3/24/09 JW's been in continuing education courses all day. Good classes. Here's the best of what was taught: 1. Get the best accountant possible 2. Make certain your client is well taken care of-don't hesitate to recommend a Real Estate Attorney when questions are out of a Realtor's "paygrade"

And the most important item was: We have chosen this profession and we want the best education possible to help our clients. If we forget to ask for your business, then ask us "Do you want our business?" We are NEVER too busy for your referrals. If we forget to ask you to refer The JOHNandJOHN Team to your friends, co-workers and relatives, please know we want to help them, and work with them to help them achieve their goals.

If any one of the Team; Carter Hagen, David Lausier, John Meyer or John Welch asks for your business and the business of your people who want to move anywhere in the world, then we're doing what we should!!

3/19/2009-Blogging class today for John Meyer and John Welch. We learned that www.Parkfairfax.com and www.johnANDjohn.net get more hits that most every local Real Estate blog or website in NVAR. One of the reasons The JOHNandJOHN Team has been in the Top 20 Realtors in the Northern Virginia Association of Realtors since 2000. We sell properties in the detached home communitites of Jefferson Park, Beverly Hills, Braddock Heights, Aurora Hills, Lyon Village & Lyon Park where multiple offers continue. Go to www.JohnandJohn.net and view the photos of our new listing on Taylor Ave. listed for $749,999.

Condominium Communities in the Shirlington area are selling well. EZ commute to DC yet far enough to enjoy the greenery that spring (starting tomorrow) will bring. We specialize in the Condo communities of Parkfairfax, Fairlington, The Arlington, & Courtbridge. Since the Feds pumped new money into the monetary system yesterday, interest rates went down AGAIN. Add low interest rates with $8000 off your tax bill this year or next for buying a home this year (Dec 1. is the cutoff date). This should help buyers feel more comfortable with purchasing. Interest rates WILL increase. And since the stock market has gone up 1000 points from the low, smiles are brighter and spending is back. This evening The Settlement Group and Keith Livingston of Bank of America gave a wine and cheese party for RE/MAX Realtors.

Tuesday night we saw A Chorus Line at The Warner Theatre after eating dinner at Marc's Central Kitchen on Pennsylvania. The food was delicious, service professional, but the sound level was jacked up too loudly. Get the west coast raw oysters, any main course & bread pudding for dessert.

What do you think about a member of the House of Representative's proposal to give one $3500-$700 for your 8+ year old car if you buy a new car that gets 28+ miles per gallon?

For those of you who know John Meyer, he's progessing in physical therapy. The rotator cuff surgery will help him put those signs into the ground at a greater velocity! He's back at work and looks forward to helping you sell or buy your next property. Carter Hagen has just returned from showing a Parkfairfax home that we have "under contract". And David Lausier, our other Broker/Realtor is preparing an offer on a Parkfairfax home in the morning.

March 11th we had lunch with a new client from Denver at Willow on Washington Blvd. in Arlington, near N. Glebe Rd. Maybe we should have chosen another entree, but the substitute tuna sandwich for cod wasn't great.

Today, The Settlement Group, our preferred title company invited Bob Fredricks, their attorney to talk with the creme-de-le-creme RE/MAX Realtors from the Alexandria office, about contract language. I learned that when a foreclosure is sold, (like the one in Parkfairfax we put under contract) all liens are paid or forgiven, like taxes, condo fees, etc.

Look at johnandjohn.net for a new detached home listing in fashionable Jefferson Park. Rarely does one find a 4 bedroom/2baths upstairs home coming on the open market for sale. Sunday, March 22nd we'll have an open house.

Spring Market

Parkfairfax and The Shirlington area are where home buyers have interest. The forsythias have yellow buds just waiting for a warm day and the daffodils' stems have pushed through the earth.

Because of the garden-like communities and ease of transportation to DC via I-395, we see 15-30 people in each "open house" on Sundays from 1-4pm. High rise condos are not getting this same vibrant buyer visitation that results in selling homes. Properties are selling!

According to Realty Times, the Washington area is one of the "few" non-declining" real estate markets in the country....and Parkfairfax and The Shirlington area are maintaining values and selling VERY well. Come see us in Parkfairfax on Sunday. We'll have 3 open houses for you to view: a 3 bedroom (RARE), a 1 bedroom (with patio) and a new 2 level/2 bedroom (1st open). We look forward to seeing you.

Parkfairfax Update

2/16/09-Shirlington is bumping today. Had to park on the 4th level of the parking level just to get to the Hair Cuttery. I know, why should I go to get a haircut.....keeps me from having to clean-up the tiny hairs. And Hana is REALLY good. Same price as the barber shop in Bradlee; either of which are walking distance from Parkfairfax; but I was in a hurry. If you know of someone who wants a detached house, look at 1706 Crestwood Drive, $525K. It has 3 bedrooms/3 baths and plenty of room to add on. It needs a new kitchen. The basement is totally unfinished so "have your way" with it. We'll hold an open house there Feb. 22nd from 1-4pm. Come see us. Parkfairfax real estate is doing well. Only 6 available as of today. We put 2 "under contract" this week, maybe 3 after tonight. Let's celebrate and walk over to Shirlington for dinner sometime.

February 6, 2009In 2001, my husband Rob & I were first-time home buyers when we met John & John at an open house. By early Summer we were closing on 3738 Gunston Road, and our love affair with Parkfairfax had begun. It was a romance that would only last for 2 years, but it left a big impact on my life. The early months were filled with hard work, as we stripped paint down to beautiful plaster and demolished the kitchen walls. I learned a lot about home ownership and remodling, and that a girl can fall in love with a Viking range as easily as she can a GE. When the work started wrapping up and we came up for air, Rob & I were able to finally start appreciating the finer points of life in Parkfairfax. We had an easy commute to Alexandria and DC, the pedestrian bridge to Shirlington made for a nice stroll to dinner or a movie, and, as Spring rolled around, we began to enjoy nature awakening all around us. This is unexpected in Northern Virginia, that you could live a stones throw from 395 and still be surrounded by tall trees and beautiful gardens. I often think of my neighbor Trudy Gongorra's, and wish that I had taken the time to learn more about gardening from her. I also miss the azalea sale, and hope that it is still thriving. Rob & I have been living in Williamsburg for almost 6 years now, but we return to the area for work or to catch a show at the Birchmere. We drive through the neighborhood every chance we get. And we're happy to still count all of the John & John Team - John, John, David and Carter - as our friends. Alison Heittman

Feb. 5, 2009-Just finished speaking with Rob and Alison Heittman who designed www.Parkfairfax.com and www.JOHNandJOHN.net. Soon you'll see "google earth" and there will be " live voices" to accompany each listing's highlights. Despite the cold weather and dismal economic news, another JOHNandJOHN Team Parkfairfax listing went "under contract".

This weekend the 1st VERY nice 3 bedroom (RARE) is coming on the market for sale $414,999. See www.Parkfairfax.com for photos. With interest rates at historic lows, we expect many people on Sunday to view it. An architect made the enhancements to the kitchen and else where within the unit. Also, the best bargain of the week is coming up at Pavilion on the Park, a highrise condominium just off Duke St, near Landmark, 5340 Holmes Run Parkway #1115. $199,999 for 3 bedrooms, 2 baths and the views are vast, uninterrupted and green for miles.

Tonight is "The Little Dog Laughed" at The Signature Theatre in Shirlington. Several of us will be dining at Shirlington Thai, pre-theatre. If you're there, please drop by our table and say HI!