If you are considering to buy a home, CNN's Money 101 has some great tips about the things a home buyer should know.

Here are the top 10 things to know when buying a home:

1. Don't buy if you can't stay put
2. Start by shoring up your credit
3. Aim for a home you can really afford
4. Don't worry if you can't put down the usual 20 percent
5. Buy in a district with good schools
6. Get professional help
7. Choose carefully between points and rate
8. Before house hunting, get pre-approved
9. Do your homework before bidding
10. Hire a home inspector

You can read more about these in detail here.

I encourage you to read this and other resources before you decide to buy a house.  You can contact me and my team to know more about the buying process.  We can also orient you about the current market price of homes in Northern Virginia, to help you budget and save for your new home. We're not only here to sell you a home,  we're also here to share our expertise to help you get started on the right track towards successful home ownership.

See you soon,

Sherry

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During the recent holiday season, Sherry and the Team donated several large "care packages" to Mary and her helpers for distribution, and we recently received a wonderful letter from Major General David Rodriquez of Task Force Freedom thanking us for our efforts. Such a small gesture goes a long way in making a difference in the lives of our soldiers who risk their lives daily.

The following is an update from the U.S. Department of Defense:

Article link: http://www.defenselink.mil/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=47872

America Supports You: Operation Pinecone Shifts Gears for Holidays
Mon, 22 Oct 2007 14:26:00 -0500

America Supports You: Operation Pinecone Shifts Gears for Holidays

By Toni Maltagliati
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Oct. 22, 2007 - For volunteers with South Riding, Va.-based Operation Pinecone, Halloween is over and the Christmas rush has begun.

"We have 25 camps, four hospitals (and) two humanitarian aid contacts," said Mary Hacker, who founded the group two years ago after deciding to super-size a care package originally planned for one family friend deployed to Iraq.

"A neighbor came by, saw what I was doing, and said she had wanted to do something to help the troops but that she didn't have a contact over there," Hacker explained.

Word spread through Hacker's rural Virginia neighborhood and, with the help of a press release in the local paper, the women "were bombarded."

"Everybody wanted to do something, but they didn't know how," she said.

That was November 2005, when Hacker and her husband, John, shipped the group's first care package to a handful of soldiers in Iraq.

Two years later, Hacker's living room, dining room and basement runneth over with donations of Girl Scout cookies, toiletries, movie DVDs, music CDs, T-shirts, puzzle books, hard candy, playing cards, snacks and even blank holiday cards for troops to use. Another board member of Operation Pinecone has put a basement to use as storage space for the group's donations.

The group's name, Operation Pinecone, originated from Mary Hacker's desire to send a memento from home to the troops. She chose a pinecone, because pine trees grow in nearly every state in the United States. One pinecone accompanies each care package, Hacker said.

Operation Pinecone is a supporter of the Defense Department's America Supports You program, which connects citizens and corporations with military personnel and their families serving at home and abroad.

Hacker said she has found her group's affiliation with America Supports You helpful.

"I think it's great," Hacker said. "It's been very beneficial to me. I can get information from other groups; I have someone to talk to; and I do a lot of referrals to America Supports You."

She explained that Operation Pinecone's aim is to concentrate the group's efforts to help the greatest number of troops overseas. When she gets requests for individual care packages, Hacker refers the individuals to groups who send personalized care packages.

"I would really rather do more for the masses than less for the individuals," Hacker said.

The "masses" include troops and veterans recovering at the Veterans Affairs medical center in Augusta, Ga., and Eisenhower Army Medical Center in nearby Fort Gordon, Ga. Two other military hospitals also receive Operation Pinecone care packages: the National Naval Medical Center, in Bethesda, Md., and Walter Reed Army Medical Center here.

Now that care packages filled with Halloween candy and decorations are making their way to Afghanistan and Iraq, the Virginia group is gearing up for two evening packing parties focused on Christmas care packages, Hacker said.

Related Sites:
Operation Pinecone
America Supports You

This is an update about Brian Buffini and his family, as they are dealing with the fires. This is the most recent e-mail and speaks pretty clearly to "How We Can Help!" Let's do what we can - and add prayers too! Many of you who work with Brian may already know about this. I just wanted everyone to be aware of his status. - Sherry

 ----

Update from Buffini and Company.:  We just completed our company meeting so that we could inform our clients as to our status here.  Brian sent in a video that under the circumstances, was pure Brian.  He and his family were evacuated at 2:30 in the morning on Monday and were unable to take anything with them, no photos, no clothes and sadly to report, no journals.  The home was burned to the foundation.  He wanted all of you to know how much you mean to Buffini family. 

He wanted to clarify what we could all do for him/family - simply put - life goes on, get on with life. He is in the process of preparing for the upcoming Turning Points in Richmond, Phoenix and our first Turning Point in Toronto.  He's fired up, he's on a mission and he is determined to rise above the loss. 

If you are inspired to do anything in this challenging time, Brian asked us to encourage you to ask your business associates, vendors, friends to join you at a Turning Point, 100 Days to Greatness class, Referral Workshop.  While he is focusing on being in survival mode within his family circle and helping them heal - he wants all of us here to focus on the Business Circle and keep that oar in the water.  So I am here to ask on his behalf - to send us your referrals.  It is the one thing we CAN do - is get back to business and be intentional about succeeding in our lives and our businesses.

It would be such a gift to flood the sales department and the events with as many people as we can.  So "if you can think of anyone who might benefit from the services and opportunities that we offer - please get me there name and number so that we can assist them in any way possible!". I think it would be amazing to have each client refer at least two people, to send the message of support to Brian and his family - it would be the resounding cheer that we know they need! 

Additional email correspondence will be sent to keep you updated as to the circumstances here and what we will be doing to assist in the rebuilding of San Diego; for our staff, our clients and for Brian. 

So for now - It is A Good Life...!  Thanks for walking through this fire with us.

Melissa Perdue - Business Coach - Buffini & Company

melissap@buffiniandcompany.com

Related Articles:

As Calif. Fires Burned, Copters Grounded - By AARON C. DAVIS and MICHAEL R. BLOOD

Thus, everyone should endeavor to practice fire safety not only to protect our homes and community, but most of all to protect lives. Fire prevention is the first step to fire safety.

Here are 8 basic fire safety tips to protect your home throughout the year.

1. Periodically clean your gutters.  Remove any leaves and debris.  Trim off any dead tree limbs over-hanging your roof.
2. Keep wood piles and any similar flammable items away from your house.
3. Be alert when cooking.  Don't leave anything unattended on the range or even in the stove.
4. Keep flammable items in a safe place away from the stove or lit candles.  These include paper, fabric, cleaners and solvents.
5. Exercise caution if you're a smoker. Always extinguish your cigarettes. Don't smoke in bed. Don't just throw your used cigarettes anywhere.  It can hit a pile of dried leaves or a patch of dry grass and accidentally start a fire.
6. Be careful when using your barbecue. Douse coals after use.  Store your barbecue and any coals in a safe place where it can't accidentally start a fire.  Don't overfill propane tanks. Check the fuel line connection for any leaks.
7. Don't leave any candles burning when you're about to go to sleep or leave a room.
8. Keep matches away from small kids.  You may understand the danger, but small kids might think it's just a toy.  Teach them early the dangers of playing with fire.

It is also important that you identify all escape routes in your house in case of fire.  Plan several escape routes.  Do a fire drill, so everyone knows what to do in case of a fire.  Install smoke detectors and make sure you periodically check it.  You can find more ways to protect your home and family here.

I hope you find these safety tips useful.  Practice it to keep your home safe from any accidental fires.  Meanwhile, let us all do our share to help those devastated by fire in California.  Every little effort counts. 

See you soon,

Sherry

 Mandatory water restrictions are still in place in Eastern Loudoun despite the rain.  During a drought, we tend to neglect our plants and gardens, especially with the water restrictions in place. However, now is the time to give your plants the extra care they need.  Using less water doesn't mean you should just let them wilt and go brown. 

Here are the things you can do to help your plants survive the drought and save water at the same time.

1. Reduce turf areas.  You can either hardscape or use a low water plant groundcover.
2. Mix some organic matter to increase the soil's water and air holding capacity.  It will also help retain nutrients.
3. Direct the water low to the ground to ensure the water goes straight to the plant's roots.
4. Dig a small dip around the plants to stop water running off slopes.
5. Water your plants early in the morning or late afternoon when it's not too hot, otherwise the water will just evaporate.
6. Use mulches to hold moisture and help reduce weeds.
7. Weed regularly, so the water will go to your plants not the weeds.
8. Don't over fertilize, it will increase the water consumption of your plants.
9. Use native plants. They are more resilient to drought.
10. One good soak every ten days is better than a daily sprinkle.  It will encourage roots to search for water deeper in the ground.

I hope you find these tips useful.  Take care of your plants even during a drought. Think of it as an investment that will grow in time. The more established your plants are, the more likely they will be resilient to any drought.  Come sale time, your plants can be one of the selling points of your house.

See you soon,

Sherry

It's a great article to read because the author had also been in the real estate business for around 30 years. He shared his experience with the ups and downs in the real estate market  for the past 30 years.  This included the period where the prime rate went up from 11% to 22% and the mortgage rates increased from 10% to 17%.  To add, unemployment sky rocketed.  Both sellers and buyers were unhappy.  Sellers cannot sell their homes because a lot of buyers cannot afford the high interest rates.  He noted how he saw the same scenario happen in later years.

As a real estate broker, we are more in touch with what is happening in the real estate industry. An average homeowner will only buy and sell a home several times in their lifetime.  However as a real estate broker, we deal with it everyday.  Maybe that's one of the reasons why we remain positive in the real estate market while others fear its future.  It's not our first time to encounter a real estate downturn.  From our experience, just like any real estate cycle, property prices are bound to appreciate again sooner or later.

Thus, if you need to buy a home now, then do so!  There are plenty of good deals around with lots of inventories to choose from.  To add, with lower interest rates you can buy more house for your money. If you're financially prepared to buy now, take advantage of the opportunity! What matters is you have a home that you and your family can enjoy now, irregardless if the house prices declined a bit further.  In the long run, by the time you decide to sell it in a few years time, I'm sure that the property prices would have appreciated already. 

If you are looking to buy a house anywhere in Northern Virginia, give me a call.  We have a lot of beautiful homes available, ready for you to move in.  It's just a matter of choosing the location, features and price range that would best suit you and your family's needs.

See you soon,

Sherry

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It will help you plan and evaluate what you really need.  To add, it will save you lots of time and effort from moving the furniture around.  Not to mention, it is more likely you will damage your floor, walls and furnishings the more your move it around.  Oftentimes, if you don't have a floor plan, you tend to move your furnishings until you're satisfied that it is in the perfect location already. 

It can also save you a lot of money, especially if you're planning to renovate.  You can minimize buying things that are unnecessary or even regret tearing down walls. It allows you to focus your efforts and finances to the more important things.  In the end, you'll end up with a better time and materials management.  You're do-it-yourself projects would look more professionally done even you did it on a budget.

Here's a great tool from HGTV.com to help you customize your floor plans for every room in your house.  You can add accessories, structural elements and furnishings, move it around and redo it until you're satisfied with the layout. You can adjust the dimensions of the room in the floor plan tool to match the dimension of your rooms.  Now you can experiment moving around furnishings, windows, doors or even tear down walls using just one hand...or actually with a click of your computer's mouse.

Remember when renovating or even just redecorating, it always helps to stay within your budget. It's also handy to have a timetable or schedule in place.  Some people are eager to start renovating but find it hard to finish it.  If you're renovating to sell, then make sure you stick within your schedule.  Any unfinished work can cost you a lot of money.  To add, most buyers would like to buy houses that are ready to move in.

I hope you find these tips useful.  I wish you well in your renovating or redecorating project.  If you're planning to sell your house anytime soon, give me a call.  My team and I won't let your efforts go in vain.  We have a great marketing package that will expose your home to a maximum number of buyers.

See you soon,

Sherry

Here some decorating ideas to help you create a festive ambience in your home:

• Video of Thanksgiving decor ideas
• easy to do fall centerpieces
• fruit bouquet

Creating a certain mood for your buyers, can help them feel at home.  The more they can associate themselves with your house, the more likely they will consider buying it.  Plus, it always pays to leave a lasting impression.

It is like going to a shopping center.  If you take away all the goods inside a shop, every store would look the same.  It would look like an empty box.  However, once each store owner puts in her goods, decorates her shop to create a certain image or ambience, everything looks different.  There could be several clothing, home decor or even fashion accessories shops but nothing looks the same. Each one has a different layout, even if it's projecting the same image to target the same customer. Some stores would do better than the other, depending on their merchandise mix, brand, image and overall marketing.

The same thing applies to selling your home. Different sellers could be targeting the same buyer.  That particular buyer will be visiting the houses of other sellers. At the end of the day, you have to make an effort that they remember your home.  You should always endeavor to standout and create a certain ambience in your home that will make them choose to it over your competition. 

See you soon,

Sherry