Welcome to Autumn!

Today is the Last Day of Summer 2014

Although School has been in session for several weeks, and in some cases longer, today is the official close to summer. In our business, real estate sales, it means there are fewer hours in the day to show property. While mild temperatures prevail through the fall in Virginia, enhancing our Autumn sales market, we have to be a bit more precise about getting out with buyers to look at property. Weekends become more important for this task, as we can visit homes during the daylight hours without respect to darkening skies encroaching on our work schedules. It’s an interesting balancing act between family time and house hunting time!

Shorter days, falling temperatures, and brisk nights invigorate the senses and create a feeling of excitement as we approach what most consider the “holiday season”.  It also invites home shoppers to take advantage of the late purchasing season, which happens to be one of the most successful times of the year when buying or selling a home in our area. While overall sales in August fell this year, we are beginning to see an increase in activity in September. The official numbers wont be out for a few more weeks, but we have already witnessed the uptick in activity. It is a great time of year to be out looking for your next home.

So, keep the lights on, put on an extra layer, and plan your “get out to look” activities; contact your Realtor for all the help and advice you need to take advantage of the fall market in real estate sales for Virginia!

The Autumnal Equinox (from The Farmer’s Almanac)

The word equinox comes from the Latin words for “equal night.” The fall and spring equinoxes are the only days of the year in which the Sun crosses the celestial equator. From here on out, the temperatures begin to drop and the days start to get shorter than the nights; in other words the hours of daylight decline as we move toward ward winter, on December 21st.

Question: Why aren’t there exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness on the fall equinox?

Answer: On the equinoxes, the very center of the Sun sets just 12 hours after it rises. But the day begins when the upper edge of the Sun reaches the horizon (which happens a bit before the center rises), and it doesn’t end until the entire Sun has set. Not only that, but the Sun is actually visible when it is below the horizon, as Earth’s atmosphere refracts the Sun’s rays and bends them in an arc over the horizon. According to our former astronomer, George Greenstein, “If the Sun were to shrink to a star-like point and we lived in a world without air, the spring and fall equinoxes would truly have ‘equal nights.'”

For more information, the following link may be helpful: http://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-seasons