My New House

Today I purchased a new house.  A bat house that is.  It was hand made & I'm hoping it lasts a lifetime.

It was specifically designed for these little creatures:

You see, I have found out that bats are territorial.  If they are inhabiting your attic and the attic is sealed, they will stay on the property and infest another area.  The solution is to give them their own home.  The home should have no bottom and have shelving inside for the little critters to hand upside down and sleep during the day.  Bats are nocturnal.

There were two bat houses on our property when we purchased it years ago.  We didn't know what they were and we removed them.  Over time we noticed the bat guano falling from the venting to the attic on the outside.    It was time to take action.  

We are installing screens over the attic vents after dusk so we don't seal in the little critters.  And we hope they enjoy their new digs....

Have a great Friday!

If you'd like to buy or sell a home, call me today.  I will treat your transaction as if it were my own!

Carla Brooks

703-577-4960

brkslong@aol.com

Home Ownership: Yay or Nay?

Real Estate seems to be a popular topic of conversation in the United States.  One can go to the grocery store, coffee shop, parties, sports games and so forth and overhear people discussing their real estate plans.

The KCM blog has a feature on the Financial and Non Financial reasons to own a home.  Its worth reading so here is the link: Financial and Non-Financial Reasons for Home Ownership

Hope you enjoy the post.  If you'd like to buy or sell a home call me today.

                                            Carla Brooks
                                           703-577-4960
                                         brkslong@aol.com

Hunters Woods Village: New to the Market!

Open House: Sunday, March 23, 2013 1-4 pm

This lovely condominium is located off of Glade in Reston.  It has 2 bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms.  Remodeled and sparkling, you will not be disappointed. 

The kitchen has 42" cabinetry with granite countertops and small tiled backsplash.  The appliances are matching in white. And there is plenty of room for a table and chairs....

The living room is long and spacious, with a picturesque view of the balcony overlooking the  woods and creek outside.

So come visit this wonderful property and imagine the possiblities for yourself!

Address: 11835 Shire Court Unit 12 C in Reston


If you'd like to buy or sell a home, call me today!  We will work together to build your real estate dream...

                                                               Carla Brooks
                                                             703-577-4960
                                                           brkslong@aol.com

New Vienna Listing: Main level masterbedroom

Today, I am holding this property open.  It is a remodeled rambler with the bedrooms on the main (upper) level.  The master bedroom was originally two bedrooms, the sellers preferred a large master bedroom so they removed the wall between the two bedrooms.  This configuration could be reversed by the buyer of the home.

The main level has a gourmet kitchen with wine bar and distinctive granite countertops (above),
 a living/dining room, and solarium and family room with wood burning fireplace.

Here is a photo of the remodeled hall bathroom:

The home has an attached two car garage.

The lower level of the home is quite spacious with two "bonus" rooms that have closet space.  There is a large recreation room, laundry area and full bathroom on the lower level as well.

The yard is professionally landscaped with new concrete driveway and walkway.

The address of this property is : 2231 Richelieu Drive and it is open from 1-4.

Hope to see you there!

                                       Carla Brooks
                                       703-577-4960
                                    brkslong@aol.com

Where People Are Moving To and From

Ever wonder where people that move to Northern Virginia are moving from?  Or Vice Versa?

The KCM Blog has a nice post on this subject that is worth reading.  On display is a colorful map detailing which states are growing, shrinking and staying the same.

click here to ready the post:  Keeping Matters Current

If you'd like to buy or sell a home call me today, I will treat your transaction as if it were my own.

                                                                    Best,

                                                           Carla Brooks
                                                          703-577-4960
                                                        brkslong@aol.com

Sellers: Seize the moment!

Currently, the National Association of Realtors is recognizing very low inventory on the market.  This trend is pushing sales prices upwards.  For any one in the market to sell their home, this is good news.

Some homeowners have adopted a "wait and see" attitude with the real estate market.   Would be sellers have sat on the fence hoping for a complete rebound in peak pricing from 2005-2007 ish.

While sales prices have not totally rebounded from peak pricing years ago, the Northern Virginia real estate market has a history of consistent  sales and pricing in 2012.  Steady sales are expected to continue through 2013.

If you'd like to sell your home, call me today,  I will treat your transaction as if it were my own.

                                              Carla Brooks
                                              703-577-4960
                                           brkslong@aol.com

Do you have a Christmas Tree yet?

If you haven't yet purchased a Christmas Tree, The Optimist Club of Greater Vienna is selling fraser firs in the Giant Food parking lot on Maple Avenue in Vienna.

All the proceeds from this sale go back to the community in the form of college scholarships for seniors, financial assistance to local sports teams for equipment and so forth, awards for the elementary schools and their respective projects, awards for local law enforcement programs, hearing impaired essay contest winner awards and so much more!

All the trees are fraser firs from North Carolina I believe.  They are beautiful.  They each have a hole drilled in the bottom and are placed on spikes on the stands in the lot so you can see the shape of the tree.

The Optimist Club members that are working the tree lot will trim the branches on the tree for you and give the bottom a fresh clip with the chain saw.  A fresh cut will allow the tree to absorb more moisture and you must get that tree in water within an hour of the fresh cut.  Stands with spikes are available to purchase (small and medium).

 These stands are so handy for the tree--no awkward screwing in the three bolts that secure the tree on most stands sold in the stores.  Simply lay the tree on its side and insert the spike into the hole in the bottom and tilt the tree to stand up position--so easy!




I purchased my tree on Monday night and its halfway decorated--going with a gold and silver theme this year:)  My family room is small so I chose one of the pink tag trees ($45) not too tall and very slim.

Hope you have a great holiday season!

If you'd like to buy or sell a home call me today, I will treat your transaction as if it were my own!


                                                 Carla Brooks
                                                 703-577-4960
                                               brkslong@aol.com