Fredericksburg.com – Stafford growth led by BRAC, hospital
This article spells out yet another reason why Stafford County is a great place to call home. Having lead the area in job growth behind only Fairfax and Loudoun County, Stafford has held its own with regard to employment and job growth.
The light at the end of the tunnel?
Continued good news coming from the National Association of Realtors (r)….pending home sales have increased 8% since this time last year. Watch the video for details!
Irene Morales Ward
North Stafford Sales for January 2012
Links below provide information on properties sold in North Stafford (22554, 22556) in January 2012 as reflected in our regional MLS, MRIS(r). If you need additional information, please contact me at IreneWard@remax.net.
Credit requirements loosening = Housing recovery?
Capital Economics. an independent global macroeconomic research and consulting firm, reported on January 13, 2012 that as banks begin to lend more freely, housing sales appear to be rebounding. A few key changes are helping make this possible.
- Stabilizatoin of mortgage lending guidelines
- A loosening of available credit
- An increase in the amount loaned from 3.2 times borrower earnings to 3.5 times
- Loosening loan-to-value ratios (LTV) are noted in the report as the “clearest sign yet of an improvement in credit conditions.” Banks are now lending 82% LTV as opposed to 74% LTV back in mid-2010.
While these modest changes will not have a significant affect on housing price gains, they will allow a greater number of home buyers to enter into the housing market.
Mary Washington Hospital Trauma Center
When choosing an area to call home, not many of us will envision a time in our lives when being within close proximity to a trauma center will become a matter of life and death for us. However, there are many times – unexpected, horrible times – when a close-by trauma center will become just that – the difference between life and death.
Mary Washington Hospital’s Trauma Center is a Level II Trauma Center “providing comprehensive trauma care to patients with life-threatening injuries. Injuries occur from many mechanisms including motor vehicle crashes, motorcyle crashes, falls, pedestrian injuries, bicycle crashes, and sport injuries as well as from penetrating injuries such as gunshot wounds and stab wounds.”
Virginia has 14 designated Trauma Centers (Map & List)
5 – Level I Centers (highest Level)
Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital
Inova Fairfax Hospital
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
University of Virginia Health System ( Charlottesville)
Virginia Commonwealth University Health Systems ( Richmond)
4 – Level II Centers
Lynchburg General Hospital
Mary Washington Hospital ( Fredericksburg)
Riverside Regional Medical Center ( Newport News)
Winchester Medical Center
5 – Level III Centers
Carilion New River Valley Medical Center (Christiansburg)
CJW Medical Center – Chippenham Campus ( Richmond)
Montgomery Regional Hospital ( Blacksburg)
Sentara Virginia Beach General Hospital
Southside Regional Medical Center ( Petersburg)
Source: http://www.vdh.state.va.us/OEMS/Trauma/TraumaCenters.htm
Irene Morales Ward, Realtor
What $500k will buy you in the DC area
Folks moving into this area from other parts of the country or abroad are coming to DC with high expectations of scooping up a “steal”…. homes close to metro transportation, exceptional schools, and quality craftsmanship. What many don’t understand is that those areas within close proximity to the DC area have been seeing a recovery for years and some areas, like Arlington, are now at about 90% of the median prices compared to the peak of the market in 2005.
This article in The Washington Post is an excellent “reality check” for those looking to buy a deal/steal in this area. It won’t be easy!
Clean, Open Areas Where Your Children Can Play – Stafford, Virginia Has It!
One of the primary reasons I moved to Stafford County, Virginia was because I wanted my children to have a safe environment in which to play and exercise. Some of my fondest memories as a child were of climbing apple trees in our neighbor’s yard, riding bikes, hiking through the woods, and pick up games of softball and kick-the-can during the spring, summer and fall. I wanted no less for my children.
Stafford County is centrally located between Washington D.C. to the north and the State Capital of Richmond to the south. The County is about 15 miles long from north to south and approximately 17 miles wide from east to west. The County begins from its northern tip at Exit 148 (South Quantico gate) off of I95 to its southern point just north of the Rappahannock River at Exit 133 off of I95. It borders the Potomac River and King George County to the east, Fredericksburg City and Spotsylvania County to the south, Fauquier County to the West, and Prince William County to the north.
Potomac Creek at Sunset
Stafford enjoys the some of the state’s largest virgin forestland at Crow’s Nest. The County had officially petitioned the condemnation of this ecologically sensitive area in November of 2006 to be used solely “for a public park for passive recreational purposes”. “Virtually the entire Crow’s Nest peninsula is forested with a mature stand of mixed hardwoods that is considered one of the finest, if not the finest, example remaining in the coastal plain.” The Northern Virginia Conservation Trust
When I first came to Stafford County 1n 1988, I was captivated by the mix of suburban familiarity with area shopping, entertainment, and dining, and the charm of the predominantly rural and agricultural landscape. Today, while much has changed, our children’s recreational facilities have seen a tremendous shot in the arm by our local Representatives and Board of Supervisors.
Whether you enjoy history, museums, art and music, playgrounds, sports fields, swimming, boating, golfing or hiking, you will be pleasantly pleased with the wide variety of options and the high quality facilities available to you.
Irene Morales Ward, Northern Virginia Real Estate
www.IreneMoralesWard.com
