Northern Virginia News
Georgetown Cupcake Scores BIG with ME!
November 12th, 2008 Categories: Area Attractions, Arlington Dirt, Falls Church Dirt, McLean Dirt, Northern Virginia News, Northern Virginia Real Estate Dirt, Reston Dirt
I got home last night after a long day and found that my family had gone on a little adventure to surprise me with one of my favorite treats – CUPCAKES! You see, The Washington Post recently ran an article proclaiming Georgetown Cupcakes Chocolate Ganache cupcake to be the local #1 cupcake! That day they had a huge spread in the paper and my daughter and I drooled over every picture putting them all in order that we’d like to try them. I’m a baker by hobby so I can appreciate all of the work put in and also what a difference fresh, natural ingredients makes to the end product!
So, back to last night - I got home to find an adorable bright pink box with a cool brown swirly sticker on it, sitting on the kitchen counter… oh my… it was filled with the most delicious looking cupcakes you’ve ever seen – not too big, not too small, not too fancy, not too weird… perfect in every way.
I sampled the mocha (chocolate bottom w/mocha frosting and a chocolate covered espresso bean) and finally settled on the Vanilla Squared (vanilla cupcake w/vanilla frosting - what a surprise!). I enjoyed every bite.
Georgetown Cupcakes hasn’t even been open a year and yet they sell between 3,000 and 4,000 cupcakes EACH DAY! Here’s the line my family stood in JUST FOR ME:
They bought a half dozen for $15 and I can’t wait to go home today to sample some more! They are well worth the 20 minute wait in line and the $2.50. It will now be a personal goal to sample each and every one - then I can report to you MY personal favorite. So STAY TUNED..
Meanwhile, if you’d like to discuss real estate (or cupcakes) feel free to call anytime. I look forward to hearing from you.
Jennifer
Serving all of your real estate needs in Arlington, McLean and the entire Northern Virginia Region!
Contact me today for a free home valuation or buyer counseling session! Fall is here!
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The Top 10 Reasons Northern Virginia is the BEST place on EARTH!
October 28th, 2008 Categories: Area Attractions, Local News, Northern Virginia Home Buying, Northern Virginia News, Northern Virginia Real Estate Dirt
I have had this post rolling around my head for weeks - trying to figure out the best way to put it out there… there’s so much depth behind EACH area that I think I need to publish them one at a time. I wanted to create my own list of why this area is so great for those of you who might be considering moving to the area whether it be a job, a new administration or whatever it is that might bring you here. So pull up a chair and sit for a while!
First some background… Other than the first 10 weeks of my life, which by the way, I have very little recollection of, I grew up here in Northern Virginia. Spent the first 5 years in Falls Church, then we moved to Reston. We lived there from 1st grade through 5th. Then we moved to McLean where we lived for the end of elementary school, all of middle and high school. My parents stayed in the area and I went off to Fredericksburg to the University of Mary Washington - not too far away! I then returned as a young adult, got my first place on my own, entered the job market and had a lot of fun living close to the city - oh, and did I mention having lots of fun?
After a few years, I left the area (followed a man, wouldn’t ya know) and moved to the San Francisco Bay area where we lived for 6 years, followed by a detour through the Atlanta area for 5 years and then, returned here to Northern Virginia because I believe it’s the BEST place on EARTH… So you see, I am actually highly qualified to write this post about our great community!
So now, without further ado, I offer you ONE of my TEN reasons why Northern Virginia is awesome!
PUBLIC SCHOOLS
Northern Virginia is home to some of the BEST, Top Tier public schools in the entire country. There are many places to go for quantitative information on Virginia Schools. The Virginia Department of Education website has a wealth of information on schools across the entire state. But one of my favorite sites is www.GreatSchools.net. It is the ONLY website I have ever run across that actually allows you to compare schools by test scores and also see other relevant information about the school.
According to Newsweek Magazine’s List of the Top 1,300 High Schools for 2008 article, the Northern Virginia region was home to 8 of the top 100 public high schools in the country!
There are many other reasons to love this area – so stay tuned as I bring them to you daily over the next 10 days!
Happy Tuesday!
Jennifer
Serving all of your real estate needs in Arlington, McLean and the entire Northern Virginia Region!
Contact me today for a free home valuation or buyer counseling session! Fall is here!
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High ~ Low - How HIGH or low can you go??
September 10th, 2008 Categories: Alexandria Dirt, Arlington Dirt, Falls Church Dirt, McLean Dirt, Neighborhoods, Northern Virginia News, Northern Virginia Real Estate Dirt, Reston Dirt
I thought it would be fun today to look at the incredible range of properties that are currently on the market. The format for today is high/low. Here’s how it works…
Arlington County Virginia
Today in Arlington County there are 795 active listings – they range from a LOW of:
$90,000 – 1br/1ba bank-owned property in “Arlington Heights” condominium complex. This property has been on the market for 126 days![GetMedia[1]](http://www.thearlingtondirt.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/getmedia1-small.jpg)
to a HIGH of:
$8,850,000 – 5br/5ba ~2 acres of riverfront property. This unique home is a 12,000 sq ft contemporary with spectacular views of the river that was originally listed for $9.5M and has been on the market for 607 days.
Fairfax County Virginia
Today in Fairfax County there are a whopping 6,021 properties for sale. They range from a LOW of:
$69,100 – 1br/1ba bank-owned property in Colchester Towne Condominium complex. This property has been on the market for 55 days.
to a HIGH of:
$16,500,000 – 6br/8ba (+5 powder rooms) country estate on 2.1 acres in Oakton. This property has 4 levels, 8 fireplaces and has just come on the market 2 days ago.
By the way, in Fairfax County there are 33 listings priced over $5 Million (21 of which are located in McLean, Virginia and 303 listings priced BELOW $150,000.)
Alexandria City, Virginia
Today in the City of Alexandria there are 728 active listings from a LOW of:
$89,900 – 2br/1ba bank-owned property in Saxony Square – this property has been on the market for 322 days.
to a HIGH of:
$3,500,000 – 4br/4ba townhome in Old Town – This is an historic mansion built in 1805 and has been on the market for 70 days.
Loudoun County Virginia
Today in Loudoun County there are 2,388 active listings. They range from a LOW of:
$74,900 – 1br/1ba bank-owned condo in Country Club Green condominium complex. This property has been on the market for 20 days.
to a HIGH of:
$7,500,000 – 7br/7ba Georgian home sited on 217 acres including a pool, large barn, sheds and other out-buildings. This home is in Bluemont and has been on the market for 138 days.
I find all of this information fascinating. Not only is it fun to imagine living in some of these super luxurious, high end homes, it’s just amazing at the variety of properties that are currently available for sale in our region. I do think it’s interesting to note that in every single case that I looked at today, the lowest priced property was bank owned; and if the days on market is any indication, they are NOT flying off the proverbial shelf. There are deals out there for those with a strong stomach!
If you’d like to see a mansion or a great deal, please don’t hesitate to pick up the phone and give me a call. I’m game for either end of the spectrum or anywhere in between!
Happy Wednesday
Jennifer
Serving all of your real estate needs in Arlington, McLean and the entire Northern Virginia Region!
Contact me today for a free home valuation or buyer counseling session! Fall is here!
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Keller Who?
January 25th, 2008 Categories: Alexandria Dirt, Arlington Dirt, McLean Dirt, Northern Virginia Home Buying, Northern Virginia Home Selling, Northern Virginia News, Northern Virginia Real Estate Dirt, Reston Dirt
Keller Williams – the BEST real estate company in the world, just my humble opinion. Many people in the DC area are not familiar with Keller Williams - so let me introduce you.
Gary Keller and Joe Williams began Keller Williams in Austin Texas in 1983 – yes, 1983. Today, Keller Williams is the 4th Largest residential real estate franchise in the country with nearly 75,000 agents worldwide with a sales volume of over $94 BILLION dollars.
Keller Williams encourages agents to see their business AS A BUSINESS - not a job. We are uniquely innovative in our approach! There are many systems and programs in place to help the agents become successful business people, thus raising the standards that we can provide to our clients. We’re committed to education, training, and quality of life. Never before have I felt my real estate brokerage was so vested in my personal success as I do now.
I am so very proud to be a part of this organization! So the next time you think real estate, think Jennifer Klaussen – I bring the knowledge, expertise and personality to the table to ensure that you have a successful transaction. I happen to have a great brokerage firm behind me and that means a lot!
Happy Friday!
Jennifer Klaussen, Keller Williams Arlington
Proudly serving all of your real estate needs in Arlington, McLean and the entire Northern Virginia Region!
Contact me today for a free home valuation or buyer consultation! Spring is right around the corner and I have all of the tools to help you buy and sell successfully in this market!
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FALL BACK… DON’T FORGET
November 3rd, 2007 Categories: Alexandria Dirt, Arlington Dirt, Falls Church Dirt, McLean Dirt, Northern Virginia News, Reston Dirt
Just a quick reminder — Don’t forget that “the powers that be” decided to change the daylight savings clock re-set this year – so tonight – FALL BACK!
Wasn’t it strange having Halloween essentially begin in the daylight? I guess I’m glad for the extra daylight these last 3 weeks, but it does feel a bit odd.
Anyway, Happy Saturday –
Jennifer
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Keller Williams Makes a Big Splash into the Luxury Home Market
October 19th, 2007 Categories: Alexandria Dirt, Arlington Dirt, Falls Church Dirt, McLean Dirt, Northern Virginia News, Reston Dirt
On October 1, 2007, Keller Williams launched the highly anticipated Luxury 
Homes Division and I, yours truly, is so proud to be a charter member of this great new program. I think it goes without saying that this is a HUGE win for those buying and selling high-end luxury homes across the country. This is a members only program, populated ONLY by those agents who have the expertise in this market segment. The training component of this program will be provided by industry heavyweight The Institute for Luxury Home Marketing, as part of a new partnership between the Institute and Keller Williams.
As a charter member of this exciting new division, I will be able to bring yet another marketing avenue to the table to successfully market high end homes to the right market, both locally AND around the country. I will also have a top notch referral network of other high-end professionals across the country to help with all of your real estate needs, whether they are here in Northern Virginia or elsewhere. You will receive the expertise, knowledge and experience that you deserve for a smooth transaction wherever that might be! Whether you’re looking for a second home or relocating – you deserve the best!
I am so excited to be a part of this and it’s yet another confirmation that I work for the greatest real estate company EVER! Keller Williams ROCKS!
Happy Friday!
Jennifer
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