Northern Virginia Real Estate Blog, Carolyn Capalbo

This local community in Virginia stands to see some buzz over the promised increase in the area’s employment due to Amazon’s relocation to the area.

I have been watching Manassas closely for 2 distinct reasons.  Firstly, Manassas’ Micron Technologies late summer announced that it plans to expand its chip making facility over the next 10 years with a $3,000,000,000 investment and promises of 1100 jobs coming soon to Manassas. Secondly, Manassas is ideally located along the VRE (Virginia Rail Express) with service to Crystal City, the location of Amazon’s HQ2.  Manassas may become a beacon for ample and affordable housing for incoming technology jobs to the area.  In addition, Manassas has been quietly building a data center and technology opportunities.  The ground is broken on the new CloudHQ facility now being built on 234.  Prices year over year Q1 has risen by approximately 5%.  Inventory is still

Here’s how to make $100,000 work for you in a Real Estate Investment!

Do you have $100,000 in your savings or money market account earning 2% interest, 4% interest?  If you do, let’s compare these earnings with a real estate investment!

Safe and secure in the bank, passively earning 2% will net you $1400 per year after taxes (assuming 30% tax bracket).  Let’s also look at a 4% return, this will net $2800 after taxes (again assuming 30% tax bracket).

Now let’s put this $100,000 to work in a 3 level, 1 car garage townhouse in Winchester or maybe Fredericksburg.  Acquisition price of $215,000 and negotiating 2% Seller paid closing costs for this acquisition and financing at 4.875%, the additional closing costs.  Purchasing with a loan of

I really love what’s happening in Manassas Virginia. Manassas is a great and affordable place to live in the Northern Virginia area and Manassas is Booming!  Besides being a great affordable location for Amazon HQ2 employees, Manassas has seen tremendous growth and economic development.  Micron Technologies this past summer announced a $3,000,000,000 (yup, that’s $3 Billion) investment and 1100 jobs commitment to the expansion of their Manassas Micro-Chip facility.   This facility is flourishing; developing and manufacturing microchips primarily for the automotive, industrial, and networking industries.  The expansion is scheduled to establish a development center and a commitment from Micron to help educate the next generation of technology personnel at

With Amazon building a large Headquarters facility here in Crystal City Virginia, I am getting asked questions regarding home prices in the area.  One thing of interest, is that Crystal City is a predominantly commercial area with a few residential options here and there.  So most newcomers to the area and future Amazon employees may need to consider some nearby communities for their homes.  Pricing in Crystal City proper will range depending upon the size of the unit.  At time of this blog post, there are 3 condominiums available in the Waterford House building.  Pricing ranges from $450,000 for a 1 bedroom 1 bathroom with 935 square feet and a $727 per month condo fee to $1,650,000 for a 3 bedroom 3 bathroom 2817 square foot condo with a $2400 per

My favorite Northern Virginia bumper sticker is “Welcome to Northern Virginia, expect delays.” For those preferring a train over bumper to bumper traffic, finding a great location convenient to Metro or VRE will be best as both these rail options have direct access to Crystal City and Amazon's Northern Virginia Headquarters. The VRE rider may find commuting convenient from Burke, Bristow, Manassas Park, Manassas, Bristow, Woodbridge, Potomac Station, Stafford or even perhaps Fredericksburg. The Metro rider may find commuting convenient from Alexandria, Springfield, Falls Church, Vienna, Reston, Ashburn, Sterling, and McLean. Price and housing styles vary greatly.  Let's take a look at Manassas as a great place to live!

Manassas is a charming town that

Amazon is coming to Crystal City in Arlington Virginia. Why Burke Virginia May be a great place to live!

Burke offers a wonderful suburban atmosphere. Tree lines streets and several amenity rich communities such as Burke Centre, Lake Braddock, Cherry Run, Keene Mill Woods, to name a few are conveniently located near the Rolling Road or Burke Centre VRE  stations with service to Crystal City. Burke Centre is a large community which offers a wide variety of single family homes and townhouses. Multiple pools and miles of walking trails through wooded terrain makes this community special. Highly rated Fairfax County schools service this area. Burke Lake Park offers walking trails, fitness walks, par 3 golf, lake activities, and kids park with Carousel .....

With Amazon coming to Northern Virginia, many new jobs and opportunities will arise and with an estimated 25,000 high paying jobs, housing nearby will be in demand. The big question facing new Amazon employees is where to live. The obvious place to consider is Arlington County. Arlington County is full of beautiful tree lined communities with abundant charm and character. North Arlington is beautiful and pricey with older homes and infilled newly constructed luxury homes. Living in North Arlington enjoys great beauty and convenience. For those interested in the high rise or condo lifestyle, Arlington is chock full of options. One of my personal favorite communities is Fairlington. Stately condos and townhouses in condo ownership offer a more affordable

The Best Real Estate Agent in Aldie Virginia

I have been watching big tech become involved in advertising and steering buyers and sellers to sites that claim they will help you find The Best Real Estate Agent in Gainesville VA, or The Best Real Estate Agent in Haymarket VA, or The Best Real Estate Agent in Manassas, feel free to add any town or city of choice to the headline or search, if you please.  I am often invited to be featured on these conglomerate’s sites and listings as The Best Real Estate Agent in Bristow VA, for example, for a staggering fee or referral. Most consumers are unaware of the fees and payments made by agents to have the opportunity to obtain leads from these sources. These fees can be as high as 46% of the real estate

Is it time to sell or buy your rental property in Fairlington or other Arlington County  communities?  Here are some things to consider…

•          Can your return be higher elsewhere?
•          How do you take advantage of depreciation?
•          How do you take advantage of a Sellers’ Market?
•          How do you take advantage of the tax benefits of a 1031 exchange?

Based upon current rental rates in Fairlingon, the estimated cash on cash return for a one bedroom Fairlington Condo unit is between 3.5% and 4% before depreciation and repair expenses.  Taxes, insurance, management fees, and condo fees can add up in Fairlington.  I personally try to find a 6% cash on cash return on my investment properties before depreciation.