.  Copper is around $3.75 a pound.  That might not sound like much but when you can just go to your local new home site and pick up coils of it sitting around, it adds up fast.  Recently a young man was sentenced to jail time and ordered to pay Dominion Power back over $10,000 for restitution.  Cell towers are also a hot spot for thieves.  There is lots of wires and also copper grounding bars there for the picking.  The salvage yards are often the ones to call police as they get most of the copper that is stolen.  Something for criminals to keep in mind when going after Dominion Power as that often those facilities fall under federal guidelines.  When that happens the penalties are usually more severe.... 03/30/2008

A while back I wrote about the Greenbrier Church on Volvo Pkwy and their unauthorized skate park.  It seems they sunk $20,000 into a skate park but didn't think they needed a permit.  They did and they got one.  The Chesapeake City Park is close by but the churches will be much smaller and shouldn't take business away from the church.http://www.geneallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.Google gene allen  03/20/2008

Chesapeake Real Estate Assessor William Rice told city council that assessments will rise less than 1% this year.  That's the good news.  The bad news is that it will be more difficult to finance new projects.  In 2006 assessments increased an average of 28% and the tax rate was cut by 12 cents that year.  What a huge difference a year makes in real estate.http://www.deniseallen.com/  Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Norfolk, as well as the rest of Hampton Roads.  This site is updated daily with new real estate listings, pictures and other information vital to your home search.Google deniseallen 03/16/2008