Pick Your Produce in Northern Virginia

‘Tis the season of fresh produce and farmer’s markets. It is one of my favorite parts of summertime in the Northern Virginia area. The various communities in the vicinity come together once a week and shop for fresh produce, baked goods and artistic works from a number of local vendors. Given that summer is often associated with outdoor bonfires, barbecues, family reunions and events, it makes sense that farmer’s markets have remained so popular. People want the freshest items to make their favorite specialty dishes and culinary masterpieces.

Thankfully, part of my job as your Northern Virginia real estate and community resource is to let you know where you can find the best local fare for your famous taco dip, brownies or jams:

Annandale Farmer’s Market
Mason District Park, 6621 Columbia Pike, Annandale, VA
Open on Thursdays from 8:00am-12:00pm, this local market features fresh produce and organic products from over ten vendors.

Wakefield Farmer’s Market
Wakefield Park & Audrey Moore RECenter, 8100 Braddock Road, Annandale, VA
Held on Wednesdays from 2:00pm-6:00pm, you can find fresh meats, organic products, baked goods and fresh herbs and produce from fourteen vendors at this marketplace.

Community Farmer’s Market
West & Main Streets behind Wells Fargo Bank, Fairfax, VA
Every Saturday from 8:00am-1:00pm and Sunday from 10:00am-2:00pm, this Farmer’s Market in the city of Fairfax is one of the largest in the area. You can find everything from plants to coffees at this community-wide, weekly meeting place. For a more vibrant atmosphere and a variety of goods, this is the farmer’s market you’ll want to see.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. There are many more farmers markets all throughout Northern Virginia that you can use to find your fresh, seasonal goods. I like exploring the variety of different markets in the area. I make it a point to tell my clients who have recently relocated to NOVA that if they want to get a feel for a particular neighborhood or community that they should check out what the local farmers market has to offer. That way, they can get a feel for what the area’s overall vibe is and meet other members of the community while they’re at it.

If you have any questions about the communities in the Northern Virginia area, or want to see some of the houses available on the local real estate market, don’t hesitate to contact me and ask. I’d be happy to help you in any way I can. I hope to hear from you soon!

Earle Whitmore
Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.
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What’s Your Northern Virginia Home Lacking?

With the emergence of channels like HGTV and shows like House Hunters, it’s become apparent to me that today’s home buyer is looking for a property that already has their ideal amenities. They don’t want to have to put that in themselves. Rather, they want to move in and have them ready and waiting. As strange as it sounds, part of my job as a Northern Virginia real estate professional is to watch shows like this and keep track of what today’s buyer is looking for in a potential home. I then use this information to help my seller clients know what features of their property they should be marketing to buyers.

Times have changed, and today’s home buyer isn’t looking for the basics. Now, you need to have more amenities, energy-efficient appliances and eye-catching décor to get people’s attention. With that in mind, there are things you can do to emphasize what qualities your home does have and get more buyers walking through the door. These include:

•    Highlighting unseen amenities. Not all of your home’s perks may be completely visible to a Northern Virginia home buyer at first glance. You need to make your real estate agent aware of the hidden gems within your property so they can sell it to buyers. These include things like picturesque views, abundant storage space and over-sized garages. These are things a buyer may not notice immediately but could play a role in whether or not they end up making an offer.
•    Draw attention to brands. We live in a society where people are brand-crazy. They hear about our nation’s celebrities owning a particular kind of stove and all of a sudden that brand is nowhere to be found in any appliance store. If you have a particular brand of appliance that stands out or a specific sort of tile you use that is considered “high-end”, that’s what you need to be selling to today’s buyer.
•    You’re selling a lifestyle, not a home. This is an important mantra to remember as you and your Northern Virginia real estate agent start preparing your home for showings. The home can be immaculate, perfect and up-to-date, but if the physical living situation and community isn’t up-to-par you could lose out on an offer. Sell your community as strongly as possible and focus on the memories that can be created in the home. The sooner you can get a buyer envisioning themselves in your property, the faster you’ll see an offer.

If you can keep these three things in mind when you prepare your Northern Virginia home for sale, then come showing time you’ll be giving the buyers what they want: a lifestyle, branding and amenities that they’ve come to know as “ideal.” As a Northern Virginia real estate agent, I pride myself on knowing what today’s buyers are looking for and helping my seller clients achieve that.

If you have any questions about how to prepare your home for sale on the Northern Virginia real estate market, don’t hesitate to contact me and ask. I hope to hear from you soon!

Earle Whitmore
Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.
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Welcome to the Northern Virginia Real Estate Blog!

It has been my pleasure to serve Northern Virginia’s real estate needs for many years. I genuinely love being able to help people through some of the most difficult transitions they will make in their lives. Buying or selling a home is far from simple, and I’ve dedicated my career to helping make an oftentimes confusing and complicated transaction much easier for our clients.

Over the years, if there is one thing that I have learned, it’s what today’s buyers and sellers expect from a real estate transaction. My primary purpose in creating and posting to this blog regularly will be to give the Northern Virginia area relevant and useful information about what today’s consumer expects on both sides of a home sale. It will also prove helpful in keeping the lines of communication open with my clients on a regular basis. This blog will outline exactly what my clients can expect when they work with me, point out what today’s buyers are interested in seeing in a Northern Virginia home and provide our area of service with important information about the community.

I will be updating this blog on a weekly basis, so I hope that you’ll feel free to come back often and see what’s new! From the latest upgrades that buyers want to where President Obama’s favorite cheeseburger is in Northern Virginia, I will provide you with the information that you genuinely want to know about living in the area. I want you to consider me your “go-to” resource for anything related to your Northern Virginia community and housing needs.

My philosophy is this: if we’re open with one another from the beginning about what you can expect from your real estate transaction, then the entire process will likely be much less stressful and lengthy. My hope is that you will utilize this blog as a way to get extra information and genuinely understand what is going on during each phase of the transaction. The more you know going in to your Northern Virginia home sale or purchase, the less anxiety you will feel as the process begins to gain momentum. It’d also be helpful to get to know your next community before moving in, and my blog posts will be able to help you with that.

If you have anything that you’d like me to blog about, feel free to contact me and let me know. I want you to find this blog useful and not be a “run-of-the-mill” real estate blog giving you information that you don’t care about. I’d love to hear your feedback at any time. As always, I'm here to help with your Northern Virginia real estate needs, as well. I hope to hear from you soon!


Earle Whitmore
Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.
Visit MyWebsite
View Northern Virginia Homes for Sale
Become My Facebook Fan
Follow Me On Twitter
Connect With Me On LinkedIn
Contact Me

- Under Construction -

New blog coming soon!