When you decide to build your dream home, it is usually because you have an idea of what type of house you want to live in and a vision of how you want to live and can't find a home that fits your criteria.  You may be looking for a specific location or for an architectural style or a house plan that fits your family's needs.  When you decide to build a home that does fit your needs, you should keep in mind that if you need, or want, to sell it down the road, it will have to fit the needs of future buyers. My husband and I are building a modular home on our lot in Powhatan, Virginia.  The Realtor and the Decorator in me are having a major battle of the wills.  The Realtor knows that if I customize our home with too many quirky things like the cast iron footed tub that Sean and I dragged... 09/14/2010

Last September, my son Nathaniel and I took a Mommy and Me class at Rise Indoor sports in Midlothian.  Nathaniel loved the class and we ended up taking classes there all year.  Nathaniel was in the two year old class which meant that he and I would take the class together.  Great exercise for Mommy running from one end of the field to the other! The two year old class is 45 minutes long and includes a 15 minute snack break at the end.  How cute is that!?! The coaches did a great job of helping the kids to be comfortable running with the soccer balls, and developing some kicking ability.  They had the kids do stretching exercises that helped them learn to follow directions and follow along with the group.  There was always at least one "rogue" Toddler running around like a crazy person w... 09/13/2010

I am staging a beautiful home that is on the market for over $1 million.  The kitchen has 4 cabinets that have glass doors.  The home owner had the right idea and put in her glassware, but because she had so many glasses in the cabinets, the beauty of the individual glasses, they looked cluttered and busy. Before and After When you have glass front cabinets it is important that they be used for decoration instead of for storage. Thinning out the number of glass and focusing on a theme makes a world of difference.  I decided to keep of the the brightly colored glasses and to pack up all of the plain clear glass.  This gave the effect of a modern stained glass window and brought some great color into a neutral kitchen.  By organizing the glasses in groupings and varying the heights, you c... 09/10/2010

With summer almost behind us, and fall just around a corner, now is a great time to take advantage of this seaasonal change to review our currentl listings. Here are a few great ideas and tips for the fall season UPDATE YOUR PHOTO(S) FOR YOUR PROPERTY :  If your home was listed in spring or summer, it is more than likely your home front pictures reflect the outside environment.  Take a few moments and snap a new pictures to capture this new season. This will give your listing, and refreshed look, and will not make your home ad look dated.   ADD SIZZLE TO YOUR FIREPLACE TO MAKE IT POP :  If it isn't already, try to make your fireplace a central or focal point in the room. These features add great selling points to your home by creating a warm, and inviting atmosphere in this room.  Make ... 09/09/2010

Ann and I just went over to the Libbie Market to grab a quick bite to take back to the office. The wonderful thing about Richmond is the fact that almost anywhere you go you are all but certain to run into someone you know. Well today is no exception. We ran into a friend of mine from college. She owns and manages a small placement firm that specializes in finding work for mostly mothers that have so much to contribute to the work force, but also wish to manage their families in addition to generating an income. The almost unexpected thing came out of our conversation when I asked how her business has been. She, by the way, has adorable twin boys that you can imagine demand much of her attention. Regardless, she said business has been amazingly good. She continued to say that the number... 09/09/2010

This is an amazing time to buy a home. We have been seeing record low mortgage rates over the past year. Everytime I think that they won't go any lower, they go down a bit more. According to Freddie Mac, mortgage rates have gone 11 straight weeks without going up! They have also been below 5% on a fixed rate 30 year mortgage since May. The current rate for a 30 year fixed rate is 4.32% and there is anticipation that rates may go down to 4.24% later in September. If you are a first time home buyer and missed out on the tax credit, the lower interest rates can make up for that loss over the life of your loan because the rates were higher before the tax credit expired. Because of the great rates, your purchasing power is more than it has ever been. You can buy more home for your money or g... 09/08/2010

                 HUD HOME FOR SALE, 6016 INDIGO RD, RICHMOND VA 23230, HENRICO COUNTY, REMAX TODAY Richmond, Virginia HUD home, first time home buyers may be eligible for a $7,500 grant, certain conditions apply . This 4 bedroom 2 bath home is listed for $145,000. Call the Marcus & Tonya Rice Team today for a showing at 804-545-6412 The Marcus & Tonya Rice Team is affiliated with Remax Today-HUD registered brokers in Virginia. Visit http://www.richmondvahome.com for more info or call the Marcus & Tonya Rice Team at 804-545-6412 for buyer representation. HUD OWNED 4 Bedroom 2 Bath Home, LISTED FOR: $145,000. This property is owned by HUD. You'll need a HUD registered agent to bid on this property. This property is eligible for FHA 203K Streamline financing (contact us for details) and f... 09/07/2010

If you are looking to buy a house do you really need a Realtor?  It is now so easy to go on line and look at all of the homes that are listed.  You can look at pictures and decide which ones you want to see in person.  Then you can stop buy an open house or call the agent who has listed the home to get into it to see it.  Seems like having a buyer's agent isn't worth it and you don't have to pay a commission if you don't use a Realtor to buy a house, Right? WRONG!  When you buy a house you don't pay the Realtor, the seller pays the Realtor!  When a home owner agrees to "list' their home with an agent, they agree to pay that agent a certain percentage of the sales price.  The agent then markets the home to other agents and offers to pay them half of the commission if they can bring a buy... 09/04/2010

  My clients always ask me what they should carry with them, when showing homes with me in the Greater Richmond Virginia Area. So I decided to make a list and post it on my blog. The key is to not take a bunch of things that you don't need. You need to keep your hands free and to be light on your feet. It can be quite exhausting viewing homes. The excitement alone can make you tired, so remember to pack light, but to bring these essential items along when looking for your dream home:       Pen and Paper, for taking notes.  The most simple and basic... yet absolutely  necessary item that you can  bring is a pen and paper. You don't need to jot  down notes about everything you see. If the house is going to be  crossed  off the list, because the yard is too small, or the house needs too mu... 09/04/2010

There is a great place to take your kids right near Chesterfield Town Center on Midlothian Turnpike. Monkey Joe's is a very clean, family friendly, indoor inflatible play center. I've taken my boys, 8 year old Zachary and 3 year old Nathaniel a couple of times and they have had a BLAST. It is challenging enough for Zachary that he doesn't get board but not so challenging that Nathaniel can't keep up. He loves following his big brother up and down the slides and through the bouncy houses. Monkey Joe's has a special toddler area for three and under and then the main part is for kids 4-12, or 3 year olds who want to do everything their big brother's do! Monkey Joe's is a great place to have your kids birthday party. They have party packages available for groups of 8 to 24 kids. Zachary is ... 09/03/2010

                   Real Estate Takes Brass Balls I have been selling real estate for over 10 years. I have seen the good times in real estate and the best of times in real estate, but I have seen so many real estate agents over the last 2 years just give up all together. I think they gave up because they saw and focused on the worst of times, you see I never said at the beginning of my blog worst, just good and best of times .I remember my father told me when I was growing up that you have got to have brass balls to be in sales. I said dad what do you mean? He said in all sales you must make conscious effort to be aggressive as you go after your prospects on a daily basis and you must have the mind set and attitude that you already are successful and that you're going to reach your sal... 09/03/2010

Top Ten Best Places to Eat in Richmond,Virginia   Choosing a top ten list of restaurants in Richmond, Virginia can be quite difficult. There are many restaurants in the area worth checking out. The following list was put together to cover the majority of people's palates from BBQ to Ziti and everything in between. You should be able to find something for everyone on this list. If you are new to Richmond or just visiting, these 10 restaurants are the staples of Richmond, Virginia and together define the best that Richmond dining has to offer.   1.) Lemaire Lemaire is a New American restaurant bringing a fresh, modern culinary experience to one of Virginia’s most iconic attractions – The Jefferson Hotel, Richmond, Virginia. The menu features extraordinary Virginia grown ingredients and t... 09/02/2010

One of the first things that a Home Stager or Realtor tells a home owner when they are selling their home is that it needs to be depersonalized. You want a buyer to be able to imagine themselves in the home and that this is difficult for someone when the owners family photos and personal possessions are in the home. This becomes even more critical when the home is filled with a collection of art. Buyers strolling through the home inevitably look at the art pieces instead of the the home.  Often the potential buyer doesn't remember the specifics of the home because all they can remember is the painting over the fireplace of the statue on the ledge.  The personality of the art collector fills the home with their taste.  If the buyers like the art, they may look find the art more interesti... 09/01/2010

My husband Sean and I recently had a "date night" while Grandma and Grandpa took the boys on an adventure of their own.  Sean took me to a great Irish Pub located in Shockoe Slip in Richmond Virginia.  Sean and I both have Irish roots and I love good dark beer so it seemed like a perfect fit! The pub is called Sine' and is pronounced "Shin-A" I ordered the fish and chips and it was great.  The fish was mild and the beer batter was crispy and not too greasy.  Sean got a grilled chicken sandwhich and was happy with his choice.  We both liked our french fries which were crispy and yummy.  It was a beautiful evening so we sat outside on the covered back porch.  We lost a bit of the atmosphere of an Irish Pub, but the night was mild and perfect for being outside so it was worth the trade off... 08/31/2010

   This year is the seventy fifth year that officially marks the foundation of historic preservation in Richmond, Virginia in 1935. Laying the ground work for preservation in the 1920's and 30's, "Mary Wingfield Scott, Elisabeth Scott Bocock, Louise Catterall and Mary Reed contributed significantly to the increased appreciation for Richmond's built environment through research, publication, postcards and walking tours". It wasn't until 1935 when an important historic structure, the Adam Craig House, was threatened with demolition that the idea of preservation as a practice was established.    It was Mary Wingfield Scott who formed a committee in order to purchase and preserve the Craig House. Located at 1812 East Grace Street, it was "the childhood home of Jane Craig Stanard, the subjec... 08/31/2010

Part 7 in my series on Building our Modular Home in Powhatan, Virginia My husband Sean and I are building a Modular home on our land in Powhatan Virginia Sean and I are building a modern version of an old Farm house.  We love the character and details in old houses but because buying one wasn't possible now, we are building a new home and using salvaged items to make the home have the feel of an old house. My most exciting find has been our cast iron claw foot tub.  It was pulled out of an old house down in the Church Hill neighborhood of Richmond Virginia.  Frankly, I can't understand buying a gorgeous old house and then taking out things like claw foot tubs that give them their character, but it worked out good for us that this family was doing just that. I found the ad for two claw f... 08/29/2010

HUD HOME FOR SALE, 1920 CHARLES ST, RICHMOND VA 23226, HENRICO COUNTY VA, REMAX Richmond, Virginia Hud home, first time home buyers may be eligible for a $7,500 grant, certain conditions apply . This 4 bedroom 2.5 bath home is listed for $244,800. Call the Marcus & Tonya Rice Team today for a showing or to place bid at 804-545-6412 The Marcus & Tonya Rice Team is affiliated with Remax Today-HUD registered brokers in Virginia. Visit http://www.richmondvahome.com for more info or call the Marcus & Tonya Team at 804-545-6412 for buyer representation. HUD OWNED 4 Bedroom 2.5 Bath Home, LISTED FOR: $244,800. This property is owned by HUD. You'll need a HUD registered agent to bid on this property. This property is eligible for FHA 203K Streamline financing (contact us for details) and for th... 08/29/2010

   Realtors Getting Their Own $60 Million Oil Spill Compensation Side Fund In its comprehensive story on the new Gulf Coast Claims Facility, which on Monday will begin processing claims for the BP oil compensation fund under Ken Feinberg, the New York Times included a short paragraph about a $60 million slice of the $20 billion fund being set aside for the compensation of gulf state real estate agents and brokers. The money would be distributed by the National Association of Realtors (NAR) or the related gulf state associations, with the national group writing the eligibility requirements, the Times wrote.The tidbit made Surge Desk scratch its head. But we weren't alone. Before the report came out, NAR had not yet heard the good news."I was surprised to read it because we were all wait... 08/28/2010

                   Henrico County, Virginia Real Estate Market Report for Zip Code 23228 The following data is for single family residential homes located in zip code 23228. This market report consist of active, pending, leased and closed sales from 08/01/2010 to 08/28/2010 in the following subdivsions:  Aspen Woods Shnn Gr Battery Park Bloomingdale Bonnie Brae Brookhaven Brookland Gardens Brookland Gardens Addition Bryan Park Gardens Bryan Park Heights Bryan Park Terrace Bryan Parkway Cedar Grove Chilgath Colonial Gardens Dickensdale Dumbarton East Jenningsville Eldridge Grove Elmay Crest Forest Green Of Shannon G Garden City Ginter Gardens Ginter Gardens Addn Greendale Forest Hermitage Hermitage Club Terr Hermitage Court Hermitage Court Addition   Hermitage Farms Hermitage Farms Anne... 08/28/2010

                 1400 HILLSBORO DR, RICHMOND VA 23238,  HENRICO COUNTY, REMAX TODAY Richmond, Virginia Hud home for sale. First time home buyers may be eligible for a $7,500 grant, certain conditions apply . This 4 bedroom 2.5 bath home is listed for $209,500. Call the Marcus & Tonya Rice Team today for a showing at 804-545-6412 The Marcus & Tonya Rice Team is affiliated with Remax Today-HUD registered brokers in Virginia. Visit http://www.richmondvahome.com for more info or call the Marcus & Tonya Rice Team at 804-545-6412 for buyer representation. HUD OWNED 4 Bedroom 2.5 Bath Home, LISTED FOR: $209,500. This property is owned by HUD. You'll need a HUD registered agent to bid on this property. This property is eligible for FHA 203K Streamline financing (contact us for details) and for... 08/28/2010