Question for real estate owners: Would you Mr. and Mrs. Buyer purchase a home with asbestos that is "friable" or not properly wrapped on pipes? I am not really sure that seller's in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Suffolk, and other Hampton Roads communities understand the potential danger and "fear" that buyers may have when considering homes that have asbestos especially those where it has deteriorated and become potentially "airborne". "Friable Asbestos" can be defined as: When asbestos is crushed it disperses a dusting of microscopic fibers in the air that can remain for very long periods of time. These fibers can be unknowingly inhaled and permanently lodged in lung and other body tissues, yet symptoms might not appear for 20 years or more. Inhaling the fibers has been linked ... 10/28/2009

How's the Real Estate Market in YOUR Virginia Beach or Hampton Roads area? All the market trend charts on this page are 'live' Bookmark this page to watch the market change each week. Want more details? Subscribe to my Real-Time Market Report. It's all about what's going on right now in Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads Real Estate and it's free! Local Real Estate Market Reports Real Estate is a LOCAL Business - YOUR Local Real Estate Market is the One That Matters Get the Market Details Reports that Actually Show YOU What's Happening Locally in Virginia Beach and Hampton Roads! Our Reports break community data down by zip code - so you know what's happening on your side of town. Our Reports break the median home price into quartiles - so you know what's happening in your price range. Ou... 10/28/2009

City Council today voted to give homes with Chinese drywall tax relief in Virginia Beach.  The homes will basically be valued at $100 and the homeowner will pay taxes on the land.  So far just 15 homes in  Highland Parrish are affected.   Chinese drywall has been associated with multiple problems including deteriating wiring, airconditioning coils and affecting the health of the occupants.  Not much is being done to help the homeowners so I think every little bit helps.  Insurance companies are not taking on homes with the problem or canceling the policies outright.  Builders are long gone, warranties are no good because it is a pre-existing condition and it is difficult to identify the product once it is installed. http://www.geneallen.com Come and see ALL the Homes for Sale in Virgini... 10/27/2009

What are the 3 most famous words in Virginia Beach Real Estate - location, location, location and the Sanctuary Condos at Sandbridge are no exception for the long range real estate believer. Sandbridge is populated with hundreds of detached homes that flank both the Atlantic ocean and the Back Bay. Although Sandbridge is isolated from most of the urban sprawl, it is close to shopping at Red Mill Commons, numerous restaurants, and one of the most sought out school districts (Kellam) in the city of Virginia Beach. Mostly rentals, but some locals live year round what continues to be "the best kept real estate secret in Virginia Beach and Southeast Virginia". The condos at the Sanctuary number over 200 units with many being rental properties during the summer. The setting for this developme... 10/26/2009

Get Square Virginia (edit/delete) Get Square Virginia.  What a title.  I was just reading about about a program that may help some of the residents of Virginia Beach.  It a new tax amnesty program that runs during Fiscal Year 2010.  It is called "Get Square VA" and establishes a 60-day period during which, with certain exceptions, taxpayers who have an outstanding bill or delinquent return for any tax administered by the Virginia Department of Taxation ("TAX") may receive amnesty. Get Square VA allows the taxpayer to pay only the tax due and half the interest on eligible outstanding bills and delinquent returns; the remaining interest and penalties will be waived.  Go here Get Square VA for more details.  If you want to see how facebook can be used take a gander at the Face Book Page fo... 10/26/2009

I was in my yard in Glenwood the other day taking in the sights and thought I would share some of the last flowers of summer even though it is the middle of Oct.  Virginia Beach is a wonderful place to live, especially for the weather.                          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   10/24/2009

The Virginia Beach real estate market continues to show signs of improvement.  Recent trendsshow that inventory is declining, pending & closed sales are increasing.  In Tidewater, we considera healthy market to havea 6 month supply of homes, and we have just over that when factoring in pending sales.  When we exclude these pending sales, we are looking at a 7 month supply of homes! High end homes in Virginia Beach are selling!   These are homes with 3000+ sq ft & priced over $500K. The last sixty days really tells the story.  High end homes in Virginia beach are showing similar trends as the lower priced homes, those priced between 200K and 300K, that is a steady upward increase in sales and pending homes.  In the last 60 days homes priced over $500K are showing the following trends: 69... 10/23/2009

There are many more great reasons to make Virginia Beach your home and a wonderful place to own real estate. 1. Location, location, location - the most famous words in real estate. Virginia Beach has that and much more. 2. Schools........What do parents want for their children - good schools. See school "report cards"and why Virginia Beach has some of the best. 3. Virginia Beach's Atlantic Ocean - in its beauty. 4. Sandbridge Beach - One of the best kept secrets. See the neighborhood. 5. The Chesapeake Bay and all its beauty. 6. Virginia Beach Restaurant Guide. 7. Virginia Beach Weather -Mild winters, nice summers. 8. The Museums - So many great ones 9. The Virginia Aquarium at the Beach - This is a must see. 10. Back Bay in Virginia Beach - A wildlife refuge. 11. Pungo Stra... 10/21/2009

What to Keep Where! Important documents are just that... IMPORTANT!   They need to be safeguarded... Here is a simple list I collected together for your to print and use! Grab-and-Go Case Will and/or trust documents Powers of attorney Insurance policies Contact list Investment statements Tax returns Copies of birth/marriage certificates Social Security cards Passports and other identification docs List of prescriptions you take Emergency cash Safe combination Safe-deposit box keys Copy of driver's license Computer user names and passwords List of checking/saving account numbers List of credit card numbers and info Safe-Deposit Box Copies of will and/or trust Copies of powers of attorney List of insurance policies List financial account numbers Family birth, marriage and death certifica... 10/20/2009

We invite you to visit the best online Real Estate School in  Virginia.  Our  Virginia Real Estate Courses are fully accredited and approved.  The Rowlett Career School is the leading online Real Estate School  in  Virginia.  We offer the best prices for OK online real estate courses available.  Licensed Instructors are available to assist you with your   Virginia Real Estate course and  Virginia real estate license.  http://www.rowlettcareerschool.com/va-virginia.htm The secret to passing the   Virginia real estate license exam is in knowing exactly what is most important to the regulators and knowing the right information to pass the exam. Our first time passing rates meet or exceed any other provider including in-class instruction. http://www.rowlettcareerschool.com/va-virginia.htm ... 10/20/2009

Tired of looking for a great deal in short sales and finding that you are wasting your valuable time?  If you are a pre-approved home buyer looking for a home in Virginia Beach I have a an opportunity you need to know about.  This home is located in Virginia Beaches Foxfire neighborhood ... this is a spacious 3 bedroom, town home listed at $244,900!  Located at 2629 Bracston Rd, Virginia Beach, Va. 23456 What makes this home special?  Besides the fact that it has high ceilings, no association, a garage and drive way you will be located only minutes from the Virginia Beach Ocean Front, 3 golf courses including the Arnold Palmer and the Herdon Ridge Golf Club.  With almost 1800 Sq ft, this home has plenty of room for all your needs.  Plenty of closet space, and generous sized rooms, you a... 10/19/2009

58.5 months in Hampton Roads is the average time it will take to sell your $1,000,000 plus home.  There are over 395 homes in that price range currently on the market.  I didn't know we even had that many million dollar plus homes in the area.  For those of you who have a more modest $215,000 to $509,285 house you only have an average of 9.8 months to wait.  For the lucky guys who are sitting on homes for less then $215,00 the average wait is only 7.8 months.  Of course statistics can make the market seem worse then it is.  Many of the homes sitting on the market and making the market time longer are bank owned properties and short sales.  With buyers looking to get the $8,000 tax credit before it goes away the end of November they are bypassing those properties and buying properties th... 10/18/2009

The time is now Mr. and Mrs. Seller, set the market or continue to chase it, and at what cost. The first time home buyer 8000 tax credit expires on Nov. 30, 2009 and most transactions take 30-60 days to close. Buyers will have to find and negotiate on a house by the end of October to leave a reasonable assurance of closing prior to the expiration date. Banks do not have concern over the deadlines when dealing with REOs, so they are unlikely to consider November 30th at all even though the buyers will.  Buyers making offers on short sales risk missing the tax credit if the answer from the seller's lender takes too long or is rejected. In the coming weeks buyers will find that the only option they have available to them has been the one who has been ready and waiting, known as "Mr. and M... 10/12/2009

Does an open house actually produce a buyer for the home open to the public? Some sellers feel their agent isn't working very hard if they don't do open houses. Opening your home to the public comes with many strings attached. First, you are allowing any and everyone through your home without the ability to verify that they are a qualified buyer. We find all too often, the top attendees are the neighbors checking out their competition. The third and greatest concern is that of safety. I have to confess, I was a victim of an open house scam at a Model in Chesapeake some years back. A large group of individuals came in and were asking me tons of questions. They had me running every which way. While I was upstairs the perpetrators removed a microwave range hood from the kitchen leaving the... 10/12/2009

On Saturday, October 17th 8pm until midnight, the Virginia Aquarium is presenting Commotion in the Ocean. Enjoy live music, adult beverages, a silent auction, live music, dancing and delicious food. Proceeds from this wonderful evening, will help to fund a permanent interactive children’s learning gallery at the Virginia Aquarium. Tickets are $75 per person.  Black tie preferred.  Sponsorships and tables seating 10 are available. For more information call (757) 385-0261.  The Virginia Aquarium is located at 717 General Booth Blvd. in Virginia Beach.  Visit them on the web at www.virginiaaquarium.com 10/11/2009

It is never to dark in Virginia Beach to take a picture.  I like taking pictures of the sun as it is coming up and in the evenings.  This is a picture of a lake on the Honey Bee Golf Course in the Glenwood section of Virginia Beach.  Often I get a good sky but the ground is dark.  This is mostly because of the limitations of my camera (Panasonic DMC FZ 18).  It just can't get all the lightness and darkness in at the same levels.  That is where Photo Shop Elements (PE) comes in.  What I did was take my shot and then went into PE and increased the the dark levels to where they were more in line with the light levels.  Some people think a dark shot is wasted but often there is enough detail that you can bring it up in PE.  To me a light shot is wasted because once you blow out a highlight ... 10/11/2009

I have done several posts on my camera, a Panasonic DMC-FZ18 (newest model is a DMC-FZ38), but not for a while.  For those of you who don't know what it is, it is a bridge camera.  Somewhere between a Point and Shoot and a full fledged DSLR.  The lens goes from a 28mm to it seems like a forever over 800 mm.  To show you what it can do here are a few pictures.  This is at 28 mm in Virginia Beach at 40th St This is at full zoom looking down the boadwalk nine blocks away to King Neptune Look at how well the exposure is with the sun behind the building.  If you look at the bottom of the picture you can see the church steeple has good exposure also. Of course it takes awesome closeups (macros).  You can see its two eyes and the hair on its legs. And of course, once in a while I have to do my... 10/05/2009

Virginia Beach is full of Active Duty and Retired military personal mainly from NAS Oceana and Dam Neck Naval Base.  What does the Veteran do when the house they own can not be sold for enough to pay off the existing mortgage?  One would expect to have a "short sale" but that is not what they are called.  For those Veterans, there is the VA Compromise Sale.  Like in conventional "short sales" there is a process to go through.  Don't check all the boxes and guess what, you get delayed.  Below are the steps to help the Veteran through the process.  1. Closing costs must be "reasonable and customary". 2. May only sell the home for Fair Market Value. 3. The Vet must have a valid financial hardship such as loss of income, relocation, death of breadwinner, etc. 4. No or little second mortgage... 10/04/2009

I am getting ready for halloween in Virginia Beach with the help of some friends.  This guy was just outside my front door and attached to the Crepe Myrtle.  He had spun a nice looking web and it would have been great as I would not have to have bought that cheap store stuff.  Unfortunately the wife didn't see it that way so I relocated him to the side of the house. 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 10/03/2009

  Remember, the clock is ticking for first time home buyers in Virginia Beach.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 included an enhanced First-Time Homebuyer Federal Tax Credit, a housing stimulus that provides a maximum tax credit of $8,000 for first-time home purchases. The credit expires November 30, and given the time it takes to find a home, secure financing and close on a property, potential buyers should act NOW.  Qualified first-time buyers must purchase and reside in the principal residence before December 1, 2009. Other eligibility requirements apply, including income limits, but individuals who exceed the limit may be eligible for a partial credit. Buyers should seek advice from a professional tax advisor for specific tax calculations. Since its inception earli... 10/03/2009