How to Prep Your Northern Virginia Home for Halloween

October is here! Fall is officially underway which brings about its own share of tasks for Northern Virginia homeowners— raking leaves, cleaning out the fireplace, updating decor and now, preparing for Halloween. You might not have anticipated getting ready for trick or treaters, but there are a few ways you can make sure the path to your door is as safe as possible.

Clear the way
Just as you would do to prepare for potential Northern Virginia homebuyers, you need to ensure the pathways are unobstructed. While it's still daylight, inspect your lawn, driveway and other pathways for anything that could prove an obstacle. That means tree roots, fallen branches, or even cracks in the pavement. Make updates and repairs where you can or at the very least, block off these areas.

It's also important to make sure your Halloween decor is not in the way. Things like extension cords or small pumpkins can cause trick or treaters to trip.

Light the way
While you don't need to install extra lighting along the pathways of your home in McLean, Mount Vernon, Arlington, Centreville, Fairfax City or Reston, there are other ways to light the way. You can use your pumpkins, glow sticks, luminaries or tea lights to help Halloween visitors find your door. And unless you're attempting to avoid the candy-giving ritual, it's always safer to keep the porch light on.

Be fire-conscious
I know I mentioned how important it is to light the way to your door, but it's also a must to keep paper and other decorations away from any flames. Halloween tends to bring candle lit decor to the forefront and while it does help your Northern Virginia property look the part, you can achieve the same look with LED tea lights. Not an option for you? Take extra precautions to keep corn stalks, hay and paper out of the fire.

Calm your dog
If you're a dog lover like me, chances are you'll be getting your pets in the Halloween spirit too. However, your dog might not love all of the costumes and visitors to your home that night. It's not only safe for your dog, but for the trick or treaters if you keep your pets in a calming, indoor space away from the front door. 

I'm happy to provide tips for keeping your homes in Northern Virginia as safe as possible. If you have any questions about the local real estate market, do not hesitate to reach out! 

Have a safe and happy Halloween this year! 

I happily serve the areas of Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Burke, Centreville, Chantilly, Clifton, Fairfax City, Falls Church, Great Falls, Herndon, Lake Ridge, McLean, Mount Vernon, Reston, Rosslyn, Springfield, Tyson’s Corner and Vienna.

Earle Whitmore

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.
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How to Arrange Furniture in Your Northern Virginia Home

When it comes to creating an inviting space in your Northern Virginia home, it's not all just about hanging a wreath on the door and setting out the welcome mat. Creating an ideal space is much about how your furniture is arranged inside and how easily your guests—or potential homebuyers—can navigate it. 

As you prepare for the new fall season, give your home a spruce by moving furniture around. These arranging tips will help your home in Northern Virginia feel more open and bonus, boost appeal for homebuyers if you're selling the property.

Find the Focal Point
What is the focal point of the living room in your Northern Virginia home? Is it a great view or a fireplace or maybe just the television? Start by placing the biggest piece of furniture directly facing the focal point and angle all other pieces toward it. For instance, the couch should be placed straight in front of the television with armchairs angled on each side.

Direct through the Space
Find the doorways of the room and allow a straight path through the space. This allows guests and potential NoVA homebuyers to easily move from room to room. Imagine there is a line from doorway to doorway and create a trail on either side of it.

Keep Symmetry in Mind
While it is important to mind the focal point of the room, it's also important to encourage conversation and interaction with furniture arrangement. One common way to do this is to move two couches to face each other, keeping the focal point on one end. No one has a direct view of the focal point, thus making the set up great for entertaining. 

If you're getting ready to sell your home in the Northern Virginia area, I'm here to help! I have decades of experience to assist you with the sale and also shed light on what homebuyers are looking for in a home, including what appeals to them with home staging. Contact me today to chat about how you can boost your home's image to buyers.

I happily serve the areas of Alexandria, Annandale, Arlington, Burke, Centreville, Chantilly, Clifton, Fairfax City, Falls Church, Great Falls, Herndon, Lake Ridge, McLean, Mount Vernon, Reston, Rosslyn, Springfield, Tyson’s Corner and Vienna.

Earle Whitmore

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.
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Your NOVA Home May Checklist

Now that summer is on the horizon, May is the month to get your Northern Virginia home for what lies ahead. Start at the very top with your attic, work your way out with a stop in the kitchen, before heading outside to tackle the outdoor projects. According to Bob Vila, these are the 5 most important projects for your NOVA home to prepare for the dog days of summer.

1. Prepare for the Heat
While the weather has been enjoyable as of late, we tend to forget just how warm it can get during the summer months. If you prepare ahead of time, you can enjoy the summer with comfortable indoor temperatures without breaking the bank. No unnecessary cooling bills for the NOVA homeowner here!

The first step is addressing your attic insulation. Think about installing an attic fan to sweep out the heat and keep your HVAC system in tip-top shape. Next up, ceiling fans. These should be installed in rooms where you spend the most time— kitchen, family room, and bedrooms— and using these instead of the AC will save you money in the long run.

2. Update the Kitchen
For this season's update, it doesn't have to be a total renovation. Want a quick change? Think about swapping out your old tile for a new backsplash. Or if your ready for a more lengthy weekend project, try refacing your kitchen cabinets. A new wood or a bright coat of paint can instantly brighten up the kitchen in your NOVA home.

3. Yard and Garden Sprucing
May is the time to prepare to spend your days outside in the summer. Improve your landscaping with edging, or plant container gardens or flowers that will cheer up your walkways. For some added fun, try creating your own outdoor pots out of everyday items. Old shoes and even appliances make interesting yard embellishments.

4. No Summer Pests
The best way to deal with outdoor pests in the summer is the natural way. For instance, mice cannot stand the smell of peppermint and cockroaches will flee from Tabasco sauce. Find natural ways to scare off these critters and your summer in the Northern Virginia area will be one of the best yet.

5. Get Ready to Barbecue
Spruce up your deck and patio before barbecue season. Make any necessary repairs to the patio surface and check that your grill is in working order. It's best to clean off old residue and dirt before you fire up the charcoal!

Earle Whitmore

Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.
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Staging Secrets for Your NOVA Home

Staging is a key part to the success of selling your home in the Northern Virginia area. Did you know even the little things like clearing clutter from bathroom counters, replacing catalogs and mail with a simple fruit bowl in the kitchen, and removing family photos from your living spaces can make a big difference to a potential buyer? They can! Below are house-selling secrets that you can use to maximize your chances of intriguing buyers and selling your home.

Start with the Front Door
Starting with the first thing buyers see when they enter your home, make sure all holiday lights have been removed if the occasion is over, chipped paint and window repairs have been tended to, and that dingy door in a bland color has been updated to welcome guests inside. Even adding new sconces can really intrigue buyers from the very moment they visit.

Take Care, Organize
Buyers don't want to see your struggling, unruly house plants or an untidy office corner. Take the overflow of books from the floor and put them into storage, replace those tall, hap-hazard plants with a simple arrangement on a dining table or desk, and hide that huge TV inside a media cabinet.

Want more storage options for your NOVA home?

Hide the Clutter
If knick knacks and toys are hiding behind sofas and armchairs, find a space for them to relax like a chest or storage ottoman. When a living space feels crowded, buyers will not want to stay for long. Add a simple vase of flowers or small sculptures on a mantle. The bathroom is a likely culprit too— remove toothbrushes and toiletries, even cleaning products, from countertops to ensure a visually appealing space.

Kitchen Chaos
In the kitchen, remove all unnecessary mail, catalogs, and papers and replace them with a fruit bowl or candle. If your table is the gathering space for all trinkets and keys, find a bowl and keep them secluded to one spot. When buyers can't visualize eating in the kitchen or on the table due to clutter and chaos, they lose interest.

Too Bare is Bad
Don't go so far as to remove too much furniture from the space. Clean and simple is great, but when a space is lacking room staples like a sofa, bookshelf, or chairs, buyers may find the space to be bland and uninviting. Add some colorful throw pillows if your space feels like it's lacking in decor or bold accents. Finding the happy medium is key in the staging of your NOVA home.

End with the Basement
Think how you would feel when touring a home— piles of junk and disorganized keepsakes are a major turnoff. Even if your basement is unfinished, add a bicycle or weight bench (if you have them in storage) to help buyers visualize other uses for the space.

Earle Whitmore
Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.
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Add a Splash of Color to Your Northern Virginia Home!

Decorating your Northern Virginia home doesn’t have to be a hassle. It’s probably the most fun part of buying a new home! So many people are afraid to add bold colors because they’re afraid that their home will look tacky. What you need to realize is that there is a way to tastefully integrate color into your decorating scheme.

As the premier real estate experts in Northern Virginia, we have an eye for what makes a home stand out to visitors and potential buyers alike. Here are a few quick tips for decorating your home in the most dynamic, colorful way possible:

Stick to the 60-30-10 Rule. This rule refers to how domineering certain colors should be in a room. The room should consist of 60% of a dominating color, typically a neutral, 30% of a secondary color, typically something brighter, and 10% of an accent color. If you stick to this scheme, you can get away with adding pops of bright color to your room and livening up your space.

Choose a color scheme. In order for your home to look cohesive and classic, you need to choose a color scheme. You can go with an analogous scheme, which refers to colors that are next to each other on a typical color wheel. When you go with this kind of color scheme, your tones should be more muted and it should be used in a more casual, restful space. A complementary color scheme refers to colors opposite from each other on the color wheel. Since these are often more visually challenging and contrasting, they’re often used on more formal areas of the property.

Add a little black. Having elements like a black lampshade or table enhances all of the other colors in the room and clarifies their tone. Don’t believe us? Give it a try.

Always pull from the pattern. Take the most prominent pattern in the room, whether it is an upholstery or curtain, and pull the rest of the room’s decorating scheme from it. You don’t want to have colors that clash or overpower. Factor in the pattern for your 60-30-10 rule.

These are just a few of the many ways that you can up the ante in terms of your home’s color. While sticking to black, white and grey might be within your comfort zone, adding color will brighten up your space and make your home a happier, healthier place to live.

Questions about buying or selling a Northern Virginia home? Feel free to contact us at any time. We’d be happy to help you in any way that we can. We hope to hear from you soon!


Earle Whitmore
Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.
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A New Diet for 2013

A new year is around the corner, and what better way to start it right than by dieting?  I don’t mean go get a gym membership and start Atkins.  I mean dieting for your home.  Get rid of the extra stuff and use your local resources to help freshen up your living space.  Is your dinning room still stuck in the 80’s or your bedroom looks like it’s been sleeping for the last 10 years? A wonderful part of living in Northern Virginia is the abundance of designers right at your fingertips.  Whether it’s painting, landscaping, furniture or unique knick knacks, I’m sure I can steer you in the right direction to give your home a good diet plan for 2013.

Local Interior Designers, Landscapers, Remodeling Companies and Store Fronts:

A.Houck Designs , Arlington; 703-237-2111; www.ahouckdesigns.com

Ellen Brotman Interior Designs, Fairfax; 703-573-6100; www.brotmaninteriors.com

Faulkner House Interior Redesign, primarily in Fairfax and Loudoun Counties; 703-689-9886; www.faulknerhouse.com

Maureen McGough, 10332 Main St., # 235, Fairfax; 703-716-0076;www.mcgoughinteriors.com

Jodie Okun for The Nest Egg, 11940 Grand Commons Avenue, Fairfax; 703-988-0944;www.shopTheNestEgg.com

Commonwealth Home Remodelers, 208-A Dominion Road N.E., Vienna; 703-255-9861; www.commonwealthhome.com

Cook Brothers Design, Building and Remodeling, 5521 Lee Highway, Arlington; 703-536-0900; www.cookbros.org

Michael Nash Custom Kitchens and Homes, 8630-C Lee Highway, Fairfax; 703-641-9800; www.michaelnashkitchens.com

Oak Hill Building and Remodeling, 10615 Judicial Drive, Suite 501, Fairfax; 703-591-1200; www.oakhillbuilding.com

Professional Remodeling Group, 8632 Centreville Road, Manassas, and 11350 Random Hills Road, Suite 800, Fairfax; 703-281-0909; www.professionalremodelinggroup.com

TerraScape Design Build Company, 3160 Spring St., Unit E, Fairfax; 703-359-9264;www.terrascape.net

Red Barn Mercantile, 113 S. Columbus St., Alexandria; 703-838-0355;www.redbarnmercantile.com

Embellishments of Alexandria, 1303 King St., Alexandria; 703-299-6262;www.embellishmentsofalexandria.com

Le Beau Chateau Home Décor, 8621 Lee Highway, Fairfax; 703-207-0022

Patrick’s Fine Linen and Home Décor, 106 N. St. Asaph St., Alexandria; 571-970-6931;www.patricksdesigns.com

Some trends to consider for home décor in 2013 are as follows.  Animal prints are still a good print to use in a home.  However,  use them in more of a hidden way.  For example, the pattern of a Zebra but find the pattern using one color on an item like a pillow. It will give a room good texture.  When using floral patterns, don’t think of your garden but more painterly floral.  Stripes are still in and aren’t backing out for some time.  Use stripes on walls, pillows or rugs; they bring movement to a room.  Yellow, blue and red colors are trending for 2013.  Instead of black being a natural color in the room use navy or grey.  Need a pop of color?  Consider yellow to brighten an area that's lacking.  Need spunk or edge?  Try red but always in moderation.  Think 1940’s Hollywood with soft curvy lines when it comes to furniture.  Take a look at some new hotel lobbies for the new metropolitan look featured in 2013 home.  Another great resource for ideas is Pinterest.com.  Just type a word in the search box and get great ideas for spaces.  Revamping a lot or a little can keep you slimmer and always ready for a party, get together or that unexpected move.  It also will make you feel a little bit more lively, stress free and happier.  So, break out the pin and paper.  Get moving around your space and write down what you would like or what you would want to change.  Give yourself a budget and run with it.

Earle Whitmore
Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc.
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