Hey folks, check out this video tour we did of the completed renovation at Bristol Court in Woodbridge, VA. We’re planning on doing one of these for each of our projects from now on, so stay tuned for more drastic transformations! This was our first real attempt at a video tour, and we’re looking to continue improving the quality and usefulness of upcoming videos. So let us know what you think. Are there any details that you wish we focused more on? Is there something else you would have liked to see? The neighborhood, perhaps? View from the front door? Let us know what you think!

To see just how dramatic the transformation was from “trash to treasure,” check out the Before pictures posted earlier: 3391 Bristol Court.

This home has been sold to a wonderful family, but we are always working on something new. If you’re looking to purchase a home in our service area of Northern VA, MD, and DC, let us know and we’ll help you find just what you’re looking for.

Thanks to everyone who came out to our open house in Fredericksburg to see the results of all our hard work. We received many compliments on all the design changes made to the house, which made it bright, open and modern.

We also got a lot of positive feedback about the benefits of doing a preview open house instead of a traditional open house. With a preview event, all major work has been completed but the finishing touches–such as paint colors, carpet colors, and appliance models– are undone, which gives potential buyers the ability to customize their home so they don’t have to change anything after moving in. And one lucky family is doing just that!

Here are some photos from the open house:

We’ll be holding a special preview/open house at 225 Colebrook Road in Fredericksburg, VA  for those who’ve expressed early interest in this great property.

Saturday 9/19 from 1-4 pm
Sunday 9/20 from 1-4 pm

If you would like to be a part of this special event and be one of the few to get a sneak preview at this fantastic fully-renovated brick rambler, email us at deals@prsproperties.com.

Thanks, and we look forward to seeing you there!

Front Walkway and Entry

I just can’t help but brag about the amazing transformation going on at Colebrook Road. Take a look at how the unfinished basement looked before we started:

And take a look at this progress photo of our finished basement!

Even the darkest, dingiest spaces have potential if you know how to look at things!

We are making great progress on our full renovation of 225 Colebrook Road in Fredericksburg, VA. And I do mean FULL renovation: from completely tearing out all of the old, worn out interior to changing the layout to now starting to add all the luxury details. Let us know what you think!

We would be happy to give you a tour of the house before we open it to the public. If you’re interested, just email us at deals@prsproperties.com or give us a call at (703) 378-7466.

I recently found a notice that The National Association of Realtors put out regarding using the $8000 first-time homebuyer tax credit for a down payment or closing costs on a FHA-insured mortgage.

According to the notice, 11 states — including Virginia — offer this program. For more information, visit www.realtor.org/government_affairs.

If anyone out there has used, or tried to use, this option, please comment or write us so we can share your experience.

I’m not an accountant, mortgage broker, attorney or any other type of financial advisor. I just saw this info and wanted to share it. If you want to take advantage of this option, you should get professional help–maybe start by asking your mortgage broker.

As I have written in the past, the lure of buying a junker bank-owned property and fixing it up yourself to save money can be both exhilarating and crushing–sometimes all at the same time!

Here is an example of how easy it is to entangle yourself in all the many elements of a renovation. These are all changes we’ve made to one of our current properties. No doubt the future buyer will be ecstatic about all of the lovely changes and updates we’ve made…but before you buy a fixer upper, ask yourself whether this is something you can handle on your own. If so, more power to ya! If not, why don’t you give us a call to see what already-renovated properties we might have available.

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Having a large room available in the house at 255 Colebrook Road, we decided to create a spacious second master suite, complete with a luxury bathroom and big double-headed shower.

After our personal experiences dealing with elderly family members, we decided to go the extra mile to make the whole suite handicapped accessible. We created a shower that has no step-over threshold. In the event a buyer or family member is in a wheelchair or requires a walker, they won’t have to worry about rolling or stepping over the threshold to get into the shower. For future needs, there is wood blocking installed in the framing of the walls for hand rails and a shower seat.

Having wheeled many a stretcher into homes during my long career in the fire department, we decided to install 36-inch wide doors to the master bedroom and bath in the event the suite will be used for an elderly or infirm resident. You’ve got to start thinking about these things as you get older, or reach the age when you find yourself caring for aging parents.

This foresight adds a bit more time and effort up front of course, but we know how much of a difference it can make to someone’s quality of life in the future, which makes it a no-brainer!

FYI:

The eligibility deadline for the $8000 first-time homebuyer tax credit is DECEMBER 1ST not DECEMBER 31ST!! I don’t know why they didn’t just make it the end of the year, but I have a feeling this is going to trip a lot of people up.

To take advantage of this great opportunity, you must be a first-time homebuyer and purchase a primary residence before December 1st!

For more information about this tax credit, visit http://www.federalhousingtaxcredit.com/2009/index.html.

We’ve also created a handy dandy countdown clock to keep tabs on the time running out (on the side bar to the right).

If you are looking to purchase a home for the first time, you only have about 3 more months to take advantage of this program. Don’t miss out!

The joy of riding a train from Connecticut to Washington, DC is that I have time to write. I only wish my fingers could go as fast as Amtrack on those those straightaways!

I have a little more to share about a challenge we faced during one of our current renovations. Whether you are looking to buy a home or you are renovating an older home yourself, you are likely to run into something like this.

The Oddities of Prior Renovations

Many houses are renovated little by little over the years–an addition here, closing in a porch there, knocking out walls to combine rooms or building walls to divide them, another addition years later…often resulting in an odd, higgeldy-piggeldy layout. We ran into just such a challenge with this renovation, and it nearly had me pulling out what is left of my hair! Hopefully you can benefit from our experience.

The home had an original carport that had been enclosed many years ago. Unfortunately, when they built the floor at that time, they dropped it lower than the rest of the house’s floor level.

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