Liz Luke

Tomato Mania

Posted On May 9th, 2012 by Liz Luke | No Comments

This time of year is just bliss for me and my family. We are outside, playing sports, running the three dogs and digging in the dirt. This year, my husband Dave decided to create three, 4 X 8 beds raised beds, straight from the pages of Better Homes and Gardens. In each bed, we have hummus and fortified soil compliments of my friend Paige McIntosh, owner and operator of Bright Shade Gardens. You need to check out the patio and wall they installed for the Lucchesi family when you can get a chance. In any case, we’ve created the perfect environment for an outbreak of Tomato Mania!

With a little help from our friends at Greenstreet Gardens, and a counseling session with Scott, the owner of Tomato Mania, we selected eight (yes, only eight) of the 175 variations of tomatoes offered. Do you have any idea how hard that was for me to choose? I do things big, but I was made to realize that a 40X20 yard with three raised beds earmarked for veggies, flowers and tomatoes could only support eight plants.

We compromised. Scott did so well and he makes the whole process idiot proof. He explained to me how indeterminate and determinate tomatoes grow and the days until you get your first fruits. He explained beginning of season, mid-season, and end of season growing. His tomato tips are priceless and he’s so full of information. Some tomato’s roots can grow to be 10 feet long but you don’t have to have raised beds to make the process work. As I was sulking about the lack of space, I overheard Scott the Heirloom Tomato King, discussing container growers’ challenges and victories with another customer.

Scott spoke my language about tomatoes. Talk of a loaf of white bread, a jar of Dukes mayonnaise, and a slice of a Better Boy Tomato cut one-inch thick still warm from the vine, chased down with a sip of sweet tea, conjured summer scenes from my youth. So, here’s a solution for those soil-starved souls with a knack for green thumbing their way to happiness: get in touch with the people at Greenstreet Gardens and find out when and where the next Tomato Mania event will be held.

Here’s to a summer of tomato sandwiches and sips of sweet tea. With these guys in the neighborhood, I’m glad my kids will get to live this experience in relatively urban Alexandria City.

Cheers,

Elizabeth Lucchesi

REALTOR, McEnearney Associates

She’ll get you home!

 
David Howell

A Sensational Week

Posted On May 2nd, 2012 by David Howell | No Comments

Contract Activity Summary – April 23-29, 2011 v 2012

Another sensational week for contract activity! All four jurisdictions saw substantial increases in newly ratified contracts during the week of April 23-29 this year compared to the same week of 2011.

The “worst” performance was Montgomery County, with an increase of 17.5%. Northern Virginia led the way with a whopping 36.3% jump; DC was up 30.7% and Loudoun was close behind at 27.2%. Overall, there was a very healthy 29.3% increase among the four jurisdictions we track, with over 1,200 homes going under contract.

To give some additional context to this performance, the last week of April 2010 roughly 1,500 homes went under contract, so at first blush the fact that the market generated 20% fewer contracts last week might seem a little discouraging. Also recall, however, that the last week of April 2010 was also the last week that folks could ratify a contract to take advantage of the about-to-expire homebuyers’ tax credit. After the tax credit was gone, contract activity took a significant nose-dive. We think the numbers this year are encouraging because they aren’t artificially stimulated and are indicative of a genuine increase in buyer confidence.

Have a great rest of the week!

David Howell

 

Our analysis on market trends helps you see the bigger picture.

 
David Howell

Picking Up Steam?

Posted On April 25th, 2012 by David Howell | No Comments

Contract Activity Summary – April 16-22, 2011 v 2012

All four jurisdictions we track showed increases in contract activity during the week of April 16-22, 2012 compared to the same seven-day period last year.

Northern Virginia led the way with a whopping 33.8% increase, with Montgomery County not far behind with a 29.5% increase. DC was up 16.2% while Loudoun was up “only” 7.2%. Not too shabby!

Overall, there was a 26% increase among all four areas, with over 1,250 homes going under contract.

Hope you have a great rest of the week!

David Howell

 

Our analysis on market trends helps you see the bigger picture.

 

 
Kyle Rees

Top 10 Featured Homes, April 15 – April 21

Posted On April 23rd, 2012 by Kyle Rees | No Comments

Here’s a look at the top ten most viewed featured properties on McEnearney.com for the week ending April 21.

1. 908 Enderby Drive – $695,000


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Elizabeth Lucchesi

 

2. 415 Wolfe Street – $5,850,000



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Carol Cleary or Babs Beckwith

 

3. 501 Nelson Avenue, E. – $549,900

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Jen Walker

 

4. 808 Grand View Drive – $1,045,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Sue Goodhart

 

5. 7258 Evans Mill Road – $910,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Bob Adamson

 

6. 2202 Fordham Drive – $624,900

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Gordon Wood

 

7. 1402 Coventry Lane – $1,025,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Betty Potter

 

8. 1924 Virginia Avenue – $1,699,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Martha Floyd

 

9. 3388 Stephenson Place – $1,249,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Nora Burke

 

10. 205 Abingdon Street, N. – $639,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Carol, Tracey and Leslie Wilder

 
Kyle Rees

How do Old Town’s gardens grow? You’ll have to see for yourself

Posted On April 19th, 2012 by Kyle Rees | No Comments
On Saturday, April 21, Old Town Alexandria will help kick off Historic Garden Week, and McEnearney Associates will be there to help.

Realtors Vici Boguess and Mason Montague Bavin, both of whom are members of The Garden Club of Alexandria, which is sponsoring the event alongside The Hunting Creek Garden Club, will spend part of Friday arranging spectacular flower arrangements, which will be on display as visitors tour the selected homes and gardens.

“The Garden Tour is a wonderful, collaborative effort,” says Mason, who is co-chairing the event. “It’s a great way to see homes and gardens not normally open to the public.”

Photo by Louise Krafft, Alexandria Gazette

“It’s a huge success,” says Vici. “The owners of the houses are kind enough to open their homes to the public and the funds we raise help restore historic properties and gardens across the state of Virginia.”

Advance tickets cost $35 and can be purchased online or at the Alexandria Visitor’s Center, in Old Town, through April 20. The price will rise to $40 on the day of the event. Guests can also purchase single entry tickets (one home) for $20.

Purchase of the full price ticket includes admission to 12 different locations including The Jankowski’s house and garden, the Mount Vernon Estate and Gardens, the Carlyle House Historic Park and the Gunston Hall Plantation. We bet you can’t get to them all!

With the weekend’s weather reports calling for rain, the best place to be might be inside. Of course, no one said it had to be your own home.

Photo by Esther Carpi

Click here to see what other homes you can explore.

Click here to purchase tickets online.

If you’d like more information on Historic Garden Week, please visit http://www.vagardenweek.org/.

 

 
David Howell

And It All Adds Up to No Change

Posted On April 18th, 2012 by David Howell | No Comments

Contract Activity Summary – April 9-15, 2011 v 2012

Two up, one down and one unchanged.

Last week, Loudoun County lead the way with a 30% (!) increase in contract activity compared to the same week last year, while Montgomery County was off 13%. And amazingly, between Northern Virginia and DC, there were exactly two more homes that went under contract last week. And taken as a whole, there was one less contract ratified among the four jurisdictions we track – 1,114 compared to 1,115 during the week of April 9-15, 2011.

There was real strength in the market for homes priced over $1,000,000, with a 15% increase in activity compared to last year.

Remember that the reason the market FEELS hotter than this time last year is that inventory is significantly lower, especially in the lower price ranges. We essentially have a modest increase in the number of buyers who are chasing fewer homes, so quality inventory is selling rapidly. Almost two thirds of the homes that went under contract last week were on the market for 30 days or less. This same week last year it was a little less than 59%.

Have a great week,

David Howell

 

 

 

Our analysis on market trends helps you see the bigger picture. See how at McEnearney.com

 
Kyle Rees

Top 10 Featured Homes, April 8 – 14

Posted On April 16th, 2012 by Kyle Rees | No Comments

Here’s a look at the top ten most viewed featured properties on McEnearney.com for the week ending April 14.

1. 309 Windsor Ave. E. – $959,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Sue Goodhart

 

2. 5011 Chevy Chase Pkwy, NW – $849,900

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Joan Caton Cromwell

 

3. 1001 Vermont St. N. #801 – $349,00

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Carol, Tracey and Leslie Wilder

 

4. 3002 Farm Rd. – $707,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Betty Mallon

 

5. 216 Mount Ida Ave. W. – $770,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Jen Walker

 

6. 2913 Sycamore St. – $455,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Jen Walker

 

7. 11800 Occoquan Oaks Ln. – $1,100,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Diane Lee

 

8. 1226 Dartmouth Rd. – $679,900

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Sue Goodhart

 

9. 1212 Evergreen St. N. – $875,000

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Karen Kuiper

 

10. 10502 Assembly Dr. - $419,900

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Please contact Charlene Schaper

 
David Howell

A Week Doesn’t Make a Trend but a Double-Digit Increase is Always Inspiring.

Posted On April 10th, 2012 by David Howell | No Comments

Contract Activity Summary – April 2-8, 2011 v 2012

Another good week, with 3 of our 4 jurisdictions showing double-digit increases in contract activity from the same week last year.

Only DC had a decrease and while the percentage drop looks big – 10.2% – that only represents 16 fewer homes that went under contract. Remember that one week does not make a trend!

Northern Virginia was up 18.3%; Loudoun saw an increase of 14.2% and Montgomery County was up 11.8%. It’s also encouraging that, with the exception of DC, there was strength across all price ranges. Overall, there were 11.2% more homes that went under contract last week than the same week last year.

Have a great week,

David Howell

 

 

Our analysis on market trends helps you see the bigger picture.

 
David Howell

Year on Year Weekly Contract Activity Up with Notable Gain in Contracts for Upper-Market Homes

Posted On April 3rd, 2012 by David Howell | No Comments

Contract Activity Summary – March 26 – April 1, 2011 v 2012

Three jurisdictions posted gains in contract activity, with only Loudoun County showing a slight decline (2.7%).

For the week of March 26 – April 1, 2012 compared to the same week last year, contract activity was up 16.6% in Northern Virginia, 9.7% in DC and 4.5% in Montgomery County. Overall, roughly 1,250 homes went under contract last week, an almost 10% increase from last year.

As we have seen almost every week so far this year, contract activity was off in all four jurisdictions for homes priced under $300,000. Of particular note was the huge increase in activity for homes priced over $1,500,000 – 11 went under contract in this week last year and 26 this year. That translates into a 136% increase!

Have a great week,

David Howell

 

Our analysis on market trends helps you see the bigger picture.

 
David Howell

An Encouraging Bottom Line

Posted On March 29th, 2012 by David Howell | No Comments

Contract Activity Summary – March 19-25, 2011 v 2012

Over 1,200 homes went under contract last week, and that’s a 17% improvement!

Contract activity in Northern Virginia and Montgomery County soared, up 28% and 23% respectively compared to the same week last year. In an odd twist, DC and Loudoun County both saw modest drops in activity, off 1.1% and 3.5% respectively. But remember that these are the two smallest jurisdictions we track, so small changes in activity can appear to be big percentage differences. DC and Loudoun together had just SEVEN fewer contracts last week than last year at this time.

Overall, it was a very good – if uneven – week.

Until next time,

David Howell

Our analysis on market trends helps you see the bigger picture.