Monthly Archives: January 2018

Local Richmond

The “FAN” in Richmond, VA

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Living in The Fan, Richmond, VA

The Fan District is located in Richmond’s West End, and is one of the city’s most popular neighborhoods. This large district gets its name from the way its streets branch out in a fan shape from Belvidere Street to the Boulevard. If you love historic architecture, you’ll love the elegant homes for sale in The Fan District of Richmond, VA. Most date back to the late 19th and early 20th century and are available in a variety of building styles, including Queen Anne, Italianate, Beaux Arts, Bungalow and Tudor.

VCU School of Business in The Fan, Richmond, VA

Things to Do

Foodies love The Fan, which is home to approximately 80 restaurants and bars, many of which are locally owned. While there are many new and trendy eateries in The Fan District, there are also some old standbys, including Kuba, which first opened in 1998. This restaurant serves authentic Cuban food and is a favorite of the locals.

This neighborhood is also located next to the Museum District, where you can find six blocks lined with museums, including but not limited to the Science Museum of Virginia and the Children’s Museum of Richmond. Both of these museums offer many events and programs for children. Do you love art? Then you’ll enjoy taking classes at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. This museum’s Studio School offers an excellent selection of art workshops and courses for adults. The museum also has art classes that are designed specifically for children.

VCU in The Fan, Richmond, VA

Housing in The Fan

Most of the homes in the Fan District, Virginia, are beautiful historic brick row houses and townhomes, although there are also some large, elegant single-family houses. During the Great Depression and then later in the 1940s and 1950s, some of these larger homes were split into duplexes. There are also some new homes available in The Fan, including Citizen 6, a new development of three-bedroom Modern-style row houses.

Student riding bike in The Fan, Richmond, VA

Transportation and Travel in The Fan

This largely residential neighborhood is very walkable. Living in The Fan, you’ll find pretty much everything you need, including coffee shops, small markets, eateries and bars just a quick stroll away. The Fan District’s real estate offerings are also within easy walking distance of Carytown and all of its great restaurants and shopping options. And downtown Richmond is just about two miles away, so it is still close enough to walk or bike to, if you didn’t feel like driving or taking one of the GRTC buses that service this neighborhood. The Fan is also an excellent neighborhood for commuters. The Downtown Expressway, which connects to I-95, is located on the southern edge of this district, and I-64 is just a short drive away.

Walk Score

Very Walkable

89/100: Transit is convenient for most trips.

Walkscore rates the walkability of any address. The score is calculated by factors like nearby restaurants and stores, number of transportation choices and how much you’ll need to rely on a car.

Public Transportation

No Nearby Transit

0/100: Almost all errands require a car.

0 nearby routes: 0 bus, 0 rail, 0 other
For the complete link visit Long & Foster – http://www.longandfoster.com/VA/Richmond/The-Fan
Tips and Advice

What Not to Do When Putting Your Home on the Market

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Most seasoned real estate agents have seen it all when showing homes to potential buyers: sinks full of dishes, worn-out carpets and all manner of creative paint schemes.

If you’re getting your home ready to go on the market, your agent will probably give you a list of things to do before buyers start coming through the door. But what are some of the things you should NOT do? We asked three Long & Foster agents to share their tips.

FOR the complete story click or paste the following Long & Foster Link:
http://newsroom.longandfoster.com/2018/01/not-putting-home-market

VA Character

Long & Foster Celebrating 50 Years in Real Estate

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Jan 201809

Long & Foster Celebrates 50th Anniversary

Company Marks 50 Years of Helping People on Their Journeys Home

Fifty years ago, two 30-something veterans came together to build their dream. In May 1968 at an office building in Fairfax, Virginia, P. Wesley “Wes” Foster Jr. and Henry “Hank” Long opened Long & Foster Real Estate. A flip of a coin positioned Long’s moniker first in the company’s brand name and gave Foster the role of president.

Foster led the residential side of the real estate business, while Long managed the company’s commercial services. A single employee joined the two at the company’s outset, and that first year in business, they sold about $3 million in volume—a significant amount at that time, which is now surpassed in an individual luxury home sale. In the five decades since Long & Foster’s founding, the single real estate office outside the Nation’s Capital has become the country’s No. 1 independent real estate brand by sales volume, according to the REAL Trends 500.

“It’s one of my proudest achievements that, together, we have positively affected the lives of so many in the past 50 years and that we’ve done so with honesty and integrity,” said Foster, chairman emeritus of The Long & Foster Companies, parent company of Long & Foster Real Estate. “I’ve always believed that if you put your people first, then success will follow, and our agent-first approach has been the foundation of our business and the reason we’re celebrating 50 years of real estate excellence in 2018.”

Today, Long & Foster operates over 220 offices across the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast, from North Carolina to New Jersey. More than 11,000 agents are part of Long & Foster Real Estate and its various brands, including Fonville Morisey in North Carolina and Virginia Properties in Richmond, and over 1,800 real estate and financial services employees work with Long & Foster. The brokerage also has expanded beyond traditional real estate services in the past 50 years.

In the early 1970s, founders Foster and Long opened Long & Foster Insurance, pioneering the concept of a one-stop shop where consumers could both purchase a new home and get it insured. The 1980s brought the debut of Long & Foster’s mortgage (now Prosperity Home Mortgage, LLC) and settlement services companies (Long & Foster Settlement Services). Foster, who purchased Long’s half of the business in the late 1970s, also built booming property management, vacation rentals and corporate real estate services divisions.

Long & Foster’s innovative growth continued through the years and remains as strong as ever today. In 2015, Long & Foster became a part owner in Moxi Works, a real estate technology startup in Seattle, Washington. In 2016, Long & Foster acquired Urban Pace, a new home sales and marketing firm. It has also acquired dozens of brokerages of all sizes—from boutique real estate firms to former franchise companies. In 2017 alone, Long & Foster acquired Evers & Co., Monticello Properties, Jefferson Properties and McGrath Real Estate, and that was in addition to being acquired itself.

Berkshire Hathaway affiliate HomeServices of America acquired The Long & Foster Companies in September 2017. Foster recognized that becoming part of HomeServices was the best way to protect what Long & Foster had achieved over the past 50 years, while also ensuring the organization continued to grow for the next 50 years and beyond.

“What Wes Foster achieved at Long & Foster and in the real estate industry is truly remarkable and is largely credit to his people-first approach,” said Jeffrey S. Detwiler, president and CEO of The Long & Foster Companies, parent company of Long & Foster Real Estate. “Wes builds relationships by being there for his clients and agents—he listens, he cares, he’s responsive and he always has a positive attitude. His agent- and client-centric philosophy has played a huge role in Long & Foster reaching this milestone, and it will continue to guide our company as we look toward the next 50 years.”

Long & Foster will celebrate its 50th anniversary throughout 2018, highlighting its real estate expertise in everything from print advertisements to social media posts. In addition, the firm is changing its iconic red, yellow and blue for-sale signs in the first part of 2018—kicking off its anniversary celebration with a vibrant and modern splash that pays tribute to the company’s legacy while looking toward the future.

For more information about Long & Foster, visit www.LongAndFoster.com.