The 7 Best School Boundaries For Your Buck

August 30 by Marina Brito

Last Spring, when Andrea and Pete were moving to Fairfax County, they wanted the best possible school for their daughter, Haley.

Choosing the best (and most affordable) school boundary

Choosing among the best school boundaries

But, like most of us, they had to stick to a budget so their challenge was to find the school boundary with the best schools, while still keeping to their budget.

When they started their search, they focused on school rankings

For school rankings, they looked at The Ultimate Fairfax County High Schools Ranking©* (which compiles rankings from The Challenge Index,  average SAT Scores,  as well as the Virginia SOL  (Standards of Learning) Test Results).

This way, they had a list of Fairfax County Schools ranked by academics.  But can they really afford to buy in any one of these boundaries?

Next, they looked at the affordability of homes Continue Reading…

How to minimize the concerns about buying a home via Skype

August 23 by Marina Brito

How to minimize the concerns about buying a home via Skype
(i.e. without having seen it “in person”)

This is the second in a series of posts about Buying a Home via Skype. The first post is here.

On the first post, we followed Tita and Tony through preparing for their home-buying adventure while they were mostly out of town.

Picture of a virtual home

How to ensure you’re buying a Real Home

Since Tita and Tony were out of town, we toured the homes via Skype.  At the end of the tour, they chose one to make an offer on.

Thankfully, we agreed to certain conditions that would help minimize their concerns about not being physically present to buy their next home. Continue Reading…

Why is Vienna, VA the # 3 Best Place to Live?

August 21 by Marina Brito

Vienna, VA is # 3 of the Top 50 places to live

Vienna, VA is # 3

The charm of Vienna, Virginia is all about its unique little shops.

Where else can I find a delicious chocolate croissant made with European butter in the middle of suburbia?

Once I get my croissant, I can take my prized treasure across the street and get a Belgian hot chocolate to go with it.  Then, I can walk over to the W&OD park and watch the runners and the bikers go by while I enjoy the experience.

It’s no wonder why, in this year’s Best Places to Live article by Money Magazine, Vienna ranked # 3 of the Top 50.

Where is Vienna, VA?

Vienna, VA is located in the heart of Fairfax County, about 15-20 minutes west of Washington, D.C., and is part of the large suburb known as Northern Virginia.

So, why did Vienna, VA rank high on Money magazine’s list of small towns?

Vienna is hot because of its great lifestyle

Interestingly, many of my friends have chosen to live in Vienna.  And I think that their choice comes down to enjoying a great lifestyle. Continue Reading…

Would you buy a house via Skype?

August 9 by Marina Brito

Or via Facetime or a Google Hangout?

On one hand, to buy a house via Skype would be very convenient, especially if you’re out of town.

On the other hand it could be nerve-wracking

  • “What if I what I thought was a beige wall turns out to be a bright orange wall paper?”
  • “What if I don’t like it when I see it in person?”
  • “What if there is something seriously wrong with it and I didn’t see it?”
Kids Skyping

Should we buy this house, or should we keep looking (via Skype)?

Well, I’m sure that these were a few of the concerns that Tita and Tony had when they were looking for a home via Skype.

How Tita and Tony started the process Continue Reading…

Don’t miss the Back-to-School Sales Tax Holiday THIS WEEKEND

August 2 by Marina Brito

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